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Consoles by the numbers

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Who had the most games? Whose games cost the most? Who had the best looking console in previous generations? These are questions that most of you will only be asking now, but they’re still interesting questions nonetheless. The majority of us grew up with at least one console in our homes, entertainment devices that went from catridges to DVDs, from wired controllers to power-gloves. Here’s a mathematical run down of some of the powerhouses from previous generations of gaming, how much they cost in their homebase of US of A, and how much a complete run of games would have set you back.

SNES

SONY DSC

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System! A console that set new benchmarks in video and audio quality back in the day. In fact, the console was so damned good, that we never got to see it released locally, a move which probably explains why Nintendo is at the bottom of the video game totem pole in this country. Here’s a look at the numbers that made up the console:

  • 784 officially released games
  • Original console price: $199
  • Average cost per game: $49.95
  • Total estimated library cost: $39 160

Sega Genesis/Megadrive

Sega-Genesis-Mod2-Set

Now here’s a console most of us will be familiar with. Sega was a brand name in South Africa, starting with the Master System and then following on with the Genesis, or Megadrive as it was known here, due to the fact that people hated Phil Collins music (citation needed). Pretty much everyone has owned one of these consoles during their gaming life. Hell, I’ve still got mine, and it works like a dream even in this digital age of today. Maths!

    • 915 officially release games
    • Original console price: $199
    • Average cost per game: $49.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $45 704

Sega Saturn

1280px-Sega-Saturn-Console-Set-Mk1

I loved the Sega Saturn when it was first released. It was a great console, with some great games, such as Vectorman and Nights Into Dreams. The Saturn had everything going for it, until the Sony Playstation arrived and eclipsed it completely, leading to a slow death and the beginning of the end of Sega as a Hardware brand. Here’s a look at the brief run that the console had:

    • Speculative number: 557 across Western and Eastern territories
    • Original console price: $299
    • Average cost per game: $49.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $27 822

Sony Playstation

SONY DSC

Without the Sony Playstation, gaming would not be anywhere near as popular as it is today. The PS1 made gaming more than just acceptable, it made it a mainstream event. It wasn’t just something for rich kids and social pariahs to enjoy, it was something that mom and dad could take part in as well. After a lengthy lifespan as the top console of that generation, the PS1 eventually gave way to the PS2, and the rest as they say, is history:

    • 2418 officially released games
    • Original console price: $299
    • Average cost per game: $39.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $96 599

Nintendo 64

N64-Console-Set

While Sony was trouncing Sega in the console wars, along came a third competitor in the form of The N64 console. It was big, bold and for some reason still used cartridges to deliver a gaming experience. With twice the graphical power, the N64 could churn out blocky characters like it was going out of style, and while it wasn’t the victor of that console generation, it certainly wasn’t a loser either:

  • 387 officially released games
  • Original console price: $199
  • Average cost per game: $49.95
  • Total estimated library cost: $19 330

Sony Playstation 2

PS2_Main

This is the console that took the idea of a mainstream entertainment device, and injected it with savvy marketing, solid games and an attitude to match. The Playstation 2 is still going strong today, easily found in shops brand new, with a massive library of games to go with it. It’s a console that lasted from one age into the next, as Sony made a smart move to keep supporting it as a budget alternative. One that came with plenty of games:

    • 2016 officially released games
    • Original console price: $299
    • Average cost per game: $59.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $120 859

Sega Dreamcast

Dreamcast-set-orange

The last, and perhaps the greatest console that Sega ever made. Packed with online functionality and games that set benchmarks for new ideas, the Dreamcast was sadly a product that perhaps far too ahead of its time. Sexy, sleek and with a kickass LCD panel in its massive controller, it’s a page in the history books now. But what a page it was:

    • 720 games released, including unlicensed titles
    • Original console price: $299
    • Average cost per game: $49.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $35 964

Nintendo Gamecube

GameCube-Console-Set

Hot damn, I miss this little cube. Marketed terribly in South Africa, the Gamecube was still a magical console, with a cute design and a controller that would destroy the weakest of hands with it’s many, many buttons. With games such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Metroid Prime on the device, no one could deny that the Gamecube had some of the best visuals and gameplay out of all the consoles. Unfortunately, it struggled throughout its lifespan, failing to take the world by storm, but helping Nintendo learn a lesson or two that would pave the way for their Wii console and a whole new way of play games…

    • 646 officially released games
    • Original console price: $199
    • Average cost per game: $49.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $32 267

Microsoft Xbox

microsoft_xbox_3d_back

The first, and pretty damn successful, foray from Microsoft into the world of console gaming  proved to be a winner for the company. While the development of “Project X” first revealed  a console that was nothing more than a giant X, the finished product was a sexy combination of black plastic and clever branding, alongside a controller the size of a dinner plate. But thanks to an online service that actually worked, as well as the oppurtunity to hurl racist insults at random people through a team-speak headset, the original Xbox was a smash hit.

    • 968 officially released games
    • Original console price: $299
    • Average cost per game: $59.95
    • Total estimated library cost: $58 031

Want to know what the kicker is here? If you had bought every single one of those consoles, and all their games at the RRP, you’ have forked out over $478027.95. Or in Randelas, that amounts to R4 323 697. Or enough cash to buy a few rooms at Jacob Zuma’s not-a-compound.

Last Updated: January 31, 2013

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