• KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    More accurate image:

    I don’t quite agree with the Gameboy and Gameboy Color being combined though.

    • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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      1 day ago

      Has there been any console pair besides Gameboy and Gameboy color that had games released that would work on both but behave differently on each? Some carts were black and white, some worked only on GBC, but some (like most of all of the pokemon games) would still be black and white on the original but had unique color palettes on GBC.

      Looks like the technical term is “Color-enhanced Game Boy Game Pak”.

      The color-enhanced Game Boy Game Pak (also known as class B, dual mode, or black cartridges) improved the gameplay experience on the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems while maintaining compatibility with older monochrome devices.

      These cartridges can use the full color capabilities of the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems, displaying up to 56 colors simultaneously out of a palette of 32,768 while remaining compatible with the original Game Boy where they were presented in four shades of gray. However, this compatibility comes at the expense of not being able to utilize the handheld’s increased processing speed and memory.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Game_Pak

      Compare that to GBA, which had GBA games but could also play Gameboy and Gameboy Color games. But there were no GBA games that could run on Gameboy or Gameboy Color. That weird middle ground might be why they count them together.

  • 𝕲𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍🔻𝕯𝖃 (he/him)@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I’d be interested to see how sales of the steam deck compare. Sure, it’s a pc not a console, but the whole thing is to bring pc gaming to console gamers so I’m interested in the comparison.

    EDIT: based on a quick search, 4 million as of this time last year. I did not find anything more up to date than that. Looking that up made me realize that it would be nice if this chart had a date on it since two of the consoles in the chart are still in production.

    • 87Six@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      Damn… That’s a bit disappointing to hear… I thought people loved the steam deck.

      • northernlights@lemmy.today
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        1 day ago

        I think people think it runs way fewer games than it does. I keep updating proton, etc, and like 99% of my games work. Hell, I have all my DS and Switch games on there.

  • Pistcow@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    The reason for the high sales of the PS2 was because it was a cheap DVD player at being nearly half the price of a stand alone DVD player.

    Funny by the time I worked at Target when they discontinued selling VHS and a customer was arguing with me about why did we stop selling VHS and I replied, “Dude, buy a DVD player, there’s one on that shelf for $35, its cheaper than a toaster now.” My manager standing next to me wasnt too happy but the customer reluctantly bought the cheap ass-DVD player.

    • itsamelemmy@piefed.zip
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      3 days ago

      The ps3 was also one of the cheapest blu-ray players at the time. But I’m pretty sure the 2 launched for 3 or 4 hundred, not 500 or 600 like the ps3 so that probably put a damper on sales. I know I waited for the 40gig $400 ps3 version that gen, and the ps3 price is what made me buy a 360 initially instead.

      • greybeard@feddit.online
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        3 days ago

        There was also a pretty aggressive format war between BluRay and HDDVD that tempered demand for a little while. I bought a launch PS3 as well, in part because of BluRay.

        I also think it was a time where not everyone had an HD TV, nor did most people see a huge difference between DVD and BluRay, so there just wasn’t quite the demand compared to VHS vs DVD. Aside from the graphical stepup to DVD, it also didn’t need to be rewinded and didn’t take up nearly as much space. I think those two were big selling features, that the DVD to BluRay transition just didn’t have.

        • itsamelemmy@piefed.zip
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          3 days ago

          All true. I also remembered that I actually bought 2 ps2 as I bought my girlfriend’s mom one for a dvd player for Christmas I think. The vhs to dvd was definitely a bigger jump than to blu-ray.

    • Buffy@libretechni.ca
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      3 days ago

      How was your manager not happy with this? You not only talked them into a purchase but a purchase into an ecosystem that would likely generate future revenue for the company. There is nothing but positives here?

    • Agrivar@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      As someone who moved on from consoles between the Nintendo and the Super Nintendo, the PS2 is the only modern console I’ve ever owned, and it was 90% for the DVD player.

      • TacoSocks@infosec.pub
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        3 days ago

        The steam deck has unfortunately sold a tiny fraction of the sales of the consoles listed in the image. I can’t find any exact numbers but the steam deck has sold between 4 to 6 million units.

        • smeg@feddit.uk
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          3 days ago

          More than things like the Phillips CD-i which makes the Wikipedia list, so they’re at least distinguishing between consoles and PCs

      • smeg@feddit.uk
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        3 days ago

        Wikipedia seems to think they are. I’ve seen “home consoles” used when you want to exclude handhelds, what makes you say that they’re technically not consoles?

          • Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            3 days ago

            The Siwtch is not a handheld, unless you count the Switch Lite into those sales. You can perfectly use a Switch as a home console.

            • zikzak025@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              I count it as a handheld because every switch can be used as a handheld, while not every switch can be used as a home console.

              So I guess why wouldn’t the Switch Lite be counted in those sales? It’s the same device, sans detachable controllers and docking capabilities.

              It’s like calling a phone that you can plug into a monitor with peripherals a “desktop”

  • magic_smoke@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 days ago

    I’m actually shocked how low 360/ps3 are.

    I felt like everyone I know has at least owned one, and they where more consoles where actually used as Netflix boxes back then out of necessity due to lack of good smart TVs or set top boxes.

    Plus they had an extra 5 years of being around, not to count the fact most early adopters bought another twice, especially with the 360 due to RROD.

    • PineRune@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I think the big difference is the older generation of gaming didn’t have to compete with every kid having a tablet they could just play games on.

    • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I think the Wii stole the momentum. PS3 and 360 were just crazy expensive compared to the Wii and the prev gen of consoles. And unlike PS2 those two consoles lacked a lot of games for kids. So for parents it was an easy decision to just get a Wii. Not to mention if you already had a PS2 you had a large library of games at your disposal and the machine was modable, it’s why it still sold very well in the end of the console’s lifetime especially in middle income regions, like it sold super well in South America. So many PS2 owners weren’t going to convert to PS3, just way too expensive and can’t play pirated games.

  • oce 🐆@jlai.lu
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    3 days ago

    I didn’t know Xbox was so low compared to Playstation, no wonder there’s rumor Microsoft will drop console making.

    • zikzak025@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Switch has a good chance of overtaking PS2 before the end of its lifespan. The Switch is still selling and still getting game releases.

    • rljkeimig@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I think the PS2 being so well sold is more impressive because the price adjusted for inflation is closer to $560, or $299 in the year 2000.

      I think part of it was the idea that it could also be a DVD player so you wouldn’t need two devices that helped sell it if I recall correctly.

      • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 @pawb.social
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        3 days ago

        I remember that was the case for PS3 and BluRay, but not so much DVD and the PS2. PS3 was, what, $300? $400? Where as the cheapest BluRay player that just played BluRay movies was almost a grand.

        I may just not remember it being similar for PS2. I was a sophmore in high school when it came out.

        • ripcord@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          That was absolutely true for ps2 and DVD. They were trying to recapture it with ps3 and blu ray and with less success.

        • rljkeimig@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          The PS3 was stupid expensive at launch, like $600 in 2006, nearly $1000 in 2026 dollars. But yeah I think that argument was made then also.

          I think the PS2 was marketed specifically for DVD capabilities in some cases, I remember an IR dongle and remote control they sold so you didn’t have to use a controller.

    • jedibob5@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      The Wii might’ve had higher sales at its peak, but PS2 had a lot of longevity.

    • paultimate14@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I don’t remember that. Maybe you’re thinking of something like “if the Wii keeps selling at its current pace it will pustell the PS2”?

      They said that about the Switch as well and it didn’t happen.

    • bus_factor@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I figured the 2004 release as the PS2 slim turned the tables again, but that was still before the Wii came out in 2006. It’s possible that story only counted the original PS2 and this chart counts both, though.

  • davidgro@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Genuinely surprised that nothing old-school made the list: NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, A2600, etc.

    • Infrapink@thebrainbin.org
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      3 days ago

      The NES was the best selling of those, at ~60 million. The PS1 completely changed the curve.

      It’s funny. People remember the PS3 as a failure because it’s the worst-selling PlayStation, but it still crushed NES numbers

  • jack665@lemmings.world
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    2 days ago

    Great breakdown of console sales over the years. It’s interesting how gaming success isn’t limited to hardware anymore—some titles thrive purely on experience. Bus Simulator Indonesia shows this well, building a strong fanbase on mobile through realism and cultural detail, without needing a major console platform.