First and second generation consoles: my thoughts
Dec 10, 2018 13:59:59 GMT -5
Post by bonesnapdeez on Dec 10, 2018 13:59:59 GMT -5
The "third generation" of video game consoles was launched in 1983, whereupon Nintendo and Sega released their Famicom and SG-1000, on the same day! The Famicom went on to become the NES and was the undisputed 8-bit powerhouse of the era. Meanwhile, the SG-1000 was soon discontinued and supplanted by the great Mark III (Sega Master System).
For many folks my age and younger, gaming "began" in the aforementioned era, with everything preceding it being too primitive and obsolete to take seriously. In fact, this was indeed my mindset before disposable adult income allowed me to explore the wonders of the pre-Fami era. These days, I can't get enough of gaming's crusty formative years.
This thread is about those early consoles. The one big "first gen" system, and the cluttered "second gen" scene. Note: I own all this hardware and am sharing my personal opinions, not a bunch of "objective" factoids and whatnot. Hope that makes this thread slightly more interesting. I'm only covering the "major" consoles (no handhelds, arcades, or computers) -- left off the list are obscurities like the Bally Astrocade, Emerson Arcadia 2001, RCA Studio II, and Epoch Cassette Vision.
I won't be participating much in January's thread, so consider this my contribution. Without further ado.........
Magnavox Odyssey (1972)
The first home gaming console. Its competitors of the era consisted of stand-alone Pong machines. Today, this is barely recognizable as a video game system. Virtually every game outputs something similar to the television: a couple of square "dots" and maybe a vertical line. Games require supplementary materials to play properly: plastic screen overlays, poker chips, score sheets, game boards, and so on. For example, if you lack the Haunted House peripherals (overlay, cards, board) you're literally just left with two dots to move around the screen (the ghost and detective). The controllers are surprisingly complex, with three separate knobs, one of which controls "english" (ball spin). Though the only console of its time to feature discrete insertable games, the Odyssey does not utilize carts but instead uses "game card" printed circuit boards. This is currently a very rare and expensive piece of hardware, with emulation only somewhat feasible. For collectors.
Fairchild Channel F (1976)
First console of the second gen era. Released a bit too early to make a big impact. This is the first system to use ROM carts, and they are incredibly sturdy and awesome. The system itself is pretty sweet-looking, and one of the few to contain a cart eject button. Again, the controllers are odd and surprisingly complicated. They're "dipstick" looking things with no real buttons. Instead the knob on top is twisted and pulled and manipulated in various ways to move on-screen sprites. Games aren't Odyssey levels of primitive, but are a pretty tough sell today. Many carts contain a series of mini-games; the specific one chosen to be played is determined by buttons pressed on the console itself. Expect to see some simple gallery shooters, racing titles, card game simulators, and even early paint/drawing programs. No big name titles that would be recognized by anyone today. Still, a cool system with a small set of uniform-looking numbered game carts... but more of collector's item than anything else, and again emulation is pretty tricky to pull off.
Atari 2600 (1977)
Oh yeah, here we go. The big daddy of the era. To me, this system, along with the NES, is basically synonymous with "retro gaming." It's iconic in every way. First things first, the Atari 2600 is the first console to have a "normal" manageable controller: an 8-way joystick with a single fire button. Those who find this unwieldy today will be glad to discover that it can be swapped out for a Genesis control pad. Though games are played with a single button, the console also contains an assortment of switches that alter game settings. This was especially common in the early days of the console, where every title had about a million different "modes" -- most of which provided a completely rudimentary and pointless change to gameplay. This kind of thing was phased out after the first few years of the system's existence.
As for the games themselves, the Atari 2600 offers an incredibly large and diverse library of quality titles. Game were officially developed until 1990, and a massive homebrew scene exists today. The first-party games tend to be safe bets. But even more interesting are those initial third party developers like Activision and Imagic. Many more were to follow. Among the hundreds of games released are early sports titles, fixed and scrolling shmups, some of the earliest platformers, proto-RPGs and dungeon crawlers, TONS of arcade ports, and more. The 2600 was so dominant that both Mattel and Coleco released games for it, despite having hardware of their own. Those who mostly enjoy 3rd+ gen Japanese titles will find plenty of ports of Japanese arcade games here, and Sega and Konami even went on to publish their own works.
I could talk about the Atari for hours. But, basically: it owns. There's something for everyone here, games are easy to pick up and play, official compilations can be found anywhere and everywhere, and it's an incredibly easy system to emulate. It is limited somewhat by its inherently simple color palette and lack of musical capabilities. But that's a small price to pay for such a stellar game library.
Starpath Supercharger (1982)
Yeah, this is weird enough and rad enough to deserve its own separate mention. The Starpath Supercharger is an Atari 2600 peripheral that allows cassette-based proprietary games to be played, with expanded RAM capabilities. This is a third party device, so it's somewhat analogous to the Aladdin Deck Enhancer
and Datach Joint ROM System. The difference is that the games on the Supercharger are awesome, rivaling the best of the vanilla 2600. At the top of the queue is of course Dragonstomper, which almost accidentally invented the JRPG genre. As for the device itself, it just looks like a cartridge with a wire. So where do the cassettes go? In your own player of course! Surely everyone in the 1980s had their own cassette deck, right?
Magnavox Odyssey² (1978)
The successor to the original Odyssey, released one year after the 2600. Like the 2600, this has a very agreeable controller, a one-button joystick. However, there's an entire keyboard on the console itself. It's rarely used, however. The Odyssey² has a few cool titles, but was utterly killed due to the lack of third party support. It's like the Master System of the second gen, but way way worse. Most every game was developed in-house, and a large number come off feeling like cheap clones of better 2600 titles. The abundance of two-player-only games don't help much either. This isn't a bad system, more of a case of lost potential.
Mattel Intellivision (1979)
Nice. We finally don't have a million buttons on game consoles anymore. Oh, now they're all on the controller. Whoops. The Intellivision launched in 1979, with graphical capabilities greater than those of the Atari 2600. This is another system with a great library of arcade ports and dedicated console titles. The Intellivision is also home to the earliest licensed sports games. Dem controllers though... The Intellivision utilizes a numerical keypad type controller (resembling a telephone), with additional buttons on the side, and a "disc" for direction movement. Instead of screen overlays we now have controller overlays, to inform the player what each individual button does. So, how does this all work? Well, it sounds clunky, but the controllers are very agreeable -- for games that were developed for the Intellivision. If you're playing an arcade port, have fun ignoring the 12 extra buttons.
ColecoVision (1982)
Generally speaking, this is the most "advanced" of the second gen systems. Graphics are on par with early third gen titles (in fact, the ColecoVision hardware is very similar to that of the SG-1000) and the arcade ports found here are sublime. Seriously, if you want to experience the Golden Age at home, this is your system. It relies heavily on its stellar arcade conversions, and was even sold with Donkey Kong as a pack-in title. Despite having an arcade focus, Coleco opted to use Intellivision style controllers, for some reason. These are a little better though, with a raised disc used for movement. Overall, a great console. Those who love the NES but find something like the 2600 too ancient could likely be swayed by the ColecoVision.
Atari 5200 (1982)
Yeah, Atari snuck two consoles into one generation. Wow! I have three big things to say about this one. First, the 5200 hardware is almost identical to that found in Atari's 8-bit computers. Games released on both systems are basically indistinguishable visually. Second, the vast majority of the 5200 library consists of souped-up 2600 titles, with more detailed graphics and enhanced sound. Third, the Atari 5200 controllers are horrible. This outright kills the system for many. We've got the keypads - again! - but that's not even the main issue. The joysticks don't self-center, which makes playing, well, anything an absolute struggle. I can't even explain how annoying this is, you have to experience it for yourself. It's a shame, because the game library is pretty woke.
Vectrex (1982)
The most unique specimen of the second generation. The Vectrex is a wholly self-contained system with it's own built-in monitor and pop-out controller. The controllers are rad, the closet thing this generation had to an NES gamepad, though four action buttons is overkill. Graphics are incredibly distinct -- black & white and vector-based. Screen overlays make a comeback here, to add color and detail. There are some quality titles to be found, but variety is lacking. The system is overrun with pew pew space shooters, a large number developed by Cinematronics. I dig this, but I gravitate to the "normal" systems much more frequently.
For many folks my age and younger, gaming "began" in the aforementioned era, with everything preceding it being too primitive and obsolete to take seriously. In fact, this was indeed my mindset before disposable adult income allowed me to explore the wonders of the pre-Fami era. These days, I can't get enough of gaming's crusty formative years.
This thread is about those early consoles. The one big "first gen" system, and the cluttered "second gen" scene. Note: I own all this hardware and am sharing my personal opinions, not a bunch of "objective" factoids and whatnot. Hope that makes this thread slightly more interesting. I'm only covering the "major" consoles (no handhelds, arcades, or computers) -- left off the list are obscurities like the Bally Astrocade, Emerson Arcadia 2001, RCA Studio II, and Epoch Cassette Vision.
I won't be participating much in January's thread, so consider this my contribution. Without further ado.........
Magnavox Odyssey (1972)
The first home gaming console. Its competitors of the era consisted of stand-alone Pong machines. Today, this is barely recognizable as a video game system. Virtually every game outputs something similar to the television: a couple of square "dots" and maybe a vertical line. Games require supplementary materials to play properly: plastic screen overlays, poker chips, score sheets, game boards, and so on. For example, if you lack the Haunted House peripherals (overlay, cards, board) you're literally just left with two dots to move around the screen (the ghost and detective). The controllers are surprisingly complex, with three separate knobs, one of which controls "english" (ball spin). Though the only console of its time to feature discrete insertable games, the Odyssey does not utilize carts but instead uses "game card" printed circuit boards. This is currently a very rare and expensive piece of hardware, with emulation only somewhat feasible. For collectors.
Fairchild Channel F (1976)
First console of the second gen era. Released a bit too early to make a big impact. This is the first system to use ROM carts, and they are incredibly sturdy and awesome. The system itself is pretty sweet-looking, and one of the few to contain a cart eject button. Again, the controllers are odd and surprisingly complicated. They're "dipstick" looking things with no real buttons. Instead the knob on top is twisted and pulled and manipulated in various ways to move on-screen sprites. Games aren't Odyssey levels of primitive, but are a pretty tough sell today. Many carts contain a series of mini-games; the specific one chosen to be played is determined by buttons pressed on the console itself. Expect to see some simple gallery shooters, racing titles, card game simulators, and even early paint/drawing programs. No big name titles that would be recognized by anyone today. Still, a cool system with a small set of uniform-looking numbered game carts... but more of collector's item than anything else, and again emulation is pretty tricky to pull off.
Atari 2600 (1977)
Oh yeah, here we go. The big daddy of the era. To me, this system, along with the NES, is basically synonymous with "retro gaming." It's iconic in every way. First things first, the Atari 2600 is the first console to have a "normal" manageable controller: an 8-way joystick with a single fire button. Those who find this unwieldy today will be glad to discover that it can be swapped out for a Genesis control pad. Though games are played with a single button, the console also contains an assortment of switches that alter game settings. This was especially common in the early days of the console, where every title had about a million different "modes" -- most of which provided a completely rudimentary and pointless change to gameplay. This kind of thing was phased out after the first few years of the system's existence.
As for the games themselves, the Atari 2600 offers an incredibly large and diverse library of quality titles. Game were officially developed until 1990, and a massive homebrew scene exists today. The first-party games tend to be safe bets. But even more interesting are those initial third party developers like Activision and Imagic. Many more were to follow. Among the hundreds of games released are early sports titles, fixed and scrolling shmups, some of the earliest platformers, proto-RPGs and dungeon crawlers, TONS of arcade ports, and more. The 2600 was so dominant that both Mattel and Coleco released games for it, despite having hardware of their own. Those who mostly enjoy 3rd+ gen Japanese titles will find plenty of ports of Japanese arcade games here, and Sega and Konami even went on to publish their own works.
I could talk about the Atari for hours. But, basically: it owns. There's something for everyone here, games are easy to pick up and play, official compilations can be found anywhere and everywhere, and it's an incredibly easy system to emulate. It is limited somewhat by its inherently simple color palette and lack of musical capabilities. But that's a small price to pay for such a stellar game library.
Starpath Supercharger (1982)
Yeah, this is weird enough and rad enough to deserve its own separate mention. The Starpath Supercharger is an Atari 2600 peripheral that allows cassette-based proprietary games to be played, with expanded RAM capabilities. This is a third party device, so it's somewhat analogous to the Aladdin Deck Enhancer
and Datach Joint ROM System. The difference is that the games on the Supercharger are awesome, rivaling the best of the vanilla 2600. At the top of the queue is of course Dragonstomper, which almost accidentally invented the JRPG genre. As for the device itself, it just looks like a cartridge with a wire. So where do the cassettes go? In your own player of course! Surely everyone in the 1980s had their own cassette deck, right?
Magnavox Odyssey² (1978)
The successor to the original Odyssey, released one year after the 2600. Like the 2600, this has a very agreeable controller, a one-button joystick. However, there's an entire keyboard on the console itself. It's rarely used, however. The Odyssey² has a few cool titles, but was utterly killed due to the lack of third party support. It's like the Master System of the second gen, but way way worse. Most every game was developed in-house, and a large number come off feeling like cheap clones of better 2600 titles. The abundance of two-player-only games don't help much either. This isn't a bad system, more of a case of lost potential.
Mattel Intellivision (1979)
Nice. We finally don't have a million buttons on game consoles anymore. Oh, now they're all on the controller. Whoops. The Intellivision launched in 1979, with graphical capabilities greater than those of the Atari 2600. This is another system with a great library of arcade ports and dedicated console titles. The Intellivision is also home to the earliest licensed sports games. Dem controllers though... The Intellivision utilizes a numerical keypad type controller (resembling a telephone), with additional buttons on the side, and a "disc" for direction movement. Instead of screen overlays we now have controller overlays, to inform the player what each individual button does. So, how does this all work? Well, it sounds clunky, but the controllers are very agreeable -- for games that were developed for the Intellivision. If you're playing an arcade port, have fun ignoring the 12 extra buttons.
ColecoVision (1982)
Generally speaking, this is the most "advanced" of the second gen systems. Graphics are on par with early third gen titles (in fact, the ColecoVision hardware is very similar to that of the SG-1000) and the arcade ports found here are sublime. Seriously, if you want to experience the Golden Age at home, this is your system. It relies heavily on its stellar arcade conversions, and was even sold with Donkey Kong as a pack-in title. Despite having an arcade focus, Coleco opted to use Intellivision style controllers, for some reason. These are a little better though, with a raised disc used for movement. Overall, a great console. Those who love the NES but find something like the 2600 too ancient could likely be swayed by the ColecoVision.
Atari 5200 (1982)
Yeah, Atari snuck two consoles into one generation. Wow! I have three big things to say about this one. First, the 5200 hardware is almost identical to that found in Atari's 8-bit computers. Games released on both systems are basically indistinguishable visually. Second, the vast majority of the 5200 library consists of souped-up 2600 titles, with more detailed graphics and enhanced sound. Third, the Atari 5200 controllers are horrible. This outright kills the system for many. We've got the keypads - again! - but that's not even the main issue. The joysticks don't self-center, which makes playing, well, anything an absolute struggle. I can't even explain how annoying this is, you have to experience it for yourself. It's a shame, because the game library is pretty woke.
Vectrex (1982)
The most unique specimen of the second generation. The Vectrex is a wholly self-contained system with it's own built-in monitor and pop-out controller. The controllers are rad, the closet thing this generation had to an NES gamepad, though four action buttons is overkill. Graphics are incredibly distinct -- black & white and vector-based. Screen overlays make a comeback here, to add color and detail. There are some quality titles to be found, but variety is lacking. The system is overrun with pew pew space shooters, a large number developed by Cinematronics. I dig this, but I gravitate to the "normal" systems much more frequently.
Well, at least everything after was an improvement from there on. Finding games for 2600 was easy at thrift stores, and they were usually extremely cheap... like 50 cents a cart cheap. My favorites included Aventure, Combat, Joust, Space Invaders, Pitfall!, SwordQuest, Haunted House, Missile Command, and many more I'm surely forgetting now. I ended up with a very decent library soon enough. However the next year I received a SEGA Master System, and well, that put an end to me caring about the 2600 - outside the occasional Vanguard attempt.
