Most older video game consoles were fairly basic in comparison to today’s consoles. It was not until the 1990s that game consoles that could support 3D games began to emerge with more advanced audio. As such, most console games were flat 2D. Still, Nintendo, Sega, Atari, and Sony released consoles that had many great game titles, some of which were the best in history. So, here are a few of the best game consoles before the PlayStation 2 hit the shelves.
Atari 2600
Before the emergence of Nintendo video game consoles, the best-established console was the Atari 2600. Admittedly, this was not the most advanced console of its time, but because it had some of the best arcade game titles, such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man, it was the console of choice. Many players purchased the Atari 2600 just for Space Invaders. However, the 1983 games industry crash hit this console hard, and Atari would never recover the glory of the Atari 2600.
NES (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Then came Nintendo and the NES. That was an 8-bit cartridge-based game console. The NES had one of the great game titles for it, that of Super Mario Bros, which soon emerged as a big hit. Mario’s platform game was just the start of a game console that would have many other great Nintendo games, such as Legend of Zelda, Tetris (for which the big N obtained console rights), and Metroid. The NES console dominated in the 1980s and set a new standard for game consoles.
Game Boy
The Game Boy was one of the first portable handheld video game consoles that included batteries. While it did not feature color gaming, with game titles such as Tetris, Super Mario, and Legend of Zelda, it soon emerged as the handheld console of choice. With a big games library, the Game Boy was perhaps the top handheld game console of its era.
Super NES
The sequel to the NES was the more advanced 16-bit Super NES. This game console was one of the first to support 3D graphics to some extent, with the Super FX chip. Games such as Star Wing showcased these advanced 3D effects.
Other hit Nintendo games would also make their way onto the game console, with the likes of Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Legend of Zelda all bringing classic Nintendo games to the console. Donkey Kong Country, a 2D platform game starring Donkey Kong that featured advanced graphical effects comparable to more advanced consoles like the PlayStation, was another big hit on the NES. Super Mario Kart was also an enthralling Mario-themed racing game that showcased the Mode-7 effect for scaling and rotating background layers on the Super NES.
SEGA Genesis
SEGA was one of the bigger names in the console industry during the 1990s, primarily due to its Genesis console. The Genesis (Mega Drive in Europe) was a 16-bit game console released in North America and Japan before the Super NES during 1988-1989. That gave the Genesis a head start in the 16-bit console race, but Nintendo still had a stranglehold on the North American and Japanese gaming markets it had to break.
Although technically inferior to the SNES in most respects, the Genesis had a faster Motorola 68000 processor. Its super-fast Sonic the Hedgehog platform games best showcased the superior speed of this console. SEGA’s Sonic games, combined with EA Sports titles, made the Genesis the most popular 16-bit console in North America. However, the Super NES still won the 16-bit console war in Japan and Europe.
Sony PlayStation
The PlayStation was Sony’s first game console. Sony’s first PlayStation was a 32-bit console based on CD-ROM. While these were a touch slower than cartridges, they had greater storage.
The PlayStation soon became a hit, as great arcade conversions such as Ridge Racer went some way to bridge the gap between console and arcade games. The game console could support 3D gaming more fully than any console previously, with titles such as Tekken and Air Combat. The legacy of the PlayStation has been continued with the Sony PlayStation 5, one of the most advanced game consoles.
Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64, launched in 1996, was Nintendo’s first 3D game console. It was a console with a 64-bit processor that pioneered the new era of 3D gaming. The most exciting thing about this console was its conversion of many Nintendo game franchises into 3D for the first time. Fans wept with joy as they played the 3D Mario 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time games on the N64, which were two Nintendo classics. Rare also released some great titles for the N64, such as GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, and Killer Instinct Gold.
Yet, the Nintendo 64 still fell a somewhat distant second in its console war against the PlayStation. Most third-party publishers generally favored the PlayStation because of its CD-ROM factor when the N64 stuck with cartridges. Thus, most of the best third-party games, such as Final Fantasy VII and Tekken, became available on the PlayStation rather than the N64.
Those are a few of the top video game consoles from the 1990s and 1980s. From the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation, games went from being 2D to 3D gaming as featured on game consoles like the PlayStation and the N64. No longer flat, an extra dimension ushered in an exciting new era for game consoles. It’s no coincidence that Atari, Nintendo, and Sony have relaunched classic versions of some of those retro consoles above in more recent years.
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