Bet Ya Didn’t Know That: The Revealing History of Video Game Consoles

buy used video game consoles edmonton

Are you a gamer in Edmonton? If you’re looking for a trusted spot to buy used Video Game Consoles at a discount in Edmonton, you’ve found it. Today, we’re sharing an interesting history on video game consoles!

Video gaming consoles have a long and interesting history, which can be divided into 2 eras: before 1983 and after 1983. That year is significant in the gaming industry because it represented a ‘crash.’ At the time, inferior hardware and unplayable games had flooded the market and consumers responded by heading to the arcades instead of buying home consoles. How the gaming world responded changed gaming and offers a powerful look into how technology has changed since then.

Comeback Consoles: Video Game Consoles from 1985 – 1996

Following the bust of 1983, many video companies filed for bankruptcy and dropped out of the video game market entirely. With the large restructuring of the industry, two companies managed to bring something new and revitalize interest in console gaming: Nintendo, who released their famous NES console in North America in 1985, and Sega, who released their Master System the same year. These two companies would lead the video game console industry for the next nine years, until Sony released their first PlayStation in 1994.

This period of video game consoles was dominated by the rivalry between Nintendo and Sega, personified through their mascots Mario the Plumber and Sonic the Hedgehog. Each had a number of franchises that spun out from their main titles and each garnered customer loyalty primarily through the characters they cultivated.

This was also a period of substantial creative growth for console video games and the first appearance of franchises that are still flagships to this day, such as Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, and Phantasy Star. Gaming also began to move off the television screen and onto portable devices, including the Game Gear and Gameboy from Sega and Nintendo respectively.

Beyond the TV Screen: Video Game Consoles from 1998 – Now

The video game industry took another major turn in 1998, when a little thing called “the Internet” started to change how we game. Curiously enough, this major development came from Sega’s last console, called the Sega Dreamcast. It came with a built-in modem that allowed players to connect online. While the system itself was very limited, gaining access to the Internet changed games completely and the next generation of consoles began to incorporate online interactivity into their systems.

Since 1998, video games changed from a fairly isolated or localized experience into something else entirely. Nowadays, players can compete or cooperate across the globe, buy entire games by downloading them directly to their consoles, and video games like Pokemon Go are changing how we think about gaming as home, or even personal, experiences.

This period also changed how we play games, especially with the release of Nintendo’s Wii in 2006. Instead of a standard controller, the Wii came with motion-sensitive remotes, and the now-famous ‘nunchuck.’ The new way to game proved extremely popular for almost every age demographic and saved Nintendo from a similar fate as Sega, which had moved completely into software development after the Dreamcast performed poorly. Sony and Microsoft responded with their own controllers and motion-sensing devices, to mixed success, and today Playstation is making headway into virtual reality with its own virtual headset, Playstation VR.

Despite personal computers being able to run games with better graphics, consoles remain one of the world’s most popular ways to game! With new technology coming out all the time, it can be difficult to find the system or games you may be looking for. The reward, however, can be in the hunt and heading out to find vintage game consoles and games can not only be a lot of fun, it can be one of the most affordable ways to play!

Come by our Edmonton Pawn Shop today to check out our extensive selection of used video game consoles today

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