OnLive Is Here: Looking Back Over Forty Years Of Games Consoles

It may seem hard to believe, but 2012 will mark the fortieth anniversary of the release of the very first games console. When the - at the time - revolutionary Magnavox Odyssey was forced upon an unsuspecting public (yours for $75), little could anyone forsee that, years later, we'd still be playing on consoles, only in HD, wirelessly, via the internet, and sometimes using motion sensors.

Yes, a very long way have we come in such a short space of time. There were peaks and troughs in the market as the years came and went, attempted diversions from the likes of Commodore and Spectrum, negative attention from the media accusing the industry of poisoning gamers minds and - as is always the case - the loss of some companies along the way. Atari and Sega are no longer in the console making business, but they're still bringing us games for those that have survived.

Here, then, is our look back at the consoles of the past, today, and tomorrow. Twenty four machines that changed the very way we play and interact with our fellow human beings. This is the history of the home console.

You can also vote for your favourite all-time console by clicking here.

From the Magnavox Odyssey to the Nintendo Wii U...