Microsoft's Xbox 720 is rumored to be released in 18 months, perfectly timed for 2013's holiday season.
But the year-and-a-half delay has gotten industry execs flustered—because the year-and-a-half delay is actually an eight-year delay between the release of the last Xbox and the new Xbox. Decades in the world of technology.
The delay is so drastic it has some people, including Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, claiming that the age of video game consoles has finally run its course, giving way to the faster, more convenient mode of online and mobile games.
So from Atari to the Xbox, we're honoring the major consoles of past—the iconic machines that paved the way for Angry Birds and other highly addictive mobile and online games.
Atari Pong
Release Date: 1972
The Console: This early console was certainly not the first of its kind (both the "Brown Box" and "Odyssey" pre-dated the Atari) but Nolan Bushnell's Pong single-handedly defined the video game industry (and its future) with his ping-pong themed arcade game. Named after the sound the ball made on the paddle ("Ping-Pong" had already been taken), Pong marked the beginning of Atari's legacy as a video game legend.
Sega Master System (SMS)
Release Date: 1986
The Console: The original SMS was released as competition to the NES and was superior in many ways, including technologically. The console had better graphics and better sound than the Nintendo console, and could also play game cartridges and credit card-sized "Sega cards." Sales eventually fizzled out after Nintendo took over the console market. Sega released a series of consoles following the Master System, including the Genesis (1989), Mega-CD (1992), Multi-Mega "Genesis CDX" (1994), Saturn (1995), and their very last console, the Dreamcast (1999).
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Release Date: 1985
The Console: Designed to look like a household appliance (and not like a video game console), the NES was the first console released post 1984-tech crash. The console was sold in the USA with the classic games, Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt, along with the accompanying lightgun, robotic operation buddy (R.O.B.), and original controllers. Reaching its height of popularity during the '80s, the NES paved the way for the Japanese gaming giant.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
