Most Important Consoles Of All Time

[white-zombie]

Hi All,

I see a lot of lists of the "best/most importand videogames", but not that much in relation to the "best/most important consoles".

I've read one list recently, which I can't find at the moment, but nevertheless, I thought I'd ask you guys.

Which consoles had a major impact on the way we look at videogames, and changed things for everything that followed.

In no particular order, I'd say:

NES

After the videogame crash of the early 80's, I guess you could say it relaunched videogaming!?

SNES

Surely it has the highest concentration of quality games of any console (OK, perhaps not compared to the Neo-Geo, but when you're paying £200+ a cart, you expect a game to be good).

In addition, Nintendo squeezed more and more out of this console as time went by.

Who would have dreamed that you'd see games like Killer Instinct, Donkey Kong Country, Doom and Starwing, when the console first launched.

Playstation

Not only the first console to break the 100,000,000 units marker, and in doing so truly bringing videogames to the masses, but the first console to really manage realistic 3D environments (surely you can't compare Atari Jaguar/3DO games to the likes of Ridge Racer?).

It introduced original and often ground-breaking franchises such as Resident Evil, Tome Raider, Parappa the Rapper, Silent Hill, Tekken, Metal Gear Solid (ok, this harks back to the 80's, but it was the first MG game in 3D), Gran Turismo.

In addition, it pretty much managed to outlive the N64 which was released like two-years after it.

Also, given that it had practically zero first party software experience, the fact that it managed to host so many amazing games is a feat in itself.

Wii

It may be too early too tell, but I'm putting this in here purely for the fact that it shunned the numbers games that Sony and Microsoft were playing, as Nintendo knew they obviously couldn't win it, and instead did what they do best and went on to innovate, and introduced a new level of interaction in their games.

Like Sony did with the PS1, it seems to have attracted interest from people who would not normally have been interested in playing videogames.

What do you think?

Edited July 5, 2009 by white-zombie

[nickerous]

I think you'd have to put the PS2 in there as well. Still going nearly 10 years after launch.

[white-zombie]

Thanks for the reply.

I was thinking of listing the PS2, but wasn't sure that it qualified, as I can't think of enough things that it did significantly differently/better, than what had gone before.

Granted, there are many original games on the system, and it took the next step it terms of 3D graphics and interactivity, but I can't think of anything new that it did, really.

It is the best selling console of all time, and it did have such games as the GTA series, Resident Evil 4, the Guitar Hero series, the Final Fantasy series, Shadow of the Colossus.

However, whilst it had the Dual-Shock controllers with analogue sticks, the N64 got there the previous generation with the N64 (though Namco released the Neg-Con for PS1 before this), and it had an Ethernet port for Internet access, and a slot to expand with a HD drive, it could play DVDs out of the box, there isn't one single thing it does that shouts 'I did this way before anyone else'.

Having said that, have I just completely lost my own argument with the list I made, above!?

Edited July 6, 2009 by white-zombie

[triverse]

Well, it did play DVD's out of the box, no other console did it first so that is something significant, not gaming related but still significant.

[white-zombie]

I feel that there should be some Sega consoles in the list, perhaps the Mega Drive/Genesis and the Dreamcast should be in here somewhere, but can't think of enough reason to!?

Perhaps the Dreamcast for being the first 128-bit console, and being the first to offer online world wide online play (I think the SNES got there first in Japan with Satellaview?!), and for being, on paper, Sega's best console, and yet their last?

[triverse]

I feel that there should be some Sega consoles in the list, perhaps the Mega Drive/Genesis and the Dreamcast should be in here somewhere, but can't think of enough reason to!?

Perhaps the Dreamcast for being the first 128-bit console, and being the first to offer online world wide online play (I think the SNES got there first in Japan with Satellaview?!), and for being, on paper, Sega's best console, and yet their last?

Not sure about worldwide, but the Atari 2600 was on a form of the net.  Also, NES had banking and other options available to users in Japan.

Dreamcast could get in on the fact it was the first system to offer removable memory cards that also functioned as gaming devices (unless you count Pocketstation in Japan only).

[nickerous]

Granted, there are many original games on the system, and it took the next step it terms of 3D graphics and interactivity, but I can't think of anything new that it did, really.

What about backwards compatability? The Atari 7800 had the ability to play 2600 carts right out of the box, but the 2600 had been dead for 2 years when the 7800 was released. The PS2 had it available at launch and you didn't have to throw out all those PS1 games that were just a few months old. I'm sure it was a strong selling point with certain people.

[triverse]

Also, for the PS2, it was the first console that you could put a hard drive in from the manufacturer, no mods.  Can't remember though, I believe the XbOx came out after the PS2 right?

[Mister Zero]

Yeah, I think an Atari system needs to be on here somewhere. It made home gaming a major staple leading up to the NES and rose above competitors in the late 70s/early 80s market.

Genesis/MD definitely, because it was first to hit the 16 Bit mark and high quality stereo sound. It was built with a port which allowed the Sega CD add-on which was nice, too.

Yeah triverse, I think the XBOX was second behind PS2.

[Jeremy]

Wasn't the Dreamcast the first console to have online play?

[Mister Zero]

Depends on what you mean by online play. Head-to-head or simply downloading/playing games via an online service?

[Jeremy]

Head-to-head.

[Thor]

Wasn't the Dreamcast the first console to have online play?

Yup I was going to bring that up.

[E-Day]

Wasn't the Dreamcast the first console to have online play?

Built-in online play, you mean.

[KiwiArcader]

Dreamcast was and still is my favorite console so it's undeniably THE most important .... cause I said so. LOL

[Areala]

I'm a bit flabbergasted that no one in this thread has yet mentioned the Virtual Boy...

*huggles*

Areala

[Mister Zero]

Actually, I'm going to add the Game & Watch. Without it, we wouldn't have the GameBoy or the DS, which are the most popular handhelds of all time.

[Thor]

I still think the Neo-Geo needs recognition as well. The first system to truly bring home arcade quality.

[MagikMilk]

PS2 is fucking scaring me right now, it was first released in 2001 and its been 9 years up to now and its still making games that are also released for the PS3. Someone stop that mad console!

Funny i can't find the PS2 emoticon because there isn't one.

[Mister Zero]

The NES had a long run, too. Something like 1985-1996(at least here in the states). There was a reason for that, though.

It might have to do with how some people hand down the older console to their kids to use.

[Data]

Personal favorites aside, the Nintendo Entertainment System managed to save the videogame industry from a the crash in the early 80's due in most part to rampant game copying and bootlegging.

[Bablefish]

I say it's a tie between the Playstation and the NES. NES for bringing back gaming when everyone thought that the US market was dead. The Playstation for changing gaming period to what it has become today.

[opwuaioc]

Personal favorites aside, the Nintendo Entertainment System managed to save the videogame industry from a the crash in the early 80's due in most part to rampant game copying and bootlegging.

It died chiefly due to oversaturation I had thought...

[Treasurefan2]

I would have to say that the Genesis deserves some props. They proved that Nintendo wasn't unstoppable and that their juggernaut of a system (nes/snes) was beatable. This actually happened when Sony came around a couple years later and sold more units than it's Nintendo counterpart (N64)

[Gnash]

The NES revived things. If it wasn't for the NES there would be no Wii, Xbox or PS3.