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Video Game crash of 1983
Gray_Area:
I noticed things at that age, but I had no knowledge to comprehend them. I did know quality when I saw it, and instantly panned all the arcade ports - except for Coleco's stuff. When the 5200 came out, I seriously wonderd why the hell they were still pushing games for the 2600. It obviously was an inferior unit. They should've realized that (even recent) 2600 buyers who felt left out/abandoned would've slunk away for a little bit, but would've come back. Following such logic across the board probably would've averted the catastrophe.
RandyT:
--- Quote from: pinballjim on August 31, 2012, 04:27:01 pm ---Always cracks me up to see Tele-Games mentioned on those flyers. When I lived in Dallas county that remains of that company was literally a guy's garage in a house down the street. Went to school with his daughter. I have no idea if that was ever truly an actual company or just a dude importing and reselling stuff. But I about ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- my pants when I saw an ad for them in GamePro and the address on it was 4 blocks away.
--- End quote ---
??? Tele-Games was Sears' re-branded Atari 2600 stuff, because, you know, it's better if Sears makes it. What company are you talking about? :)
--- Quote from: Gray_Area on August 31, 2012, 04:42:02 pm ---They should've realized that (even recent) 2600 buyers who felt left out/abandoned would've slunk away for a little bit, but would've come back. Following such logic across the board probably would've averted the catastrophe.
--- End quote ---
They thought the same way. The 5200 was not well received and was plagued with controller problems. They tried again with the 7800, which was an improvement across the board, and offered backward compatibility to the 2600. And still, consumers didn't come back. The market was very different 25 years ago.
ark_ader:
Telegames....
Was that the console with black triangle joysticks?
Zero_Hour:
--- Quote from: ark_ader on August 31, 2012, 07:44:53 pm ---Telegames....
Was that the console with black triangle joysticks?
--- End quote ---
I believe you are thinking of the Fairchild Channel F
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Channel_F
Gatt:
--- Quote from: RandyT on August 31, 2012, 05:26:23 pm ---
--- Quote from: Gray_Area on August 31, 2012, 04:42:02 pm ---They should've realized that (even recent) 2600 buyers who felt left out/abandoned would've slunk away for a little bit, but would've come back. Following such logic across the board probably would've averted the catastrophe.
--- End quote ---
They thought the same way. The 5200 was not well received and was plagued with controller problems. They tried again with the 7800, which was an improvement across the board, and offered backward compatibility to the 2600. And still, consumers didn't come back. The market was very different 25 years ago.
--- End quote ---
Keep in mind that a video game back then was a 5 or 10 minute experience with little to no personal involvement, in contrast to later years where a game could last 40 hours or more, had narrative, and often the Player is involved in the game's direction as it plays out. The games were designed after arcade game design philosophies, and the result was a experience that failed to cause long-term engagement.
Which, I'd argue is a lesson we're about to relearn as companies discard narrative and single player games in favor of multiplayer-centric design and free-to-play designed around a business plan instead of a good game idea. IMO today's market bears more similiarities with the 2600 generation than any other generation.
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