About Video Game Consoles And Their Accessories

Gaming consoles are now one of the major forms of entertainment within the modern day home. A long time ago, people used simpler things to entertain and amuse. Board games and skipping ropes were soon replaced by an electronic device called the ‘gaming console’. The first console to hit the market was the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, which was dreamt up by Ralph Baer. Although this was a huge technological breakthrough, today it wouldn’t even compare with the processing power of a calculator. The technology used was analogue, did not run off the mains and didn’t even produce sound. It took many years for the development process before an actual working model was produced. The console sold quite well and it’s only demise was due to it’s own marketing.

In the very beginning, these consoles used plug in hardware which stored the games on, if they hadn’t already had the games built into the unit. These included a memory chip and would plug into the console. This way of loading games was almost instant. As technology progressed and became available, it was integrated and used for gaming consoles. One of the first gaming consoles to use CD, was the Nintendo GameCube. This killed two birds with one stone as you could also play music as well as play games. CD’s could store far more data than the earlier game cartridges, which allowed game developers far more durability with software development.

Recently, technology has developed at an alarming rate, so much so, that a huge range of accessories has been introduced to the video gaming industry and it’s state of the art consoles. Devices such as wireless controllers, racquets, and vibrating steering wheels are standard in today’s world of gaming. Internet based networks are even available where gamers can meet up and play together on online systems such as ‘Xbox Live’ and join in multiplayer games. This alone has created endless possibilities such as online tournaments and ranked matches. This kind of global interaction would have been hard to imagine in the 1970’s / 1980’s.

Over the last few years, the battle of the ‘gaming console’ market has been between the two giants which are Microsoft and Sony. They had been leading the way in gaming for quite a long time and other manufacturers had been trailing in their smoke. Nintendo, whilst was once one of the largest entertainment companies in the art of home entertainment, was seen to be on a downward trend with regards to console systems. That was of course, until it introduced a new system. Not one that could match the power of Sony or Microsoft’s power houses, but one that oozed with fresh ideas and was created with inspiration and innovation. This new console was called the Nintendo Wii. This new console uses a wireless system that tracks movement, which enables you to use all of your body whilst playing games. This was a completely new concept which brought a physical aspect to the game. For the first time in nearly thirty years, it has brought people out of their seats and is also widely used as a form of exercise . It has become extremely popular with all age groups and as annual sales figures go, has outsold both consoles offered by Sony and Microsoft.

With it being so unique within the gaming industry, it has spurred many manufacturers to develop and bring to market, a huge and varied range of aftermarket wii accessories for use with the Nintendo Wii’s games. These wii accessories include sports kits, fishing rods, boxing gloves, and swords. Some manufacturers have developed these items using a soft, flexible material which helps with the safety aspect of them. These accessories bring you closer to the game and increase user experience. Gaming consoles have come a long way since the early days, and a steady growth in popularity. But the question we ask though is, where will they be twenty years from now?

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