In all the years that video games have been a popular form of entertainment, there have been debates and discourse about various aspects of it. Different people take stands to support or represent their favorite games and brands that they enjoy, which can at times ignite into fiery debates between fans about what they love. This was often referred to as “console wars” in the late 80s and early 90s, after the rise of video game home consoles became a mainstream part of entertainment. Originally coming from the phrase “cartridge wars”, it described the idea of fans taking sides to support their favorite console that they enjoyed playing games on.

In the years that followed, this kind of discourse evolved as pop culture changed throughout the decades. With new technology for consoles and the rise of social media, the console wars changed for everyone as well. But within all of those years of gaming discourse, there were big moments that rippled through the industry and shifted how games continued to evolve. Without them taking place, video games would have most likely been in a very different place than where they are today, and the conversations about the console wars would also be incredibly different. Here are a few pivotal console wars moments that shocked everyone when they happened, and how gaming was never really the same after.

Atari leaves the console space

A major shift in home gaming

One of the original titans of video games was Atari. Their multiple consoles were a major part of entertainment from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Systems like the Atari 2600 were a big reason why home console gaming began to take off, bringing the entertainment that people found in arcades to their own homes. Classic games like Combat, Defender, Pitfall, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and many others made up a legendary library for the console. And the company followed up with new home systems like the Atari 5200, and eventually the Atari Jaguar. But unfortunately, Atari was a company that would not last in the console space beyond that.

In 1993, Atari released the Atari Jaguar as their final home console, and ceased production on their previous systems from that point forward. This was a shock to many people who grew up with the name Atari as part of their everyday conversations, especially those who grew up during the 80s. With the rise of companies like Nintendo and Sega taking hold of the public consciousness with systems like the NES, Genesis, and Super Nintendo, Atari’s consoles fell in popularity. Commercials on television screens were constantly showing the ongoing battle between Sega and Nintendo, which fully ignited the concept of console wars between kids on playgrounds, but hardly anyone mentioned the systems made by Atari. Previous hits like the Atari 2600, 5200, and the Jaguar quickly became relics of the past. And eventually, all Atari consoles vanished from retail stores.

Credit: Atari

What happened to Atari as a console manufacturer would eventually happen again to another major player within the industry years later. But while the company faded from households as a system maker, they continued to exist as a publisher of games on other hardware, which allowed them to still be around. The legacy of Atari is deeply connected to the history of gaming in entertainment, but the company and its relevance are a far cry from how things used to be.

Sonic appears in a Nintendo game

The unthinkable happened

When people think of the idea of console wars, the first thought that pops into their head is the competition between Sega and Nintendo throughout the 90s. This was the battle between the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo, with the attention and money from gamers on the line. While both consoles had their fair share of classics and unique specs for hardware, people took sides between which one they felt offered a better overall experience. But as time went on and new hardware from both companies came out, popularity would eventually swing into the favor of Nintendo, with Sega receiving a lot of criticism for their business practices. This would lead to Sega exiting the console space in the early 2000s after the release of the Sega Dreamcast, their final home console and what many consider the last big push of the original console wars.

But the story didn’t end there for everyone who experienced what it was like being in the middle of Nintendo and Sega’s competition. In 2001, the Nintendo DS saw the release of Sonic Advanced, which was an original 2D Sonic adventure. It was crazy to think at the time that Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega’s premiere mascot throughout the 90s, would appear on their rival’s hardware in any capacity. But that was still a Sonic the Hedgehog game made by the Sonic Team, not developed by Nintendo. The real shocker came from when Sonic appeared in the 2007 release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii.

Credit: Nintendo

Seeing Sonic in a full Nintendo game was something unthinkable to many people for years. The two companies were at odds for so long and in fierce competition to the point that no fan would’ve thought things would work out between them. But the release of the game not only saw Sonic appearing in a Nintendo game, but appearing alongside Mario as well. It was even more of a sign that the original console wars were over, and that Nintendo was the last one standing. Being able to play as Sonic and Mario in a game where they could fight each other for real was fun, but it was also a major sign that things in gaming had drastically changed. In that same year, Sonic would also appear alongside Mario in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on the Nintendo Wii, which was published by Nintendo but developed by Sega.

PlayStation and Xbox on used games at E3 2013

The response heard around the world

During the era of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the concept of console wars for fans took on a very different form. Social media allowed voices from every fandom to be magnified and reach out to more people, while companies also had more tools to reach out to new customers. The competition between PlayStation and Xbox was a major point during this time, even though Nintendo was still around with their own consoles like the Wii. But most people would say that Xbox and PlayStation were the two companies that were always competing neck and neck with one another, with a lot of mirroring between them. When both companies were set to reveal their new consoles at E3 in 2013, what was shown and discussed would be shocking to gamers everywhere.

The Xbox One reveal was a big point of discussion at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, with a major point of contention being used games. Many people at the time were told that Xbox would require their console to always be online and check to see if games were owned before they could be played. This brought up questions about the ownership of games, backwards compatibility, and why Xbox would make a decision that could compromise the relationship they had with their fans. The response from PlayStation at their own E3 press conference about the PlayStation 4 was legendary for everyone. They very simply explained that the PS4 wouldn’t have restrictive policies on used games, no always-online DRM checks, and everyone could freely share or trade their games without an issue. They demonstrated this by showing two Sony executives sharing a PlayStation 4 game together, which was met with a very positive and enthusiastic response from the crowd.

Credit: PlayStation

To this day, people still bring up this response at E3 2013 as one of the biggest slam dunks that a company had during their press conference. It was a shocking and blunt rebuttal to their competition in a very public way. The response from fans would eventually force Xbox to change their stance on new games and how they approached the Xbox One, but the damage to perception had already been done. People have often compared what happened at E3 2013 to something that Sony had done years earlier at E3 1995 with the reveal of the original PlayStation’s price point, with a Sony executive walking on stage and simply saying $299. Most companies in the video game industry are in competition, but this was one of the few times in gaming history where the response or counter move between companies was so public.

Legendary moments we still can’t believe happened

There have been many other big moments throughout the history of video games that still resonate with everyone to this day. The various console wars that people lived through are filled with times when we felt one company got over the other in clever and snappy ways. But as time goes on and the industry continues to change, a lot of the fury of competition and conflict that was seen so often has subsided and taken on different forms. As the lines between companies continue to blur, and we see more unthinkable events take place, we still look back at the times that shocked us in a big way, and still can’t believe they actually happened.