Gaming Consoles: A History of Success

Gaming consoles are standardized devices that are a vital part of video gaming. They generally need a monitor or a television set as an output. The input device is generally a handheld controller. Handheld gaming consoles are the most popular and commonly used type of consoles.

The oldest handheld gaming console is the Milton Bradley Microvision, launched in 1979. However, the device gained immense popularity after the release of Nintendo's Game Boy in 1989.

Here is a list of some of the most popular gaming consoles of all time..

PlayStation 2

More commonly known as PS2, the home video game console was marketed by Sony and was first released in 2000. Easily the best-selling gaming console of all time, the PS2 was hugely successful. Its success, in fact, forced one of their main competitors, SEGA, to leave the gaming console market for good. With a DVD player that was built-in, the PS2’s design was significantly superior to any console that had hit the market until then.

Super Nintendo <img alt="A person holding up a Super Nintendo Entertainment System Controller" title=" Nintendo were pioneers in the gaming console market and Super Nintendo was launched after the company faced increasing competition from SEGA in the late 80s." src="https://www.datocms-assets.com/34700/1639055449-super-nintendo-controller.jpg" width="550" height="310" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />

Nintendo were pioneers in the gaming console market and Super Nintendo was launched after the company faced increasing competition from SEGA in the late 80s. Launched in 1990, the console was a huge commercial success and had a long lifespan. It launched some of the most popular games like Mario Kart and Star Fox.

PlayStation

Sony hit the gaming console market relatively late, releasing PlayStation - their first ever home-gaming console - only in 1994. However, the release of PlayStation was a landmark moment in the gaming console industry. It forced every other company to up their game significantly and ushered the 3D era in gaming.

Xbox 360

A home video game console developed by Microsoft, Xbox 360 was the second console launched by the company in the Xbox series. It is easily the company’s best-selling gaming console of all time. It was launched in 2005, competing with Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii. The immense popularity of titles like Halo and Kinect Adventures! was crucial to the huge success that Xbox 360 enjoyed.

Nintendo Entertainment System

One of Nintendo’s longest-running gaming consoles of all time, the Nintendo Entertainment System was first launched in 1983, and almost had a two-decade long run as it was produced in Japan as recently as 2003. It delivered plenty of big hits like Super Mario, Contra and more.

PlayStation 4 <img alt="White Playstation Controller playing FIFA" title="The second best selling gaming console from the stables of Sony, PS4 has been hugely successful like its predecessors and completely annihilated its competition, including Xbox One and Wii U." src="https://www.datocms-assets.com/34700/1639055501-ps4-controller.jpg" width="552" height="368" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />

The second best selling gaming console from the stables of Sony, PS4 has been hugely successful like its predecessors and completely annihilated its competition, including Xbox One and Wii U. Launched in 2013, the gaming console is still on the market and might well go on to become the best selling gaming console of all time over the course of its lifespan.

Nintendo Switch

Released only in 2017, the Switch is still in the early years of its lifespan and is on course to end as one of the all-time best selling consoles. The standout feature of the game is the co-op gameplay option, which allows friends and families to play together. It can be used either as a home console or as a portable device.

PlayStation 3

While the PS3 was not as successful as the other gaming consoles in the PS series, it still holds pride of place on the list of the top 10 best selling consoles of all time. The main reason for the slightly lower number in the sale of PS3 was the very stiff competition it faced from other Seventh Generation consoles like Xbox 360 and Wii – high-quality consoles that enjoyed a lot of success of their own.

Nintendo Wii

After GameCube failed to deliver expected results, Nintendo was under pressure to deliver a high-quality gaming console. There were plenty of aspersions around Wii when it was first announced since it used motion controls. The gamble paid off handsomely though as the console was critically-acclaimed and was extremely successful. Games that used motion controls, like Just Dance and Wii Sports, became the biggest hits.

Xbox One

The Xbox One was a successor to Xbox 360 and was launched by Microsoft in 2013. It was the third console in the Xbox series. However, it was launched at the same time as PS4 and suffered as a result of that with PS4 doing much better business.

Words by Nikhil Kalro