Post by solidbatman on Jul 2, 2010 14:38:02 GMT -5
1998
Sega Dreamcast
The last console to be released by Sega, the Dreamcast was a console that was ahead of it's time. The Sega Saturn, which had been a flop, was pulled off the shelves for the Dreamcast which would find success for a short time. Unlike most disc based systems at the time, most of the Dreamcast's games were on GD- ROMs instead of CD- ROMs. GD- ROMs had nearly double the storage space of a CD-ROM meaning more could be added to a game. The Dreamcast was released in the Japan on November 27th, 1998 and a North American release came on September 9th, 1999 (A European release came 5 days later). All releases were highly successful with Sega encountering shortages of the system. The Dreamcast sported some stellar launch titles that helped it outsell the Nintendo 64 during it's first year on the market. The Dreamcast also featured the first built in modem for online gaming. Unfortunately for Sega, the PlayStation 2 was released and sales of the Dreamcast fell. Stores and developers, fearing an early pullout of the system, much like the Saturn debacle, began shifting support from Sega to Sony. Sega announced on January 31st, 2001, that they would be ending production of the Dreamcast in March of 2001. The last game to be officially released by Sega in North America was NHL 2K2 which released in February 2002. Stockpiled Dreamcast units in Japan sold until 2006, and the last official game released by Sega came in 2007. There are still servers up for online play with the Sega Dreamcast. On June 10th, 2010, Sega announced that Dreamcast titles would be released for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
2000
Sony PlayStation 2
The best selling home console of all time, the PlayStation 2 is the successor to the PlayStation. The PS2 also rivals the Atari 2600 in how long it's been sold. 10 years after the release, the system still has games being released and Sony has stated it will support the PS2 until demand stops. The PS2 didn't start out perfect though.
In Japan, one day after the March 4th, 200 release, the system had sold nearly 1 million units. The North American release came a few months later in October and the European release followed in November. When released, it was hard to find a PS2 in some markets due to manufacturing delays. The PS2 found great success partly because of the PlayStation's success. Because the PS2 is backward compatible with PS1 games, memory cards, and controllers, many PS1 owners upgraded to the new system to buy up new games and still be able to play their old ones. The quality of PS2 games is another major selling point. During the 2001 holiday season, rivals Microsoft and Nintendo looked as if they could overtake the PS2 but several blockbuster games helped Sony keep it's sales lead.
The PS2 did not originally support online gaming. This changed when Microsoft opened Xbox Live. Sony in response began selling PlayStation Network Adapters. This allowed the PS2 to access gaming servers. Unlike Xbox Live where Microsoft runs the gaming servers, these servers are run by the game developer. While it didn't overtake Xbox Live in terms of popularity, the PSN did have a large following with games like SOCOM: US Navy SEALs leading the way.
In 2004, Sony released the PlayStation 2 Slim. Sony stopped production on the older models to make room on store shelves for the new PS2 Slim. However, manufacturing delays again caused shortages all across the world. This was resolved shortly after the 2004 holiday season. The PS2 can play CD's as well as DVD's adding to it's selling points. The PS2 helped to push Sega out of the console market with the DVD playing ability being hyped up and advertised. The PS2 continues to sell well and games are still being made for it as the PS2 enters it's eleventh year of it's life.
2001
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo released the Gamecube on September 14, 2001 in Japan and November 18, 2001 in North America. Europe received the Gamecube in May 2002. The Gamecube, unlike the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, uses mini- DVD's for it's games. This meant that the Gamecube lacks DVD playback and CD audio playback. The mini- DVD was chosen to prevent piracy and avoid paying licensing fees that come with using DVD's. Nintendo did allow Panasonic to produce a modified Gamecube that is capable of playing DVD's. Called the Panasonic Q, it never sold very well because of the $439 price tag. With a $199.99 price tag, the Gamecube was $100 cheaper than the PS2 and the Xbox. This didn't help sales as the Gamecube lagged behind the PS2 and the Xbox. Nintendo made Gameboy games playable on the Gamecube by purchasing a Gameboy Player. The Gamecube is seen as a kid's system to many gamers as Nintendo still lacked third party support and Nintendo itself was reluctant to publish more violent adult oriented games. Close to 22 million systems were sold, just about 2 million systems less than the Xbox. While many consider the Gamecube to be a failure or a weak system, it could play the same games the PS2 and Xbox played. Only the size of the mini- DVD's held it back. The Gamecube came in many different colors, much like the Nintendo 64. Nintendo discontinued the Gamecube in 2007 to promote sales of the new Nintendo Wii.
Microsoft Xbox
The Xbox marked Microsoft's first entry into the console market. Bill Gates hinted at the Xbox in 1999 and at the Game Developers Conference in 2000, he unveiled the new system. Microsoft took a gamble and launched the Xbox on November 15, 2001 in North America with a FPS game as the launch game. (A Japanese release came February 22, 2002.) Only a few FPS games had ever sold well before this game most notably Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. The game the Microsoft launched with the Xbox was Halo: Combat Evolved.
The original name for the Xbox was the DirectX box. After some surveying, Microsoft dropped the Direct and called the new system the Xbox. The Xbox is built on computer parts using a standard 3.5 inch hard drive and a bulky DVD drive. This makes the Xbox much heavier and larger than it's competitors. On November 15, 2002, Microsoft opened Xbox Live. This allowed those who bought subscriptions to play games online and download exclusive content. On April 15 2010, Microsoft ended support for all original Xbox Live games. Halo 2 was Xbox Live's first popular game and it established that online console gaming could work. The Xbox saw production cease in Japan in 2005, and the rest of the world in 2006. The Xbox was very popular in North America but it failed to gain a solid foothold in Japan. The European release (March 14, 2002) was mildly successful.
Sega Dreamcast
The last console to be released by Sega, the Dreamcast was a console that was ahead of it's time. The Sega Saturn, which had been a flop, was pulled off the shelves for the Dreamcast which would find success for a short time. Unlike most disc based systems at the time, most of the Dreamcast's games were on GD- ROMs instead of CD- ROMs. GD- ROMs had nearly double the storage space of a CD-ROM meaning more could be added to a game. The Dreamcast was released in the Japan on November 27th, 1998 and a North American release came on September 9th, 1999 (A European release came 5 days later). All releases were highly successful with Sega encountering shortages of the system. The Dreamcast sported some stellar launch titles that helped it outsell the Nintendo 64 during it's first year on the market. The Dreamcast also featured the first built in modem for online gaming. Unfortunately for Sega, the PlayStation 2 was released and sales of the Dreamcast fell. Stores and developers, fearing an early pullout of the system, much like the Saturn debacle, began shifting support from Sega to Sony. Sega announced on January 31st, 2001, that they would be ending production of the Dreamcast in March of 2001. The last game to be officially released by Sega in North America was NHL 2K2 which released in February 2002. Stockpiled Dreamcast units in Japan sold until 2006, and the last official game released by Sega came in 2007. There are still servers up for online play with the Sega Dreamcast. On June 10th, 2010, Sega announced that Dreamcast titles would be released for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
2000
Sony PlayStation 2
The best selling home console of all time, the PlayStation 2 is the successor to the PlayStation. The PS2 also rivals the Atari 2600 in how long it's been sold. 10 years after the release, the system still has games being released and Sony has stated it will support the PS2 until demand stops. The PS2 didn't start out perfect though.
In Japan, one day after the March 4th, 200 release, the system had sold nearly 1 million units. The North American release came a few months later in October and the European release followed in November. When released, it was hard to find a PS2 in some markets due to manufacturing delays. The PS2 found great success partly because of the PlayStation's success. Because the PS2 is backward compatible with PS1 games, memory cards, and controllers, many PS1 owners upgraded to the new system to buy up new games and still be able to play their old ones. The quality of PS2 games is another major selling point. During the 2001 holiday season, rivals Microsoft and Nintendo looked as if they could overtake the PS2 but several blockbuster games helped Sony keep it's sales lead.
The PS2 did not originally support online gaming. This changed when Microsoft opened Xbox Live. Sony in response began selling PlayStation Network Adapters. This allowed the PS2 to access gaming servers. Unlike Xbox Live where Microsoft runs the gaming servers, these servers are run by the game developer. While it didn't overtake Xbox Live in terms of popularity, the PSN did have a large following with games like SOCOM: US Navy SEALs leading the way.
In 2004, Sony released the PlayStation 2 Slim. Sony stopped production on the older models to make room on store shelves for the new PS2 Slim. However, manufacturing delays again caused shortages all across the world. This was resolved shortly after the 2004 holiday season. The PS2 can play CD's as well as DVD's adding to it's selling points. The PS2 helped to push Sega out of the console market with the DVD playing ability being hyped up and advertised. The PS2 continues to sell well and games are still being made for it as the PS2 enters it's eleventh year of it's life.
2001
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo released the Gamecube on September 14, 2001 in Japan and November 18, 2001 in North America. Europe received the Gamecube in May 2002. The Gamecube, unlike the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, uses mini- DVD's for it's games. This meant that the Gamecube lacks DVD playback and CD audio playback. The mini- DVD was chosen to prevent piracy and avoid paying licensing fees that come with using DVD's. Nintendo did allow Panasonic to produce a modified Gamecube that is capable of playing DVD's. Called the Panasonic Q, it never sold very well because of the $439 price tag. With a $199.99 price tag, the Gamecube was $100 cheaper than the PS2 and the Xbox. This didn't help sales as the Gamecube lagged behind the PS2 and the Xbox. Nintendo made Gameboy games playable on the Gamecube by purchasing a Gameboy Player. The Gamecube is seen as a kid's system to many gamers as Nintendo still lacked third party support and Nintendo itself was reluctant to publish more violent adult oriented games. Close to 22 million systems were sold, just about 2 million systems less than the Xbox. While many consider the Gamecube to be a failure or a weak system, it could play the same games the PS2 and Xbox played. Only the size of the mini- DVD's held it back. The Gamecube came in many different colors, much like the Nintendo 64. Nintendo discontinued the Gamecube in 2007 to promote sales of the new Nintendo Wii.
Microsoft Xbox
The Xbox marked Microsoft's first entry into the console market. Bill Gates hinted at the Xbox in 1999 and at the Game Developers Conference in 2000, he unveiled the new system. Microsoft took a gamble and launched the Xbox on November 15, 2001 in North America with a FPS game as the launch game. (A Japanese release came February 22, 2002.) Only a few FPS games had ever sold well before this game most notably Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. The game the Microsoft launched with the Xbox was Halo: Combat Evolved.
The original name for the Xbox was the DirectX box. After some surveying, Microsoft dropped the Direct and called the new system the Xbox. The Xbox is built on computer parts using a standard 3.5 inch hard drive and a bulky DVD drive. This makes the Xbox much heavier and larger than it's competitors. On November 15, 2002, Microsoft opened Xbox Live. This allowed those who bought subscriptions to play games online and download exclusive content. On April 15 2010, Microsoft ended support for all original Xbox Live games. Halo 2 was Xbox Live's first popular game and it established that online console gaming could work. The Xbox saw production cease in Japan in 2005, and the rest of the world in 2006. The Xbox was very popular in North America but it failed to gain a solid foothold in Japan. The European release (March 14, 2002) was mildly successful.
