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I had an inspiration today, why not contruct a timeline of videogaming for us all on the FOG? Well, after racking my own brain, and a little help from external sources, here it is!
1958
The first concept of the videogame was born, and believe it or not, it was played on an oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a scientific device for measuring electrical throughput, in a wave-like manner. However, Willy Higinbotham managed to contruct a pong like game using a series of electrical signals for himself and his pals to play at the laboratory!
1961
Despite Higinbotham's oscilloscope game, the first interactive and 'real' videogame was developed by Steve Russell, a student at MIT in the USA. Russell, using his Digital Technologies mainframe computer, managed to design an ASCII text based game which he called 'Spacewar'
1967
Ralph Baer and his colleagues managed to create two video games which could operate on a standard television. These games were a race game and a tennis-style game. Astonishingly they even managed to create the first light gun for use with a TV by manipulating a toy gun, an invention which was unarguably well before it's time.
1971
The first arcade game was produced by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, using Russell's spacewar as the theme, 'Computer Space' was released to the public.
1972
The first home video game system, the Magnavox Oddysee is released to the public, and it was from this year possible to play videogames in your own home on your own television. The Oddysee was based on the technology of Ralph Baer and his colleagues. Also in 1972 Bushnell and Dabney, creators of the first arcade machine, founded Atari.
1975
Atari release the Pong machine, Pong to those who don't know is the old game where a ball is played with paddles across a 'net'.
1976
Coleco release the Telstar console, and first cartridge based system, the Channel F is also released to the public.
1977
1977 sees the birth of the world-renowned console by Atari that later becomes known as the Atari 2600. The 2600 is a cartridge based system, and undoubtedly began the videogame revolution.
1978
A somewhat eventful year. Midway introduce space invaders to the arcade, and was the first of it's kind to display high scores! Atari release a trackball device to control a new game for the 2600 called football. Also, Atari enter the home computer market with the 400 and 800, in competition with Apple, the market leaders. However, this was perhaps not Atari's best venture as the 400 and 800 flopped, big time, and were instantly removed from the market the same year.
1979
The first handheld gaming device was created by Atari, and it was Cosmos. Also Asteroids was released into the arcades to compete with space invaders, this time allowing players to enter three letter names to complement the scores in the table.
1980
The first mainstream competitor to the 2600 was released this year, the Mattel Intellivision. The Intellivision promised better graphics than the Atari 2600, and seemed set to sell many units. Pac Man, you remember, a little creature eating circles, was released into the arcades by Namco, and seemed set to start a revolution. Atari, clearly hit by the Intellivision release, spawned the first third-party developer, Activision, who were contractually signed through Atari to create games for the 2600. 1980 also saw the debut of the first 3D game, Battlezone, to the public.
1982
An eventful year for the corporations involved with videogaming. Coleco release the Colecovision, but not to Atari's surprise. Atari hit back, hard, with the 5200, the latest console on the market.
1983
A landmark year for the videogame industry. To begin with, Commodore release the Commodore 64, a home computer based games machine, featuring cassette based games. The Commodore 64 was snapped up by the public, perhaps on behalf of it's reasonable price tag and the potential for cheap budget games on cassette. Some of us may remember being able to buy C64 games from our local newsagent for just under £3! Those were most definitely the days!
Also in 1983 a japanese company, Nintendo, began the empire that we all know too well today. The NES (or Famicom) was released in Japan, and began a long weighty era of Nintendo gaming.
1985
Released in 1985 was the hellishly addictive puzzle game Tetris. It was released on the IBM PC format, and is still played to this day. Arguably, Tetris is the biggest game of all time.
1986
The NES was released in the US in 1985, and allowed Nintendo's prowess to spread worldwide. In competition, another Japanese company with intent to compete with the NES, Sega, released it's first games machine, the Master System. Atari, now deemed an outsider, released the Atari 7800 to endeavour to maintain their title as king of the videogame industry.
1989
A very, very, eventful year was 1989 for the videogame market. It saw the advent of the Nintendo GameBoy, which until recently, was being made and sold. Efficient portable gaming was at long last, a real possibility. 1989 was also the era of the 16-bit console. Until now, 8-bit machines such as the NES and Master System ruled the high street. However, 1989 saw the release of two 16 bit machines which promised the world to the gamer, the NEC TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in the UK). The Genesis was the undisputed king here, although the TurboGrafx-16 was the first machine to exploit the potential of CD based gaming. Last, but not least, Atari hit again with the Lynx, a potential rival to the GameBoy in the niche of handheld gaming.
1991
It took Nintendo 2 years to cotton on to the 16-bit generation, and released the long awaited Super Famicom (or Super NES) in the US. The Super NES's release put Nintendo back into the market, and before long, made them the videogame rulers.
1993
Atari hit again, this time with the overhyped promise of a 64-bit machine. The Atari Jaguar actually comprised 2 32-bit processors, but did deliver 64-bit quality graphics. However, the potential was not exploited by developers and the Jaguar soon faded into extinction.
1994
Sony, long renowned for their excellence in the consumer electronics market, released a CD based console, the Sony Playstation. The result was quite phenomenal, true 3D graphics and next-gen power from their 32-bit offering. It was released with titles such as Ridge Racer and Toshinden in Japan, and did not take long before gamers caught on. Also released was Sega's 32-bit offering, the Sega Saturn. Again, using CD as the game format of choice.
1995
The Playstation debuts in the United States and is met with the same quality of reception in gained in Japan. Nintendo, this time wanting to reclaim their superiority, released the Ninetndo 64 in Japan. A 64-bit machine, but using cartridges instead of CD's as the game format. However, this did not prevent the N64 being a success, it featured amazing visuals for its day, and true 3D graphics with beautiful textures. Mario 64 was an instant hit, and was followed up in later years by classics such as Zelda, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye to name but a few.
1996
The N64 was released in the US and became a high-flyer in the games industry. However, apart from the N64 in the US, 1996 was a fairly uneventful year. The aftermath of the power machines had set in, and 1996 saw releases such as the Tamagotchi virtual pet in Japan.
1997
The Playstation is the market leader, and perhaps rightfully so. The CD based powerhouse threw out the lush visuals which keep many of us in the Sony bandwagon today. Tiger release the Game.Com, a games machine that they expected would catch on with the internet revolution. However it failed to shock many, thus the Playstation continued as the master.
1998
Sega enter the market again with their final console, the Dreamcast. Despite being the most powerful console on the market, the developers failed to create a large enough game base, and the Dreamcast slowly slipped through Sega's hands, and they resort to making games, not consoles.
2000
With Sony's success in the market, and ability to knock down powerful competitors such as Sega, Sony are head of the videogaming market. In a pursuit not to be left behind, they release the PS2. The response was phenomenal, selling out by early morning. Sony simply didn't expect the scale of response they got. Rightfully, the PS2 took over from its predecessor as the market leader. To this day, the PS2 is arguably the console of choice for the entire videogame market.
2001
In Japan, two next generation consoles are released. The first, the Nintendo GameCube. This new offering from Nintendo could be what the doctor ordered for Nintendo, to reclaim the empire that has been partially knocked by Sony. Microsoft, a company previously known for PC operating systems, office packages, and very few games, release the XBox in Japan. Despite the past, Microsoft have created undoubtedly the most powerful console to date, and features a novel addition, a Hard Disk.
2002 - March 14th
The XBox is released in the United Kingdom. A hefty price tag of £299.99 to match, didn't stop it selling loads in its first day. However, Microsoft have recently been forced to lower the price to £200 to appeal to larger groups of people.
2002 - May 3rd
May 3rd will see the UK release of Nintendo's Gamecube. What will this hold for the gamer? We will have to wait and see!
OK, so there it was, my fairly concise account of how videogaming has developed over the years. Have I missed anything important out? Do you agree or disagree with the points I have made? And the future of videogaming? Again, we will just have to wait and see, but it must be stressed, is it likely to be very eventful and interesting!
Thanks for those of you who took time to read this, it really did take the best part of a day to construct!
1958
The first concept of the videogame was born, and believe it or not, it was played on an oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a scientific device for measuring electrical throughput, in a wave-like manner. However, Willy Higinbotham managed to contruct a pong like game using a series of electrical signals for himself and his pals to play at the laboratory!
1961
Despite Higinbotham's oscilloscope game, the first interactive and 'real' videogame was developed by Steve Russell, a student at MIT in the USA. Russell, using his Digital Technologies mainframe computer, managed to design an ASCII text based game which he called 'Spacewar'
1967
Ralph Baer and his colleagues managed to create two video games which could operate on a standard television. These games were a race game and a tennis-style game. Astonishingly they even managed to create the first light gun for use with a TV by manipulating a toy gun, an invention which was unarguably well before it's time.
1971
The first arcade game was produced by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, using Russell's spacewar as the theme, 'Computer Space' was released to the public.
1972
The first home video game system, the Magnavox Oddysee is released to the public, and it was from this year possible to play videogames in your own home on your own television. The Oddysee was based on the technology of Ralph Baer and his colleagues. Also in 1972 Bushnell and Dabney, creators of the first arcade machine, founded Atari.
1975
Atari release the Pong machine, Pong to those who don't know is the old game where a ball is played with paddles across a 'net'.
1976
Coleco release the Telstar console, and first cartridge based system, the Channel F is also released to the public.
1977
1977 sees the birth of the world-renowned console by Atari that later becomes known as the Atari 2600. The 2600 is a cartridge based system, and undoubtedly began the videogame revolution.
1978
A somewhat eventful year. Midway introduce space invaders to the arcade, and was the first of it's kind to display high scores! Atari release a trackball device to control a new game for the 2600 called football. Also, Atari enter the home computer market with the 400 and 800, in competition with Apple, the market leaders. However, this was perhaps not Atari's best venture as the 400 and 800 flopped, big time, and were instantly removed from the market the same year.
1979
The first handheld gaming device was created by Atari, and it was Cosmos. Also Asteroids was released into the arcades to compete with space invaders, this time allowing players to enter three letter names to complement the scores in the table.
1980
The first mainstream competitor to the 2600 was released this year, the Mattel Intellivision. The Intellivision promised better graphics than the Atari 2600, and seemed set to sell many units. Pac Man, you remember, a little creature eating circles, was released into the arcades by Namco, and seemed set to start a revolution. Atari, clearly hit by the Intellivision release, spawned the first third-party developer, Activision, who were contractually signed through Atari to create games for the 2600. 1980 also saw the debut of the first 3D game, Battlezone, to the public.
1982
An eventful year for the corporations involved with videogaming. Coleco release the Colecovision, but not to Atari's surprise. Atari hit back, hard, with the 5200, the latest console on the market.
1983
A landmark year for the videogame industry. To begin with, Commodore release the Commodore 64, a home computer based games machine, featuring cassette based games. The Commodore 64 was snapped up by the public, perhaps on behalf of it's reasonable price tag and the potential for cheap budget games on cassette. Some of us may remember being able to buy C64 games from our local newsagent for just under £3! Those were most definitely the days!
Also in 1983 a japanese company, Nintendo, began the empire that we all know too well today. The NES (or Famicom) was released in Japan, and began a long weighty era of Nintendo gaming.
1985
Released in 1985 was the hellishly addictive puzzle game Tetris. It was released on the IBM PC format, and is still played to this day. Arguably, Tetris is the biggest game of all time.
1986
The NES was released in the US in 1985, and allowed Nintendo's prowess to spread worldwide. In competition, another Japanese company with intent to compete with the NES, Sega, released it's first games machine, the Master System. Atari, now deemed an outsider, released the Atari 7800 to endeavour to maintain their title as king of the videogame industry.
1989
A very, very, eventful year was 1989 for the videogame market. It saw the advent of the Nintendo GameBoy, which until recently, was being made and sold. Efficient portable gaming was at long last, a real possibility. 1989 was also the era of the 16-bit console. Until now, 8-bit machines such as the NES and Master System ruled the high street. However, 1989 saw the release of two 16 bit machines which promised the world to the gamer, the NEC TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in the UK). The Genesis was the undisputed king here, although the TurboGrafx-16 was the first machine to exploit the potential of CD based gaming. Last, but not least, Atari hit again with the Lynx, a potential rival to the GameBoy in the niche of handheld gaming.
1991
It took Nintendo 2 years to cotton on to the 16-bit generation, and released the long awaited Super Famicom (or Super NES) in the US. The Super NES's release put Nintendo back into the market, and before long, made them the videogame rulers.
1993
Atari hit again, this time with the overhyped promise of a 64-bit machine. The Atari Jaguar actually comprised 2 32-bit processors, but did deliver 64-bit quality graphics. However, the potential was not exploited by developers and the Jaguar soon faded into extinction.
1994
Sony, long renowned for their excellence in the consumer electronics market, released a CD based console, the Sony Playstation. The result was quite phenomenal, true 3D graphics and next-gen power from their 32-bit offering. It was released with titles such as Ridge Racer and Toshinden in Japan, and did not take long before gamers caught on. Also released was Sega's 32-bit offering, the Sega Saturn. Again, using CD as the game format of choice.
1995
The Playstation debuts in the United States and is met with the same quality of reception in gained in Japan. Nintendo, this time wanting to reclaim their superiority, released the Ninetndo 64 in Japan. A 64-bit machine, but using cartridges instead of CD's as the game format. However, this did not prevent the N64 being a success, it featured amazing visuals for its day, and true 3D graphics with beautiful textures. Mario 64 was an instant hit, and was followed up in later years by classics such as Zelda, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye to name but a few.
1996
The N64 was released in the US and became a high-flyer in the games industry. However, apart from the N64 in the US, 1996 was a fairly uneventful year. The aftermath of the power machines had set in, and 1996 saw releases such as the Tamagotchi virtual pet in Japan.
1997
The Playstation is the market leader, and perhaps rightfully so. The CD based powerhouse threw out the lush visuals which keep many of us in the Sony bandwagon today. Tiger release the Game.Com, a games machine that they expected would catch on with the internet revolution. However it failed to shock many, thus the Playstation continued as the master.
1998
Sega enter the market again with their final console, the Dreamcast. Despite being the most powerful console on the market, the developers failed to create a large enough game base, and the Dreamcast slowly slipped through Sega's hands, and they resort to making games, not consoles.
2000
With Sony's success in the market, and ability to knock down powerful competitors such as Sega, Sony are head of the videogaming market. In a pursuit not to be left behind, they release the PS2. The response was phenomenal, selling out by early morning. Sony simply didn't expect the scale of response they got. Rightfully, the PS2 took over from its predecessor as the market leader. To this day, the PS2 is arguably the console of choice for the entire videogame market.
2001
In Japan, two next generation consoles are released. The first, the Nintendo GameCube. This new offering from Nintendo could be what the doctor ordered for Nintendo, to reclaim the empire that has been partially knocked by Sony. Microsoft, a company previously known for PC operating systems, office packages, and very few games, release the XBox in Japan. Despite the past, Microsoft have created undoubtedly the most powerful console to date, and features a novel addition, a Hard Disk.
2002 - March 14th
The XBox is released in the United Kingdom. A hefty price tag of £299.99 to match, didn't stop it selling loads in its first day. However, Microsoft have recently been forced to lower the price to £200 to appeal to larger groups of people.
2002 - May 3rd
May 3rd will see the UK release of Nintendo's Gamecube. What will this hold for the gamer? We will have to wait and see!
OK, so there it was, my fairly concise account of how videogaming has developed over the years. Have I missed anything important out? Do you agree or disagree with the points I have made? And the future of videogaming? Again, we will just have to wait and see, but it must be stressed, is it likely to be very eventful and interesting!
Thanks for those of you who took time to read this, it really did take the best part of a day to construct!
The 'lol' at the end of my message indicated it was a joke... so don't get so stressed out man!
I actually thought the post was good. (except for the Spectrum exception, which you made up for...)
There's no need to start petty fights... thats not what these forums are for.
I actually thought the post was good. (except for the Spectrum exception, which you made up for...)
There's no need to start petty fights... thats not what these forums are for.
Sinclair! Sorry!
Totally forgot! Anyway, here is the missing information:
1980:
Sinclair ZX80 released
1981
Sinclair release an update to the successful ZX80 computer, the ZX81.
1982
Sinclair Spectrum released, and is the best-selling machine of the Sinclair empire, selling 12,000 units per week!
1986
Sinclair release the Spectrum-128, the most powerful of the spectrum machines on the market
As for the other Sinclair machines, I really couldn't gather much, but that was what I could gather.
The Grandstand, on the other hand was a non programmable system that released many incarnations over the years...
1982
Grandstand Scramble
1984
Grandstand Star Force
Also, over the years, information I could not gather dates for, Grandstand released a series of programmable machines,
Grandstand 2600,3600,4600,5000,6000, Colour Programmable, and the Channel F (which is on the main timeline)
Hope this answers your questions!
Totally forgot! Anyway, here is the missing information:
1980:
Sinclair ZX80 released
1981
Sinclair release an update to the successful ZX80 computer, the ZX81.
1982
Sinclair Spectrum released, and is the best-selling machine of the Sinclair empire, selling 12,000 units per week!
1986
Sinclair release the Spectrum-128, the most powerful of the spectrum machines on the market
As for the other Sinclair machines, I really couldn't gather much, but that was what I could gather.
The Grandstand, on the other hand was a non programmable system that released many incarnations over the years...
1982
Grandstand Scramble
1984
Grandstand Star Force
Also, over the years, information I could not gather dates for, Grandstand released a series of programmable machines,
Grandstand 2600,3600,4600,5000,6000, Colour Programmable, and the Channel F (which is on the main timeline)
Hope this answers your questions!
Doublezero wrote "A little help from external sources..." you can say that again Franny.
My intent here was to 'compile' an accurate timeline of videogaming. I didn't take on the project as a test of my own memory. If I was to take this nonsensical approach the information contained would be likely be innacurate, and unfair to other members of the FOG. As I stated, using my own information, supplemented with specific data from the manufacturers of the consoles, I 'compiled' this timeline. I honestly can say that there really isn't any need for this petty squabbling in other peoples posts. I asked for feedback, and I accept constructive critcism, but as said, there really was no need for that. If you didn't like the post, that is your own opinion, but suggesting plaigiarism is taking it a bit far - especially considering the amount of time it took me to compile this post.
All I can say is that I suggest you put more time into reading and enjoying the posts on the forum, after all that is the entire point of having these boards here...
My intent here was to 'compile' an accurate timeline of videogaming. I didn't take on the project as a test of my own memory. If I was to take this nonsensical approach the information contained would be likely be innacurate, and unfair to other members of the FOG. As I stated, using my own information, supplemented with specific data from the manufacturers of the consoles, I 'compiled' this timeline. I honestly can say that there really isn't any need for this petty squabbling in other peoples posts. I asked for feedback, and I accept constructive critcism, but as said, there really was no need for that. If you didn't like the post, that is your own opinion, but suggesting plaigiarism is taking it a bit far - especially considering the amount of time it took me to compile this post.
All I can say is that I suggest you put more time into reading and enjoying the posts on the forum, after all that is the entire point of having these boards here...
Someone try and find out when the GRANDSTAND home console was released, because I own one ;).
That came with it's own light gun, but it's from long before the days of cartridge mased systems...................
That came with it's own light gun, but it's from long before the days of cartridge mased systems...................
Franny wrote:
> I had an inspiration today, why not contruct a timeline of videogaming
> for us all on the FOG? Well, after racking my own brain, and a little
> help from external sources, here it is!
"A little help from external sources..." you can say that again Franny.
LOL
> I had an inspiration today, why not contruct a timeline of videogaming
> for us all on the FOG? Well, after racking my own brain, and a little
> help from external sources, here it is!
"A little help from external sources..." you can say that again Franny.
LOL
Good post franny :D
Ah, rubbish! You forgot about the ZX 80, 81, Spectrum 48, +2, +3 etc :)
And they were important when it comes to videogames when it comes to the 1980s
And they were important when it comes to videogames when it comes to the 1980s
I read it, another great post
I had an inspiration today, why not contruct a timeline of videogaming for us all on the FOG? Well, after racking my own brain, and a little help from external sources, here it is!
1958
The first concept of the videogame was born, and believe it or not, it was played on an oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a scientific device for measuring electrical throughput, in a wave-like manner. However, Willy Higinbotham managed to contruct a pong like game using a series of electrical signals for himself and his pals to play at the laboratory!
1961
Despite Higinbotham's oscilloscope game, the first interactive and 'real' videogame was developed by Steve Russell, a student at MIT in the USA. Russell, using his Digital Technologies mainframe computer, managed to design an ASCII text based game which he called 'Spacewar'
1967
Ralph Baer and his colleagues managed to create two video games which could operate on a standard television. These games were a race game and a tennis-style game. Astonishingly they even managed to create the first light gun for use with a TV by manipulating a toy gun, an invention which was unarguably well before it's time.
1971
The first arcade game was produced by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, using Russell's spacewar as the theme, 'Computer Space' was released to the public.
1972
The first home video game system, the Magnavox Oddysee is released to the public, and it was from this year possible to play videogames in your own home on your own television. The Oddysee was based on the technology of Ralph Baer and his colleagues. Also in 1972 Bushnell and Dabney, creators of the first arcade machine, founded Atari.
1975
Atari release the Pong machine, Pong to those who don't know is the old game where a ball is played with paddles across a 'net'.
1976
Coleco release the Telstar console, and first cartridge based system, the Channel F is also released to the public.
1977
1977 sees the birth of the world-renowned console by Atari that later becomes known as the Atari 2600. The 2600 is a cartridge based system, and undoubtedly began the videogame revolution.
1978
A somewhat eventful year. Midway introduce space invaders to the arcade, and was the first of it's kind to display high scores! Atari release a trackball device to control a new game for the 2600 called football. Also, Atari enter the home computer market with the 400 and 800, in competition with Apple, the market leaders. However, this was perhaps not Atari's best venture as the 400 and 800 flopped, big time, and were instantly removed from the market the same year.
1979
The first handheld gaming device was created by Atari, and it was Cosmos. Also Asteroids was released into the arcades to compete with space invaders, this time allowing players to enter three letter names to complement the scores in the table.
1980
The first mainstream competitor to the 2600 was released this year, the Mattel Intellivision. The Intellivision promised better graphics than the Atari 2600, and seemed set to sell many units. Pac Man, you remember, a little creature eating circles, was released into the arcades by Namco, and seemed set to start a revolution. Atari, clearly hit by the Intellivision release, spawned the first third-party developer, Activision, who were contractually signed through Atari to create games for the 2600. 1980 also saw the debut of the first 3D game, Battlezone, to the public.
1982
An eventful year for the corporations involved with videogaming. Coleco release the Colecovision, but not to Atari's surprise. Atari hit back, hard, with the 5200, the latest console on the market.
1983
A landmark year for the videogame industry. To begin with, Commodore release the Commodore 64, a home computer based games machine, featuring cassette based games. The Commodore 64 was snapped up by the public, perhaps on behalf of it's reasonable price tag and the potential for cheap budget games on cassette. Some of us may remember being able to buy C64 games from our local newsagent for just under £3! Those were most definitely the days!
Also in 1983 a japanese company, Nintendo, began the empire that we all know too well today. The NES (or Famicom) was released in Japan, and began a long weighty era of Nintendo gaming.
1985
Released in 1985 was the hellishly addictive puzzle game Tetris. It was released on the IBM PC format, and is still played to this day. Arguably, Tetris is the biggest game of all time.
1986
The NES was released in the US in 1985, and allowed Nintendo's prowess to spread worldwide. In competition, another Japanese company with intent to compete with the NES, Sega, released it's first games machine, the Master System. Atari, now deemed an outsider, released the Atari 7800 to endeavour to maintain their title as king of the videogame industry.
1989
A very, very, eventful year was 1989 for the videogame market. It saw the advent of the Nintendo GameBoy, which until recently, was being made and sold. Efficient portable gaming was at long last, a real possibility. 1989 was also the era of the 16-bit console. Until now, 8-bit machines such as the NES and Master System ruled the high street. However, 1989 saw the release of two 16 bit machines which promised the world to the gamer, the NEC TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in the UK). The Genesis was the undisputed king here, although the TurboGrafx-16 was the first machine to exploit the potential of CD based gaming. Last, but not least, Atari hit again with the Lynx, a potential rival to the GameBoy in the niche of handheld gaming.
1991
It took Nintendo 2 years to cotton on to the 16-bit generation, and released the long awaited Super Famicom (or Super NES) in the US. The Super NES's release put Nintendo back into the market, and before long, made them the videogame rulers.
1993
Atari hit again, this time with the overhyped promise of a 64-bit machine. The Atari Jaguar actually comprised 2 32-bit processors, but did deliver 64-bit quality graphics. However, the potential was not exploited by developers and the Jaguar soon faded into extinction.
1994
Sony, long renowned for their excellence in the consumer electronics market, released a CD based console, the Sony Playstation. The result was quite phenomenal, true 3D graphics and next-gen power from their 32-bit offering. It was released with titles such as Ridge Racer and Toshinden in Japan, and did not take long before gamers caught on. Also released was Sega's 32-bit offering, the Sega Saturn. Again, using CD as the game format of choice.
1995
The Playstation debuts in the United States and is met with the same quality of reception in gained in Japan. Nintendo, this time wanting to reclaim their superiority, released the Ninetndo 64 in Japan. A 64-bit machine, but using cartridges instead of CD's as the game format. However, this did not prevent the N64 being a success, it featured amazing visuals for its day, and true 3D graphics with beautiful textures. Mario 64 was an instant hit, and was followed up in later years by classics such as Zelda, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye to name but a few.
1996
The N64 was released in the US and became a high-flyer in the games industry. However, apart from the N64 in the US, 1996 was a fairly uneventful year. The aftermath of the power machines had set in, and 1996 saw releases such as the Tamagotchi virtual pet in Japan.
1997
The Playstation is the market leader, and perhaps rightfully so. The CD based powerhouse threw out the lush visuals which keep many of us in the Sony bandwagon today. Tiger release the Game.Com, a games machine that they expected would catch on with the internet revolution. However it failed to shock many, thus the Playstation continued as the master.
1998
Sega enter the market again with their final console, the Dreamcast. Despite being the most powerful console on the market, the developers failed to create a large enough game base, and the Dreamcast slowly slipped through Sega's hands, and they resort to making games, not consoles.
2000
With Sony's success in the market, and ability to knock down powerful competitors such as Sega, Sony are head of the videogaming market. In a pursuit not to be left behind, they release the PS2. The response was phenomenal, selling out by early morning. Sony simply didn't expect the scale of response they got. Rightfully, the PS2 took over from its predecessor as the market leader. To this day, the PS2 is arguably the console of choice for the entire videogame market.
2001
In Japan, two next generation consoles are released. The first, the Nintendo GameCube. This new offering from Nintendo could be what the doctor ordered for Nintendo, to reclaim the empire that has been partially knocked by Sony. Microsoft, a company previously known for PC operating systems, office packages, and very few games, release the XBox in Japan. Despite the past, Microsoft have created undoubtedly the most powerful console to date, and features a novel addition, a Hard Disk.
2002 - March 14th
The XBox is released in the United Kingdom. A hefty price tag of £299.99 to match, didn't stop it selling loads in its first day. However, Microsoft have recently been forced to lower the price to £200 to appeal to larger groups of people.
2002 - May 3rd
May 3rd will see the UK release of Nintendo's Gamecube. What will this hold for the gamer? We will have to wait and see!
OK, so there it was, my fairly concise account of how videogaming has developed over the years. Have I missed anything important out? Do you agree or disagree with the points I have made? And the future of videogaming? Again, we will just have to wait and see, but it must be stressed, is it likely to be very eventful and interesting!
Thanks for those of you who took time to read this, it really did take the best part of a day to construct!
1958
The first concept of the videogame was born, and believe it or not, it was played on an oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a scientific device for measuring electrical throughput, in a wave-like manner. However, Willy Higinbotham managed to contruct a pong like game using a series of electrical signals for himself and his pals to play at the laboratory!
1961
Despite Higinbotham's oscilloscope game, the first interactive and 'real' videogame was developed by Steve Russell, a student at MIT in the USA. Russell, using his Digital Technologies mainframe computer, managed to design an ASCII text based game which he called 'Spacewar'
1967
Ralph Baer and his colleagues managed to create two video games which could operate on a standard television. These games were a race game and a tennis-style game. Astonishingly they even managed to create the first light gun for use with a TV by manipulating a toy gun, an invention which was unarguably well before it's time.
1971
The first arcade game was produced by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, using Russell's spacewar as the theme, 'Computer Space' was released to the public.
1972
The first home video game system, the Magnavox Oddysee is released to the public, and it was from this year possible to play videogames in your own home on your own television. The Oddysee was based on the technology of Ralph Baer and his colleagues. Also in 1972 Bushnell and Dabney, creators of the first arcade machine, founded Atari.
1975
Atari release the Pong machine, Pong to those who don't know is the old game where a ball is played with paddles across a 'net'.
1976
Coleco release the Telstar console, and first cartridge based system, the Channel F is also released to the public.
1977
1977 sees the birth of the world-renowned console by Atari that later becomes known as the Atari 2600. The 2600 is a cartridge based system, and undoubtedly began the videogame revolution.
1978
A somewhat eventful year. Midway introduce space invaders to the arcade, and was the first of it's kind to display high scores! Atari release a trackball device to control a new game for the 2600 called football. Also, Atari enter the home computer market with the 400 and 800, in competition with Apple, the market leaders. However, this was perhaps not Atari's best venture as the 400 and 800 flopped, big time, and were instantly removed from the market the same year.
1979
The first handheld gaming device was created by Atari, and it was Cosmos. Also Asteroids was released into the arcades to compete with space invaders, this time allowing players to enter three letter names to complement the scores in the table.
1980
The first mainstream competitor to the 2600 was released this year, the Mattel Intellivision. The Intellivision promised better graphics than the Atari 2600, and seemed set to sell many units. Pac Man, you remember, a little creature eating circles, was released into the arcades by Namco, and seemed set to start a revolution. Atari, clearly hit by the Intellivision release, spawned the first third-party developer, Activision, who were contractually signed through Atari to create games for the 2600. 1980 also saw the debut of the first 3D game, Battlezone, to the public.
1982
An eventful year for the corporations involved with videogaming. Coleco release the Colecovision, but not to Atari's surprise. Atari hit back, hard, with the 5200, the latest console on the market.
1983
A landmark year for the videogame industry. To begin with, Commodore release the Commodore 64, a home computer based games machine, featuring cassette based games. The Commodore 64 was snapped up by the public, perhaps on behalf of it's reasonable price tag and the potential for cheap budget games on cassette. Some of us may remember being able to buy C64 games from our local newsagent for just under £3! Those were most definitely the days!
Also in 1983 a japanese company, Nintendo, began the empire that we all know too well today. The NES (or Famicom) was released in Japan, and began a long weighty era of Nintendo gaming.
1985
Released in 1985 was the hellishly addictive puzzle game Tetris. It was released on the IBM PC format, and is still played to this day. Arguably, Tetris is the biggest game of all time.
1986
The NES was released in the US in 1985, and allowed Nintendo's prowess to spread worldwide. In competition, another Japanese company with intent to compete with the NES, Sega, released it's first games machine, the Master System. Atari, now deemed an outsider, released the Atari 7800 to endeavour to maintain their title as king of the videogame industry.
1989
A very, very, eventful year was 1989 for the videogame market. It saw the advent of the Nintendo GameBoy, which until recently, was being made and sold. Efficient portable gaming was at long last, a real possibility. 1989 was also the era of the 16-bit console. Until now, 8-bit machines such as the NES and Master System ruled the high street. However, 1989 saw the release of two 16 bit machines which promised the world to the gamer, the NEC TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in the UK). The Genesis was the undisputed king here, although the TurboGrafx-16 was the first machine to exploit the potential of CD based gaming. Last, but not least, Atari hit again with the Lynx, a potential rival to the GameBoy in the niche of handheld gaming.
1991
It took Nintendo 2 years to cotton on to the 16-bit generation, and released the long awaited Super Famicom (or Super NES) in the US. The Super NES's release put Nintendo back into the market, and before long, made them the videogame rulers.
1993
Atari hit again, this time with the overhyped promise of a 64-bit machine. The Atari Jaguar actually comprised 2 32-bit processors, but did deliver 64-bit quality graphics. However, the potential was not exploited by developers and the Jaguar soon faded into extinction.
1994
Sony, long renowned for their excellence in the consumer electronics market, released a CD based console, the Sony Playstation. The result was quite phenomenal, true 3D graphics and next-gen power from their 32-bit offering. It was released with titles such as Ridge Racer and Toshinden in Japan, and did not take long before gamers caught on. Also released was Sega's 32-bit offering, the Sega Saturn. Again, using CD as the game format of choice.
1995
The Playstation debuts in the United States and is met with the same quality of reception in gained in Japan. Nintendo, this time wanting to reclaim their superiority, released the Ninetndo 64 in Japan. A 64-bit machine, but using cartridges instead of CD's as the game format. However, this did not prevent the N64 being a success, it featured amazing visuals for its day, and true 3D graphics with beautiful textures. Mario 64 was an instant hit, and was followed up in later years by classics such as Zelda, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye to name but a few.
1996
The N64 was released in the US and became a high-flyer in the games industry. However, apart from the N64 in the US, 1996 was a fairly uneventful year. The aftermath of the power machines had set in, and 1996 saw releases such as the Tamagotchi virtual pet in Japan.
1997
The Playstation is the market leader, and perhaps rightfully so. The CD based powerhouse threw out the lush visuals which keep many of us in the Sony bandwagon today. Tiger release the Game.Com, a games machine that they expected would catch on with the internet revolution. However it failed to shock many, thus the Playstation continued as the master.
1998
Sega enter the market again with their final console, the Dreamcast. Despite being the most powerful console on the market, the developers failed to create a large enough game base, and the Dreamcast slowly slipped through Sega's hands, and they resort to making games, not consoles.
2000
With Sony's success in the market, and ability to knock down powerful competitors such as Sega, Sony are head of the videogaming market. In a pursuit not to be left behind, they release the PS2. The response was phenomenal, selling out by early morning. Sony simply didn't expect the scale of response they got. Rightfully, the PS2 took over from its predecessor as the market leader. To this day, the PS2 is arguably the console of choice for the entire videogame market.
2001
In Japan, two next generation consoles are released. The first, the Nintendo GameCube. This new offering from Nintendo could be what the doctor ordered for Nintendo, to reclaim the empire that has been partially knocked by Sony. Microsoft, a company previously known for PC operating systems, office packages, and very few games, release the XBox in Japan. Despite the past, Microsoft have created undoubtedly the most powerful console to date, and features a novel addition, a Hard Disk.
2002 - March 14th
The XBox is released in the United Kingdom. A hefty price tag of £299.99 to match, didn't stop it selling loads in its first day. However, Microsoft have recently been forced to lower the price to £200 to appeal to larger groups of people.
2002 - May 3rd
May 3rd will see the UK release of Nintendo's Gamecube. What will this hold for the gamer? We will have to wait and see!
OK, so there it was, my fairly concise account of how videogaming has developed over the years. Have I missed anything important out? Do you agree or disagree with the points I have made? And the future of videogaming? Again, we will just have to wait and see, but it must be stressed, is it likely to be very eventful and interesting!
Thanks for those of you who took time to read this, it really did take the best part of a day to construct!