Fixed system specs: The best thing about console gaming

There’s something fascinating about watching the games on a console evolve from the initial launch titles as developers figure out how to make the most of a console.

And then, during the system’s dying days, you often see some remarkable technical achievements borne out of competition with whatever glitzier progeny has taken its place.

While the effect has paled with each generation of hardware, you can see some great evolution in 20th century stuff. Check out these examples:

The Atari 2600

The Atari 2600 popularized home video gaming, creating an industry that is now rivaling Hollywood in terms of entertainment dollars. The machine’s heyday was from 1978 to 1984, and later games started to develop modern conventions that survived well into the 21st century.

At launch: Most games still followed simple, fixed-screen Pong conventions. There was no “side-scrolling” archetype, and the term “platformer” was a decade away from being used.

As it matured: Games started to develop depth, multiple (or even scrolling) screens. Engineers were able to dig into the deep color modes of the 2600 to produce some colorful games with striking animation. Pixels bigger than fingernails, though, were still a steady limitation.

The Commodore 64

My childhood love affair for the C64 is well documented. The machine was popular for nearly a decade, and programmers proved the machine had surprising tenacity as a gaming device. The 3-voice sound and 16 color palette was barely used at the beginning of the system’s life; by the end, developers had figured out a number of creative ways to push the system’s limitations.

At launch: Developers were fixated on the concept of “sprites,” which were easily programmable moving objects.

As it matured: The difference between foreground and background elements blurred as the device had to compete with much more advanced systems. Dithering and shading was used to give apparent depth to the color palette.

The Nintendo Entertainment System

After the video game crash of 1984 brought down Atari, Nintendo stepped in with their then-advanced system and recaptured the world’s interest in games. The system was an eponymous staple of 1980s homes, and support for the system lasted nearly a decade.

At launch: Games were colorful and simple. While the fairly pedestrian sound chip never truly captivated game designers, the 53 color palette was an untapped resource.

As it matured: That color palette became a playground for developers. Artful use of color dithering gave later games a 16-bit feel to compete with the Sega Genesis.

The Sony PlayStation

The PlayStation hit in 1995, and instantly rendered every other console before it child’s play. The system was the first widely successful disc-based machine, and the hardware-accelerated 3D graphics took gaming out of the decade-long glut of side-scrolling games that preceded its launch.

At launch: 3D games were the big selling point of the system, and games like Resident Evil used creative camera angles and perspectives to their advantages.

As it matured: Developers figured out how to artfully blend 2D and 3D backgrounds. Since the color palette was effectively unlimited, programmers could create seamless worlds and “pre-rendered” backgrounds that added depth to the parts of the world gamers could interact with.

The current generation

As realistic graphics become increasingly pedestrian, the life cycle of future consoles may not be marked by changes in visuals, but rather creative gameplay. With the success of the Wii, both Sony and Microsoft are planning motion-sensitive addons for their consoles mid-cycle, and newer peripherals may extend the lives of consoles even further.

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