If You Love Video Game History, Watch Console Wars on CBS All Access
During the 1990's, being a gamer was a true battle. You were either Nintendo or Sega, you weren't both. In that time, we were too young to really know the war that was happening between the two companies. Console Wars on CBS All Access really breaks down this video game rivalry with a great inside look at the ruthless battle between Nintendo and Sega in the 90's.
Personally, I was like a lot of my friends, started with the Nintendo Entertainment System then moved on to the Sega Genesis. My high school best friend got a Sega Genesis before me. We played the hell out of Eternal Champions on his Genesis. I still regret the day I sold my Genesis. I believe it was in 2006 or 2007. I found it in my old room at my parents house, still in the original box, with about thirty games complete with box and manual. Ugh!
But I digress.
You've probably heard the term "console wars" today when people refer to Nintendo (Switch), Sony (PlayStation) and Microsoft (XBox) today. That term came from the Nintendo versus Sega battle of the 1990's. As kids, we just saw the ads and wanted the console we thought was cooler, which was the Sega Genesis (remember "Blast Processing") (Sega does what Nintendon't). We didn't know the ruthless battle that ensued between the companies during that time.
In Console Wars we hear from both sides. Sega, like Nintendo, is based in Japan. I had no idea how much influence the American division of Sega had over their Japanese counterpart. Sega of America pretty much ruled the company which didn't sit well with Sega's owner, despite the success Sega was having.
Nintendo was kind of a bully with retailers. They were the only game (pun intended) in town and Nintendo knew it. If anyone else tried to creep in on their territory, Nintendo would find a way to shut it down. Sega did a pretty good job of moving into that territory and even overtaking Nintendo in America.
It was a no holds barred rivalry. So no holds barred that it would almost come to fisticuffs between the two companies at trade shows. There was even an incident of Nintendo higher ups deflating Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog inflatables at a hotel pool at one of those conventions.
Console Wars is a great watch on CBS All Access if you want to subscribe to the service. I signed up for the week's free trial of the service to check it out. I may binge watch Star Trek: Picard while I'm at it, too. I want to rebuild my Sega Genesis collection, too. Sega Genesis is pricy for collectors right now but would be so worth it to have those games again. Until then, I'll just stick with my modded Sega Genesis mini.