A lot has changed in almost 35 years. Where consoles were once machines that could only play games, they have become something much more. Throughout the years, consoles evolved into machines that went from playing games to playing DVDs, to machines that could access the Internet, to machines that have every form of entertainment you … Continue reading 30 Years of Consoles, Abridged: Final Thoughts

In Parts 1 and 2, I talked about what makes a console successful, past and present. To sum up, the most successful consoles had any combination of these 4 attributes: Convenience (apps, portability, etc.) Power (an attribute not seen before the current gen) Games (whether for first-party polish or third-party volume) Cost/Value (as it turns … Continue reading 30 Years of Consoles, Abridged: Who’s Next?

We’ve just started 2018 and we're knee-deep in the 8th generation of game consoles. Whatever a "generation" is at this point. But that will be discussed in due time. The PS4 is slaying the Xbox One in sales, due mostly to the Xbox One's shaky press coverage before its reveal. Needing daily Internet checkups to … Continue reading 30 Years of Consoles, Abridged: What’s Working?

Prior to the release of the Sega Dreamcast in 1998, game consoles were designed to do one thing: play games. You popped your cartridge into your black/brown/soon-to-be eggshell coloured console and turned it on. A splash screen of bright colours and catchy tunes played and you were in. Life was simpler back then. In 2017, … Continue reading 30 Years of Consoles, Abridged: What Worked?