PONG - 1974 Atari's first in home, plug into your TV and play video game. I was 7 when my Dad bought a PONG for my grandparents, surely to entertain us grand-kids when we were there. It was the tennis game, a bouncing "ball" and 2 short straight lines that you would move up and down with the "controllers", basic knobs that turned.
ATARI 2600 - My first gaming system. Released in October of 1977, just in time for my 9th birthday, this machine opened the door to home video gaming. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based
hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. Pac-Man at home, followed by many, many other titles popularized by arcade gaming. The first "adventure game" I can remember - PITFALL - I dare you to come up with a different one - unlocked a part of my soul yearning for a quest. The initial price $199.
COLECO TELSTAR ARCADE - the PONG upgrade at the grandparents' house - 1978. This incorporated a steering wheel and gun into the mix in an all in one machine. Fun, simple, could shoot stuff on the TV, "drive" a car, and had the PONG type dial controllers. This was X-mas when I was 10, but stayed at my grandparents' house. Games were getting more interactive.
MATTEL INTELLIVISION - The 80's have begun, and the introduction to a keyboard
into the home. I remember not liking this one much. The sound and graphics were MUCH improved over the Atari, but what I did not see was the age of Home Computers taking shape. The Intellivision controllers simply had too many buttons, most of which went unused, a weird disc type turn thingy, and the actual keyboard that plugged into it was never actually released. ATARI was still winning out with many more games, until the Sky opened up and the Heavens sent forth the next generation of home video games...NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM - The "NES" - more games, better graphics, and one word - MARIO. 1985 was the year, I was a Sophomore in high school and Ronald Reagan was
creating millionaires, and the "baby boomer's" babies were coming of age. This system revitalized the home video gaming market, and left Atari in the dust. With the controller configuration that is still used today, the quality and amount of games, and graphics like never before seen on your TV at home, NINTENDO opened the door to intense game play and player interface.SEGA GENESIS - It was 1989 - for almost 5 years, the NES dominated the market. Enter a 16
bit, graphically superior system. Known for great sports games, thru the support of EA Sports, the SEGA took over as the "gamer's system" and introduced us to SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. The Law of Accelerating Returns was at work, and gaming systems just got better and better, faster and faster, and developers were/are on the constant quest for the "next generation" of home video gaming. I would say this was the time of my life where I did the least gaming. Although I loved the sports gaming aspect and played whenever I could. This system was the first "disc system" that most consumers owned. DVD's wouldn't be commonplace for a few more years.SONY PLAYSTATION - 1995 - Video gaming for me would never be the same again. I was addicted like when I was 9. Countless are the hours I spent playing my PLAYSTATION. I still own a PS1, the smaller version, today and it is in my daughter's
room on her TV. The ability to play music CD's was an added bonus to the intense graphics and game play. One of my many favorites was Gran Tourismo, in my opinion, still one of the best racing games out there. But what really turned me on was the adventure games - Tomb Raider - for one. The ability to explore the surroundings, the plethora of physical "tricks", the amount and intensity of the "monsters", and the "real looking" graphics all added up to hooking me into Adventure games. Of course, EA Sports also had the best sports gaming with MADDEN, NHL, MLB, etc...NINTENDO 64 - 1996 - Back to the cartridge games, but again, NINTENDO outdoes itself, and it's
MARIO to the rescue, and he brought YOSHI along this time. EA sports also stuck with them, but in my opinion, the EA games for the PLAYSTATION are better on all fronts. Again, I still own one, and it is hooked into one of 2 TV's in the Playroom of my house. My kids play it occasionally, when they are fighting over who wants to play what (we have a video game mecca in my house) it gives them many options, and the games for these systems are very economical, and don't scratch like a CD does when handled by little people.SONY PLAYSTATION 2 - The new Millennium hits and it just keeps getting better! The year is 2001. Now playing new PS2 games, the old PS1 games, Cd's, and DVD's, the PS2 is an entertainment system all to itself. Enter the GRAND THEFT AUTO series, the most interactive, largest area just an unbelievable amount of scenarios
to numerous to explain. Crystal clear digital graphics and colorful language, "Adult gaming" was born. From GTA III to SAN ANDREAS, the games got bigger and bigger with more and more to do making it next to impossible to complete 100% of the game. I have been playing these games for years, never completing them 100%... it seemed the next step would be physical interaction, more than tapping buttons, to enhance the gaming World and that is just what we got...NINTENDO Wii - bought in 2009 - real, physically interacting game play. The Wii starts you off with Wii Sports,
basically teaching you how to swing the controllers and nunchuk to achieve the desired action on the screen. Virtual Reality in front of your face. The Wii also accesses the internet via wireless technology giving you a computer on your TV as well as the creation of your own iconic "Mii" - a virtual self - for some game play. Technically, it works like this: (From http://www.thegameconsole.com/videogames01.htm) The Wii Remote is a one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D space. This allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth, and features force feedback, 4KB non-volatile memory and an internal speaker. Perhaps the most important of these devices is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons. In addition, an attachable wrist strap can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the device.The new revolution is only a couple years away I am sure, when we will put on a suit to interact with the games.... and I can't wait... For now, I am content with my gaming systems, and the systems my kids have. In addition to the TV played games, we also have the personal gaming systems too - NINTENDO DS and SONY PSP - but that is another Blog all together. MARIO will have new adventures, as will I, and they will get closer to reality each time.... maybe I should go outside and experience some REALITY... nah!... Reality bites, no one gets hurt in virtual reality!
So that is my own personal history of gaming systems I have owned. I know there is XBOX, PS3, and others out there, I simply haven't owned them, and really haven't even played them much. For my money, and the evolution of the games that go with it, the Wii ranks at the TOP of my list.... and I am not sure how it will be beat.
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