Video game consoles and Christmas were made for each other. In fact the games industry now barely bothers with summer releases. There are a few of course, but the prestige titles are all jammed into a release schedule consisting of a few weeks around late November and early December.
It?s been like this for a while, but can be traced to the success of consoles as far back as 1975. Let me begin?
Pong (1975)
Not an unpleasant smell, but the first genuine home console, it was 2D awesome. Two paddles on either side of the screen that each moved on a fixed vertical axis and a ball (a single square pixel the size of a thumbnail) that bounced between them. It was created by Atari and was successful as an arcade machine which led to the development of a home version. Sears requested 150,000 units for the Christmas period and sold them under their own brand Sears? ?Tele-Games?. However by ?76 Atari was in a position to sell them emblazoned with their own name. Pong had been a massive hit and the console had arrived. Atari Video Computer System (1979)
Actually released in 1977 the Atari System faltered, this was mostly due to the flooding of the market with Pong clones. However you don?t get on this list twice without some serious credentials. By ?79 things were different the first ever console with interchangeable game cartridges had expanded its library to over 30 titles. Adventure had an Easter egg, the first ever and there was also a movie tie-in, Superman. It was more than enough to dominate Christmas and over 1 million units shipped! Nintendo Entertainment System (1987)
Although it was recently voted in an IGN poll as the single greatest console in history it had slow beginnings. This was not its fault though. The rather unstable industry had once again imploded, crashing severely in 1983. This allowed the console that gave us Super Mario Bros. to be released cautiously. The result was Christmas success, by 1st January 1987 the console had sold over 1 million. Gameboy (1991)
Cartridges in a hand-held? You got to be kidding me?! Nope. The Gameboy was the handheld of choice and cleverly shipped with Tetris, one of the greatest computer games ever created. The game appealed to all ages and therefore so did the console. The hot product in Christmas 1991, to date the combined sales of Gamboy and Gamboy Color surpass 120 million. PlayStation 2 (2000)
The best-selling console ever. Sony?s Playstation 2 was launched in time for Christmas 2000 and sold on day one more than 500,000 units. Its competitor, the Sega Dreamcast took more than two weeks to reach the same figure. It was the console everybody wanted, and since its launch over 150 million people got exactly what they were after. Plenty of which were dished out by the man in the red suit with a beard. Xbox 360 (2005)
The Xbox 360 was a hit straight of the bat in the 7th generation console wars. Microsoft have taken it through quite a few revisions and had to deal with technical issues linked to overheating resulting in the infamous ?red ring of death?. This didn?t significantly damage its appeal though thanks to understanding customer service and a willingness to exchange burnt out machines for sparkly new ones, not bad at all. Its success can partly be attributed to Microsoft?s resounding faith in its product. Year one saw the Xbox 360 launched in 36 countries, which is more than any other console and since then it?s sold over 60 million units! PlayStation 3 (2006)
The 7th generation console battle is a nip and tuck affair. However, in Japan it?s all about the PlayStation 3. And naturally that?s where the console launched, November 11 2006 and a week later it arrived in the US. Demand was high and seasonal good will was limited as violence ensued in places where demand out stripped supply. One instance even saw a consumer shot. Wii (2006)
Ahead of its 7th generation competitors in terms of global sales the Wii was a Christmas smash. Its sales in its first week across the Americas and Japan pushed the 1 million mark, and following its mid-December European launch it became the fastest selling console in the region?s history, a trend that continued as it rolled out globally pre-Christmas. So where does this leave us? The next console due for release is the Wii U which should be available just in time for Christmas 2012. Good luck in getting your mitts on one of them!
Featured images:
When not enjoying his favorite console action from yesteryear, Tim Perry can be found overseeing the amazing range of Christmas stocking fillers available at Find Me A Gift.
Share this article
Source: http://lifestylesdefined.com/video-game-consoles-at-christmas/
kate upton si cover lobster recipes hearts roses flower delivery e cards smash
No comments:
Post a Comment