Gaming consoles come and go so fast. As a consequence, it’s unsurprising that people may often forget about them. Some of them lasted years and were irreplaceable, whereas some were an outright disaster from the off. We believe that it’s time to go back and review some of the older consoles that we don’t think about so often anymore, but once had a strong admiration for.
It’s simply amazing to see how much a console can technologically advance from it’s predecessor! Prepare yourself for a trip down memory lane to discover some of our all time favorites…
The Retro Consoles You’ve Already Forgotten About
Nintendo GameCube (2001)
The GameCube was released in 2001 and was Nintendo’s answer to the Ps2 and Xbox. This console competed directly with the Ps2, eventually showing it’s weaknesses as it massively to the PS2- the bestselling system of all time.
Despite this, we have only fond memories of the GameCube. It is memorable not only for its peculiar box shape, oddly shaped controller and tiny discs but for the great gaming experience it gave us. Nor can we forget that unlike Sony or Microsoft, the GameCube released games exclusive to Nintendo, such as Super Mario. Mario Kart is an all time classic, as is Super Smash Bros. We can still hear that notorious loading tune in our heads…
The Gameboy (1989)
This was the original console! It was the first in a long line of Gameboy variations and was hugely successful. The console sold 118.69 million units worldwide (including other variations of Gameboy: Pocket, Play it Loud!, Light and Color) and was well received by all users. It received much praise for its lengthy battery life and quickly outsold its competition: Sega’s Game Gear, Atari’s Lynx, and NEC’s TurboExpress.
The Gameboy was a notorious item of the 90s and everyone either had one, or wanted one. We still remember playing classic Super Mario on this console- a taste of future Mario games to come! This console was also home to some classics like Tetris and Pokémon.
Xbox 360 (2005)
Doesn’t it feel strange to learn that the Xbox 360 was released 17 years ago? Wow. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2016 and it’s suffice to say that we miss it. We had some great times on this console. There was no better feeling than rushing home from school to get onto Xbox Live to hang out virtually with your friends.
This console wasn’t exactly perfect, however. Do any of you remember the ‘Red Ring’ issue? Consoles would light up with three terrifying red rings in a space where there would usually be four green rings. Sadly, if this happened it essentially confirmed the death of your console. There was nothing to do except replace it.
Even though this didn’t do a whole lot of good for its reputation early on, the console was so great that it didn’t actually tarnish its memory. It was originally super popular as a cheaper alternative to its competitor, the PS3. As of 2014, it had sold 84 million units worldwide. It also brought out the best human-interaction software since PS2’s ‘EyeToy’, with it’s ‘Kinect’ add-on.
PSP (2004)
Well the PSP was just great wasn’t it! PlayStation’s direct competitor with the Nintendo DS, it truly gave the console a run for its money. It was just like having a tiny PlayStation in your hands! Who could believe something so small could have such a powerful processor? You could play all your favorite games, watch movies and could even connect to other PlayStation consoles.
Worldwide, this console managed to sell 76.3 Million Units. In terms of profit, the Nintendo DS (which sold 154 Million units worldwide) was superior, but that doesn’t mean it was necessarily better. The PSP was a PlayStation in your pocket. That kind of technology was mightily impressive for it’s time.
Games like Mario Kart, however, were iconic on the DS. Additionally, the DS also had the capability to play GBA games. The PSP, being the first of it’s kind, was ultimately more limited. Though we can’t lie, it’s online play and internet access was pretty cool (and superior to that of the DS!).
