Electronic game console

Introduction

Electronicgameconsoles,alsoknownaselectronicgameinstrumentsItisamachineforplayingwithgamesoftware.Accordingtothedifferentwaysofplayinggames,itisdividedintohomegameconsolesandhandheldgameconsoles.

Andgameconsolescanalsobesaidtobelongtoakindofcomputer.ThemaincomponentsarecompletelyconsistentwiththedefinitionofcomputerbyJohnvonNeumann.However,incontrasttopersonalcomputers,electronicgameconsolestargetimages,Thesoundeffectsandoperatingfunctionsarespeciallyenhanced,andvarioussoftwareandhardwarearealsoavailableforinstallationanduse.Althoughthepersonalcomputerhasstronghardwaresupport,thegamesupportisnotgood,andtheportinggamemaybeworsethanonthegameconsole.ThemainhardwarecomponentsofthegamemachineincludeCPU,memory,storagemedia,audio-visualoutputequipment,signalinputequipmentandsoon.Amongthem,thesignalinputdeviceofthegameconsoleisalsocalledacontroller,ahandleorajoystick.

Historicalevolution

Electronicgameconsolesincludetheeraofrecklessness,PCera,SFC/MDera,PS/N64era,andps2NGC/xboxera.

TheBarbaricEra

First(1970s)

In1972,AtarilaunchedaPlatform-stylelargegamemachine"Pong"(PONG),thisgamemachineispopularallovertheUnitedStates.Inthesameyear,theworld'sfirstvideogameplayedwith"TV"wasborn,andtheMagnavoxOdysseywastheworld'sfirstvideogameconsole.

Thesecondgeneration(thelatterhalfofthe1970s-thefirsthalfofthe1980s)

In1975,AtariestablishedaCyanEngineeringcompanyandbegantodevelopconsolegameconsoles.Bytheendof1976,duetoinsufficientfunds,thefounderofAtarisoldthecompanytoWarnerfor$28millionontheconditionthatStella(developmentcode)belistedassoonaspossible.ByOctober1977,theAtari2600wasofficiallylaunched,andatotalofUS$100millioninresearchanddevelopmentcostswerespentonthehostduringtheentireprocess.

Atariestablishedasoftwareresearchanddevelopmentdepartmentinearly1977todevelopsoftwarerelatedtothemainframe.However,duetopoormanagement,bytheendof1978,only550,000ofthe800,000mainframesproducedhadbeensold.ThisdirectlyledtoAtarifounderBushnellleavingAtari.RayKassar,whotookover,broughtmodernmanagementtoolstoAtariandimplementedaseriesofmarketingactivities.In1979,theAtari2600becamethebest-sellingChristmasgift,withsalesofmorethan1millionunitsthatyear.

In1982,Atari2600reacheditspeak,withsalesof8millionunitsandanincreaseinassetsfromUS$75milliontoUS$2.2billion,accountingforhalfofWarner’srevenue.However,thefamous"VideoGameCrash"(alsoknownasAtariShockinAsia)alsooccurredatthistime.BecauseAtarihasnocontroloverthird-partysoftwaredevelopers,thenumberofsoftwarehasskyrocketed,andinferiorproductsarefloodingthemarket.Atari’sheavilybettingmovie"ET"gameversionisalsobadlyrated;themostcriticalreasonisthatthefirstThesmallfactoriesofthethreepartiescontinuetorepeattheprocessofstartingabusiness/closing.Inthefaceofalargenumberofinventorysoftwarewithoutcompensation,retailerscanonlysellthematunreasonablylowprices.Overtime,consumersarenolongerinterestedinhigh-qualitysoftwareatreasonableprices.(Inotherwords,consumersthinkitwillbeclearedoutatlowpricesinthenearfuture),leadingtoacompletecollapseofthegameconsolemarket,endingthisgenerationandtheAtarigeneration(inEuropeandtheUnitedStatesuntilthelaunchofNintendo’sNESconsole.Thegameconsolemarkethasonlybeguntorecover).

TheFCera

Third(firsthalfofthe1980s-mid-1980s)

In1983,JapanwasaffectedbythebubbleeconomyThegamemarketisinastateofchaosanddisorder,butthemarketpositioningofthesegameconsolesareordinaryelectronictoys,mostofwhicharedirectlyimportedfromtheUnitedStates.SoNintendodevelopedthethird-generationFCgameconsole(Famicom,redandwhite,calledNESintheUnitedStates).Thisgameconsolebringsadvancedgamedevelopmentconceptsandrevolutionarygametechnology.Makeitthetrueoriginatorofvideogames.EspeciallyinChina,manyplayersknowandlovegameconsolesbecauseofthis,andvariousmanufacturersinJapanhavelaunchedgameconsolesatanastonishingspeedinordertocompetewiththem.Injustoneyear,theyhavelaunchednearlythirteentypesofconsoles.Butnomattertheprice/numberofsoftware/operabilitycannotcompetewithNintendo.Manygamesarestillpopulartoday.InChina,therearestillmanyplaceswherethisgameconsoleandgameareproduced.Evenfromtoday'spointofview,thegameplayabilityatthattimewasstillveryhigh.

AfterFCwentpublic,SEGA'sgameconsoleSG-1000duringthesameperiodwascompletelysuppressed.However,FChasnotbeenonthemarketsoon,becausethehardwaredesignofthefirstbatchofFChasseriousbugsthatmaycausecrashes.InordertosaveNintendo'sreputation,thethenpresidentofNintendoYamauchiHsudecidedtorecycletheconsole,whichresultedinalossof1.5billionyen.However,thisincidentallowedNintendotoestablishanexcellentbrandimage.TheFCsold1.65millionunitswithinayearafterbeingre-listedthefollowingyear.ThefirstsaleofFCintheUnitedStateswasevenmoresuccessful.InOctober1985,NESwasthefirsttogopublicinNewYorkCity,withatotalof15gamesreleased.Bytheendof1985,NEShadsold50,000unitsinNewYork.Subsequently,NESbegantobelistednationwideintheUnitedStates,andsold1millionunitswithinayear,allowingtheoncecollapsedU.S.homeconsolemarkettobegintorecover.

SFC/MDera

Thefourthgeneration(thesecondhalfofthe1980s-Firsthalfofthe1990s)

In1987,NECandHudsonlaunchedthePC-Engine.ThisisthefirstgameconsolethatcanbeequippedwithaCD-ROM,whichhasattractedtheattentionoftheJapanesegameindustrytothePC-Engine.Inthesameyear,SEGAlaunchedMegaDrive(MD,calledGenesisintheUnitedStates)inJapan.TheconsolewaslistedinNewYorkandLosAngelesonJanuary9,1989,withasuggestedretailpriceofUS$200.TheconsolewaslaunchednationwideonSeptember15,1989,atapriceofUS$190.SincetheUSgamemarketwasbasicallymonopolizedbyNintendoatthattime,SEGAdecidedtoopenupagroupofnewplayersatahigherageandlaunchedalargenumberofgamesaimedatadultplayers.

IncontrasttoNintendo,from1987to1988,FC'shugeincomemadeNintendonointerestindevelopingnext-generationconsoles.However,therisingmarketshareofPC-EngineandMDforcedNintendotostartthedevelopmentofthe16-bithostSuperFamicom(SFC,superredandwhitemachine).ThebiggestfeatureofSFCindesignistheuseoftwoGPUs.

SFCwasoriginallyscheduledtogoonsaleinJuly1989,anditwaspostponedseveraltimesthereafter.However,duetothesupportofalargenumberofgamemanufacturers(thirdparties)fromNintendo,althoughSFChasbeenlate,itisstillthehostthatJapaneseplayerspaymostattentionto.BeforetheSFCwentonsale,Nintendohadreceivedordersfor1.5millionunits.OnNovember21st,theelectricalshopsonthestreetsofTokyowerefullofpeoplewaitinginlineforSFC.Manyparentsskippedworkinordertobuyaconsolefortheirchildren.ThehugeflowofpeopleevenseriouslyaffectedthetrafficinTokyo.OnAugust13,1991,NintendolaunchedtheSuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem(SNES)redesignedSFCintheUnitedStates.Unfortunately,thelaunchofSNESwastoolate.Atthattime,MDhadalreadyestablishedalargeenoughmassbaseintheUnitedStates.SNESwaseasilydefeatedbyMDinitsfirstyearofrelease.TheweakeningofNintendo'spoweralsoprovidedanopportunityforPlayStationtoeasilyoccupytheUSmarket.

AfterthelistingofSFC,thecompetitionbetweenSEGAandNintendohasbecomefierce.In1992,SEGAgaineda55%marketshareinNorthAmerica;in1993,SEGA’shomegameconsolebusinessreachedanunprecedentedpeak,withamarketshareof65%.InJapan,asJapan’sbubbleeconomycollapsedinthisgeneration,Agenerationofmanufacturerswhohavethecouragetoinvestalotofmoneyandignoretheriskstoseizethegameconsolemarketisnolongerseenagain.Ithasgraduallyevolvedintoasituationofconfrontationbetweenseveralmajormanufacturers(thisgenerationisNintendo/SEGA/NEC).

PS/N64era

Thefifthgeneration(themid-rangeinthe1990s-thelatterhalfofthe1990s)

In1992,when3DOdevelopedits32-bitmainframe,SEGAestablished"Giga-Drive"R&Dproject.DuetothedualCPUstructure,its3Dperformanceis1.5to2timesthatoftheModel1substratecorrespondingto"VRWarrior".SEGAnamedthehost"SEGASaturn(SS,Saturn)"-thesixthplanetinthesolarsystem,representingSEGA'ssixthhost.Onemonthbeforethelaunchoftheconsole,thefirstbatchof200,000SSshadalmostallbeenbookedout,and150,000consoleswerequicklysoldoutonthedayoflaunch.

In1993,NintendoandSonybegantocollaborateonthedevelopmentofnext-generationconsoles.However,duringthedevelopmentperiod,NintendoandSonyhadseriousconflictsonthestoragemediaforgames.SonyproposedthatCDsshouldbeusedforgamestorage.Media,becauseofthelargestoragecapacity,lowcost,andconvenienceofopticaldiscs,Nintendoinsistsonusingcassettesandbelievesthatthereadingspeedofcassettesisfaster.Thetwosideshadagreatdispute.Intheend,Nintendounilaterallyterminatedthecooperation.ThisundoubtedlyangeredSony.Inordernottolettheformedproductsgotowaste,Sonydecidedtoproceedwiththe"PlayStationProject"alone.Sonyprobablydidnotexpectthatthisdecisionwouldchangethedevelopmentprocessoftheentirehomegameconsole.

December3,1994,accompaniedby"いちーにーさん、すべでのゲームはここにいる!"(1,2,3,allgamesareinCollectionhere!)Theclassicslogan,PlayStation(PS)isofficiallyonsale.HundredsofpeoplelineduptobuyinAkihabaraandotherplaces.Thefirst100,000unitsshippedweresoldoutbeforenoon.EventhegrandsonofSonyPresidentNorioOhgahadtoleaveempty-handed.AfterthetwoheavyweightgamemanufacturersSquareandEnixannouncedthattheywouldleaveNintendowiththemasterpieces"FinalFantasyVII"and"DragonQuestVII"andwenttoPS,itcausedadominoeffectintheJapanesegameindustry.Manywell-knowngamesoftwaremanufacturershavejoined,PSconsolesItbegantoshowasituationwhereahundredflowersblossomedgradually.

OnJune23,1996,Nintendo64(Nintendo64,referredtoasN64)waslaunchedinJapanoneandahalfyearslaterthanSSandPS,butNintendo,withitssolidfoundation,isstillwidelysupportedbyplayers.,ThescaleofN64’sfirstsaleinJapanismuchstrongerthanthatofPSandSS.Thefirstbatchof500,000consoleswassoldoutinjust10days.OnSeptember30,1996,N64wasalsoagreatsuccessafteritwaslaunchedinNorthAmerica.PeoplearestillconfidentaboutNintendo,whichhasmonopolizedthegameconsolemarketfortenyears.N64seemstobemorepopularthanPSandSS.

Thenallthird-partygamemanufacturersweredisappointedbecauseN64adoptedcassetteasthemedia.ThemanufacturingcostofN64cassettesisashighas25USdollars,andCDsonlycost10cents.Therefore,thepriceofN64gamesisgenerally20-25USdollarshigherthanthatofPS.Inaddition,becausethegamesatthattimebegantohavealotofvoiceandanimationperformances,theexpensiveROMcapacitywasinsufficient.Inaddition,Nintendo’sattitudetowardsthird-partymanufacturersprovidingdevelopmentkitsisalsorelativelynegative.Therefore,N64isthemainstreamgameconsolewiththefewesttypesofgamesinhistory.Ithasbeenlackingsoftwaresupportforseveralmonthsafteritsrelease,whilePSandSShaveunprecedentedStronggamelineup.ThestrongdebutofN64wasquicklysuppressedbymasterpiecessuchas"[ResidentEvil]"and"[ResidentEvil]".

Attheendof1994,SEGASaturnsoldatotalof500,000unitsinJapan,surpassingthePlayStationinthesameperiod.OnMay7,1995,SonyandSEGAsimultaneouslyannouncedthatthesalesofPSandSSexceeded1millionunits,andthecompetitionbetweenthetwomajor32-bitconsoleshasenteredafiercestate.However,intheUSmarket,SEGAhasnotinheritedMD'smarketadvantage.ThepriceoftheUSversionofSSis$100higherthanthatofPS,buttheactualperformanceisnotasgoodasPS(SSisindeedbetterthanPSin2Dimagedepiction,butthemainstreamofthecontemporarymarketisalargenumberofreal-timecomputing3Dmodules.Inthisregard,thePShostisindeedslightlybetter).In1995,SEGAandSonyfoughtapricewar.SEGAtooktheleadwithaslightadvantage.However,thecostofSSwashigherthanthatofPS.After1996,SEGAcouldnolongerbearhugecostpressure.SSwasdefeatedacrosstheboardintheUnitedStatesandJapan.PlayStationwins.

ps2/NGC/xboxera

Thesixthgeneration(fromthelate1990stothebeginningofthe2000s)

Duetothedesignflawsoftheconsole,SEGASaturnsufferedabiglossinthecompetitionbetweenthefifthgenerationandthePlayStation.Therefore,whendevelopingthenext-generationhost,thethenSEGApresidentHayaoNakayamadecidedtohireseniorIBMengineerstosetupaseparatedevelopmentteamintheUnitedStates,whiletheJapaneseteamwasledbySatoHidekitodesignthehostatthesametime.InJuly1997,SEGAexecutivesdecidedtoadopttheplanoftheJapanesegroupandnameditDreamcast(DC)—acompoundwordofDreamandBroadcast.Itmeanstospreadthedreamtotheplayer.

BeforetheDCwentonsale,SEGAhadalreadyreceivedanorderof500,000units,butSEGA’sproductionpartnerNECencounteredseriousproductionproblems.Becausetheproductionspeedofgraphicschipscannotkeepup,DC'sfirstshipmentinJapanwasonly150,000.OnSeptember9,1999,DCwentpublicintheUnitedStatesandwasahugesuccess.Itsold225,000unitsonthesameday.

SinceSonysawDreamcast'smenacingandpowerfulcomputingcapabilities,ithadtoimmediatelyannouncethelaunchofPlayStation2(PS2)andpublicizethePlayStation2displayscreenearly.Atthebeginningof2000,PS2'sonlineappointmentofficiallystarted.However,whatwasunexpectedisthatthewebsitereceivedmorethan100,000orderswithin1minute.Theserverwasoverwhelmedandparalyzedonthespot.ThefrenziedreservationactivitylasteduntiltheendofFebruary,andatotalof380,000PS2copieswereordered.

OnMarch4,2000,thelaunchofPS2causedanewroundofpanicbuying.Thereisevenalongqueueofmorethan5,000peopleinTokyo'sAkihabaraElectricTown.Thefewpeopleatthetopofthelinehavealreadysetuptentsfourdaysago.Theenthusiasmisbreathtaking.Finally,Sonyonceagaincreatedamythintheindustry:thetotalsalesofPS2reached980,000inthreedays,becomingthefastest-sellingTVgameconsoleinhistory.ThefirstshipmentofPS2inJapanwas1.15millionunits,surpassingtheoriginalPSconsoleoftheyear.However,duetotheextremelylargemarketdemand,therewasaphenomenonofshortsupplyintheend,andpricespeculationbegantospreadonauctionsitessuchaseBay.ManyPS2swereauctionedatpricesseveraltimestheofficialretailprice.Therearestillplentyofplayers.ThePS2host'schoiceofDVDasthestandarddatacarrierisalsoconsideredtobeoneofthereasonsforacceleratingthepromotionofDVD.

OnMarch3,1999,ontheseconddayafterSonyrevealedPS2,NintendoandPanasonicjointlyheldapressconferencetoannouncethedevelopmentofthenext-generationgameconsoleNintendoGameCube(NGC),andAnnouncedthatitsperformancespecificationswillbeabovePS2.ThenNGC’sfirstgamelineupwastooweak.NGC’sfirstshipmenttotaled450,000units,butonly300,000unitsweresoldwithinthefirstweek,whichisinsharpcontrasttothewidespreadshortageofotherconsoles.NGC'srushintobattlenotonlyfailedtosuppressthePS2,butalsoputNintendoinadilemma.NGC’sfirstUSversionwasunfortunatelymetwithXbox,astrongopponent.Asaresult,itsfirstbatchofsalesinNorthAmericawas469,000units,nearly100,000lessthanXbox.Thegamelineupisweak,whichisadilemmathatNGChasneverescapedfromitsreleasedate.AfterXbox's"Halo2"wasreleased,NGCwasfarbehindbyXboxinEuropeandAmerica.

OnNovember15,2001,MicrosoftreleasedtheXboxgameconsole.AlthoughtheglobalsalesofPS2hadexceeded20millionwhentheXboxwaslaunchedintheUnitedStates,theaggressiveXboxisstilldaunting.MicrosoftheldagrandXboxMidnightFirstSaleeventinNewYorkandSanFrancisco.BillGatesvisitedTimesSquareinNewYorkandhandedthefirstXboxtothelong-awaitedplayers.

However,relativetothepowerfulhardwareperformanceofXbox,thelowpriceofUS$299wasnodifferentfromviciousdumpingatthetime.Atthispricepoint,Microsoftwilllose$125foreveryXboxsold.Thefactistrue.AlthoughtheXbox,whichhassold20millionunitsworldwide,hasfirmlytakenthesecondplaceinsales,Microsoft’sevaporativesplurgeof$1billionperyearonhardwareovertheyearsisreallyamazing,butBillGatessaid"Thefirstgenerationislikeagame.Ifyouplaywell,thenattheendhewillsay:'Youcanplayitagain.'"AsofFebruary1999,DreamcastisinJapanThetotalsalesvolumewas900,000units,whichfailedtoreachtheoriginalestimateof1millionunits.Later,undertheimpactof"FinalFantasyVII"andotherPSmasterpieces,DC,whichlackedsoftwaresupport,begantoshowsignsofdecline.In2000,withthelaunchofPS2,DCcollapsedinJapanandtheUnitedStates.InMarch2001,SEGAannouncedthediscontinuationofDCproductionandcompletelywithdrewfromthehostmarket.

Theseventhgeneration(2000Mid-century-late2000s)

AlthoughXboxisthegameconsolesecondonlytoPS2insalesvolume,80%ofthemareactuallysupportedbyplayersinEuropeandtheUnitedStates,inJapanandotherAsianregionsThesalesofXboxhavebeenbleak,andthereasonisobvious:XboxhasalwaysbeendominatedbyAmerican-stylegames,andofcourseitcannotbeeateninJapan.Inaddition,thehugeblackappearanceofXboxisreallynotlovedbyJapanorotherAsiancountries.Therefore,whenMicrosoftisdevelopingnewnext-generationconsoles,inadditiontoinvitinggraphicdesignerstocreateastreamlinedandwhiteappearancethatismuchmorebeautifulthanthefirst-generationXbox,italsostronglyinvitesJapanesegamemanufacturerstodevelopgamesonthenew-generationXbox..

OnNovember22,2005,MicrosoftlaunchedtheXbox360gameconsoleintheUnitedStates.Xbox360tooktheleadinraisingthecurtainontheseventhgenerationofwar.Inthisyearaheadofthereleaseofothernext-generationgameconsoles,Xbox360hassuccessfullyoccupiedalargenumberofgameconsolesmarket.However,theleadingsalesofXbox360isnotonlybecauseitwasreleasedearlierthantheothertwoconsoles,butthehigh-definitiongamegraphicsthathavebeengreatlyimprovedcomparedtothesixthgenerationarealsothemainreasonsforattractingplayerstobuy.Inaddition,theXboxLiveonlineservice,whichstartedfromthefirstgenerationofXbox,isalsothebiggestsellingpointofXbox360.Inadditiontothefirst-generationXbox,playerscanconnecttotheInternetfromthegameconsoletoplayonlinegameswithotherplayers.IntheXbox360,youcanalsodownloadgamedemos,minigames,moviesorTVvideosfromonlinestorestoenjoy.ThesefactorsmakeXbox360morepopularwithplayersthanthefirst-generationXbox.

ButSony,whichhasdominatedthegameconsoleindustryfortenyearssincethefifthgeneration,hasnotbeensosmooth.InMay2005,SonyofficiallyannouncedthePlayStation3(PS3)andexhibiteditattheE3show.Italsoannouncedthatitwillbereleasedinthespringof2006.However,whenapproachingthereleasedate,duetoissueswiththespecificationofBlu-rayDiscsandHDMI,itwasre-announcedthatthereleasedatewaspostponedtoNovember2006.OnNovember11,2006,SonyfinallylaunchedthePlayStation3gameconsole.Atthebeginning,thePS3wassopowerfulthatthefirst100,000unitsinJapanand400,000unitsinNorthAmericawereimmediatelysoldout.InNorthAmerica,therewerealsoincidentsofqueuingtobuyPS3andpushingandrobbingPS3withguns.However,becausethePS3ismainlyusedforhomemultimediagameconsoles,theCellprocessorusedandtheBlu-rayDiscusedforhigh-qualityaudioandvideorequirementsareveryexpensive,soalthoughthefunctionscanbesaidtobetherichestofallconsoles,Butthepriceisalsothehighestamongthefirst-generationgameconsoles.

AndthePS3salescrazewasblownoutbytheWii,whichwasreleasedafewdayslaterbythePS3,notlongafter.NintendoAtfirst,itwasverylow-keyaboutthissomatosensorygameconsolethatcausedaglobalsensationafteritsrelease.Atthe2005E3exhibition,Nintendoannouncedthenext-generationconsoleprogramcode-named"Revolution"forthefirsttime,anddemonstratedinnovativesomatosensoryoperationmethodsthatsurprisedtheaudience.OnApril27,2006,Nintendoannouncedthatthenewconsolewouldberenamed"Wii".Soonafter,NintendofullydemonstratedtheWiiconsoleandoperationattheE3show.Atthesametime,itwasopenfortrialplay,whichattractedtheattentionofplayersandmediaallovertheworld..OnNovember19,2006,NintendotooktheleadinlaunchingtheWiigameconsoleintheUnitedStates,triggeringamoreintenseandlonger-lastingrushtobuythanthePS3.Wii'shardwareperformanceisweakerthanXbox360andPS3,butthecostisthelowestofthethree.ThebiggestadvantageofWiiliesinitsuniquemotion-sensingcontrollerWiiRemote.WiicanrecognizetheactionsofplayersusingWiiRemote,creatinganewwayofgaming.TheWii'snewsomatosensoryoperationhasmademanynon-traditionalplayers(womenandmiddle-agedandelderly)startplayinggameconsoles,allowingNintendotocreateanewmarketandbecomethebest-sellinghomegameconsoleofthisgeneration.

Introduction

Theearliest'SvideogamewascreatedbyWillyHigginbotham,whoworkedatBrookhavenNationalLaboratoriesinthe1950s,usinganoscilloscope,ananalogcomputerandsomesimplebuttonsin1958Ofasmallinteractivegameconsole.Hedesignedasimpletennisgameandnamedit"TennisforTwo"(TennisforTwo).