Atari 2600 vs Sony Playstation


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Atari Video Computer System aka Atari 2600

Atari+2600.jpg

Initial release date: October 14, 1977

Initial price: $199

Lifespan: 1977-1991 (though homebrews are still being made)

Units sold: 30 million

Number of games released: Over 550

Notable games:

Pac-Man

Pitfall!

Missle Command

Demon Attack

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Atlantis

Adventure

River Raid

Kaboom!

Space Invaders

Other notes:

- The dominant console of its generation.

- Popularized the concept of removable games.

- First console with detachable controllers.

- Epic wood finish.

VS

Sony Playstation

playstation.jpeg

Initial release date: December 3,1994

Initial price: $299

Lifespan: 1995-2006

Units sold: 102.49 million

Number of games released: 7,978

Notable games:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX

Metal Gear Solid

Gran Turismo

Wipeout XL

Resident Evil series

Chrono Cross

Xenogears

Tomb Raider series

Crash Bandicoot series

Other notes:

- First game console to ship 100 million units.

- First dual analog controller.

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I'll go Atari too just for the innovation factor. Ulitmately, PS2 was lightyears ahead of PSX and while PSX is influential and innovative itself, Atari did it 20 years earlier.

Or to use the argument that seems to hold a lot of weight around here: No Atari = no PSX.

:)

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So you still missed the point about the Dreamcast/XBox thing. Simply being first has nothing to do with it.

Honestly, this is the hardest vote for me this round.

Both had lifespans longer than anyone thought possible.

Both were game changers. To use a comics analogy, the 2600 was the start of the Golden Age. The PSX was the start of the Bronze Age.

Both were fairly reliable systems that eventually were given "junior" design revisions.

Ultimately, it comes down to games, and it's really no contest there. The Playstation wins.

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I think that the 2600 hundred made the market, I think the PSX made the market what it is today. I do think the 2600 was more influential, but that's about the only thing it has going for it, albeit, that counts for a lot. PSX takes it narrowly.

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This is actually really tough, I think I'll go PSX but it is really close. The one thing the Atari had going for it was that it was a more family oriented experience, but by the time PSX came along gaming was a 'juvenile' activity. Which wasn't PSX fault, it's just how the industry/activity had evolved.

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I'm going to buck my own seeding here (and I had promised myself not to do it). The 2600. It's just more important, and that to me is what makes a console great.

Yes, the PS1 (or One, X, whatever) had better games, but by the mid-90's you had industry professionals with a decade plus experience making video games for home consoles and computers. The Atari, though not exactly the first, was on the bleeding edge of the home console market and the home PC market didn't even exist! Allowances have to be made on the games front for that reason alone (its also one of the reasons the NES is so astounding).

There would be a PS without the Atari, though I doubt it moves 100 million units.

Maybe my logic is unsound, but for some reason it just doesn't feel right for me to vote for the Playstation here.

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Both had lifespans longer than anyone thought possible.

Both were game changers. To use a comics analogy, the 2600 was the start of the Golden Age. The PSX was the start of the Bronze Age.

Both were fairly reliable systems that eventually were given "junior" design revisions.

Ultimately, it comes down to games, and it's really no contest there. The Playstation wins.

I voted for the 2600 because of these reason, except the last one. The PlayStation had some epic games, this cannot be denied, but the Atari 2600 had games that people who haven't touched a system since then still speak about fondly. That it was able to create lasting memories using such rudimentary graphics, that says something to me.

Also, like the Wii, the 2600 reached an audience that spanned generations. Children and adults alike flocked to the system, making the brand synonyms with the medium.

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