Partner Content by Logitech
Today the gaming PC reigns supreme, usually offering the best gaming experience money can buy. But it wasn't always so sexy. No, getting here took a lot of blood, sweat, and very strange controller ideas.
Consider the Logitech G Prodigy series, billed as a range of gaming gear for everyone. Simple and easy to use, but packed with the high-end technology you'd expect from pro equipment, it includes the G403 Prodigy Gaming Mouse, G403 Prodigy Wireless Gaming Mouse, G213 Prodigy RGB Gaming Keyboard and the G231 Prodigy Gaming Headset. What you have here is gear that's comfortable to use, looks great, and delivers great performance.
Do you think the PC gamers of yore had anything like this 35 years ago? 20? Ha, not even close. Let's take a look back at the very humble beginnings of the gaming scene you love today. Warning: comfortable ergonomics not guaranteed.
1970s: The Stone Ages
Personal computers became a thing toward the middle of the decade, and literally everything about them was new. 1977 saw the release of the Commodore PET, Tandy TRS-80, and of course the venerable Apple II, which many children of the '80s will remember from school computer labs. These machines favored slow-paced thinkers like Wizardry and The Oregon Trail, as well as simple action games.
Apple II Joystick: You can technically play games with this. Sorry it's filthy.
How was the gear? Almost nonexistent. Computers were so 1.0 that floppy disk drives were considered a bona fide luxury. There were a few joysticks and such but even mice were uncommon, owing to the lack of graphical user interfaces. Humble beginnings, definitely.
1980s: Computers Take Off
The early to mid-'80s saw an explosion of new computers, many of which were powerful (for the time) game players. The Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit line (which had dedicated cartridge slots!) allowed for prettier games with actual music. Later in the decade the powerful Amiga, less powerful Atari ST, and woefully underpowered IBM PC became the top trio. By all rights Amiga should have emerged victorious, but history tells otherwise.
Amiga 1000 Mouse: Here's a box with two switches. Enjoy?
How was the gear? Better, but still very basic. One-button Atari-style joysticks started to disappear as the decade wore on, and dedicated controllers like steering wheels and flight sticks began to appear. Trackballs became a thing, too. Audio was still primitive, with PCs in particular only able to beep unless you bought an expensive soundcard. Gaming headphones? No need.
Early 1990s: The Doom Factor
As the '90s began PCs ever so slowly improved, while competitors like Amiga failed to follow up on their early successes. On December 10, 1993 id Software uploaded the shareware version of a first-person shooter called Doom, which revolutionized PC action games and marked the beginning of a downturn for certain older, traditional genres. And although not everyone realized it right away, the best way to play Doom was with a mouse and keyboard.
By the way, the first PC-compatible virtual reality headsets emerged around '93. Look 'em up, they're incredibly terrible.
Gravis Gamepad: Some players swore by these. Stockholm syndrome.
How was the gear? Still improving slowly. Logitech released its popular MouseMan Cordless Mouse and Wingman flight joystick. Creative Labs, flush with success from its digital-audio-compatible Sound Blaster, released more and more slightly different soundcards. Meanwhile, the Gravis Gamepad, while not actually very ergonomic, brought console-style gamepad control to struggling Commander Keen players everywhere. (A lot of people tried to play Doom with it too, but of course that wasn't optimal.)
Late 1990s: Time to Get Serious
Even more than Doom, 1996's Quake changed the face of PC gaming. Quake players formed competitive "clans" which were the start of what you now call eSports. While Doom was reasonably playable on a keyboard, Quake introduced the ability to look anywhere in 3D space, cementing the mouse's status as premier game controller. Quake also debuted support for the first meaningful 3D accelerators, like the 3dfx Voodoo and Rendition Vérité. Meanwhile, real-time strategy games blew up (in a good way), and Windows 95/98 made PC gaming more user-friendly.
SpaceOrb 360: Gotta admit, it's actually pretty cool for Descent. But that's it.
How was the gear? All over the place. Really weird controllers like the SpaceOrb 360 promised to revolutionize 3D gameplay, but didn't. USB made everything easier to hook up. Webcams debuted, as well as Logitech's wireless mouse and keyboard sets. Crappy "multimedia" speakers gave way to solid 2.1 and even 5.1 setups, and Aureal's innovative Vortex 2 audio chipset brought true 3D positional sound to high-end games before being acquired and buried by Creative. Even mice started to shape up, with the Microsoft Intellimouse introducing the now-indispensable concept of scroll wheels.
2000s: Startin' to Look Familiar
"Modern" PC gaming finally took shape, and developers proceeded to refine the winning formulas of the 1990s. Sequels abounded, but budgets were still low enough that quirky titles could emerge. As the decade wore on expensive "AAA" development killed off smaller dev houses and coincided with a shift toward console experiences. The late 2000s were a dark time for PC gamers, with the lack of PC ports leading many to seek solace in Xbox 360s. Luckily, the indie game revolution was about to shake things up…
Logitech MX518: A 2005 ergonomic masterwork, some players still hoard these.
How was the gear? 3dfx and Rendition fell by the wayside, but 3D accelerators were here to stay, with Nvidia and ATI (now AMD) emerging as dominant players. 2006's Windows Vista completely changed how audio worked, breaking a lot of games, and many players chose onboard audio chips over dedicated soundcards, leading to a regression in 3D audio (boo) the scene is only just recovering from.
Gaming mice really took off, with ever-sleeker designs, side buttons, laser tracking (goodbye, mouse ball cleaning), and increasingly high DPI (resolution) capabilities. Suddenly, everyone became aware of just how much their choice of mouse could affect gaming performance. The popularity of voice chat inspired many gaming-specific headsets, with built-in mics and sometimes 3D positional audio features. And the Xbox 360 controller finally brought PC gamers the gamepad they deserved, outside of that awful d-pad.
The Present: This Is More Like It!
The late 2000s were rough, but PC games eventually escaped the doldrums and emerged bigger, better, and all around more impressive than their console equivalents. Accurate control, mod-ability, sharp resolutions, and sky-high framerates made PC the place for gamers who demanded the best. (It also costs more to maintain a gaming rig, but them's the breaks.) Just recently virtual reality finally took off, and the PC offers the best performance and greatest variety of VR experiences. (PSVR is still pretty good, though!)
Logitech G213: "Oh this? Just a keyboard with frickin' rainbows inside. NBD."
How's the gear? PC gamers are drowning in quality. Mechanical keyboards took off in a big way, the latest virtual reality headsets are actually worth buying, and even laptops are enjoying some serious GPU power. Mouse manufacturers are honing their art like never before, resulting in precision instruments built to frag, while gaming headsets are both great quality and mandatory for high-level FPS play.
PC gaming started out rough, but cleaned up pretty nicely over the last 35+ years. It quality gear is your thing — and why wouldn't it be? — this really is a fantastic time to be a PC gamer. Onward to the 2020s… Bring on the holograms!
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