| lilbroex said: The components that make up a gaming console are generally custom built with the first real exception to that being the XBox, then the 360 and PS3. They pretty much "are" desktops only with a different aesthetic design. Their chips were more or less straight replicas of existing chips. |
To be entirely accurate, most consoles used very conventional technology that was obsolete based on PC standards ...
The Motorola 68000 (CPU) was introduced in 1979, was used by Apple in the early 1980s, Atari and Commodore used it in the mid 1980s for their PCs, and was the CPU of the Sega Genesis in 1989. At a time when people were spending $5,000 for an 'average' PC, Nintendo and Sega were producing $200 gaming systems because the technology was so outdated.
Before the PS2, XBox and Gamecube console manufacturers were mostly picking up components from gigantic tech companies after they were no longer useful to them. They scavenged the garbage heaps of these companies, repackaged and resold the components at a low cost and people were greatful because of how expensive new technology was at the time.
The vast majority of consoles were closer to the Wii's performance when released than the HD consoles (in relative terms).
