> They use to stay way ahead in the 90's 80's, at least 2 years ahead i think or more, > not even the Sega 32x could do ports of games form the mid to late 80's without some > sacrifices to the animation.
The premise is incorrect. The better question is: Why did home console systems fall short of the technology found in Arcade machines for so many years?
The answer is costs. Cost to manufacture and produce in harmony with what people are/were willing to pay for a home system. It is(was) a delicate balance that ultimately became matched (For the most part).
Same/Similar to hardware found in the Arcade being made available at home too soon/too early was cost prohibited for most and would not survive (long) mainstream; just ask the Neo Geo AES.
Once the 'arcade-like' hardware could be mass manufactured/produced at a reasonable(cheaper) price for the home [Read: At a current price point of what the vast majority are willing to pay for that experience], due to evolving technology and other factors, home = arcade became the norm. It is in part one of the reasons for the downfall of Arcades.
The truth is people pay less for a game console now than what they did in the past, once you factor inflation.
A ~$200 Atari 2600 console in 1977 is equivalent to ~$800 today. The aforementioned AES in 1990 was ~$600; adjusted it would cost ~$1100 today. In comparison, a PS4 retails for ~$400 today.
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