Even while people were still one hundred percent on board enjoying full sized arcade games, during the late 70s and the 80s, a significant influx of consoles was coming out of the woodwork faster than some games being made. In many cases, the gaming industry was still a wild frontier, and the pastures were lush and rugged enough for companies to stake their claim in the market to see whose console would come out on top. It’s doubtless that many of them knew that only 3 of these consoles would rise above the rest at the end of the day. In the course of this early console war, many other and much older consoles metaphorically bit the dust, with some falling harder than others, taking entire companies with them. Let’s find out just which amongst these fell the greatest and why. 

Sega Dreamcast

Sega used to be a gaming juggernaut globally, and it still has a presence with the number of games that are under its license. There’s no denying that they fell hard from their perch of superiority over other companies with the absolute failure of the Sega Dreamcast. Sega’s released many consoles over the years, and the Dreamcast was far from their first flop. What made it especially bad was both the marketing and the number of games that didn’t justify getting it in the first place. It had some beautiful gems like House of the Dead, but these were only a few of the titles that it could boast players enjoying. 

Philips CD-i

What makes the Philips CD-i unique is that it was supposed to be a console that could do it all. Its purpose was meant to transcend its use as a simple console for games. It was also designed to have increased functionality, such as being able to play music, along with other noteworthy functions. The problem was that, like the Dreamcast, its marketing was shoddy, as it wasn’t billed initially as a game console, so it wouldn’t have to compete directly with said consoles. However, it proved to be its downfall as it undersold with high expectations, which was horrible for the company since such a console was not easy to make. 

ATARI Jaguar

For years, there was a time when the game’s name was to develop full sized arcade games, and Atari was the undisputed king of the industry. They began to delve into the console wars, seeing the business shift and introducing the ATARI Jaguar as a result. It was the killing blow that ruined any hopes they had at getting a foothold in the console wars. The biggest thing that killed the Jaguar is being outdated. The graphics and 64-bit system that it utilized resembled more of a crystalized fossil than its competitors. Plus, it was a lot harder developing games on such a backward system, leading them to have fewer games as a result. With all of these factors together, it should be no surprise ATARI quit on console making altogether. 

Neo Geo

If there were ever a cautionary tale about being careful about what price tag you place on your gaming products, the Neo Geo would be the flagship for it. One of this console’s most important calls to fame was that it had the processing power of a full sized arcade game, making it impressive since arcades offer the best level of graphics for a game. Sadly, pulling off such a feat was far from cheap, and it showed in the price tag of $650, which was extremely pricey in the 1990s. No gamer would pay that kind of money for a console at that price just for improved graphics, and it showed with how hard it flopped.

Conclusion

It wouldn’t be surprising to hear that you’ve never even heard of any of these consoles. Some of them barely hit the shelves before they eventually descended into a state of mediocrity and floundering. However, their failures eventually taught what you should and shouldn’t do to captivate the audience. We’ve come a long way from arcade games, and though many consoles and companies perished in the early console wars, we still have many sources of inspiration and lessons to garner from them. 

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