The Sega Dreamcast was the first to come, being released in 1998, appearing as some sort of peculiar hybrid between the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation. It was Sega's attempt at a comeback from the fall of Sega Saturn, and even though it had a largely loyal following, it sadly didn't last that long, being outweighed by the staggering sales of the PS2. It had quite a lot of big name titles though, such as Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur and Marvel Vs Capcom, but sadly the last official games were released in 2002.
Which brings us to the PS2. In my opinion, the PS2 could easily be one of the best consoles so far. The PS2 was released in 2000 and has only recently been discontinued, as of January 2013. In this time, it sold over 150 million units, making it the best selling video game console in history. I still have and adore my PS2, and if it ever breaks you can be sure I'd get another. The PS2 holds a vast amount of my all time favourite games, one of which, Dark Cloud.
I personally discovered Dark Cloud by chance on the demo disc that came with the console. To me, this game is shockingly underrated. It has been quoted as 'Sony's answer to Legend of Zelda' and I kind of see the connection, even though I am not a massive fan of the Legend of Zelda myself.
This is a trailer for Dark Cloud. The aim of the game is to rebuild the eastern part of the world which has been left in ruin by the Dark Genie, and you do this by battling through dungeons and various boss battles to save the villagers of about 7 different areas and restore their homes to how they were before. Playing it now, it's easy to see obvious flaws in models and textures, however I still find the gameplay incredibly absorbing.
I loved the sequel too, as it had the same fundamental idea as the first game, but a lot more in depth.
I've never owned the original Xbox, however I have a lot of fond memories of playing Halo 2 with my cousins. When production of this machine was first announced, people were skeptical and a lot of people scoffed at the idea, but Microsoft shocked them all as the Xbox's popularity soared.
Bill Gates proposed that the Xbox would be three times as powerful as the PS2 and would 'transform the way we consumed electronic entertainment.' Quite a hefty claim considering it was Microsoft's first launch into the console market.
The Xbox also popularised the use of playing console games online with the release of Xbox live in 2002. It competed with Dreamcast and PlayStation 2's online services and while these were free and Xbox live is subscription based, Xbox live was more popular because their servers were far better. Also, games like, for instance, Halo 2, made Xbox live incredibly successful.
Which brings us to the Nintendo GameCube. Okay, to start with, how cute is this machine? It is so easy to see that the obvious target audience for this console is children, proving Nintendo's reputation for producing the friendly, family based console on the market has been prevalent for a good while. Nintendo used a similar idea as the 64 with the ability to transfer information between the console and the handheld GameBoy Advance. This worked by use of a GBA cable, which allowed you to use it as an input system, or exchange data or even unlock new levels. With this console, you could also have bought a broadband adapter which allowed you to connect the machine to the internet and play online with your friends.
2005 brought us the 7th generation of home gaming consoles, with the competition being narrowed down to Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. It's widely considered Sony and Microsoft are the only real contenders, however Nintendo are ever reliable for there friendly, loveable approach to gaming. I personally love Nintendo (mostly their hand held machines I will admit), but the thing I love about Nintendo is that the game franchises they are most famous for are the ones they have been most famous for since the beginning. Mario Brothers, Pokemon and even relatively newer titles like Animal Crossing.
The Nintendo Wii, released in 2006, was immensely popular, although it took a while. In 2012 it surpassed Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 in world wide sales. I don't think this is surprising though, because in my opinion it was quite a new, innovative machine. It was revolutionary because it more so introduced the idea of using consoles for exercise. I mean, it had been done before, of course, with DanceDanceRevolution and the Combat Pad for Dead or Alive 2, but not nearly on the same scale. With the Wii, it was actually FUN to use as an exercise tool. It was great to use for family party games aswell, but, if I'm honest, I never found it fun to actually PLAY anything on it, by myself. It just never really did it for me. However, by no means do I think this made it less viable than the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3. Just fun for different reasons. Also, the Wii was a beautiful step up in console design from its predecessor, with a lovely classic white which Nintendo has become quite well identified for.
I'll be one of the first to admit that I am INCREDIBLY lazy when it comes to exercise. I don't like competitive sports, or going for a run (other people can see, ugh). The gym is okay I guess, because the other people are there to exercise too, but the wii kinda took away the need. It sounds silly to say that you're going on a console to do exercise, and although a lot of people just use their wrist to complete things (CHEATING, MAY I JUST SAY.. naughty) if you actually put effort in it can be worthwhile, with things like the WiiFit, and the release of Zumba dance routines.
Wii Party, is a fun family game that would NEVER be fun playing by yourself, but is actually a lot of fun playing with other people. Something that actually brings out my competitive side, wow!
The Xbox 360 was released in 2005, and originally bore no resemblance to the original Xbox, being white and grey, at least until the release of the Xbox 360 Slim in 2010, which undeniable more beautiful. It was quieter, with touch buttons and was built to ward off the hardware failures that the white and grey model had.
I myself love the 360, as there are a lot of my favourite games on this. For the most part they're available on the PS3 and PC as well, but the Xbox 360 is what I have console wise (which has been a source of great regret to me with releases like 'The Last of Us').
In 2010, Microsoft released the attachment for the Xbox 360, the Kinect. Now, okay, this is a matter of opinion, but I never rated it all that much. Some may argue that it's better than the Wii, because of the fact you don't need a controller for the motion sensor, but when I was playing on it I just felt a bit awkward and lumbering, and that it never had the same jovial charm as the Wii.
The Playstation 3 was released in 2006, and although it has a lot of games shared between this console and the Xbox 360, I've noticed in a few, like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, for instance, that it's not quite as good quality graphics as the Xbox 360, same as neither has graphics as good as the PC.
The good point about the Playstation 3 over the Xbox is that its online servive, The Playstation Network, was free, whereas the Xbox Live wasn't, if you wanted to play with others.
Which brings us the most current, the 8th generation. This current gen was kicked off in 2012, with the release of the WiiU.
The Wii U has a fairy nice design, sticking with their futuristic white gleam (although it is available in other colours, this one is the most identifiable as Nintendo). The idea of this console was to change the way games are played. It was to add new perspectives to gaming and see things on multiplayer that others can't.
I feel like this is an okay idea, but personally I would just end up sticking to watching the one screen half the time. Sadly, compared to the Wii, the WiiU did terribly in terms of sales, selling about 150,000 units in the UK, forcing Nintendo's top executives to take up to 30% in pay cuts. In its existence, it has failed to sell more than Sony and Microsoft's consoles did in mere months.
It's widely agreed that the major competition is between the Xbox One and the PS4 and has been a subject of widespread discussion and dispute for a long while. The Xbox One was released November 22 in 2013, with the PS4 following shortly after on the 29th (EU). Both sold extremely well in the months to follow, but one sold slightly better than the other, with the PS4 to Xbox One now sitting at ration of 1.5:1 of sales in the UK. Consoles have come a long way, and are improving and growing all the time. Looking at some of the newer games for the recent 8th gen consoles, they are absolutely beautiful. I also still find quite a lot of charm in the old consoles though, and I think it is a good idea to still revisit these often, as they are a strong nostalgic reminder and there is much we can still learn from them.
References:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_game_consoles_(sixth_generation)
- http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/17/consoles-that-wont-die-the-sega-dreamcast/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/Playstation_2
- www.computerandvideogames.com/131066/hardware/the-complete-history-of-xbox/
- www.wikipedia.org/wiki/xbox
- www.nintendo.co.uk/corporate/nintendo-history/nintendo-gamecube-627129.html
- www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wii
- www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/xbox_360
- www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/xbox-360-703247/review
- www.en.wikiedia.org/wiki/Playstation3
- www.nintendo.co.uk/wii-U/Hardware-features?Hardware_Features_660145.html
- www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/31/wii-U-mobile-nintendo-video-game
