History OlderThanTheyThink / VideoGames

* The Platform/PlayStation wasn't the first [[Platform/HowVideoGameSpecsWork 32 bit console]]. Neither was the Platform/SegaSaturn, or the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]], or even the Platform/AmigaCD32, despite their own claims. That honor actually goes to the Platform/FMTowns Marty, which [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and didn't sell that well even there.

* The Platform/SegaGenesis and Super NES had online multiplayer, through a commercially failed device known as the UsefulNotes/{{XBAND}}. It was mostly ExecutiveMeddling that killed it since nobody wanted to host the service. Not to mention that practically no developer took an interest in adding XBAND support for their games, save for ''VideoGame/{{Weaponlord}}'', which necessitated reverse-engineering the games to add multiplayer support. For portables, Nintendo had a cellphone-based service that [[NoExportForYou remained in Japan]], predating anything practical by two generations.

** The Platform/{{Vectrex}} used a light pen that allowed for touch-sensitive gaming decades before the Platform/NintendoDS came out. The Platform/GameCom also featured a touch screen, though in a rather crude fashion. Even before the GameCom, Sega was in development of a handheld with a touch screen, but had to cancel it due to it becoming too expensive.

** The Platform/{{Vectrex}} used a light pen that allowed for touch-sensitive gaming decades before the Platform/NintendoDS came out. The UsefulNotes/GameCom also featured a touch screen, though in a rather crude fashion. Even before the GameCom, Sega was in development of a handheld with a touch screen, but had to cancel it due to it becoming too expensive.

** The Platform/NintendoDS was praised for its unique gimmick of having two display screens, which many games took advantage of by using one of the screens as a map display for example. The DS wasn't Nintendo's first foray into dual screen gaming. Their first iteration of dual screens was done in the arcade version of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', which predates the DS by a good 20 years. The "Vertical Multi Screen" UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch series were also foldable handhelds with two screens, very similar to the DS.

* Downloadable games are older than most people think. In 1983, a service called [=GameLine=] allowed you to download full games via dialup modem to a special cartridge for the Atari 2600. The service [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 didn't last long]], but its parent company (Control Video Corporation) became Quantum Computer Services, which eventually became America Online. In TheNineties, Sega had the Sega Channel for the Genesis, which was preceded in Japan by the above Sega Meganet (the latter being the first service to feature download-only games). Nintendo followed with the BS UsefulNotes/{{Satellaview}} for the Super Famicom in Japan. Sega also had an online store just for the Dreamcast, too, called Dreamcast Direct (later Sega Direct). ''VideoGame/{{Segagaga}}'' was in fact released initially as an exclusive to that store.

* Most people seem to think that Nintendo pioneered the idea of using RFID cards in games to get additional characters and power-ups, unaware that Mattel had actually tried the same mechanic a whole decade earlier with the UsefulNotes/HyperScan. The idea itself went back several more years to 1999, with a PC edutainment game called ''Redbeard's Pirate Quest: Interactive Toy'' by a startup known as ''Zowie''.

** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2: Battle'' and ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}}'' may be notable as the first Sonic games on consoles from Sega's former archrivals Creator/{{Nintendo}}, but they are not the first Sonic games to be released on another company's system. They were beaten by the dismal UsefulNotes/GameCom PortingDisaster of ''Sonic Jam'', released in July 1998, and ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', which was released only two years before ''Battle'' on the Platform/NeoGeoPocket Color, and only a few months after the 9.9.99 launch of the Dreamcast.

* Cards for saving data are commonly associated with ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage''. However, Creator/{{SNK}} started doing it in the early 90s with the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo MVS arcade hardware; some MVS cabinets have card slots which allows players to use special proprietary cards to save data for a variety of games.

* Many people think that consoles using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_model razor and blades model]][[note]]Selling the consoles at a loss and making up for by collecting licensing fees on games or through RevenueEnhancingDevices like mandatory online subscriptions or {{microtransactions}}[[/note]] are a relatively recent phenomenon, starting in the sixth or seventh generation, and cite it as a sign that the industry is focusing on graphics and hardware above all else. In reality, this has been going on in the console market since at least the UsefulNotes/Atari2600. Atari sold it at a loss, anticipating to make a lot of money off of game sales since they thought they'd be the only one making games for it. This bit them in the ass when third-party publishers inevitably entered the market due to Atari's poor treatment of its developers and the 2600 lacking any sort of lockout mechanism to prevent unlicensed games from running, something that every console since has had. Similarly, Sega sold the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis at a loss for a time in order to undercut the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem. And then the model is declared illegal for video games by the FTC in the Sega vs Accolade case because it decided that the lock-in is anticompetitive.

** Speaking of which, ''Pong'' was ''not'' the first home game system, that goes to the UsefulNotes/MagnavoxOdyssey. Nor was the Creator/{{Atari}} VCS (a.k.a. UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}) the first console to use ROM cartridges -- that honor belongs to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Channel_F Fairchild Channel F.]] (The "cartridges" used in the original Magnavox Odyssey were just a block of jumpers that connected various pins together inside the Odyssey to select a particular game; all the games the Odyssey could ever play were already contained in the main unit. The UsefulNotes/Odyssey2, which ''did'' use ROM-containing game carts, didn't come out until a couple of years after the VCS.)

* Believe it or not, there were Creator/{{Sega}} titles for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom/NES]], before ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' came to being, and ''long'' before the company left the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast hardware business]]. These were licensed ports made by other companies and included (but are not limited to) ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'', ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast1988'', ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'', ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' and ''VideoGame/AfterBurner''. These were also released for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]].
** In 1998, Sega obtained the rights to the ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series from Creator/{{Compile}}, who was facing financial troubles. However, Compile was apparently allowed to continue to do whatever they wanted with the series, resulting in a Sega property receiving entries on the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation wasn't the first [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork 32 bit console]]. Neither was the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, or the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]], or even the Platform/AmigaCD32, despite their own claims. That honor actually goes to the Platform/FMTowns Marty, which [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and didn't sell that well even there.
** In fact, a case could be made for the ''[[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis]]'' being the first 32-bit console, as it used simultaneously two 16-bit buses, making it functionally 32-bit. Old Apple computers marketed as 32-bit did the same.
* ''Ghen War'', a 1995 FirstPersonShooter for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn Saturn]] is a tragically unknown innovator in the genre. The game featured fully 3D environements and enemies a full year before ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' came out, extensive terrain deformation before ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' made it cool and an ambient soundtrack that [[VariableMix changed depending on what was happening on the screen]].

** The UsefulNotes/Nintendo64's gamepad wasn't the first game controller to use an analog stick; that was the Platform/Atari5200's.

** The UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy wasn't the first portable console with 3D effects; the Tomytronic 3D was a extremely similar console that came out in 1983 and actually featured color graphics (in contrast the VB's monochromatic graphics).
** The UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance having cross-platform functionality with the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube was a big deal, but it was preceded some years prior by the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast and UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Color having cross-platform functionality.
** The UsefulNotes/{{Vectrex}} used a light pen that allowed for touch-sensitive gaming decades before the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS came out. The UsefulNotes/GameCom also featured a touch screen, though in a rather crude fashion. Even before the GameCom, Sega was in development of a handheld with a touch screen, but had to cancel it due to it becoming too expensive.
** The UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} wasn't the first game system to incorporate motion controls, as there had been game accessories released in the 1990s and the 2000s that featured this technology. Before the '90s, there were the Pantomation and the Smartland SL 6401.
** The UsefulNotes/WiiU's controller with the built-in screen and its ability to play the console's games without a television wasn't exactly new. The Sega Nomad could play Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games ''and'' output to a TV at the same time. The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast also had a Visual Memory Unit (VMU) which functioned as a second screen and could also act as a handheld game system with additional software.
** The technology for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS's glasses-free 3D screen was around since at least 2004. A notebook, the Sharp Actius [=RD3D=] used a glasses-free parallax barrier 3D screen, using the same exact technology the 3DS uses to achieve 3D. There was also a TV around the time too by the same company.
*** And guess who makes the screens in the 3DS? That's right - it's Sharp. They've had a close working relationship with Nintendo since the 1980s (as proven by the C1 NES TV, Twin Famicom, and Famicom Titler), and their portables, dating back to ''at least'' the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, use Sharp LCD screens[[note]]However, there are records that Sharp produced the EL screens for the Game Boy Light and is a secondary supplier of LCD panels for the OG Game Boy.[[/note]]

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch is the same case as the Wii U, but even moreso: a handheld system that can be plugged to a TV and used like a home console, while also supporting multiplayer using a single system and screen even on the go, with each player using a separate controller? The Sega Nomad did it.

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS was praised for its unique gimmick of having two display screens, which many games took advantage of by using one of the screens as a map display for example. The DS wasn't Nintendo's first foray into dual screen gaming. Their first iteration of dual screens was done in the arcade version of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'', which predates the DS by a good 20 years. The "Vertical Multi Screen" UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch series were also foldable handhelds with two screens, very similar to the DS.

* On the topic of motion gaming, the Kinect for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 wasn't the first accessory to offer controller-free camera-based motion gaming. Sony had beat Microsoft to the punch with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2's [=EyeToy=] in 2003.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and Super NES had online multiplayer, through a commercially failed device known as the UsefulNotes/{{XBAND}}. It was mostly ExecutiveMeddling that killed it since nobody wanted to host the service. Not to mention that practically no developer took an interest in adding XBAND support for their games, save for ''VideoGame/{{Weaponlord}}'', which necessitated reverse-engineering the games to add multiplayer support. For portables, Nintendo had a cellphone-based service that [[NoExportForYou remained in Japan]], predating anything practical by two generations.

** [=PlayCable=] came out in 1981, '''14 years''' before Satellaview's launch, and allowed local cable television providers to send games to UsefulNotes/{{Intellivision}} units as subscribers downloaded them through an adapter, but none of the games' data survived for that as there was no storage device for the console. It flopped because of the high costs and the adapter's limitations.

* When Website/YouTube videos of the Dolphin emulator showing that it could render UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} games in [=720p=], it received a lot of praise with some even proclaiming it a fine example of the emulator surpassing what the console can do. Except many emulators of 3D consoles (namely of the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} and UsefulNotes/PlayStation) can already do this very same thing. One could argue that some 2D console emulators can do this, but since the source material is fixed it doesn't look as pretty without filters.
* You know thumbsticks on game pads that curve inward? It was what gave the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}'s controller an edge over the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3's SIXAXIS and [=DualShock=] 3... but it actually appeared on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Analog_Controller Dual Analog Controller]] for the first UsefulNotes/PlayStation. [[note]]It was released in the US, but without rumble for whatever reason. Since Sony quickly released [=DualShock=] afterwards (making the Dual Analog an ObviousBeta as [=DualShock=] is "standardized"), it was replaced right away.[[/note]]
* The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4 Pro]] and [[UsefulNotes/XboxOne Xbox One X]] (although it was sold as a new model) weren't the first times a console has had a hardware expansion akin to a PC. Predating these are the Expansion Pak for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 (which was mandatory for some games, including high profile ones like ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''), as well as the [=64DD=] (and its small library of titles) [[NoExportForYou that never made it out of Japan]]. And even before that, there was the overbudgeted and flopped Sega CD and Sega 32X add-ons for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis.
* A lot of people think that the famous [[Creator/{{Sega}} "SE~GA!"]] jingle debuted in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'', but it was first heard in Japanese Sega commercials from the 1980s. Even an instrumental version of the jingle played during the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem bootup screen.
* The Oculus Rift wasn't the first consumer-level virtual reality headset. There were a few predecessors in the mid 90s, the most notable one being the Forte [=VFX1=] Headgear. And even before that, Sega developed the Sega VR in the early 90s for its UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but sadly ended up cancelling it at the last second after finding out that it tended to give children motion sickness or headaches. Despite this, it was fully developed and finished, and a number of games were made for it.[[note]]Nintendo's UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy came out the same year as the [=VFX1=], but despite its name and marketing it wasn't a true VR device, as it lacked headtracking and wasn't typically attached to the player's head.[[/note]] The reason old headsets weren't more successful was due their high price, limited number of supported video cards, and the fact the primitive 90s consumer-level technology held back the experience.
* The XE-1 AP controller for UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis introduced many innovations that would become attributed to later game controllers, like thumb stick[[note]]it wasn't the first controller with an analog stick, but it was the first one to use one to use the modern implementation of a small analog stick in place of the D-pad to be controlled with the thumb[[/note]], an analog/digital toggle button, grips on its back and shoulder buttons. A couple of games made use of its features, but the fact [[NoExportForYou it never left Japan]] limited its game support and ensured it would fall into obscurity.

** The series, itself, was introduced to western audiences with the UsefulNotes/NintendoGamecube iteration, which, itself, is actually an UpdatedReRelease of the original game released on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 in Japan. The game had originally been conceived for a console add-on, the [=64DD=], with the hopes of taking advantage of the [=64DD's=] internal clock and expanded memory. With the [=64DD's=] commercial failure and discontinuation, however, development for the game shifted to the original [=N64=].

* Many people think that the fighting game genre started with ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', though games like ''VideoGame/YieArKungFu'', ''VideoGame/KarateChamp'', ''VideoGame/{{Karateka}}'' and ''Way of the Exploding Fist'' predate it by years, going back to Bug Byte ''Kung Fu'' on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum. There are some people who think that the genre was started by ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' (apparently it [[SequelDisplacement never occurs to them to wonder why there's a "II" in the name]]).

** ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is often credited for inventing SurvivalHorror, when all it did was coin the ''name'' for it and bring the genre into the mainstream. The ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'' series invented the actual gameplay model years earlier. Creator/{{Capcom}}'s own ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989'' -- despite being a turn-based RPG -- also has elements of the genre, predates ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark1992'' by three years, and is the inspiration for ''Resident Evil''. The lineage of the genre can be traced to ''VideoGame/HauntedHouse'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}.

* Critics and fans are quick to label any sandbox that features driving and shooting a ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' clone. But the original ''GTA'' games were top-down, and ''GTA 3'' closely resembled, and has a continuing rivalry with, a game called ''Videogame/{{Driver}}'' released two years prior. And then there's ''Hunter'', which was released on the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}} by Creator/{{Activision}} in ''1991''.\\\

* Every third-person shooter with a cover system is doomed to be compared to ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar''. Gears' developers openly admitting on several occasions that they got the mechanic from an obscure UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 game called ''Kill Switch'', and that was preceded by ''[=WinBack=]'', a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game with a similar cover system.\\\

* Think mature-themed and mature games were introduced with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation? Actually, they already had soft-porn games in the early '80s, done up by none other than Creator/{{Sierra}}. There might have been even more made earlier too...

** There were also pornographic games on the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 (if you can call them that), courtesy of developer Mystique. ''Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em'', ''Philly Flasher/Cathouse Blues'', ''Gigolo/Bachelor Party'', ''Custer's Revenge/General Re-Treat/Westward Ho''... and that's not even scratching the surface.

** A lot of people think Luigi as being a CowardlyLion first appeared in ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' (when they don't think it was originated by ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion''). Actually, there was an UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dduvx-dEySY commercial]] for the original ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' game that depicts him as frightened of the monsters and crying for Mario to help him. [[note]]The anonymous actor in this commercial was the first person ''ever'' to portray Luigi -- the first to portray Mario was veteran voice actor Creator/PeterCullen in ''WesternAnimation/SaturdaySupercade'' that same year (1983).[[/note]]

* There's the belief that ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'' is the first fully 3D (as in, drawing all aspects of 3D) FPS and ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' being the first full 3D platformer, when in fact a UsefulNotes/PlayStation launch title, ''VideoGame/JumpingFlash'', came before either of them, and it was a hybrid of sorts.

* The first video game to have an EasterEgg is routinely credited to UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}'' (1979), but in fact Easter Eggs have been found in two earlier Atari arcade games (Owen Rubin's initials in ''Orbit'' and ''Skydiver'', both from 1978), and no fewer than ''three'' games for the obscure Fairchild Channel F console (Brad Reid-Seith hid his name in 1978's ''Video Whisball'' and ''Alien Invasion'', while Michael Glass's name can be found in the 197'''6''' Demo Cart).

* Many people think that the only game older than ''VideoGame/TheSims'' to feature "playable pregnancy" is the ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series. [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090211223414/http://kotaku.com/5149307/knocked-up-a-look-at-pregnancy-in-video-games They're thinking wrong.]] The "playable pregnancy" feature actually goes back to the 1992 Super Famicom video game ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV''. After you chose one potential wife out of the two female suitors (or three in the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS [[UpdatedRerelease rerelease]]), after time passed in-game, you would notice that her belly was swelling, meaning that your wife would soon have twins[[spoiler:,one of whom would grow up to be [[TheChosenOne the true "Legendary Hero"]]]].

* ''VideoGame/QuizMagicAcademy'' and ''Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz'' aren't the first PopQuiz [[RolePlayingGame RPGs]] in history. In fact, the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] HomeGame adaptation of Japan's real-life QuizShow ''Trans-America Ultra Quiz'' did it first in 1991. Although in the actual show, there are no RPG elements.

** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleplay_Modem The Teleplay Modem]] was a peripheral designed to provide online play between the NES, UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, and the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], and was showcased way back in 1992. It garnered interest from companies such as EA and Sierra and there were three games developed internally for the modem but as Nintendo and Sega refused to license the Teleplay Modem or the games, these ultimately went unreleased. Despite this setback, there was another attempt in 1993 with the Edge 16 modem, the result of a partnership between [=AT&T=], PF Magic and Sega of America, which would have offered crossplay between the Sega Genesis and Panasonic's [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO console]]. Like its predecessor though, the modem fizzled out and development was pulled before anything could be released.

* For many, many years, pretty much everyone believed that the unique tracks in the 1997 ''PC Collection'' version of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' were hastily thrown in to sidestep the game's infamous [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] involving Music/MichaelJackson[=/=]Brad Buxer's contributions to the soundtrack, not helped by the ''PC Collection'' port using MIDI for its tracks; but in 2019, a 1993 prototype for ''Sonic 3'' was leaked which revealed that the ''PC Collection'' "replacement" tracks were the originals all along, with the Jackson/Buxer ones being added later. This has caused these tracks to be VindicatedByHistory by several fans, especially since the prototype gives these tracks the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]] instrumentation treatment that makes them sound much more in line with the rest of the soundtrack.

** ''Final Fantasy VII'' is also recognized as Squaresoft's first game on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation. A fighting game by the name of ''VideoGame/{{Tobal}} No.1'' came out in 1996, complete with a demo of ''FFVII''.

* Another example is Coleco, known for creating one of Atari 2600's competitors: the UsefulNotes/{{Colecovision}}. Coleco's name is an acronym of the company's earlier name: Connecticut Leather Company. The company originally marketed leather goods to shoemakers, and first ventured over into "fun" items by offering leather craft kits featuring popular characters.

* Many people believe that the first version of Creator/HudsonSoft's ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' was on the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1987. There were actually at least two earlier versions: a version for the Sinclair UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum in 1983, released both as ''Bomber Man'' (two words) and as ''Eric and the Floaters'' (the latter being the more widely known name); and a version for the Amstrad [=CPC464=] which Hudson demonstrated (on a smart-card system which they were also demonstrating) in 1984.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'', the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS microphone can be used to stun Pols Voice and to haggle with shopkeepers. These two things could be done, respectively, in the Famicom Disk System versions of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' and ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'', using the microphone built into the Famicom's second controller.

** While well-received, ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' and its sequels raised many eyebrows with the decision to have Sonic race in a car, even though he can easily outrun cars. The decision was not without precedence, though: even before the Twinkle Circuit minigame in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', there was the ''VideoGame/SonicDrift'' duology on the UsefulNotes/GameGear, which had Sonic in a racecar (and which also predate ''VideoGame/SonicR'' as the first Sonic racing games).
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2: Battle'' and ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}}'' may be notable as the first Sonic games on consoles from Sega's former archrivals Creator/{{Nintendo}}, but they are not the first Sonic games to be released on another company's system. They were beaten by the dismal UsefulNotes/GameCom PortingDisaster of ''Sonic Jam'', released in July 1998, and ''VideoGame/SonicPocketAdventure'', which was released only two years before ''Battle'' on the UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Color, and only a few months after the 9.9.99 launch of the Dreamcast.

* Many people think ''VideoGame/{{Golden Eye|1997}}'' is the game that popularized console [=FPSs=] (as well as the first "good" console FPS). In truth, there were several successful console [=FPSs=] before it, such as ''Turok: Dinosaur Hunter'' (released on the N64 less than six months before ''Goldeneye''), which also garnered a lot of critical acclaim and strong sales upon release. There are also people who deny [=FPSs=] were popular on consoles until the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} and UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.

** The series' first sixth generation game was not ''A Wonderful Life'' but ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland Save the Homeland]]'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The game was largely obscure to fans until the PSP remake due to it being a black sheep, what with being a [=PlayStation=] title with a mostly Nintendo series and lacking marriage.

* ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' is a popular [=PlayStation=] JRPG. It's not known much that the game is a port of a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn game. The original Sega CD game is decently well-known, as it's one of the more liked CD games, however due to it being a Sega CD game it's not unknown to see people think ''Lunar'' debuted on the [=PS1=].

* The idea that Microsoft is the first American console manufacturer is so off, it's not even funny. The first American console manufacturer is Magnavox, who you might know for the UsefulNotes/MagnavoxOdyssey -- A.K.A., the ''first console ever made''. Even if that's somewhat obscure today, Creator/{{Atari}}, Inc. most certainly isn't, and the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 was ''the'' household name for console gaming in the US, long before Nintendo first released the Famicom and NES.
** Also, the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} wasn't even Microsoft's first foray into console gaming. They helped Sega create the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]].
* The UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum game ''Cop-Out'' could be seen as an early ''VideoGame/{{Cabal}}'' clone. In fact, it was released two years before the UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame.
* Console wars did not start with the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem versus the UsefulNotes/SegaMegaDrive like many gamers believe. While it is true Atari and later Nintendo each had a monopoly on consoles during the 80s, UsefulNotes/ColecoVision and UsefulNotes/{{Intellivision}} had ads poking fun at each other (and the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}}) nearly ten years earlier.
* A lot of common gamer behaviors and discussions have been around since the late 80s, even longer if you count word of mouth and magazines. Early internet and Usenet posts show the same kind of console wars and MisaimedFandom that still plagues the community. It has been joked Creator/{{Nintendo}} has been "doomed" for over thirty years, and some internet posts from the late 1980s to mid 1990s do show some [[UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole PC users complaining]] about the [=NES=] or people in general saying the [[UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} Ultra 64]] will be the end of them.

* The famous EasterEgg "Totaka's Song" predates ''VideoGame/MarioPaint''. It first appeared in a [[NoExportForYou Japanese only]] UsefulNotes/{{Gameboy}} game named ''X''. The song also appears in the 2010 [=DSiware=] sequel, ''X-Scape''.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast was the first home console to have online gaming capabilities built into it, allowing anyone with a modem and a subscription to play multiplayer and download content before [[UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} Xbox Live]] popularized the practice among console developers. Even before the Dreamcast, though, other console developers dabbled in expanding the capabilities of their products with network connectivity, with varying levels of success:
** The UsefulNotes/Atari2600 was one of the first consoles, if not ''the'' first, to have a network adapter developed for it: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameLine GameLine]] allowed subscribers to download games. It didn't do very well, though: at $60 per unit and a $15 per month subscription, even the enticing offer of games for only a buck apiece wasn't enticing enough to keep [=GameLine=] afloat, particularly after UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 (and you could only keep one game at a time).
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Computer_Network_System Famicom Network System]] allowed owners to connect to the internet through their [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo Famicom]]. While it had some functionality for games such as cheats and extra content, the bulk of its use was for online banking, weather forecasts, trading stocks, and suchlike.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Meganet Sega Meganet]] was a modem add-on for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis in Japan that allowed subscribers to download small games, such as ''VideoGame/SonicEraser'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII Text Adventures''. Its lackluster library resulted in it being a bust, but a successor, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Channel Sega Channel]], proved much more successful with an international release and a much broader collection of games, some of which never received a physical release: ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe III'' wouldn't be available on home consoles in the West until its inclusion in later compilation titles, while ''VideoGame/MegaManTheWilyWars'' wouldn't receive another Western release until its inclusion on the Genesis Mini microconsole and Nintendo Switch Online.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellaview Satellaview]] allowed [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] players to play games that were broadcast by satellite connections. While these games had a time limit due to early satellite gaming limitations, a number of games were made for the Satellaview based on popular SNES games, such as ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''VideoGame/FZero'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemNewMysteryOfTheEmblem''. Many of these games also featured full voice acting, a rarity for cartridge-based games of the era. It was released so late into the Super Famicom's life, however, that it wound up being overshadowed by next-generation consoles, becoming a financial failure. In the years following its discontinuation,a cult following emerged, fascinated over the games that were released on it and, through the tireless effort of a dedicated community of fans, restoring numerous games that would otherwise be lost to the sands of time.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64DD 64DD]], developed for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, is considered a spiritual successor to the Satellaview and gave the [=N64=] online functionality, including support for e-sharing and media sharing. Online multiplayer was also planned for the add-on, but not included. TroubledProduction, delays, and a lack of faith in its ability to sold contributed to its commercial failure, leading it to be the single worst selling system Nintendo ever released -- worse than the UsefulNotes/WiiU, even!

** It is CommonKnowledge that ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' for the UsefulNotes/Atari2600 is such a horrible game that it was single-handedly responsible for the 1983 crash. Besides the ''E.T.'' video game having been VindicatedByHistory since the 2000s with the consensus that it is [[SoOkayItsAverage boring, but not godawful]], signs of the eventual crash were already there by the time Creator/{{Atari}} [[ChristmasRushed rushed]] ''[[ChristmasRushed E.T.]]'' [[ChristmasRushed out for the 1982 Christmas season]]. The main factors for the crash were market saturation in that there were too many consoles on the market, lack of quality control on consoles leading to many [[ChristmasRushed rushed games]], as well as "games" that were pornography in all but name--most infamously, ''Custer's Revenge'' for the Atari 2600--and fierce competition from [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer personal computers]][[note]]As you can see, the factors primarily affected consoles and their games, and indeed the crash had little impact on games made for personal computers like the UsefulNotes/Commodore64. Creator/{{Activision}} managed to survive the crash by jumping ship to making games for such devices[[/note]]. It is more accurate to say that ''E.T.'' was TheLastStraw that culminated in the crash, not the cause.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation wasn't the first [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork 32 bit console]]. Neither was the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, or the [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]], or even the Platform/AmigaCD32, despite their own claims. That honor actually goes to the UsefulNotes/FMTowns Marty, which [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and didn't sell that well even there.

** The UsefulNotes/Nintendo64's gamepad wasn't the first game controller to use an analog stick; that was the UsefulNotes/Atari5200's.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation wasn't the first [[UsefulNotes/HowVideoGameSpecsWork 32 bit console]]. Neither was the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, or the [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]], or even the UsefulNotes/AmigaCD32, despite their own claims. That honor actually goes to the UsefulNotes/FMTowns Marty, which [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]] and didn't sell that well even there.

** The ''World of Warcraft'' expansion ''Mists of Panderia'' is accused of knocking off ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' by having a race of Pandas with a new Monk class. However, the Pandaren have been around since before ''Warcraft III'' was released. It started as one of Blizzard's April Fool's jokes [[http://www.wowwiki.com/Pandaren_(April_Fools)/ announcing a fifth playable race]].

* You'd think Konami capitalizing upon their [=IPs=] with gambling machines was a new thing, due to the unprecedented backlash surrounding their more recent pachinko and pachislot machines, most infamously a ''Castlevania'' title with FanService as its focus and a ''Franchise/MetalGear Solid'' title that uses one of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''[='=]s most climactic scenes as part of a BaitAndSwitch promotional video; as a result, any new pachinko project under Konami's name is seen as a pathetic cash-in ploy in the wake of their corporate restructurings. Konami making pachinko is hardly new, as KPE, Konami's pachinko division, has been around since 1992 making pachinko, slot machine, and [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs pachislot]] spinoffs of Konami [=IPs=] like ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}''.

** Similarly, the later ''Franchise/MassEffect'', ''Franchise/DragonAge'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' games trumpeted their wide range of romance options, allowing you to roleplay a character with any sexual orientation. Again, some of the Ultima games, although they did not have {{Love Interest}}s or plots devoted to relationships, allowed the Avatar to be played as gay or bisexual by giving players the option to visit male and female prostitutes.

* Some people feel that ''VideoGame/SimCity'' is a more boring clone or spinoff of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. Funny thing is, ''VideoGame/SimCity'' released in ''1989'', and [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny invented the sandbox-simulation genre]].

*** The Switch is far from the first Nintendo console to not be [[UsefulNotes/RegionCoding region locked]]. You could easily import a Famicom game, and play it on your NES if you had an adapter that coverted the 60-pin interface to 72-pin (in fact, a lot of early NES titles were just that; a Famicom PCB attached to a 72-pin connector, which is why NES cartridges are so large). The only thing preventing Super Famicom carts from running on a NSTC model SNES is two plastic tabs protruding into the cart slot, cut those out and it's now unlocked[[note]]Though getting SNES carts to run in a Super Famicom is a lot harder because SNES carts are just slightly too big for the Super Famicom cart slot[[/note]], and this is also the case with the Nintendo 64. It wasn't until the [=GameCube=] when a region lock was implemented. As for the handhelds, they're all region-free with the exception of the Nintendo [=3DS=], whose ''cartridges'' have a region lock, but is otherwise region-free as well.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and SNES had online multiplayer, through a commercially failed device known as the UsefulNotes/{{XBAND}}. It was mostly ExecutiveMeddling that killed it since nobody wanted to host the service. Not to mention that practically no developer took an interest in adding XBAND support for their games, save for ''VideoGame/{{Weaponlord}}'', which necessitated reverse-engineering the games to add multiplayer support. For portables, Nintendo had a cellphone-based service that [[NoExportForYou remained in Japan]], predating anything practical by two generations.

* The Oculus Rift wasn't the first consumer-level virtual reality headset. There were a few predecessors in the mid 90s, the most notable one being the Forte [=VFX1=] Headgear. And even before that, Sega developed the Sega VR in the early 90s for its UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but sadly ended up cancelling it at the last second after finding out that it tended to give children vertigo or headaches. Despite this, it was fully developed and finished, and a number of games were made for it.[[note]]Nintendo's UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy came out the same year as the [=VFX1=], but despite its name and marketing it wasn't a true VR device, as it lacked headtracking and wasn't typically attached to the player's head.[[/note]] The reason old headsets weren't more successful was due their high price, limited number of supported video cards, and the fact consumer-level 90s technology held back the experience.

* The Oculus Rift wasn't the first consumer-level virtual reality headset. There was a few predecessors in the mid 90s, the most successful one being the [=VFX1=] Headgear. And even before that, Sega developed the Sega VR in the early 90s for its UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but sadly ended up cancelling it at the last second after finding out that it tended to give children vertigo or headaches. Despite this, it was fully developed and finished, and a number of games were made for it.[[note]]Nintendo's UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy came out the same year as the [=VFX1=], but despite its name and marketing it wasn't a true VR device, as it lacked headtracking and wasn't typically attached to the player's head.[[/note]]

* The Oculus Rift wasn't the first consumer-level virtual reality headset. The [=VFX1=] Headgear predated it by far, coming out in 1995. And even before it, Sega developed the Sega VR in the early 90s for its UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but sadly ended up cancelling it at the last second after finding out that it tended to give children vertigo or headaches. Despite this, it was fully developed and finished, and a number of games were made for it.[[note]]Nintendo's UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy came out around the same time as the [=VFX1=], but despite its name and marketing, it wasn't a true VR device, lacking headtracking.[[/note]]

* The Oculus Rift wasn't the first consumer-level virtual reality headset. The [=VFX1=] Headgear predated it by far, coming out in 1995. And even before it, Sega developed the Sega VR in the early 90s for its UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but sadly ended up cancelling it at the last second after finding out that it tended to give children vertigo or headaches. Despite this, it was fully developed and finished, and a number of games were made for it.[[note]]Nintendo's UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy came out around the same time as the VFX1, but despite its name and marketing, it wasn't a true VR device, lacking headtracking[[/note]]

[[folder:Consoles and game peripherals]]

[[folder:Consoles]]

** The UsefulNotes/{{Vectrex}} used a light pen that allowed for touch-sensitive gaming decades before the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS came out. The UsefulNotes/GameCom also featured a touch screen, though in a rather crude fashion.

* Believe it or not, there were Creator/{{Sega}} titles for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom/NES]], before ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' came to being, and ''long'' before the company left the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast hardware business]]. These were licensed ports made by other companies and included (but are not limited to) ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'', ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast'', ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'', ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' and ''VideoGame/AfterBurner''. These were also released for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]].

* The idea that Microsoft is the first American console manufacturer is so off, it's not even funny. The first American console manufacturer is Magnavox, who you might know for the UsefulNotes/MagnavoxOdyssey -- A.K.A., the ''first console ever made''.

* Remember when the NPC daily schedules were touted as innovative in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''? Sure, they were new for ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''... but ''VideoGame/UltimaV'' already did it in 1988.

* [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]]'s first appearance in a MascotFighter wasn't ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', but rather the Japan-only ''VideoGame/DreamMixTVWorldFighters'', which combined properties from Konami, Hudson, and Takara.

* [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame Arcade gaming as a whole]] is '''much''' OlderThanTheyThink. A common mistake made by many gamers is to believe "arcade games" started with ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders''. A less common mistake made by veteran gamers is to believe "arcade games" started with {{Pinball}} and/or ''Pinball/BaffleBall''. In reality, UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s started around the [[OlderThanRadio second half of the 19th Century,]] when the first amusement parlors and midways were built on boardwalks, tempting tourists to spend their coins watching moving pictures on the kinetoscopes and listening to phonographs. Later arcades broadened their appeal with more affordable lowbrow attractions, such as shooting galleries, strength testers, fortune tellers, peep shows, and vending machines. That's right -- as sophisticated as video games have become nowadays, they had their origins in the nineteenth-century carnival (or "funfair" for you British Tropers).