Gaming Tech Part 1

It seems that the console wars tend to rage on from one generation to the next. It started with the likes of Sega, Dreamcast, Nintendo, Playstation, etc. However, they all had one thing in common: their basic design, which usually consisted of a console and the controller. The Nintendo DS and the PSP revolutionized the meaning of the controller by putting the screen in the palm of your hand.

This was a deciding factor between gaming fans. Would you go for the fun, but poor (in comparison) graphics of the DS or go for the bulkier but great graphics of the PSP? The battle lines were drawn and people picked their sides. On the console side, after Microsoft entered the gaming scene with the Xbox, Sony and Nintendo knew they had to redesign their consoles as well and out came the Xbox 360, the bulkier Playstation 3, and the Wii.

As the wars raged on, it was clear that Nintendo had hit the lottery with their new system and method of gameplay. People didn't care if the graphics were poor in comparison or if the games were limited. All they cared about was that the Wii brought them off the couch and on their feet. As a result, the Wii was a runaway success and is still popular today that Nintendo still can't make them fast enough. As Microsoft and Sony went head to head in a battle of brains to produce better microprocessors and screamingly fast bus speeds, hardcore gamers rejoiced at the better graphics and moaned about the exorbitant prices but it was clear that the general consumer did not want to spend a lot of money on what is perceived as a trivial activity to pass the time.

The Wii began to dominate the market in a way that seemed almost foolhardy. You put decent graphics, provide a widely available DVD drive but change the most simplistic of gaming devices, the controller, and it gives you a formula for success that no one expected. As more people want to get up and interact with video games, it seems clear that the days of staying in the same seat for hours on end is drawing to a close. Surely there will still be those hardcore gamers, but they will soon become the minority rather than the norm. How exactly is this going to happen? You're going to have to wait to find out.