Greatest Ever Console?

Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. the 16 bit era is still the best. Even though every other game for the machines was a platformer, they are still my favorite consoles.

still, if you asked me what my favorite machines of all time were (not just consoles), I'd have to go for early 90s PCs. because of adventures games.

Whoah...tough one...but

16 Bit Era - Super NES : great platformers and action adventures...and the first polygon shooter StarFox bring back great memories.

32 Bit Era - PS1 : the advent of true 3D games never looked better than on Sony's Geometry Engine...Metal Gear Solid comes to mind.

Yep.

No list for me...SNES! was the shit and is the shit still today with lots of good games easy controller its all about the SNES

My favorite is probably the SNES, but you can't downplay the power of the Gameboy. It lasted from the original 8 bit era all the way up to the current generation, beating everything that ever came up against it.

The Dreamcast has to have a spot in console history. It's Sega's final console, it was the first to go online, it was the first to have homebrew development. It has tons of great games. It had one of the first rythym titles stateside, Samba de Amigo. (Still better than DDR.) Give the DC a little respect.

Though I am not a Gameboy user myself, Sorro is right. It is the one system that has endured the longest out of all the contenders.

I have fond memories of the Atari and the NES, each grounbreakers in their own right, and not to be overlooked.

My personal favorite choice would be SNES for all-time winner (with nods above to what deserves to win, outside my opinion) and PS2 for modern day. It slays all current competition.

Where is the love for the Sega Master System?!

Super NES for me. I can't count how many years I've played Super Mario World, and I still do when I get a chance. I STILL haven't found all the secrets and stuff.

Dare I say Intellivision. I wanted to bludgeon and steal it from the kid down the street because it was so much cooler than Atari at the time. Not to mention that it had D&D on it and cool cards to slip into the controllers. Now, game systems are all pretty much the same give or take a few bells and whistles.

I got alot of miles out of my Nintendo regardless. Favorite game: Kid Icarus.

I played my Intellivision all the time, what a great system. The day that system stopped working was a sad day indeed.

Realistically, in terms of what it did for gaming, I would say SNES.

But it's not my personal favorite. That would be either the PC Engine/Turbo Duo (best for hardcore gaming) or Playstation (so much variety... gotta love it)

My current PC, i can play the CLassics from the past and the new crap too!

I have a few favorites.

1.) The NES. I mean how many dang good games did we get out f this ol beater.

2.) Neo-Geo. Yeah its expensive( I have the arcade board so the games are much cheaper though) but you get exactly what you saw in the arcade. If you are into 2d fighters there is none better than SNKs flagship machine.

3.) Gameboy Advance. I have way too much fun with this thing. 3 Castlevania's,Metroid,Ninja Five-O,Etc...

4.)PC Engine Duo/Turbo Duo. The first real multimedia console. Lots of killer 16-bitish Shooters from Compile,RPGs (Y's) and some great action games

5.)XBOX. I only have a few games for this beast but the ones I have I play alot! Halo,Panzer Dragoon Orta,Capcom vs SNK2 online,PSO. Best online gameplay of any system.

I still own a SNES with Crono Trigger, FF 2, FF3, Secret of Mana.

That collection alone whips up on most everything.

SNES had the first SF2 conversion and the first Voice (Super Metroid) not to mention Mode 7 and a handfull or the worlds best developers.

PS1 is a close second the Jump from 16-32 was just awesome and Sony is who we have to thank.

Saturn/X-Box is 3rd because I Love Panzer series! And X-Box live is way cool!

The Dreamcast: The perfect blend of killer aps, a comfortable controller, and moderate graphics pumping power. If I still had it, I'd be playing it right now, but my brother does...and he's still buying games for that system once a month online.

(SNES gets some of the glory too...cos I'm certainly enjoying the recycled gems now appearing on the gba.)

Ok, you know what?

Time to go against nostalgia.

My favorite console ever- Playstation.

If I WAS going for nostalgia, it'd be NES/SNES because in my childhood they count as one.

But yeah, PSX. You're right....think about its impact. It started the trend of Next-Gen systems we play today.

Gotta give a shout out to the Intellivision too. I'm not the die-hard gamer that most of you are but I have to say that this console really stood out. It rtied (and succeeded) in doing some really different things with it's games and controllers.

Go here <a href="http://www.intellivisionlives.com" target="_blank">http://www.intellivisionlives.com</a> and you can order INTV games for your PC/Mac.

In order of the amount of play received:

1) NES
2) Playstation
3) Xbox
4) 2600
5) Gameboy
6) Colecovision
7) Dreamcast
8) SNES
9) Genesis
10) PS2

In order of my absolute love for them:

1) Colecovision
2) NES
3) Xbox
4) 2600
5) Dreamcast
6) Gameboy
7) Playstation
8) PS2
9) Genesis
10) SNES

In order of what I think they meant to gaming:

1) 2600
2) NES
3) Xbox
4) Colecovision
5) Playstation
6) PS2
7) SNES
8) Dreamcast
9) Genesis
10) Gameboy

In order of how shattered I was when they were phased out:

1) Dreamcast (only the good die young)
2) NES (wish I would have kept it)
3) 2600 (end of the innocence)
4) Colecovision (so many great modules and potential)
5) Playstation (a true wonder in longevity)

Of course if I ranked them all over again I'd probably get different answers. That's what's great about them, they all have their own unique places in history.

SNES has to be the KING. It has too much on all other systems. Too many groundbreaking innovations that are still used today in modern games. I believe its place on top of the video game world is untouchable.

I say its a tie betwewn PS1 and N64. I am a nintendo fan though. Trying to look at it without too much bias, PS1's software selection was/is HUGE. But wasn't the software made up of great games that didn't really break any new ground? Metal Gear Solid invented a new genre, Gran Turismo reinvented a genre, but besides those two I really never felt excitement for a new PS1 game like I did for N64 games, granted N64 had Nintendo's genius behind it.

If you look at things historically, which games will be remembered more ps1 or n64? Just to touch upon it, i can say Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time, WWF No mercy(I know its sort of a fringe market game), Mario 64 all redifned or invented a genre. So in that respect, ps1 may have sold more titles and been in more houses, the n64 titles had a lasting impact on the videogaming community.

I have to agree with a lot of folks on this one:

1&gt; NES- As mentioned above, the number of great games for this system was amazing. All the Marios, Zeldas, Metal Gear, Castlevania, Contra, Final Fantasy, the list goes on...

2&gt; PS1- More amazing games and almost as much of my life wasted on it as on the NES. Metal Gear, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tomb Raider, etc. And Symphony of the Night is one of the 10 greatest games EVER in my opinion.

I wish Dennis would post more. And in a cheap ploy to get him to, I ask this: Why does such a new system (Xbox) rank so high on your "what they mean to gaming" list?

Beyond the impressive sound and graphic capablities (which I believe would be reached eventually anyway), I can't come up with a compelling reason for such a high placement.

I know i didnt put it down, but i would agree with the high Xbox placement. For the reasons you stated and... Its the first to integrate a lot of things not commonly seen in consoles. It is the true next gen machine. PS2 and Game Cube are just upgrades of the N64 and PSX, Xbox actually did things to change the way Next gen games are played. Visual Sound, and more importantly things like a Hard Drive and Online Capabilities, make it leaps above the other two next gen systems. Of course the games are what really counts, and all systems do have great games at the moment. But in my opinion, those are some reasons why a high placement for the Xbox in Dennis' list seems just fine.

I was the kid down the street and it wasn't all that cool. The system and the games were better but when you are 1 of about 25 people in the country with the system it kind of sucks. I had to buy every game I wanted to play. I didn't have anybody to trade games with. Why didn't my dad just get me an Atari like everybody else!? WHY!?

Oh, and I give my nod to PS1.

Sega Genesis

I love a challenge!

To me, the Xbox ranks high for a number of reasons:

1) Absolute ass kicking power, yes each latest and greatest system will push the evelope but to me the Xbox not only pushed it but threw it on the ground and stepped on it.

2) Hard drive, no real new technology here just the application of a tool available for years but virtualy ignored and scoffed at in the console realm. PC games have taken advantage of them forever but Microsoft was the first to step up to the plate. What are the chances that all of the next wave of consoles will have them? Pretty damn good.

3) Xbox Live, built in and supported broadband capabilities. True, during the Dreamcasts' brief run dial up was pretty much it and thus the experience was inherently limited. But neither Sony or Nintendo had the foresight, or guts, to build the capability into their systems. And Microsofts' online strategy is extremely strong. Add to that the ability to download new levles and items for games and it's just too big a benefit to ignore. I paid $50 for Splinter Cell, beat it, and then was able to download a new level for FREE. Same thing with MechAssault. My money goes further with this ability.

4) Truly usable system link (with the added bonus of the ethernet port), anyone that has ever played Halo using 4 Xboxs cannot argue this aspect. Time and time again I transported two 27 inch televisions, two Xboxs, two copies of Halo, and multiple controllers to Nicks' house so we could kill into the wee hours of the morning. No other console has gotten so many friends together at a time and they could all participate at once, even Matchstick.

5) Halo, FPS on consoles (with some Nintendo exceptions) have had their ups and downs and have mostly been slammed by PC gamers as not being flexible or deep enough. But Halo changed all that, I can't count the number of computer geek friends I have that would NEVER play console games but bought an Xbox so they could play Halo. And because of it's huge multiplayer abilities it's really two games in one. And it was a launch title.

6) Vision, the PS2 will go down in history as one of the most popular systems of all time (even though it kicked my Dreamcast to the curb), but just about a year into the PS2s life cycle Microsoft forced Sony into a poker game and the winner is all of us gamers. Xbox has a hard drive, Sony builds a peripheral hard drive. Xbox has broadband capability, Sony builds a broadband module. Sure Sony allowed for these capabilities with expansion ports but why not go ahead and give them to us right off the bat and free of charge. Now there is no argument about which system is the strongest at this time, the PS2 has a huge advantage in units sold and titles but Microsoft, in my opinion, has forced Sony and everyone else to redefine what console gaming is all about and has accelerated the development curve.

7) Total lack of fear, Microsoft sunk untold millions into this system and continues to do so and for the most part everything they have done has been to the benefit of the consumer. Did Sony drop their system price a year into it's life cycle, or include games for free (remember when every console came with a game and two controllers?). Nintendo has their outdated business practices that have caused many of their systems to be considered failures despite their capabilities. Sony waited to do things like lower system and game prices, and add additional capabilities until they were absolutely forced to (in my opinion).

At the time of its' release most people wrote off the Xbox as a clunky PC in consoles' clothing. But the system has thrived, just the buy in for Xbox Live shows what the potential is for this sytem. And every day it seems as if I get new news of increased benefits for me.

I bought the Xbox after having stepped away from gaming for about a year after the heartbreak that was the Dreamcast. When the Xbox came out I was reluctant to plunk down money on any system and really debated between it and the PS2. But after weighing the abilities of each I gambled (a bit) and went with the Xbox because I figured Microsoft was in it for the long haul. I have since bought a PS2 and a Gamecube and love them both. But in my mind I have already gotten a full generations worth of play and innovation out of my Xbox and they haven't really even scratched the surface of what they can do.

To me the system is important to the evolution of console gaming because it rewrote the definition of what a console should and can be. In relative comparison the PS2 and Gamecube have merely taken the next logical steps in power and little else. So if each generation of system has it's high water mark then to me the Xbox is currently it so it's overall contribution to gaming as a whole cannot be ignored.

And finally, any system that has a game like Halo that can cause adult (relatively) males well versed in everything from movies, to books, to music, to porn, to sit around for hours doing little else but dreaming up character names while ignoring everything around them has to be a winner.

Excellent essay! I'm more of a "wait and see" guy so I really feel the need to witness the next generation of consoles to determine the impact of the X-Box. However, every point you make is very strong for the power and influence of the system.

My Dreamcast was closest to my heart since my parents would never by me a SNES.

Second would be my Gamecube.

Then my ole' Atari

My Commie64 isn't really a console.. but sorta was.. I'll count it. Loved that thing. Had a 300baud modem and everything.

I had to stop reading Dennis' X-Box love midway or else he would've convinced me to go out and buy one with money I don't have (man, that is SO awkward when you reach the register...)

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, Game Boy is the greatest console ever. It had the longevity. It has the games. It has everything. It was the console for gamers and non gamers alike. It was the absolute boredom-destroyer.

SNES and PS1 are tied for second.

I've owned practically every console to date (yes, even Vectrex and 3DO), but the first NES probably got the most play, thanks to two-player games like Ikari Warriors, Excitebike, Contra, Super Dodge Ball, and that wrestling game with Star Man and King Corn Karn. Genesis took a beating as well with Mortal Kombat II and the EA NHL and NFL games.

Dunno if that makes them the "greatest", though. I think for a lot of us, the greatest console is the one you're currently playing the most, but that has more to do with the games than the console, I suppose.

For me, it has to be the NES. Tons and tons of incredible games, not to mention the nostalgia factor. Historically though, we likely wouldn't have the gaming culture we enjoy today had it not been for the NES.

It was released a scant 2 years after the Atari debacle, and NOBODY in retail and business wanted to be involved with any kind of home video game systems. The fact is, the only thing they had going for them was the great games. Thankfully, the NES thrived and paved the way for Sega, Sony, and Microsoft.

Here's a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0966961706/ref=pd_sim_books_5/002-4207294-2491253?v=glance&s=books" target="_blank">great book</a> that details Nintendo's rise (and eventual drop) in the video game industry. It's got fantastic testimonials from the people that ran the company, while not being afraid to show its warts when they screwed up.

The best console was the NES, now and forever.

Pro Wrestling

A winner is you!

I agree with Dennis. At first I was totally against M$ making a console. I was sad about SEGA and was looking forward to the GC. I have all 3 new systems and I love the machine I wanted to hate. The XBOX is truley revolutionary. Yes it doesnt have the support of the PS2(but with all of the PS2 games alot of them are crap) but the really great games will keep you entertained for months. I paid $50.00 for Halo yet had I known how many Halo Lan parties I would have played in and how many times you can play the single player game I would have paid $100.00 for that game. PSO on XBOX is the best version yet. Fast loading,a much more stable online network and voice chat! Capcom vs SNK2! Online fighting. LIVE is just awesome. I just hope M$ can stay a contender and that the second XBOX is just as revolutionary.

Has to be the SNES, being that its been dead for almost a decade and I still play it regularly. And the games...oh, man...the GAMES! Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid, DKC 1,2, and 3, Super Castlevania, Contra III, FF2 and 3, Earthbound, Mariokart, Zelda: LTTP, SF2:Turbo, MK II, Megaman X 1 and 2, Mario Paint, Gradius III, Actraiser, Pilotwings, Star Fox...ahhhhh! All of those I still own, not to mention the RPG's that I don't, like Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, and Chrono Trigger. Take that, PS1! (Sorry PS1 fans, but all it ever had for me was SOTN and MGS, I own tons of PS1 games that enjoyed at first, but those are the only two I ever come back to)