Decisions that changed gaming

[EvilBoris]

What decisions have games company made in the last few years that have changed the way that other companies deal with their products/services and have generally improved the gaming landscape for us?

What other stand out features of your consoles/games can you think of that have filtered down and ended up as a common thing?


Nintendo Making the Analogue stick part of the default controller for the N64, without that we probably wouldn't of seen the dual analogue configurations that we have now.

Nintendo releasing the first 60HZ only game in a PAL territory took us one step closer to worldwide releases.

Sony's marketing for the PS1 that helped to perpetuate games consoles as an adult passtime.

Microsoft laying down the hard rules that all games would be HD *cough* and have surround sound on the 360.

[jezzace]

Maybe EA's decision to not support Dreamcast. Meant that hardly any of the PS1 crowd were prepared to switch console, the dreamcast died and Sega now piss on Sonic for fun.

[kernow]

Platinum range - cheaper prices for older games, this was Sony's doing correct?

I honestly believe Nintendo would be resting on their laurels for ages and advancing a lot slower if Sony hadn't had done so well with the PS1/PS2 also. They've caused them to shift up a gear when it comes to competing and being innovative. We might still be on cartridges with no online gaming, and £60 games .. in 50hz and 14months later.

[noobish hat]

I don't think Platinum was the first line of discount games, there have been 'Best Of's and 'Greatest Hits' series on earlier consoles, right? But yes, it did change gaming; it gave us a bunch of ****ty packaging and black and white instruction booklets.

What about Microsoft's decision to sell the Xbox as a loss leader and pick up profit on the games? Now Sony's at it too, only Nintendo are actually making a profit on the system itself.

[Pilotwings]

Best looking budget game of all time maybe?

[pentarou]

Sony pulling out of making the CD drive add-on for the SNES, and thus giving birth to the Playstation.

[squishyfishy]

The runaway success of the wii, casual gaming and the likes of guitar hero and rockband.


Gaming is now "fun" again, and attractive to those who refrained from gaming due to button fear.

[Kongster]

When 3D gaming emerged in the 90s.

[bwi]

Sony pulling out of making the CD drive add-on for the SNES, and thus giving birth to the Playstation.

Didnt Nintendo dump on Sony and Sony then, being a bit pissed off decided to make a console from the research they had alredy done?

bri

[pentarou]

Didnt Nintendo dump on Sony and Sony then, being a bit pissed off decided to make a console from the research they had alredy done?

bri

Quite possibly, I can't remember the exact details. I was just thinking that if Sony hadn't have gone off to make the Playstation would Microsoft ever have made the Xbox? We'd probably be on the Dreamcast 2 by now if the Playstation had never existed!

[kernow]

Yep, nintendo basically pulled out of the deal with sony and didn't tell them until they actually announced on the day (of some e3 type keynote thing, maybe TGS? I dunno), that they were in partnership with philips instead. That fell through too giving birth to CDI and those terrible nintendo releases on the CDI as a compromise.

Sony had been thinking of a machine before PSX but ken kutaragi always had said no, since being double crossed by nintendo and this seen as being very dishonourable in Japanese business custom, ken was vengeful and gave the go ahead finally.

[MattyD]

If you mean *recently*, as in very recently, then Xbox Live has changed console gaming considerably and not always for the best.

On the one hand, Xbox Live is pure awesome. On the other hand, it seems many games these days are just extended tutorials for the multiplayer mode. At the very least, development resources are being spent on a part of the game that often doesn't stand up or doesn't weather as well as the solo mode.

Publishers seem to know that people will buy whatever their friends are playing (which is surely the point behind Xbox Live as well) and even if they only play it for a fortnight before moving onto the next new release, which tends to be the case, they've made a sale. It makes me worry that publishers will be less likely to back solo-only titles that could have turned out to be amazing, if the confidence in sales is not there.

[Fastware]

Platinum range - cheaper prices for older games, this was Sony's doing correct?

Sega started this with the Master System a range of the older games promoted on a lower price point, 12.99. This was around 1990 when Virgin Mastertronic were distributing for Sega in Europe. That's how games like The Ninja get so much love.

[nonny]

Agree with all these... add the release of Xbox LIVE as well.

For me that changed the way I play console games forever.

[J0e Musashi]

Nintendo. That alone should do it.

I'll go with L and R though.