| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | to take a hold of the market. Coleco Telstar and |
| Although there had been gazillion brilliant inventions | | | | Magnavox Odyssey were two leading lights in |
| by that time, it was not until 1949 that video | | | | those days, but it would not be long before the |
| games consoles were ever considered. It was in | | | | Atari 2600 transformed the video games |
| that year that Ralph Beer got the idea to create | | | | consoles industry with their cartridge based 8-bit |
| a kind of game that was built into the inside of a | | | | console systems. |
| television. However, it was to be a further 18 | | | | With competition from companies like Intellivision |
| years before Beer's idea started to really catch | | | | and Vectrex, a further massive technological leap |
| on. | | | | occurred in the form of the release of the Sega |
| It was then, using a kind of an oscilloscope, that | | | | Nomad. This 16-bit system became 'the daddy' |
| Willy Higginbotham created a game similar to | | | | for a while despite intense competition from such |
| tennis which could be played on something similar | | | | excellent bits of kit as the Phillips CD-I and |
| to today's TV. Realizing this was a great idea, | | | | Supervision. |
| very quickly lots of people got in on the act, | | | | This reign lasted until the release of the 32/64 bit |
| developing all kinds of video games. | | | | consoles of the Nintendo 64DD and the ill-fated |
| Soon the big boys got a clear view of the | | | | Apple Pippin. Hand-held video games consoles |
| enormous potential of these games. Soon, video | | | | were getting hugely popular as the majors began |
| games were being mass-produced. One of the | | | | to take control. Now companies like Microsoft, |
| original and most celebrated of these video | | | | Sega and Sony were taking over with their Xbox |
| games consoles was the American company | | | | 2001, Dreamcast and PlayStation respectively. |
| Atari. The hugely successful Sega was to originate | | | | This is swiftly taking us all the way up to the |
| in that era also, as did Nintendo, one of the most | | | | present day with the technology of the modern |
| successful video games consoles manufacturers | | | | portable video games consoles. These days, |
| ever. | | | | Microsoft's Xbox-360 and the Sony PlayStations |
| It was not to be long before a new era of video | | | | rule the roost, arriving fully loaded with increasingly |
| games technology was to begin. This new era | | | | stronger, larger, faster, in-built hard drives. As |
| was to be marked by the dawn of the video | | | | these units get more and more powerful, so the |
| games system. Video games consoles, also | | | | video game designers can do even more |
| known as video games systems, are bits of | | | | incredible things with the medium. |
| high-end electronic technology that are designed | | | | We are now in the era of the Xbox Elite and the |
| specifically to do one thing - play video games | | | | PlayStation 3 video games consoles. It is almost |
| using TV or computer screen. | | | | impossible to choose between these two great |
| With a video games console, the controller acts | | | | video games consoles. The end of this article is |
| as the main input device. Controllers comes in all | | | | not the place to start in on that subject. Suffice it |
| shapes and sizes. They may be steering wheels, | | | | to say, these cutting edge devices that take no |
| joysticks, light rays, guns ... you name it. There | | | | prisoners. So, if you are about to buy a new |
| have been any number of types of controllers. | | | | version of one of these two video games |
| They are all used to direct the action of the video | | | | consoles, lock and load and get ready for the ride |
| game. | | | | of your life! |
| It was in 1972 that video games consoles began | | | | |