Game console : A system electronic entertainment for the home running game contained in cartridges , optical disks , magnetic disks , memory cards or any device storage .
Summary
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- 1 Origin:
- 1 First generation:
- 2 Second generation
- 3 Third generation
- 4 Fourth generation
- 5 Fifth generation:
- 6 Sixth generation:
- 7 Seventh generation:
- 8 Eighth generation:
- 2 Types of game consoles:
- 3 Operating systems used by game consoles
- 4 Sources:
Origin:
Game consoles have been classified into different generations. This classification is determined by its launch time and the technology existing at that time. Manufacturing companies launch a new console in a certain time (which can vary between 5 or 6 years). On the other hand, some generations are marked by a number determined bits , which determine the width of bus of the processor , (from the second generation to sixth generation ). The first game consoles that appeared on the market had an 8- bit processor. As of the second generation, some manufacturers already presented 16- bit equipment . From this amount, the following generations of consoles were made. A higher-generation console does not necessarily have to have a processor with a data bus width of more bits, contrary to the popular belief that in each generation the number of the previous one is doubled, since the power of a processor is determined in addition to its bus width by its structure and speed . In recent generation game consoles, not only does the power of the CPU unit depend , but also the graphics processor GPU, which is the processor.in charge of managing graphics on the console . Each component has a certain number of bits and speed .
First generation:
In 1972 when the first desktop game console was launched by the Magnavox electronics company . The Magnavox Odyssey , was created by Ralph Baer , considered the father of video games.
Second generation
In this generation, the Atari 2600 , Colecovision , Mattel Intellivision and the Atari 5200 stood out . The absolute dominance was Atari , although it had at least two notable rivals. Colecovision colors with twice the 2600 and Intellivision Mattel for the first time in history includes a CPU of 16 bits .
Third generation
After the video game crisis, the world of consoles is practically a Japanese monopoly . In this generation, consoles such as the NES ( Nintendo Entertainment System ), Famicom (so the NES was called in Japan) or Hyundai Comboy (so called in South Korea ) and the Sega Master System had 8 Bits . The NES practically ruled alone until the arrival of the Mega Drive in 1988 .
Fourth generation
In 1987 NEC and Hudson , put the console PC Engine in Japan or Turbografx in the rest of the world , that have a CPU of 8 bits but chip graph of 16 bits . In 1988 Sega presents its console with a CPU of 16 bits known as Sega Genesis in America and Sega Mega Drive in Europe and Asia . In 1990 Nintendodraws its console of 16 – bit Super Nintendo and this year, the producer of arcade games SNK takes Neo-Geo , the most powerful console of this generation called the Rolls Royce of consoles due to its high price . This generation stands out for the graphics chips added to the cartridge, such as the Super FX and SVP and the hardware extensions of Mega Drive : Mega CD and Sega 32X . Concepts such as multitasking , multimedia , vector graphics , etc … Super Nintendo appearIt is the best-selling console with 49 million units, although the best-selling in Europe is the Mega Drive .
Fifth generation:
In the fifth generation we find many game manufacturers that presented various equipment with characteristics similar to those of a PC . These manufacturers began to present titles in a 3D environment , taking advantage of the greater hardware capacity of the equipment. This generation is known as the ” 32- bit era “, although occasionally some people refer to it as the 64- bit era since Nintendo would launch a system two years later that would break this moniker. This is the Nintendo 64 console , which is rarely also called the ” 3D era “.
6th generation:
In this generation, equipment with similarities to the architecture of a personal computer was produced , however, desktop consoles dispensed with cartridges and used high-capacity storage media such as DVD , GD-ROM , GOD . Which made the games longer and visually appealing. In addition, this generation also experiences online video games on consoles and the application of internal storage systems on computers such as flash memory and hard drives that are used to store video game data.
Seventh generation:
This generation is characterized by the introduction of multi-core technology in the central processing unit . It is also marked by the integration of the Blu-ray optical disc format and wireless controllers and motion detection that have “displaced” the classic wired controller . Another important aspect is the distribution of games via the Internet , thanks to the appearance of broadband service worldwide. Some Internet services that give support to the games multiplayer is the Xbox Live from Microsoft , the PlayStation Networkfrom Sony and Nintendo’s Nintendo WiFi Connection . Another important aspect that characterizes this generation from the others is the inclusion of sophisticated graphics chips that help to process real images, such as the GPU digital processor .
Eighth generation:
The remarkable thing about this generation is the use of the internet as the central axis of the functionality of the consoles, this turned into media centers combining a single device, the functions of a game console and a bazaar for the sale of movies, TV series and other content from the device itself. Although previous generations of game consoles have typically followed one another in cycles of five years, the transition from the seventh to the eighth generation has lasted more than six years. The transition is just as usual as the top-selling previous-generation desktop console , the Wii., is the first to have a successor.
Types of game consoles:
There are 3 large companies that share the game console business, Sony , Nintendo and Microsoft :
- Pocket Consoles: they are portable consoles due to their small size.
- Living room consoles: they need a screen , usually a television screen , to play with them. You have better features and better graphics, in short they are more powerful than pocket size ones , although they are also usually more expensive.
Now, within them we have three types of game consoles:
- Microsoftconsole :
Microsoft : markets the so-called Xbox , the last one is called Xbox One that includes a Kinect camera . The Kinect camera allows the player to interact with the game without having to have physical contact with the screen or with the controller. In other words, it captures the player’s movements. The Kinect camera comes bundled with the game console itself and with a controller for the player . The price of the Xbox One is around € 375 on Amazon . Before this console Microsoft sold the xbox 360 , of which it sold millions of units. Here you can see the new Xbox One .
- Console Nintendo:
Nintendo : salon sells the famous Wii , the latest shows has been the Wii U . Its predecessors, the famous Wii console have controllers that do not need to be connected because it has a motion sensor for the controls, but the Wii U now carries a new controller called the Wii U GamePad , which is actually another portable screen . The GamePad is the most innovative of nintendo .
- Console PlayStation 4
Sony : Sony markets the so-called PlayStation or PSP (short for PlayStation). Colloquially it is often called the Play . The latest to come out is the PlayStation 4 or PSP 4 . These consoles are closer to a desktop computer , but are designed for video games. They are the most powerful in terms of graphics of all the existing ones. The PSP 4 has a console with a 500 GB hard drive , a wireless controller with a central LED touch panel. Its price is around € 375 , although you already know that you can always find offers. Before the PSP 4 Sony sold the famous PSP 3. The PSP 3 and PSP 4 allow us to play with online players (multiplayer) for free, as long as we have an Internet connection .
Operating systems used by game consoles
- Xboxuses an operating system based on the Windows core which, since the release of Windows 10 , this system has become an edition of the latest version of Windows. Since launch, Microsoft has been updating the operating system every month, with downloadable updates from the Xbox LIVE account or using system images downloaded to a computer . In November of 2015 , a major upgrade of the system, known as Xbox One Experience ( XNE ) was launched, bringing many new functions and features. Hecore of Windows 8 in the system was replaced by Windows 10 OneCore and added the ability to install and use universal applications Windows 10 .
- PlayStationuses an operating system called orbis OS which, even if it looks like Windows, has very different things, such as the quality of the graphics that increases a little or its graphical interface that is very different from Windows .
