Computer Game Consoles
By: Ryan H, Ethan T, and Anjali M
Introduction
We chose our topic to be Computer Game Consoles because they are very popular today. People of all ages use these gaming systems. We will be talking about three different gaming consoles and their history. Ryan will talk about the XBOX, Ethan will talk about Atari, and I will talk about the PlayStation.
Timeline
PlayStation-X and PlayStation 2
PlayStation-X
- Sony revealed the PlayStation-X in 1994.
- Their plan was to add a 3D effect to their gaming system to attract people to buy the product. They also added special effect such as transparency and fog.
- This was a great breakthrough for Sony because these qualities had never been seen in home gaming systems.
PlayStation 2
- The PlayStation 2 was launched in 2000 and hit 1 million units sold in Japan itself.
- The attraction for the PS2 was the built in DVD player.
- The unit was hard to manufacture, so Sony had difficulty in supplying enough units. When it launched in the United Kingdom only 80,000 units were available which were taken in no time.
- Despite these problems, this was the one of the highest selling consoles and hit 155 million sold in 2011.
PlayStation 3 and 4
PlayStation 3
- PlayStation 3 was launched in 2006.
- This version is lighter and thinner.
- It was the first Blu-Ray player in the market.
- Another great feature was that it could connect to the internet.
- The operating system could also be updated.
PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 4 was released in 2013 beating the other popular gaming systems like the Wii U.
- It sold faster than any other PlayStation console.
- Its price also played a large role in the high rate of units sold. The unit costed $400 dollars which was a very good price for one of the best known gaming systems.
XBOX
- Microsoft has had three different consoles. The first XBOX, the XBOX 360, and the XBOX One which is the most powerful out of all of them.
- When the first XBOX came out in 2001 it was said to be 10x faster than any consoles of that time. It was also backed by 150 developers.
- The predecessor of the XBOX was the XBOX 360 which came out in 2005. This console was upgraded a few times to the 360 SLIM and the 360 E.
- Then Microsoft came out with the XBOX One: top of the line generation with an 8 core x86 processor. This XBOX was released in the year 2013.
Atari
- On September 11th 1977, Atari released the Atari 2600.
- It was a home game console, the first of it’s time. It put Atari ahead in video games sells up until the 1980s and sold over 30 million units.
- The Atari remote 2600 is announced but never sold.
- It would be a console compatible to the Atari 2600 but has a wireless remote controller.
- It was cancelled because the controllers would affect all consoles within a 2700 foot radius.
- The Atari 7800 was released in 1986 but never had very much success.
- The main reason being that it had to compete with the revolutionary Nintendo NES, which was dominating the video game industry at the time.
Winners and Losers
- During the 2000's Sony was ahead, the reason for that is that they had the first and second PlayStation out on the shelves.
- Microsoft was working on something big that could put them in the lead and give them an edge over Sony. Microsoft was working on the first XBOX that would soon be released on November 15, 2001.
- The first XBOX was running on windows 2000, so with console giants like Sony leading the industry, having the XBOX running a PC operating system would give Microsoft a huge edge over Sony.
- There’s not much on Atari but it is not around anymore, Atari started in 1972 and failed in 1984. The reason for failing is multiple bad choices on Atari's end and they couldn’t keep up with other game consoles that were out on the shelves so that would make Atari a loser.
- Now with XBOX and Sony, the two biggest rivals right now, Sony is in the lead with the most sales at over 40 million sold for PS 4 and Microsoft is at 20 million sold for XBOX One.
Conclusion
- Setting the other gaming systems aside, PlayStation-X to PlayStation 4 was a a big achievement for Sony. More that 40 million people bought PlayStation 4.
- Even though XBOX is trailing behind Sony in sales when they made the Xbox one it was a huge step for the people, for the company and for technology.
- Atari started the gaming industry, but then failed to compete with other consoles.
Bibliography
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"What Is PlayStation 3, PS3 History, PS3 Tech Specs." What Is PlayStation 3, PS3 History, PS3 Tech Specs. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.
"Why Is PlayStation 4 Selling So Well?" Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.
"Atari Museum Home Page." Atari Museum Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.
Sapp, Res. "Xbox Past, Present, Future." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.