The Atari 2600 was created in 1987 and was a step up from
the Odyssey. The Atari also ran on a cartridge system for its games and read
specific inputs from a controller. Where the Atari sets itself apart from the
odyssey is its cpu. The cpu in the Atari was able to perform calculations which
would offer a better gaming experience. The Atari included multiple controller
ports which would allow for better inputs from the controller. With this console the programmer
has to control the data going to the television.
The Atari used beams and scanline to display its images to the screen unlike other consoles at the time. The Atari 2600 sends the TV "color and intensity information for the electron beam as it sweeps across that line", and a signal for the start of each new line. The power supply was also different as the console ran off of a power cable that utilized power from the home at a certain voltage. The Atari had a large joystick controller that could read multiple inputs from the user such as up and down. When the joystick was pushed in a certain direction the current would flow through the wires for that specific input.
Gaming Sales increase
The PlayStation
An example of how far gaming consoles have come came in
November 2020 when Sony released the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft released the X
box series X. Starting with the PlayStation it includes multiple features that
old consoles simply didn't have. The PlayStation 5 can be turned on with the
press of a button unlike the odyssey and the Atari consoles. Instead of
cartridges the PlayStation uses discs that must be inserted in the consoles.
Not only can games be played but also movies that are on discs can be placed
into the console as well. The new age controller that comes with the PlayStation
can be held in the hand of the user and controlled using both thumbs. Buttons
and triggers also come on the controller along with a touchpad in the center.
The cpu inside the console is 8 core which is significantly stronger than the
previous consoles. The GPU and RAM associated with the console make it sound
more like a computer which shows how advanced it really is. To display the
image to the screen there is one singular cable called an HDMI cable which runs
from the console to the television. The picture that is displayed is 4k
resolution and isn't pixelated at all. Storage is a big part of the console
since older consoles didn't have as much. Lastly the most important feature of
the console is the ability to play games with your friends online.
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