Nintendo's
first push into the American market, the NES ushered in the begining
of the video game console phenomenon. Introducing games such as Super
Mario Bros, Excitebike, Duck Hunt, and the very first Zelda game,
this system is regarded as a timeless classic if you can find one
that still works. The NES utilized a simple, eight button control
pad to allow for the simple commands necessary for the wide variety
of games it featured. Having only two controller ports, the NES was
not as capable of multiplayer, but still featured a good number of
two player simaltanious games. A working NES will cost you due to
the fact that there are so few remaining in good condition.
Sega Master System
Atari 7800
Nintendo
Game Boy 1989
The earliest
and most popular handheld system, the Game Boy is the predecessor
to every one of Nintendo's handheld boxes. The original Game Boy was
big, ugly, took lots of batteries, and had a strange green-tinted
screen. These can be found in numerous places, and can only play
games for the Game Boy, or Game Boy pocket.
The entire Game Boy
line in order of release from left. Game Boy, Play It Loud Game Boy, Game
Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light,
Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Advance SP, SP w/ Brighter Screen,
& Game Boy Micro.
Atari Lynx
Sega Game Gear
Fourth
Generation (16-bit era)
TurboGrafx 16
SNK Neo-Geo
Sega
Genesis 1989
The Genesis
came to get a piece of Mario's action and was host
to the ever popular Sonic the Hedgehog series.
This console featured an entirely different
line up of games, focused noticeably more on sports games, fighting
games, and less on the cutesy style of Nintendo's consistent offerings.
Nevertheless, the Genesis
had
a long life, was redesigned three times total, and could be used
with Sega-CD peripheral, which broadened
the variety of the consoles gaming and technilogical advances.
Super
Nintendo Entertainment System 1991
The
SNES was released shortly after the Genesis, and although it featured
continuations of earlier popular NES titles and plenty of new and
original games the SNES was NOT backwards compatible with Nintendo's
earlier consoles, and in part due to it's higher price never gained
the popularity of the Genesis. The SNES was connectable to the Satelliview
peripheral, a modem that allowed users to download gaming news etc.
broadcast from a japanese satellite, and was one of the first attempts
at online console gaming, though unsuccesful, these signals were
broadcast up to the year 2000. The SNES has stood the test of time
and still has a very impressive game library. The Super Game Boy
peripheral allowed all Game Boy and Game Boy pocket games to be played
using
the
console and on a larger TV. An original SNES will not be as hard
to find as a NES, but these are still somewhat of a rarity. The SNES
suffered from less problems than it's previous counterparts, and
therefore most consoles and games these days should still work and
be in fair condition.
Game Boy
Pocket 1996
A
lighter, smaller, and more advanced version of the Nintendo Game Boy,
the Pocket
takes 2 AAA batteries which provided about 10 hours of gameplay,
had a smaller screen, and like the name implies, could fit in your
pocket. The original version had no indicator of battery status,
which was added in later makes due to demand.
Fifth Generation (32/64-bit
era)
Sega
Saturn 1995
Released
in between-generations, the Saturn featured impressive 3D graphics,
but the games were lacking
and few, and the graphics simply could not hold up to that
of what was to come. The Saturn did however give
birth to some very appealing games on CD including its top
selling 3D fighting game Virtua Fighter and the first installment
of the
Resedent Evil series. The games were on CD format but the Saturn also
had a cartridge port.
Sony
PlayStation 1995
The
PlayStation paved the way for modern game consoles, and brang
the best graphics
available (at the time) along with it.The PlayStation ran off of
CDs, and was the first console to use the dual-analog control stick
layout adopted by all modern controllers. The PlayStation has a huge
library of games, including the Twisted Metal series, Metal Gear
Solid, the Final Fantasy series, and lots of racing titles. Most
games for this console require a Memory Card to save data on. The
PlayStation was developed for by many companies for a long time up
until the point that Sony released their next generation console,
so the PS games had the ability to hit all areas and genres and push
the console to the limit. PlayStations still have good games left
to be played by many avid gamers, and should be readily available.
Many versions of the PlayStation exist, including upgraded and smaller
versions of the console some with built in LCD screens to play on.
Nintendo
64 1996
Although
in the same generation as Sony's PlayStation, the N64 differed in
many ways. Nintendo continued to use the cartridge design for their
games, which generally costed (and still do) more than PlayStation
disks. Nintendo's controller had a completely new controller layout,
and as always, the system focused on original and fun games. The
graphics on the N64 are generally regarded as being
very close to those of the PlayStation, varying by game, but generally
not quite
as good. Another major difference apparent in the two heavy hitters
of this generation was the way in which you played them. The
PlayStation had only two controller ports, focusing on single-player
games and
only allowing
two players to play at once (without an added peripheral), whereas
the N64 featured four controller ports, and had many more
multiplayer games. This focus on cooperation and multiplayer has
stuck with nintendo ever since.
Game Boy
Color 1998
The Game Boy
color is similar to the Pocket, with the exception that the screen
was capable of color graphics. However, this edition does not have
a backlit screen, and therefore was quite hard to see in many oddly-lit
situations. All older Game Boy games are compatible with the Color.
Neo Geo Pocket Color
Sixth
Generation
Sega
Dreamcast 1999
The
Dreamcast was Sega's last push into the market, and came at an odd
time. The
Dreamcast was released somewhere in the middle of the N64 and PS'
lifespan, and featured graphics far ahead of its time. Unfortunetly,
the console wasn't adopted well, and it never found its place. A
poor selection of games led to this console dieng out early, but
did allow it to be sold at a very low price. At the $50 price range
and performance comparable to that of the next-gen consoles that
hadn't even come out yet, the Dreamcast held appeal to some. The
capabilty of the system showed through in a few star games such as
Soul Calibur and Resedent Evil: Code Veronica, but these games simply
couldn't compete with the heavy hitters of its generation. The console
was left in the dust when the following three systems were introduced,
and never had enough time to gain momentum.
Sony
PlayStation 2 2000
Sony's
succsesor to the PlayStation, the apply named PlayStation 2, opened
the floodgate
to modern console gaming. The PS2 began using architechture much
more similar to a PC than consoles ever had before. The PS2 doubled
as a CD and DVD player, featured internet connectivity through Sony's
online service PlayStation Online, and is host to what is considered
one of the biggest and most diverse game libraries to date. PlayStation
2 developers continually publish titles from around the world, using
the PS2 hardware to the best of it's ability. Many games for all
ages are available for the system, and new ones are still coming.
The PlayStation 2 also boasts a large line up of licensed games (based
off of movies, books, etc.) to add to it's game library. Though this
console can be considered "old", a newer slim version has
been released, and ports of next-gen games are still currently being
published for the PS2. The console is backwards compatible with PS1
games.
The
larger original PS2 with Slim version on top, along with the Eye Toy.
Nintendo
Gamecube 2001
The Gamecube,
though lacking in raw processing power compared to Sony and Microsoft's
6th generation systems, stays true to Nintendo's strive for good
quality gaming. The gamecube has a signifigantly smaller list of
titles available, but still holds its own. All of Nintendo's favorites
are back, including Mario and Super Smash Bros, along with new games
like the addicting Animal Farm and Pikmin which happily provide entertainment
for gamers of every age. The Gamecube is characterised as a kid-oriented
purple box with a narrower selection of games, but this in no way
is a bad thing. The best is still all here, and Nintendo succeeds
at what they aim to accomplish.
Microsoft
Xbox 2001
Microsoft
finnaly had to get a piece of the gaming action, and they went all-in.
The chunky 8.5 lb system takes the cake in terms of sheer power,
and therefor has considerably the best graphics. The Xbox is a popular
system for many reasons, including some very popular titles, such
as Halo and its sequal, Halo 2. Xbox games shares many of it's games
with the PS2, but has a few of it's own. Another addition to this
console is Xbox Live, the acclaimed online service which not only
allows for online competitive play, but also access to an entire
community, and a very polished media system. The Xbox's controller
at launch was considered way to big for Japanese gamers, so the smaller
controller type S was designed, and has caught on in the US as well.
The Xbox has a good number of party games, four controller inputs,
and can be connected via a link cable to another Xbox for twice the
number of players on select games.
Game Boy
Advance 2001
The Advance
truely took a leap foreward in the previous line of Game Boys. The
design was all new, the screen was bigger and brighter, and the games
changed to a more compact cartridge. The processing power of the
advance also increased, and games started to feature better graphics
and sound. The Advance is compatible with all previous Game Boy titles,
though older cartridges stick out of the system uncharacteristically.
Nokia N-Gage
Game Boy
Advance SP 2003
The SP is
nothing more than a redisigned Game Boy Advance. Much more compact
and foldable, with the addition of a backlit screen able to be turned
on and off. Color graphics look much nicer on the SP as compared
to the original Advance, though it plays all the exact same games.
The SP also uses a lithium ion battery, and therfore must be recharged
with an AC adapter, no replaceably batteries. A 2nd version of the
SP was also released, featuring a "brighter backlit screen".
Game Boy
Micro 2005
The Game Boy
Micro, weighing in at 80 grams and having only a slightly smaller
screen, this Game Boy is truely tiny. Unlike the GBA and SP, the Micro
CAN NOT play games from the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. This
handheld has been criticized for its lack of backwards compatibility
in both games and hardware, and the fact that it's price is close
to that of Nintendo's next-gen handheld, the DS.
Seventh
Generation
Xbox
360 2006
The first
contender into the ring of "next-generation" gaming came
from Microsoft, and their Xbox 360. Launched way earlier than it's
main rival the PlayStation 3, many feared Microsoft may have come
too soon, but a reasonable price, lots of good software, and many
superb features allowed the 360 to keep it's ground, and get started
far ahead of the competition. All Xbox 360 titles are required to
support high-definition graphics. This means that every 360 game
will look crisp and correctly scaled on almost any HDTV, while original
4:3 TV's are also fully supported. The Xbox 360 is also home for
the acclaimed Xbox Live service, bigger and more popular than ever,
and very nicely integrated with the gaming console itself. Though
a fee is required for the ability to play games online, the basic
service is free and allows users to chat, download numerous arcade
games, pictures, themes, and free game demos and trailers. This is
a great addition for anyone with a broadband connection accesible.
The Xbox 360 was released in two packages. The first, more expensive
package at $399 is the "premium". This featured the console,
a 20 Gigabyte harddrive, wireless controller, Hi-Def cables, network
cable, and headset for the integrated chat feature. The scaled down
$299 "core" system included the console, basic cables,
and a wired controller. Without the hardrive, users must also purchase
it seperately, or buy a memory card to put saved games or to store
other info. For the gamer who isn't planning on online play, or doesn't
plan on getting an HDTV, the core system gets the job done, but for
the true next-gen experience, the premium package is the way to go.
With an add-on player, the 360 will also be able to play HDDVDs in
the near future.
Nintendo
Wii TBA
Nintendo
surprised everyone in the gaming world not only by changing it's name
from the catchy "Revolution" to the "Wii", but
also by announcing it's new controller. The Wii's nunchuck-style wireless
controller
is based on motion sensitivity, as opposed to the stereotypical button-mashing.
Games that have been shown before the console's release have used this controller
in very interesting ways, like conducting an orchestra, playing tennis, and
aiming a bow in the newest Zelda game. Cool controller aside, the hardware
of the Wii is not all that impressive. Though a step up from its predescessor,
the Wii's power isn't that far from a revamped Gamecube. Regardless, Nintendo
has announced that it will be making new headway in the way we play games,
and will also allow you to download a large number of games released on all
Nintendo's previous consoles, so playing games from previous generations won't
require you to dust off an old cartridge every time.
PlayStation
3 TBA
Sony's
new console, the PlayStation 3, boasts the highest performance of
any gaming system to date. Though not as much information is available
for this
system as the others, it will feature motion sensing technology (though not
as sensitive as Nintendo's), online cabability similar to Xbox Live, and incredible
looking graphics. The console itself is huge, and so is it's announced price
of $599. Also offered is a cheaper watered down version for $499. Once
you get past the cost factor, the PS3 is going to be a killer gaming machine,
but that's not all Sony is aiming for. Apparently this new system will be a "PC
killer." Even if few people trade their desktops in for one of these,
the PS3 will be able to do many things no gaming system has done before. If
you want to go on MySpace and check your eMail while sneaking around in Metal
Gear Solid 4, this could be the console for you.
Sony
PSP 2005
Sony's play
into the handheld market, the much anticipated PlayStation Portable
looks really cool. It also has really cool graphics and a pretty
nice screen, but the PSP is expensive, the games are limited, and
the extra capabilities such as playing music are better left to some
other gadget. Keep in mind, that although the name implies it, this
handheld is not necessarily a portable PlayStation, as it does not
play PlayStation games, but relies on the tiny-disk UMD format. The
PSP also plays movies using this format, along with displaying photos,
etc.
Nintendo
DS 2004
Nintendo's
latest handheld, the DS, once again brings a whole new style of play
to gamers. The DS, which stands for Dual Screen, folds out to reveal...
two screens!. One of which is touch sensitive. Using a stylus in
combination with the classic pad and buttons allows for many unique
games utilizing this feature, as well as a convenient PDA style of
use. The DS, and it's new made-over "Lite" version, features
Wi-Fi, which will allow you to play games online and even surf the
internet through a browser. Though the DS uses flash-card type game
cartridges, a seperate port is on the handheld to allow for full
backwards compatibility of previous Game Boy games.
Nintendo's
first push into the American market, the NES ushered in the begining
of the video game console phenomenon. Introducing games such as Super
Mario Bros, Excitebike, Duck Hunt, and the very first Zelda game,
this system is regarded as a timeless classic if you can find one
that still works. The NES utilized a simple, eight button control
pad to allow for the simple commands necessary for the wide variety
of games it featured. Having only two controller ports, the NES was
not as capable of multiplayer, but still featured a good number of
two player simaltanious games. A working NES will cost you due to
the fact that there are so few remaining in good condition.
The Genesis
came to get a piece of Mario's action and was host
to the ever popular Sonic the Hedgehog series.
This console featured an entirely different
line up of games, focused noticeably more on sports games, fighting
games, and less on the cutesy style of Nintendo's consistent offerings.
Nevertheless, the Genesis
had
a long life, was redesigned three times total, and could be used
with Sega-CD peripheral, which broadened
the variety of the consoles gaming and technilogical advances.
The
SNES was released shortly after the Genesis, and although it featured
continuations of earlier popular NES titles and plenty of new and
original games the SNES was NOT backwards compatible with Nintendo's
earlier consoles, and in part due to it's higher price never gained
the popularity of the Genesis. The SNES was connectable to the Satelliview
peripheral, a modem that allowed users to download gaming news etc.
broadcast from a japanese satellite, and was one of the first attempts
at online console gaming, though unsuccesful, these signals were
broadcast up to the year 2000. The SNES has stood the test of time
and still has a very impressive game library. The Super Game Boy
peripheral allowed all Game Boy and Game Boy pocket games to be played
using
the
console and on a larger TV. An original SNES will not be as hard
to find as a NES, but these are still somewhat of a rarity. The SNES
suffered from less problems than it's previous counterparts, and
therefore most consoles and games these days should still work and
be in fair condition.
Released
in between-generations, the Saturn featured impressive 3D graphics,
but the games were lacking
and few, and the graphics simply could not hold up to that
of what was to come. The Saturn did however give
birth to some very appealing games on CD including its top
selling 3D fighting game Virtua Fighter and the first installment
of the
Resedent Evil series. The games were on CD format but the Saturn also
had a cartridge port.
The
PlayStation paved the way for modern game consoles, and brang
the best graphics
available (at the time) along with it.The PlayStation ran off of
CDs, and was the first console to use the dual-analog control stick
layout adopted by all modern controllers. The PlayStation has a huge
library of games, including the Twisted Metal series, Metal Gear
Solid, the Final Fantasy series, and lots of racing titles. Most
games for this console require a Memory Card to save data on. The
PlayStation was developed for by many companies for a long time up
until the point that Sony released their next generation console,
so the PS games had the ability to hit all areas and genres and push
the console to the limit. PlayStations still have good games left
to be played by many avid gamers, and should be readily available.
Many versions of the PlayStation exist, including upgraded and smaller
versions of the console some with built in LCD screens to play on.
Although
in the same generation as Sony's PlayStation, the N64 differed in
many ways. Nintendo continued to use the cartridge design for their
games, which generally costed (and still do) more than PlayStation
disks. Nintendo's controller had a completely new controller layout,
and as always, the system focused on original and fun games. The
graphics on the N64 are generally regarded as being
very close to those of the PlayStation, varying by game, but generally
not quite
as good. Another major difference apparent in the two heavy hitters
of this generation was the way in which you played them. The
PlayStation had only two controller ports, focusing on single-player
games and
only allowing
two players to play at once (without an added peripheral), whereas
the N64 featured four controller ports, and had many more
multiplayer games. This focus on cooperation and multiplayer has
stuck with nintendo ever since.
The
Dreamcast was Sega's last push into the market, and came at an odd
time. The
Dreamcast was released somewhere in the middle of the N64 and PS'
lifespan, and featured graphics far ahead of its time. Unfortunetly,
the console wasn't adopted well, and it never found its place. A
poor selection of games led to this console dieng out early, but
did allow it to be sold at a very low price. At the $50 price range
and performance comparable to that of the next-gen consoles that
hadn't even come out yet, the Dreamcast held appeal to some. The
capabilty of the system showed through in a few star games such as
Soul Calibur and Resedent Evil: Code Veronica, but these games simply
couldn't compete with the heavy hitters of its generation. The console
was left in the dust when the following three systems were introduced,
and never had enough time to gain momentum.
The Gamecube,
though lacking in raw processing power compared to Sony and Microsoft's
6th generation systems, stays true to Nintendo's strive for good
quality gaming. The gamecube has a signifigantly smaller list of
titles available, but still holds its own. All of Nintendo's favorites
are back, including Mario and Super Smash Bros, along with new games
like the addicting Animal Farm and Pikmin which happily provide entertainment
for gamers of every age. The Gamecube is characterised as a kid-oriented
purple box with a narrower selection of games, but this in no way
is a bad thing. The best is still all here, and Nintendo succeeds
at what they aim to accomplish.
Microsoft
finnaly had to get a piece of the gaming action, and they went all-in.
The chunky 8.5 lb system takes the cake in terms of sheer power,
and therefor has considerably the best graphics. The Xbox is a popular
system for many reasons, including some very popular titles, such
as Halo and its sequal, Halo 2. Xbox games shares many of it's games
with the PS2, but has a few of it's own. Another addition to this
console is Xbox Live, the acclaimed online service which not only
allows for online competitive play, but also access to an entire
community, and a very polished media system. The Xbox's controller
at launch was considered way to big for Japanese gamers, so the smaller
controller type S was designed, and has caught on in the US as well.
The Xbox has a good number of party games, four controller inputs,
and can be connected via a link cable to another Xbox for twice the
number of players on select games.
The first
contender into the ring of "next-generation" gaming came
from Microsoft, and their Xbox 360. Launched way earlier than it's
main rival the PlayStation 3, many feared Microsoft may have come
too soon, but a reasonable price, lots of good software, and many
superb features allowed the 360 to keep it's ground, and get started
far ahead of the competition. All Xbox 360 titles are required to
support high-definition graphics. This means that every 360 game
will look crisp and correctly scaled on almost any HDTV, while original
4:3 TV's are also fully supported. The Xbox 360 is also home for
the acclaimed Xbox Live service, bigger and more popular than ever,
and very nicely integrated with the gaming console itself. Though
a fee is required for the ability to play games online, the basic
service is free and allows users to chat, download numerous arcade
games, pictures, themes, and free game demos and trailers. This is
a great addition for anyone with a broadband connection accesible.
The Xbox 360 was released in two packages. The first, more expensive
package at $399 is the "premium". This featured the console,
a 20 Gigabyte harddrive, wireless controller, Hi-Def cables, network
cable, and headset for the integrated chat feature. The scaled down
$299 "core" system included the console, basic cables,
and a wired controller. Without the hardrive, users must also purchase
it seperately, or buy a memory card to put saved games or to store
other info. For the gamer who isn't planning on online play, or doesn't
plan on getting an HDTV, the core system gets the job done, but for
the true next-gen experience, the premium package is the way to go.
With an add-on player, the 360 will also be able to play HDDVDs in
the near future.
Nintendo
surprised everyone in the gaming world not only by changing it's name
from the catchy "Revolution" to the "Wii", but
also by announcing it's new controller. The Wii's nunchuck-style wireless
controller
is based on motion sensitivity, as opposed to the stereotypical button-mashing.
Games that have been shown before the console's release have used this controller
in very interesting ways, like conducting an orchestra, playing tennis, and
aiming a bow in the newest Zelda game. Cool controller aside, the hardware
of the Wii is not all that impressive. Though a step up from its predescessor,
the Wii's power isn't that far from a revamped Gamecube. Regardless, Nintendo
has announced that it will be making new headway in the way we play games,
and will also allow you to download a large number of games released on all
Nintendo's previous consoles, so playing games from previous generations won't
require you to dust off an old cartridge every time.
Sony's
new console, the PlayStation 3, boasts the highest performance of
any gaming system to date. Though not as much information is available
for this
system as the others, it will feature motion sensing technology (though not
as sensitive as Nintendo's), online cabability similar to Xbox Live, and incredible
looking graphics. The console itself is huge, and so is it's announced price
of $599. Also offered is a cheaper watered down version for $499. Once
you get past the cost factor, the PS3 is going to be a killer gaming machine,
but that's not all Sony is aiming for. Apparently this new system will be a "PC
killer." Even if few people trade their desktops in for one of these,
the PS3 will be able to do many things no gaming system has done before. If
you want to go on MySpace and check your eMail while sneaking around in Metal
Gear Solid 4, this could be the console for you.
Sony's play
into the handheld market, the much anticipated PlayStation Portable
looks really cool. It also has really cool graphics and a pretty
nice screen, but the PSP is expensive, the games are limited, and
the extra capabilities such as playing music are better left to some
other gadget. Keep in mind, that although the name implies it, this
handheld is not necessarily a portable PlayStation, as it does not
play PlayStation games, but relies on the tiny-disk UMD format. The
PSP also plays movies using this format, along with displaying photos,
etc.
Nintendo's
latest handheld, the DS, once again brings a whole new style of play
to gamers. The DS, which stands for Dual Screen, folds out to reveal...
two screens!. One of which is touch sensitive. Using a stylus in
combination with the classic pad and buttons allows for many unique
games utilizing this feature, as well as a convenient PDA style of
use. The DS, and it's new made-over "Lite" version, features
Wi-Fi, which will allow you to play games online and even surf the
internet through a browser. Though the DS uses flash-card type game
cartridges, a seperate port is on the handheld to allow for full
backwards compatibility of previous Game Boy games.