If the rumors are true that Microsoft is planning to release its Xbox 720 at the end of 2013, that means it’s taken eight years to update the gaming console, “decades in the world of technology,” Business Insider suggests. This lag has some (including pioneer Nolan Bushnell) thinking consoles will soon be replaced by online and mobile games.
Business Insider takes a look at the history of major consoles that “paved the way for ‘Angry Birds’ and other highly addictive mobile and online games.”
Atari Pong (1972) : “Bushnell’s ‘Pong’ single-handedly defined the video game industry (and its future) with his ping-pong themed arcade game,” the article states. Nintendo Entertainment System (1985): Set the stage for Nintendo’s gaming dominance, selling across America with popular titles like “Mario Bros.”
Sega Master System (1986): Created to compete with NES and boasted better graphics and the ability to run game cartridges or credit card-sized Sega cards. Nintendo’s GameBoy (1989): Preloaded with “Tetris,” the handheld console saw sales of more than one million in its first holiday season.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991): Had 32K colors and special effects like scaling, rotating and transparency. PlayStation (1995): Initiated the switch to CDs for games, which created a rise in piracy. Nintendo 64 (1996): Stuck with cartridges, but saw great sales due to the popular game titles.
PlayStation 2 (2000): “Boasted the Emotion Engine, a unique CPU customized by Sony and Toshiba allowing players to run old PlayStation games on the console, as well as modern DVDs.” Xbox (2001): Was sold with then-unknown “Halo” and quickly outpaced Nintendo’s GameCube and the PS2.
Nintendo Dual Screen (2004): Offered new voice recognition technology and stylus input. And in recent years: Xbox 360 (2005), PlayStation Portable (2005), Nintendo Wii (2006), PlayStation 3 (2006) and PlayStation Vita (2011).
Check out the post for additional details regarding each product release and gaming milestone.
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