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By CheerTone | 26 October 2022 | 1 Comments

The History Of The Game Consoles

Do you remember the days of your childhood? The days when you and your friends were stuck in a room on a scorching summer’s day, glued to a video console as you played games of wits, Super Mario, tank battles and boxing? For many, their gaming days serve to be one of the most powerful memories of their childhood.

And it’s no surprise that even today, people are still searching for games they used to play during their youth.

Recently, there’s been a noticeable wave of retro and nostalgic items as they infiltrate back into society once again. A large number of customers flood both online and offline shops every day. For example, Nintendo’s FC mini and SFC mini are products that once on the market, will encounter incredible hype and practically fly off the shelves.

Now,there are a lot of consoles out there, but there are two main types:the first is a handheld game, and the other is a home game.Here’s a brief introduction to the development of these respective games.

Handheld game console

1. The Beginning

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, and after Microvision’s demise, handheld gaming entered a new realm completely.

retro mini handheld game

The consoles found in the image above are the oldest versions of their type. Game boy, for example, is a retro-style game that has, and always will be, extremely popular. It’s the face of retro gaming as we know it today.

2. The Late 1990s

As we progressed towards the late 1990s, some console companies encountered obstacles. In order to overcome these hurdles, they turned their attention towards developing some more advanced products. Nintendo and Sega, for example, are companies that both developed the classic consoles found in the image below.
portable hangheld game player

Among these models came Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Color, which were grasped by practically every pair of hands in the era!

3. The Early 2000s

The early 2000s saw game companies make a great leap forward in technological innovation, characterised by the launch of Nintendo’s DS and the PSP during the second half of the year. These came to be two of the most successful devices of their time.

video handheld game console

It didn’t stop there. The GBA also introduced the concept of ‘connectivity, which saw handheld systems being used as the console controller. It seemed as if handheld gaming would continue to upgrade and upgrade some more!

4. The Mid 2000s

The mid 2000s were no different, and handheld gaming took one step further. The Nintendo DS, for example, developed hugely. It now boasted two screens, one of which was a touch screen, and online functionality via Wi-Fi and wireless networks. This supported the Internet craze perfectly. The DS was updated in 2006, 2008 and once again in 2009. Take a look at the image below.

handheld retro game console

5. The Late 2000s

The late 2000s welcomed further products, such as Dingoo, (which supported music, radio and emulators), and also SONY’S PSP Go, Pandora and Yobo Gameware’s FC-16 GO.

classic game console retro

6. 2010 and Onwards

After 2010, the Nintendo DS was updated once again, and the 3DS was released. This sent shock waves of excitement throughout the world. Its appearance was updated, and its auto stereoscopic device had the ability to project 3D effects. This was something that had rarely been seen before.

mini console retro games

SONY also released two new models, the Xperia Play and PlayStation Vita, which were also highly popular. Switchblade was the winner of The Best of CES 2011 People’s Voice award.Last but certainly not least, there’s the Nintendo Switch, which is still extremely successful nowadays.

Home game console

We spoke about the various periods of different handheld games throughout history. Now, it’s time to talk about the home console.The development of the home video game console can be divided into the following eight stages. Let’s run through them now.

1. 1972-1977

In 1972, the world’s first video game console was born – Magnavox Odyssey. It was released in the United States of America in September 1972. During this period of experimentation and fresh ideas, there were many alternative products popping up on the market. Take a look at the image below to see a few of these.

retro tv game player

2. 1976-1983

This period was similar to the one above, and saw ideas and innovation blossom. The Atari2600 became the most popular console of this era – featured below are other successful devices.

tv classic video game console

3. 1983-1987

As the years gradually progressed, Nintendo brought out its third generation console – the FC. It provided advanced game development concepts and revolutionary game technology, rendering it the true founder of video games.

portable video ame player cases

4. 1987-1994

1987 saw the release of the PC-Engine by NEC and Hudson. And, on December 4th of the following year, the first game machine with CD-rom was released, sparking the attention of the Japanese gaming industry. This led to the release of Sega’s Mega Drive in Japan.

tv game console with av port

5. 1993-2002

It was the Sony PlayStation’s time to shine during this period, and it became the best-selling console with an incredible result of more than a million units. Even in this day and age, it’s extremely popular, and thanks to its updated versions, it still has importance within the market.
Have a look at the following image.

classic game consoles

6. 1998-2006

In this stage, the four most popular game consoles were Sega’s Dream Cast, Sony’s PlayStation, NDS GameCube and Microsoft’s XBox. Even today, they have major relevance to the gaming community and are sought out by those wanting a blast from the past.

video game system console

7. 2005-2012

As we moved towards the next decade, Nintendo’s Wii became the best-selling seventh-generation console, selling more than 115 million units! It boasted new features that people hadn’t seen before, and brought an element of fun and excitement.
console video juego machine

8. 2012-Now

We are now in what is classed as the ‘eighth generation’, and all aspects of technology have endured a major breakthrough. This is likely to continue into the future.

hd tv game player;super joystick tv games

That’s the history of handheld games and TV games.

As the Italian Davide Convertino once quoted, ‘retro games bring me back to my childhood. Retro games are an art. The games are simple, but exciting, and you never get tired of them.

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