Throwback Thursday - Show your first gaming system [ Edited ]

[ivrognard]

My first was a NES console. But the initial contact was with a Spectrum ZX that somehow managed to make its way in the country (the owner was a family friend that was working as a pilot on the international flights for the local airline)

Funny thing, i did not fall in love with Nintendo's consoles. I went for Sega afterwards (Mega Drive with a Genesis adapter, Game Gear), PS One later on and finally on PC (which was an AMD K6-3, as Intel was way more expensive around here at the time). Switched from AMD to Intel After my trusted AMD Barton was deemed irrelevant and this time sticked with Intel. Other previously owned consoles: PS2, PS3, PSP, GameBoy Color. Never owned an XBox and i have no wish to own one. Most of the jRPG's that i wanted/want to play were/are on the Sony's own consoles. I am tempted to buy a Switch for the new Zelda, but again, not enough titles on Nintendo that would tempt me.

@clayreeee ah, someone that appreciated that little bugger

Game Gear was a beautiful portable and Sega missed an opportunity there. Yes, it had more weight than a Game Boy, it ate batteries like there was no tomorrow, but there was that color screen, the number of accessories that you could add (even a TV tuner). It was basically a portable Master System and it's a shame that Sega did not try to bring more titles on it. I will always wonder how the consoles world would look if Sega had better management, as they definitely had the tech and they were always one step ahead (replacing the cartridge with the CD, online functionality and many other things that they've adopted first)

[clayreeee]

@ivrognard Now that you're talking about it I remember the accessories! We had the magnifier:

It was a great console, I personally think the graphics were better than the Game Boy Color - the colors were better and the graphics more "precise" because the screen was bigger.

(Found the picture on Google, and I just remembered we also had the game Columns - it was a Tetris kinda game, that was the first game my mom bought on the console)

[EA_David]

Pssh, call that an accessory?! This is an accessory!

[ivrognard]

@clayreeee Game Gear had a decent game library, but at the time Nintendo managed to attract most of the third developers to their Game Boy. I still loved it more than the Game Boy Color. And, yes, the colors were so much better on Game Gear. Sega lacked the marketing to make it a true success (though 11 million units sold isn't exactly a failure).

The histroy repeated with Sony's PSP/Vita (both had better hardware and functionality, but they were surclassed by the Nintendo DS/3DS/etc). I still hope that Sony will try to revitalize the portable consoles line. They certainly have the means.

As for Sega, i miss their console days. Lots of good will from me for bringing on PC some of their console hits + the Valkyria Chronicles and Bayonetta (both are great games, but VC is an amazing game in both gameplay and story departments and i can fully recommend it - for only 20$/euro you get a lot of unforgettable gaming hours and if you can get it in a sale, you definitely made a really good deal).  

[ivrognard]

@EA_David It was ONE example.

Check this:

http://segaretro.org/Category:Game_Gear_accessories

You have solar panel for recharge, TV tuner, FM tuner and so on

Never underestimate the power of Sega

[Straatford87]

@EA_Roger

You're welcome for making you feel old....... :-)

It's cool that you still have all your old consoles! I wish I did..

@EA_Roger @Carbonic

Did you guys play Ninja Turtles on the Gameboy? I loved that game!

@EA_Roger @IIPrest0nII

There's a new sonic coming out on Switch somewhere this year. They are going back to oldschool looks and gameplay - perhaps something for you both.

@EA_David

Now that you mention it... that art is actually pretty hilarious.. 

Both my brother and I had a Gameboy as well. I remember some pretty cool games on there but I just have no idea what they're called anymore! I tried looking for them, but alas..

@clayreeee @ivrognard

Nice! I thought that the Gamegear console was really underrated - graphics and power were also insane for its time if you compare it to the Gameboy..

While Sonic was an awesome game on there, I guess the console had two main problems for my family: we hardly could find any games for it, and the battery just died sooooo fast. Still my fav handheld at the time though.. :-)

@clayreeee @EA_David @ivrognard

Looool - ah yes those accessories from the 90's, where everything was insanely clunky.. :D

Thanks for sharing everyone! Had some great nostalgia trips over breakfast.. :-)

[aT1C]

Ohh man...  we are going down the nostalgia route! 

I started PC, I remember my father coming home with an laptop and it had the full game of Age of Empires 1(epic game)! 

Me and my father where playing it together evry day when he came back from work(great times) ever sen that I got hook on the world of gaming!

Funny part my first ever game i did buy for money was Age of empires 2 that box was huge! So much texts books all about units and even a tier map tree. 

Best regards,

aT1C

[holger1405]

All right then:

 

This is my first console.



 

I think it was 1980 as I got it, Darth-Vader-Variant.
The games were the classic ones, PAC-Man, Asteroids and so on.

That thing pulled me into the computer world. So in the end this thing is the reason you have to deal with me.

Blame Atari.

[Straatford87]

@holger1405

Oh wow - perhaps this is the console we had at our place! I remember that we had a device that could play PAC-man, however I was so young that I simply can't remember which device it actually was.

It's amazing how far gaming systems have come since then.. :-)

[ivrognard]

I'd say that some of us witnessed the birth of this marvelous entertainment form that is videogaming. I actually started on the old arcade machines (yes, we had those Arcade halls, though the titles were already old when they would reach us). And there were some TV's that had Pong integrated (of course, the TV was imported).

Looking back, i can't believe how fast things evolved. Even if i did not owned every console out there, i always could get my hands for the ones i did not own from friends. We would exchange them for weeks to play certain titles or would play together those titles that would allow split screen or those fighting games (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, etc). 

Wish i'd still have my consoles (the old ones).