Video game systems have come a long way from their humble beginnings manipulating paddles to hit a ball back and forth in Pong. Today, we have realistic graphics in glorious high resolution, running at 60 frames per second. There are three companies that manufacture home video game consoles, two of which also produce hand held consoles; Microsoft and their Xbox 360 consoles, Sony with the Playstation 3 and Playstation portable, and Nintendo with the Wii and 3DS.
Microsoft is the newest entry into the home console business, first entering the race one generation back with the original Xbox. Micorsoft’s current console offering is the Xbox 360. This machine is capable of high resolution graphic, and is currently home to some of the hottest intellectual proprieties the video game world has to offer. Headlining the list of console exclusive offerings is the Halo franchise. Halo started on the Xbox and grown even grander on the Xbox 360. Halo is a fps, or first person shooter, that puts you in the shoes of a space marine fighting invading aliens. The series is both highly regarded and hugely successful and popular. Microsoft has also added functionality to the Xbox 360 by creating the Kinect add-on to the system. The Kinect adds motion sensor technology via a camera system that makes the person playing the controller. The players body movements are directly translated to the screen and the character movements. The Xbox 360 is a highly successful console that continues to inovate with both the Kinect and their highly popular Xbox live service.
Sony is no stranger to the video game world, and it is currently producing the Playstation 3 and the Playstation portable. The Playstation 3 is the follow-up to the Playstation 2, which is the most video game console of all time. The PS3 as it is called, produces realistic graphics in high resolution. Because of Sony time as a marked leader they are able to proved exclusive content from many of the top Japanese developers, as well as exclusive content from their internal first-party developers. Many developers that gained prominence during the Playstation era are loyal to Sony and the Playstation brand. Sony has also created the Sony Move, a motion controlling add-on, for the Playstation family. The Playstation portable, or PSP, is Sony’s first entry into the hand held video game market, which had for a long time has been dominated by Nintendo. The PSP upped the ante quite considerably from the Nintendo offerings, creating graphics of a higher calibre. Unfortunately, Sony was unable to translate that in to market share. The PSP was outsold in every region by the Nintendo DS, and has, only in the last few years, become popular in Japan. Sonys next handheld system is due out in Japan by the holiday season 2011, and in the US and Europe in 2012.
Perhaps the most well-known, and certainly the most enduring name in video games is Nintendo. Nitnendo’s latest entry into the home console market is the Nintendo Wii, the current market leader. The Nintendo Wii takes a different approach to games than either the Xbox 360 or the PS3. The Wii does not produce high resolution graphics, but instead was launched from the beginning as an innovative motion control system. The Wii uses Wii-motes, as in Wii remote, that uses an accelerometer to detect motion in three dimensions. Nintedo’s innovation allows users to swing the controller like a sword, and to have the on-screen characters respond in kind. The Wii console had a huge impact on the video game world that can be seen clearly in Sony’s release of the Move attachment, and Microsoft with the Kinect. Nintendo, having been in the video game industry for so long, have created some of the most beloved and well respected game franchises of all time: Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Kirby, and Metroid, as well as many, many more. All of these games are Nintendo developed, and therefore Nintendo exclusive. Nintendo is also the leader in handheld gaming. Starting with the Gameboy in the 1980, and today offering the Nintendo 3DS. The 3DS is currently the most powerful handheld machine produced, and uses a parallax barrier to produce 3D images.
Players today have never had more options, or more options in such high fidelity. Each video game system has the capability to transport the user in to worlds different and more exiting than their own. All of the consoles provide unique experiences. No matter what console someone chooses, there are bound to be exciting interactions in their future.