The PlayStation's mind-boggling graphics
The PlayStation's graphical capabilities were so far ahead of the competition that they blew our collective minds back in 1994, according to the magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. Readers share their memories of the era when every console generation brought a complete evolution in graphics quality.
When I first saw Mario 64, I thought games would never look better than that. There was a magic in that era where every console generation brought a complete evolution in graphics quality. Others mention being blown away by the Dreamcast’s Sonic Adventure demo and NBA Live 06 on the Xbox 360, but for me it was the introduction of 3D that really made a difference.
Others share their own personal anecdotes from the dawn of the digital age. “The leap from 2D to a full open world in Mario 64 was unparalleled,” one Twitter user replies. “The nostalgia for the Nintendo 64 and the hype surrounding it is still remembered fondly.”
“I was blown away by the graphics in Donkey Kong Country on the SNES,” another replies. “I thought that not using textures and drawing everything from scratch would be the future.” Another recalls being amazed by the graphics in Final Fantasy 7, which is still regarded as one of the most beautiful video games ever.
It’s always interesting to see how quickly our perception of a console’s graphics changes over time. The introduction of ray tracing brings back the idea of a return to drawing with commands, instead of using shaders and other tricks to fake it. Others mention the Dreamcast, which was the first console to actually release with graphics as advertised.
The Dreamcast was cool. PlayStation is still cool, but Microsoft has become cool in the meantime. PlayStation’s reputation as a cool company has shifted, and some now prefer Xbox for its treatment of gamers. “The graphics in NFL 2K on Dreamcast were so good that someone mistook it for a real football game,” one replies.
Others share their disappointment, saying that the graphics looked like trash then and still do now. “The PlayStation 1 was way ahead of its time and deserves more respect,” one says, before sharing a link to a video expressing their personal boggle.
It’s hard to deny that the graphics of old games have aged like fine wine, with a certain pixelated charm. With the exception of the PlayStation 1, I can’t say that any of the consoles mentioned above look bad when compared to their modern counterparts. Then again, this is the internet, so we can’t leave without a good joke:
Take a trip down memory lane with the best old games still worth playing today. You might also want to read up on the best graphics card for gaming, to ensure you can run the current best games with the highest settings.
