Computer gaming evolution

  • PDP-1

    PDP-1
    SourceThe PDP-1 was the computer that was made famous for bringing about the 'Hacker culture' It was also the hardware used for playing historys first computer game, Spacewar!
  • Spacewar!

    Spacewar!
    SourceSpacewar! Is one of the earliest known video games, it requires two people to play and could only be played on the PDP-1. It is a shoot em up style game that involves two spaceships trying to shoot each other whilst orbiting a star.
  • Magnavox Odyssey

    Magnavox Odyssey
    SourceThe Magnavox Odyssey was the worlds first home video games console. It cost $100 when first released.
  • Atari 2600

    Atari 2600
    Wikipedia artice
    The Atari 2600 is a video games console that is credited for making the use of microprocesors with ROM cartridges containing the games, rather than using hardware with games built in. It is highly rated as one of the most popular consoles and it is often credited with causing the video game boom.
  • 8 Bit era

    8 Bit era
    SourceThe 8 Bit era of computer games, also known as the third generation, started after the video game crash of 1983. The 8 bit technology allowed for far improved graphics to the previous generation, meaning that sprites actually resemble something lifelike, so came the evolution of characters in game. Also far more detail was taken to the background. Games from this era are still present on todays market, for example Mario and the Metal gear series.
  • Nintendo Entertainment system

    Nintendo Entertainment system
    The nintendo entertainment system, often known as the NES is an 8 bit video game console. It was the best selling video games console of its time, and was ranked the number one console of all time by IGN.
  • Super Mario Bros.

    Super Mario Bros.
    SourceSuper Mario Bros. is a side scrolling platform video game deleloped by Nintendo. It is the second best selling game of all time and has had numerous sequels and spin offs, nowadays mario in some form is available on every platform.
  • 16 Bit era

    16 Bit era
    SourceThe 16 bit era, also known as the fourth generation was started with the release of the TurboGrafx in 1987. The 16 bit hardware was much more powerfulv than the previous 8 bit and so was capable of running games that were more complex and with more detailed graphics. Although the level of game design didnt increase by much, the enhanced graphics meant that many popular 8 bit titles were refined and put onto 16 bit. Some popular games from the 16 bit era are Sonic the hedgehog and Mortal Kombat.
  • Sega Genesis/Mega drive

    Sega Genesis/Mega drive
    SourceThe sega genesis/mega drive ( Depending on where it was released) Is a 16 bit games console that along with the SNES, would dominate the 16 bit gaming era. The genesis featured titles such as Sonic the hedgehog and Mortal Kombat, which nowadays are huge franchises. The latter brought about the ESRB rating system for video games due to the violence and gore involved.
  • 5th generation of console gaming

    SourceSometimes referred to as the 32 bit era, was a massive leap forward in the video game industry not just in terms of graphics and design, but in the way video games were viewed and played. The Nintendo 64 had a revolutionary controller, although awkwardly designed, it was the first to feature an analog stick and a vibration feature. It was also the time when optical disks became standard. Games in this era also tipped the gameplay: story ratio toward the story end.
  • Sony Playstation/ PSX

    Sony Playstation/ PSX
    The playstation was sony's first venture into console gaming, it was an immensely sucessful console being the first to ship over 100 million units. It was the first step in the right direction for sony as far as the Playstation series of consoles goes. A redesigned version, known as the PS1 was released in 2000.
  • Nintendo 64

    Nintendo 64
    SourceThe Nintendo 64, usually known as the N64, was, as its name suggests the worlds first 64 bit games console. It was one of the leading consoles in the fith generation of gaming, primarily competing with the Playstation and the Sega Saturn. Though many people would say that it was the least succesful of nintendos consoles this is mainly due to the lack of marketing and high retail price.It was incredibly innovative, it was the first console that had a vibrating controller, which is now commonplace
  • 6th generation of gaming

    Less often known as the 128 bit era, this refers to the games, consoles and handheld platforms available at the turn of the 21st century. The main consoles of this era were NIntendo's gamecube, Segas Dreamcast, Microsofts Xbox and Sonys Playstation 2 (PS2). The 6th generation brought about online gaming, with services such as Xbox live and sega's Seganet
  • Microsoft Xbox

    Microsofts Xbox was a console in the 6th generation of gaming. It had many revolutionary features, such as an internal hardrive which allowed users to store things such as game saves and content from Xbox live. It was also the first console to popularise online gaming, with the Xbox live service, this allowed users from all around the world to play with each other, Halo 2 is widely thought to be the game that made Xbox live so sucessful.