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 The
History of the Video Game Console-- The 2000s -- Prologue by Tan System Content By Marriott_Guy, Dark Watcher, 98PaceCar and Tan |
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As the world shifted in favor of widespread technological convergence, it gave console designers an opportunity to add new abilities to each system. Devices like cellular phones could now check email, play games and take pictures. PCs and notebooks could now shop online for just about anything, keep in touch with long-lost friends and family and well as watch and record television and rip music almost by default. By the end of the decade, video game consoles had followed suit and became media hubs and social networking devices in addition to their game playing functions. Increased online usage and connectivity meant that game developers were able to sell their products directly to the consumer. Taking a cue from the success of services like Xbox Live which was launched in 2002, each major competitor in the market quickly adopted a marketplace of their own. These markets grew to include music, movies, television shows, independently developed games as well as rental services for movies. To entice consumers, these products were now able to advertise by offering demos and trailers of new products. Couple this new approach to marketing with built-in web browsers, the importance of the PC as a research tool for shopping purposes was diminished. The games themselves changed dramatically because of it. Blurring the line between PC, arcade and console, these new systems did a little of all three. Using this new marketplace strategy coupled with internet connectivity, subscription based gaming, complex strategy and RPG titles as well as simple 2D titles and trivia/puzzle based games were all available from any one system. Digital distribution and backwards compatibility also allowed games from the past to breathe new life with a new audience who may not have enjoyed these classics before. This helped to bridge the gap between older gamer and young by offering equal parts nostalgia and new experience which broadened the market appeal of gaming. It also allowed for micro-transactions, which add bits and pieces of content to both downloaded and disc based games as well as fixes for problems found after they've hit retail.
The following overviews represent the various
systems which were released during the 2000s which spans from 2000 to 2009. For
more information on systems that were still in the market during this period but
were released earlier, please refer to the 1990's overview. |
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VM Labs Inc. had developed a technology called NUON which transformed passive digital video products such as DVD players, digital satellite receivers and digital set-top boxes into complete interactive video game entertainment systems. The powerful NUON processor provided the raw horsepower to decode digital video and audio, while delivering advanced trick modes and an enhanced user interface. At the same time, the NUON operating system provided a powerful platform for interactive content, enhanced movies, 3D videogames and many other applications. (Read more...) |
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Fun Fact: The creator of VM Labs, Richard Miller, was the former VP of Technology at Atari from 1989 through 1994 (his team created the Atari Jaguar), |
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2000 - Sony Playstation 2 |
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In 1997, rumors began to surface about the successor to Sony's
Playstation console. Those rumors became reality in 1999 when Sony
began talks of a new console called the Playstation 2 (PS2).This next
generation system would use the immense storage of DVD, would use the raw
processing power of a chip called the "Emotion Engine" (created with partner
Toshiba). be able to play DVD movies and music CDs right out
of the box and be backwards compatible with the original Playstation
software. |
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Fun Fact: Just as it was done for the Playstation (Yaroze), Sony catered to the dreams of "would be" developers and released a specialized kit which turned the PS2 into a full-fledged computer. |
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2001 - Nintendo GameCube |
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At Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 1999, Nintendo announced
the initial specifications for its next-generation console, code-named
Dolphin. The first thing that Nintendo made clear was that the new
system would not use a cartridge medium. This new console was revealed on
August 24, 2000 at their Nintendo Spaceworld show. The console, which was
being called Starcube, was officially named the Nintendo GameCube.
A fitting name for one of the smallest console system in recent history. |
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Fun Fact: Nintendo unveiled new forms of connectivity between Nintendo GameCube and their popular handheld portable Game Boy Advance. |
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Rumors concerning Microsoft and a
console project began surfacing as early as 1999. Although they have
been involved in PC gaming for years, Microsoft initially became
involved in the console hardware market with their operating system that
ran Sega Dreamcast. There is a strong possibility that this
motivated Microsoft
to enter the console market. In March of 2000, the world's worst kept
secret becomes public knowledge. After the opening of the Game
Developers Expo, CEO
Bill Gates
delivered the keynote address and officially announces their new Xbox. |
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Fun Fact: Microsoft had to also file for an injunction on a lawsuit filed by Florida based company Xbox Technologies for rights to use the Xbox brand name. |
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During the development of their GameCube
gaming system, Nintendo
partnered with Matsushita-owned Panasonic to manufacture the
disc drive for their console. As part of this agreement, a license was
issued to Panasonic to be able to utilize the base GameCube
software technology for their own system, if they chose to do so. Needless
to say, Panasonic decided to exercise this contract clause and
released one of the most visually attractive hardware units of all time
- the Panasonic Q. |
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Fun Fact: To help garner the attention of import consumers, establishments such as Upstate Games have gone the extra mile to make it totally region friendly. |
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One of the lesser known consoles released by
Nintendo, the iQue
debuted in China on November 21, 2003. The published intention of this
system was to allow gamers easy and affordable access to past
Nintendo
game releases for both the Super Nintendo/Famicom and N64.
In reality, the truth behind its incarnation seems to lie somewhere in
between their attempt to govern the illegal distribution of game ROMs
while profiting from the reissuing of past games. This console was only
sold in China. Targeting the Chinese audience was not done by accident. |
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Fun Fact: The Nintendo iQue uses an operating system called UOS (Updateable Operating System). This allows Nintendo the ability to possibly change features in the unit. |
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Multimedia & gaming devices have been
around the industry since the 1990s (3DO, Pioneer LaserActive,
and Philips CD-i). They are usually high in price, and chock full
of features. In December of 2003, Sony decided to market its own
feature rich multimedia device. The Sony PSX is a high
priced multimedia device designed to be the center of your home
entertainment experience. |
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Fun Fact: You would think for all that cost the PSX would come with a controller. The PSX comes with a remote, but the game controller is going to cost you extra! |
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Prior to releasing their revolutionary controller with the debut of Wii,
Nintendo had previously experimented with this in 1995 with the
release of Laserbirdie, a golf game simulator for the Super Famicom.
Though Nintendo does own the bragging rights to be the first to actually
implement motion-sensing technology into a game, the
Wii can not lay the same claim in regards to a console. That honor
belongs to SSD Company Limited with their release in 2004 of the
XaviX Interactive System (XaviXPORT). |
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Fun Fact: SSD COMPANY LIMITED was founded in 1995 in Japan by nine engineers. 8 of the engineers helped develop the Nintendo Entertainment System. |
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At the Electronic Entertainment Expo
(E3) 2003, Digital Interactive Systems Inc (The "DIS" in
DISCover) debuted a patented technology that allowed console gamers
the ability to play computer PC games on a console like machine. The
machines themselves were merely computer components in a compact casing.
It is even driven by Microsoft's Windows XP computer
operating system. So what makes it special? |
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Fun Fact: Two Alienware Media Center PC's became available in 2005, and both featured DISCover technology. |
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2005 - Microsoft Xbox 360 |
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In November of 2001, Microsoft made its
first entry into the videogame console market. It was a slow battle uphill, but
their Xbox console gained ground. It eventually became a fitting rival
for veteran console maker Nintendo and the console market leader Sony.
Microsoft believed they would have gained a larger stake in the videogame
market if they had released the Xbox sooner. They planned on proving this
belief by being the first to unveil their next generation successor called "Xbox
360". |
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Fun Fact: The Xbox 360 was launched in the US on November 22, in Europe on December 2nd, and in Japan on December 10th. It was the fastest worldwide release in console history. |
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The idea of a gaming enhanced DVD
player was nothing new when the ZAPit Games Game Wave was released.
The NUON had already tried to meld the two technologies with
limited success. However, the Game Wave was not released to
appeal to gamers and was rather released primarily as a family game
system. As such, the Game Wave doesn't feature any games from the
mainstream genres, such as FPS or adventure, so most gamers won't be
interested in it. |
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Fun Fact: Half of the console (and part of what makes up the 'wave') is nothing more than a covered storage unit for the controllers. |
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2006 - Nintendo Wii |
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In the mid 1980s, Nintendo became both a savior and a dominant force to
video gaming as we know it. Twenty plus years later, Nintendo continues
to remain a contender in the console market. It would come as no surprise that
they would enter the next generation console war with their codename "Revolution"
console. As usual Nintendo kept a tight lip about their new console, but
leaked out info from as early as 2004. By 2005, Nintendo began putting out more
information including details of a new innovative controller. |
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Fun Fact: There were many reasons given as to the name ("Wii"), but it boiled down to a simple name that can be pronounced in any language. |
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Back in the 1990's nobody expected an
electronics company to emerge as a dominant force in the console gaming
industry. The original Playstation helped bring three dimensional
(3D) CD quality gaming to the next level. Their successor, the
Playstation 2, brought multiprocessing DVD quality gaming
with backward compatibility. It was only a matter of time before Sony
made the next generation step, and debuted the Playstation 3. |
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Fun Fact: The release of the PS3 was very similar to its predecessor. Console shortages, outrageous online auction sales, violence and theft seemed to match the PS2's initial debut. |
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We wonder where the inspiration for this
device came from? Sarcasm aside, Envizions Computer Entertainment
had produced a Media Center PC that could be taken as a "PC in a
videogame console" shell. The EVO: Phase One was the
conceptual brainstorm of founder Derrick Samuels in 2003. Although
it looks like a console, the
EVO: Smart Console is still a multimedia PC. It claimed to have
featured many bells and whistles like streaming / downloadable content,
DVR
capability, and the ability to run PC applications and games. |
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Fun Fact: The creators said that the EVO would come in other Phases. Phase Two for example would make the device function like a console whereas Envizions will develop its own games. |
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Whether you're a button pressing, disc buying
traditionalist, an arm swinging, digital distribution sofa shopper, or something
in between, you realize that overall, the 2000s represent the biggest
fundamental change in the direction of gaming to date, both technologically and
socially. These complex, multi-tasking game systems weren't merely just
stepping-stones in gaming history, they were focal points which shifted the
industry's direction to encompass more than just gaming as it's staple and
primary function. |
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© Copyright 2008-2010 The Video Game Console Library. This
website and the information contained within it is protected by
copyright. Reproduction of part or all of the |
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With
high speed internet access becoming more prevalent late in the 1990's, hardware
developers foresaw the future of online gaming and the new possibilities it
would bring. Despite the Sega Dreamcast's lack of success with
broadband support, it was clear that it was only a matter of time. With a new
console war looming on the horizon, broadband adapters, Ethernet ports and
larger storage solutions became standard equipment as online services, faster
speeds and worldwide adoption of high speed internet quickly grew.
