Video Game Consoles

Video Game Consoles

Over the years, console gaming has evolved in many ways by graphics becoming more realistic, consoles being made able to process more data at quicker speeds and the ability to communicate and play with others from around the world becoming more and more advanced. Also, new ways of playing video games have been introduced over the years to enhance peoples gaming experience which will be explained further throughout this post.

The first ever console was called the ‘Brown Box’ and was created in 1967 by a corporation called Sanders Associates. It included many features which consoles today still consist of which include multi-player, two controllers, the console itself and a multi-game program system. The 'Brown Box' could be made to play a variety of games such as checkers, ping-pong and target shooting by pressing switches located on the front of the console.

In 1975, the PONG console was then created which had the capability to play the arcade hit ‘PONG’ which is simply a simulated tennis game which two people must participate in with only one winner. The chip which was included in the console was one of the first to be able to process sound and data for users. However, this console was made only to play 'PONG' which didn't give much of a variety for people.

10 years after the 'PONG' game console was made, the Nintendo Entertainment System was introduced by a company called 'Nintendo' which soon became the best-selling console in video-game history. It included multiple buttons on the controllers, a much faster processor than previous consoles and two controllers. It was also capable of playing games which are still being played on todays consoles such as Super Mario Bro's, The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy.

In 1995, the next best-selling console was then created which was called the Playstation 1 (PS1) and was created by a company called 'Sony' who are one of the two major leading brands in video-gaming today. It was capable of playing games with advanced graphics, had various buttons on the controllers, included a memory card which could be used to transfer data to other PS1's and was operated by the use of discs. It was also a very small onsole but was capable of producing more than what any other previous console could produce.

In 2001, the next major selling video game console was released which was called the Xbox and was created by 'Microsoft' who are currently top competitors with 'Sony'. It was capable of playing with others through the use of internet on a service called 'Xbox Live', had four controller ports and online features such as movies and music. There was only a slight increase in graphic quality when compared to the PS1 but games which are still played today were first found on this console such as Halo and Fable. It was however a much larger console than the PS1 but was clearly more advanced.

By 2005, one of the first ever portable game consoles was created which was called the PSP and was capable of doing everything the PS2 could do at faster speeds and even had the feature to access the internet. However, there were limited games as to what the PSP could play due to some games being too large for the PSP to operate.

The rivalry then soon continued with Microsoft creating a new Xbox called the Xbox 360 which could outperform the PS2 by having a much faster processor, improved graphics and be able to play exclusive games. It was also able to access the internet, have multiple ways of viewing TV programmes and movies with features such as Sky and YouTube, and have group chats with familiar people. The PS2 was not capable of this.

However, in attempt to tackle the Xbox 360, Sony created the PS3 which was able to do everything the Xbox 360 could do except from group chats which is a major disadvantage. There were multiple versions of this console released with different storage amounts and features. One of the exclusive features of the PS3 was that it was capable of playing Blu-Ray DVD’s.

Now upcoming in the next couple of weeks are the next generation of both Microsoft and Sony’s consoles which are the Xbox One and PS4. These will be the most advanced consoles to date and both have similar features which make it a tough competition. However, the PS4 is expected to have slightly better graphics but the Xbox One features more famous exclusive games than the PS4. The Xbox One is also the first console to be fully operated with the use of speech and hand gestures.