Evolution of Nintendo Consoles

[RoboCop]

This topic is dedicated to a player called Chris Taylor, aged 21 who we personally don't know each other but this is for a good cause; due to the fact hes terminally ill with cancer. Recently I've made my donation to Marie Curie charity for terminally ill patients. I don't know any US charities for terminally ill patients but if you like to make a generous contribution.

In this topic I will explaining on basic Pros, Cons as well as some key improvements that should of been included for each of the Nintendo consoles.


First up is the NES:-


The Nintendo Entertainment System was Nintendo's first console with a 8-bit processor that was released in 1985. Unlike it's original Japanese counterpart the Famicom, it doesn't have a second controller with the mic that got the Select and Start button's removed. As most of you knew, its top game Super Mario Bros released in 1985 became a huge hit and sold a lot of its Super Mario Bros games around 40 million cartridges, along with over 60 NES consoles sold worldwide.

Pros:-
>> Got a robust ROM cartridge that wasn't as fragile like the C64 tapes and disks
>> Cool accessories like the NES Zapper Lightgun, and other gizmos
>> Doesn't require waiting for the game to load, unlike floppy disks and tapes (except for the Famicom Floppy accessories)
>> It can work on any TVs as long it has the Composite or RF Connector ports for it
>> The GFX is more improved against the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum

Cons:-
>> The ROM cartridges are expensive and nearly 2 or 3 times costly than floppy disks
>> Well it uses a 8-bit processor which wasn't as fast nor powerful as the Motorola 68000 16/32-bit that was included for the Atari ST and Amiga in 1985
>> The Display Ratio isn't nowhere at 4:3 nor at a slight Widescreen Display as NES NTSC consoles display at 256x224 and PAL consoles at 256x240, which can be awkward to not have a wider visual to spot any incoming enemies and holes for Super Mario Bros.
>> The NES cartridge tray or slot is awkward to clean as it's too long and deep to reach the pin sockets inside. Also you may want to dismantle your NES as well use a cotton bud with isopropyl alcohol to clean your cart and slot, as blowing on it can corrode it with your spit
>> NES consoles and cartridges are more bulky than the Famicom as well as not as lightweight

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Well make the NES less bulky of course!
>> Display a wider 4:3 ratio, not 5:4 or 8:7
>> Better 8-bit processor as it roughly equivalent to MOS 6502 at 1.8Mhz, where as the Z80 can be clocked at around twice that cycle
>> Make the NES controller more ergonomic as the pointy corners can painfully dent the player's palms


SNES:-


The Super Nintendo Entertainment System had a 16-bit processor and with a sleaker and smoother design. Unlike its predecessor it sell as much as it only sold below 50 consoles.

Pros:-
>> The SNES controller got more buttons for more action abilities as well got a better ergo design
>> Some SNES cartridges come with a SuperFX graphics enhancement chip for playing 3D games like Starfox as well some dynamic sprites for Yoshi's Island
>> The Lightgun "Bazooka" the Super Scope is included for some shooting gaming fun
>> A Super Game Boy adaptor cartridge is supported for Game Boy games to work on and display on TV

Cons:-
>> The CPU is low as 3.58MHz - which was nearly half of the cycles compared to the popular Motorola 68000, and caused slower loading times and maybe lower FPS rates
>> The PAL console was released a bit later at Spring 1992, which was unfortunate as rival consoles were on the verge on adapting to 32-bit consoles with CD-ROMs but that project failed by Sony
>> Again the Display Ratio is nowhere near 4:3 nor as widescreen
>> The SNES North American Console is not as sleak and colourful as the PAL and Japanese versions
>> NES carts are not natively supported

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Display a wider 4:3 ratio, not 5:4 or 8:7 for the second time!
>> Use a better 16-bit processor
>> Well maybe had a bit more luck for the SNES-CD project


Nintendo 64:-


The N64 got a powerful 64-bit processor with a Cartridge slot for ROM games to work. The N64 controllers were designed as a "M" shape with a D-Pad, Analog stick, with a Z-trigger button and a slot for saving games in a Controller Memory Pak. The controller slot can be used to add a Rumble Pak, Transfer Pak for Pokemon Stadium that has the ability to transfer Pokemon from the Gameboy games like Pokemon Red and Blue and so on.

Pros:-
>> Got a powerful 64-bit processor clocked just below 100Mhz for faster gameplay and decent FPS
>> The GFX is more powerful than it's early 32-bit console rivals
>> The current 4MB system RAM can be increased upto 8MB with a Expansion Pak for higher Resolution and detailed textures
>> The loading time is faster as it doesn't require a CD drive for the system to find the optical data
>> It can support upto 4 players for more party fun

Cons:-
>> Again like the ROM carts for the NES and SNES it is more expensive and doesn't store as much data around 650MB like the CD-ROMs
>> It doesn't have legacy support for the NES and SNES carts to be natively supported
>> 3rd Party game publishers had a struggle on releasing their games for the N64 due to the SDK's complexity
>> The sound quality is no where good as CD quality

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Have a CD-ROM drive near 4x Speed or faster when the console was launched before N64DD was announced
>> Maybe have the N64 SDK kits more easier to use


GameCube:-


Nintendo's first optical disc console released in 2001 with a IBM PowerPC CPU clocked at 486MHz. The discs however is in the similar form of a MiniDVD and only supports GameCube Discs and doesn't support DVDs nor any media.

Pros:-
>> It's got a faster CPU and slightly powerful GFX than the PS2
>> The FPS rate is slightly smoother than the PS2
>> It can natively support Game Boy, Color and Advanced carts by using the Game Boy Player accessory kit
>> It can also support on transferring data or Pokemon to the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games - using the Game Boy Advance link cable
>> The GameCube controller is very ergo designed, got a nice groves for the trigger buttons with a neat depth
>> Memory card is smaller than the PS2 and can store upto 251 blocks (16MB), but some 3rd party accessories can store more than 251 blocks
>> PAL consoles can allow support for PAL60 or at 60Hz mode
>> The WaveBird is the official wireless version of the controller supported for the console
>> The console is more lightweight and easy to carry and handle

Cons:-
>> The Indigo colour and design appears to be too "child-friendly"
>> GameCube Discs can only store upto 1.5GB - despite that Resident Evil can use 2 discs and can change discs ingame
>> Some games like Super Mario Sunshine, Resident Evil can only play at 25/30 FPS due to the lack of the ATI's graphics power and VRAM
>> Unlike the Game Boy Player, no older Nintendo console carts are natively supported
>> The disc loading tray got a design flaw as the lens is exposed - despite the warning sticker to avoid touching the lens

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Maybe allow the discs to store more than just 1.5GB? But having it dual layers may not wise as it has some loading drawbacks like too many scratches can make it unreadable.
>> Despite its lighter design, maybe make it a little beefed for better GFX power to avoid those 30FPS locks
>> Have a dual core IBM PowerPC for faster loading times and smoother performance
>> Increased Anisotopic factor with 2x Antialiasing
>> Had a main console design like the Panasonic Q perhaps?

Wii:-


This "New-Gen" console is considered to be the unique 7th-Gen released in December 2006. What make this console unique is the ability to use the Wii Remote and use the IR, motion and Gyroscopic features - like waving around for like Ninja sword fighting, relay baton, Orchestra conducting and many more! What makes it remarkable is how they use the Wii Remote for other tasks like using the Classic Controller, Nunchuck, Motion Plus and a few other addons for the WiiMote.

Pros:-
>> It can support 480p using the Component (YPbPr) for EDTV rather than those blurry and RGB overlay artifiacts like dot crawl, along with the flickering interlaced lines
>> The console is lightweight and easy to carry that is the similar size to 3 DVD cases
>> The original Wii console can support GameCube discs as well use the Memory Card and Controller from the GameCube
>> Includes online support for Netflix, Amazon, Internet Browsing, as well as Wii Shop
>> The launch price was low and affordable for poor gamers
>> SD Memory card support to share photos and easy to use
>> Great quality assurance as the Wii didn't had a lot of BSODs or RROD like the first revision model of the X360

Cons:-
>> 1080p and 720p HD are not supported
>> The technical specs is nowhere powerful as the PS3 and X360, despite that it is slightly powerful than the original XBox
>> The closure of GameSpy lead to the discontinuation of Nintendo Wifi Connect
>> Wii doesn't officially support DVD movies
>> Wii Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro don't have analog triggers, no thanks to being sued by Anascape
>> The Wii wasn't designed nor suited for hardcore gamers nor FPS action games

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Maybe support upto 720p
>> Have a dual or tri-core processors for better performance
>> Maybe have 2 GB on-board Flash storage for carrying extra Wii channels and save data
>> Have GFX enhancements like Anisotopic 16x with 2x/4x Antialiasing
>> Tell those patent trolls to stop claiming on copyright infringement

Wii U:-


This console is the HD version and next generation of the original Wii. Many Nintendo fans praised for its HD power as well as legacy support. The Wii U GamePad comes with advantages as players can either play on TV or on the GamePad. Some games like Need For Speed Most Wanted U had a "Co-Driver" feature that can help the "Driver" navigate, distract the police as well as other cool features.

Pros:-
>> Unlike the XBox One and PS4 it does allow older TV port support for S-Video, SCART and composite for players
>> Despite the launch price being more expensive than the original Wii, it was cheaper than the XBox One and PS4
>> Can natively support Wii games due to the same chipset arch - IBM PowerPC RISC, whereas the XB1 and PS4 moved on from PowerPC to x86_64 archs that made the pre-compiled ROM data incompatible in between
>> Includes online support for Netflix, Amazon, Internet Browsing, and eShop
>> eShop have Super Mario Galaxy that can support imported saves from the original Wii disc ROM.

Cons:-
>> 4K UHD are not supported
>> The technical specs is nowhere powerful as the PS4 and XB1, also
>> Wii U doesn't officially support DVD nor Blu-Ray movies
>> Regional Locking is applied to both the GamePad and Wii U games
>> The TVii service failed to be ready nor went online for PAL consoles
>> The Wii U didn't improve its purpose for hardcore gamers nor FPS action games
>> The GamePad Battery had a short lifespan that was inconvenient for players

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Have a quad or hex-core processors for better performance
>> Maybe bring back the analog trigger buttons like the GameCube Controller as the Wii U Pro Controller lack those trigger buttons
>> Have GFX enhancements like Anisotopic 16x with 2x/4x Antialiasing - for the 2nd time!
>> Have a beefed up battery for longer lifespan from when the Wii U was launched
>> Have GameCube games featured from eShop or Virtual Console

And last for not least the Switch:-


The Switch is a "hybrid" console: it is designed as a home console, with the main unit inserted onto a docking station to connect to a television. It can use ROM cards for playing various games but players can also download and buy games from eShop. The Joy-Cons can be used as 1-Player in a full sized format or as 2-Player mini format. The processor is powered with a nVidia Tegra X1 SoC, with 4GB of internal RAM and 32GB of onboard storage.

Pros:-
>> It can be played either at home, outside or even inside an aeroplane
>> It is affordable and slightly cheaper than the Wii U
>> The eShop is included despite that the Switch doesn't use the Nintendo Network
>> The Switch battery lifespan is longer lasting than the Wii U GamePad
>> The Nintendo Switch Online subscription can support Cloud Saves to preserve player's data
>> Wii U USB GameCube adaptor will be supported for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (hopefully)
>> Regional locking is not included

Cons:-
>> The Switch is not even as powerful as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 nor support 4G
>> The Joy-Con aren't as ergonomic like the Wii Remote, despite that 3rd party silica or rubber grip casing accessories are available
>> Both the Joy-Con and the Switch Pro Controller don't have analog triggers no thanks to Anascape suing Nintendo over that patent issue
>> Switch Online doesn't appear to support Achievements
>> Wii nor Wii U discs are natively supported

Improvements that should of been made:-
>> Well, lets hope they bring Achievements...
>> Include Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and maybe Youtube on the launch date
>> Maybe allow 4K support for docked mode rather than 1080p
>> Maybe get the Motion Sensor bar back in to support Wii games?
>> Have GFX enhancements like 2x/4x Antialiasing or use xBRZ for those Retro games
>> Tell those patent trolls to stop claiming on copyright infringement, again!

Well there you have it, and Chris if you or your family are reading this; I offer my condolences and hope you and your family have a good xmas and well done on getting access on playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate. I know my donation to Marie Curie charity won't help very much, but hang in there and hope you have a good time. And we will make sure the viewers and myself won't forget you... Take care!

[mahanoor]

technically the first one was “Color Play TV”

but i don’t know of any games on it soooo

NES.

I’ve only played Super Mario Bros. and its sequel (lost levels) but Super Mario Bros. 2 has a banger soundtrack.

[Baci Rom]

Woow thank you for this post. Really enlightening!