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Looking at the evolution of video game consoles is fascinating. While conventional PCs tend to evolve ‘incrementally’, new generations of consoles introduce completely new ways of working. What you see here is a series of articles aimed at uncovering the rationale behind the latest trends in technology. They will also demonstrate why each system can’t be summarised by its ‘bits’, megahertz, amount of RAM and whatnot.
This is not a developer manual, just an in-depth introduction to how each system works internally. Bear in mind that tech has gotten really complicated lately, so if you struggle to follow my latest articles, try reading the early ones first. They introduce many concepts and definitions that are constantly revisited.
Basic knowledge of computing is preferable, however, I try really hard to adapt my content for wider audiences, so please don’t be afraid to give it a try! But if that’s not enough, you may want to look at the supporting readings.
While I try to be as accurate as possible, if you find any mistakes please give me a shout. Finally, if you prefer reading offline, check out the multiple book editions.
Without further ado, here they are!
Known as '8-bit' consoles, these machines brought more sophisticated graphics and richer sounds than their predecessors. After all, a big market crash just occurred and newer standards had to be set.
Outstanding GPU features: Scrollable tile maps and larger colour palettes.
15 Jul 1983
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
More than a 6502 machine
20 Oct 1985
Sega Master System
Competent straight out of the box
DMA, horizontal interrupts, multiple modes... These are some examples of the new concepts that brought the new '16-bit' generation, opening the door to new genres of games.
Notable CPU advancements: Multiplication and division instructions, DMA and dual-processing.
Outstanding GPU features: Affine transformations and horizontal interrupts.
30 Oct 1987
PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
A small but quick leap
29 Oct 1988
Mega Drive / Genesis
New techniques of composition
21 Apr 1989
Game Boy / Color
Simple and portable
26 Apr 1990
Neo Geo
The arcade at home
21 Nov 1990
Super Nintendo
Old hardware with mind-blowing features
3D gaming has become a need but 'how' is not clear yet. The response? Every company presented their own different vision.
Notable CPU advancements: Pipelined datapaths and L1 cache.
Outstanding GPU features: Programmable vertex pipelines, Z-buffering and perspective corrections.
22 Nov 1994
Sega Saturn
What can you do with 8 processors?
3 Dec 1994
PlayStation
A confident newcomer
21 Jul 1995
Virtual Boy
Hidden potential with an unfortunate ending
23 Jun 1996
Nintendo 64
A constrained performant
Most of the graphics limitations from the previous generation are no more. Portable consoles start to resemble familiar systems.
Notable CPU advancements: Superscalar architectures, SIMD instructions and L2 cache.
Outstanding GPU features: Programmable pixel pipelines and anisotropic filters.
27 Nov 1998
Dreamcast
One last attempt
4 Mar 2000
PlayStation 2
Overshadowing superiors
21 Mar 2001
Game Boy Advance
Colourful technology powered by two AA batteries
14 Sept 2001
GameCube
Eloquent engineering
15 Nov 2001
Xbox
A feared competitor
Consoles have evolved into supercomputers and multimedia hubs. These machines are now more capable than just playing games, which is why security is now a critical factor.
Notable CPU advancements: Thread level parallelism and symmetrical multi-core architectures.
Outstanding GPU features: Unified shader model and HDR rendering.
21 Nov 2004
Nintendo DS
Novel forms of interaction
12 Dec 2004
PlayStation Portable
'Portable' does not imply 'Limited'
22 Nov 2005
Xbox 360
A supercomputer for the rest of us
11 Nov 2006
PlayStation 3
A supercomputer from another planet
19 Nov 2006
Wii
Unique techniques of innovation
The entertainment market has now been conquered by cheap smartphones and tablets. Social media capabilities become the first priority of every peripheral. It's time for traditional video-game companies to renovate their status quo, and they better do it quick.
26 Feb 2011
Nintendo 3DS
Abundant tech, confusing marketing
17 Dec 2011
PlayStation Vita (Part 1)
The beefy phone
18 Nov 2012
Wii U
Innovation under pressure
There are many consoles I could write about... If you are wondering what's next on my list here it is:
If you find my articles interesting then please consider donating. Your contribution will be used to fund the purchase of tools and resources that will help me to improve the quality of existing articles and upcoming ones. I also provide a list of interesting materials to acquire at the end of each article.
You can also buy the book editions in English. I treat profits as donations.
As a token of gratitude, your name will be included in the credits section of the next article or your nominated one, unless stated otherwise.
If you want to know more about this series, here I've compiled common questions that people have asked me in the past.
Because I believe it’s the best way to properly comprehend present (and future) technology. Current advancements don’t pop out of nowhere, they may even carry past technology that only became popular many years later. Moreover, learning the fundamentals also allows me to filter misinformation out (which I’ve seen plenty of).
Apart from that, it’s continuous food for thought.
Definitely! I already started compiling the series and actively expanding. Furthermore, if you’re an editor/publisher and would like to work together on this, please get in touch.
Chances are I’d like to, however, time and budget are my main constraints.
Please open an issue on the Github repo so I can review it (and other people can contribute as well).
I don’t mind being wrong! But I can only do so much if people keep the corrections for themselves or only discuss them on a separate forum.
The point of the articles is so you can form an educated opinion by yourself. Although, nothing beats the Nintendo Switch U 64 OLED!
You can also check out the about page or drop me a line.
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