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[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Playstation 2

The GOAT. There are still games on this system you can't play anywhere else. The amount of games in each genre is MASSIVE. Being able to watch DVD movies was a great feature. Not to mention that developers used those DVD to make games meant bigger games. It really is Sony best console and they haven't been able to replicate that success ever since

Switch

I love that I can just take this system off my dock and play it on the go. Yes the specs aren't that great but when Nintendo first parties and third parties (The ones that care) show what the Switch can do, it tends to be impressive. Luigi Mansion 3 and Nier Automata comes to mind. There's a massive amount of games for the Switch, that cover every genre. Not only that but Japanese Developers really supported this platform. This is the first time since the SNES, that a Nintendo Console had so many third party games especially JRPGS

Playstation

Really pushed 3D gaming forward. N64 did too and also was successful in laying down the groundwork for 3D Platformers and 3D Adventure games but Playstation also layed the groundwork for 3D Sleath games and 3D horror games. All the staples you see in those genres originated from Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil. Yes they were most likely other games before that did the same thing as those two games but those two were able to have mainstream success. Also the Playstation was able to attract a new audience which consisted of teenagers to adults due to the system having games that were aimed more at teens and adults than kids. Yes there was games aimed at kids but Playstation had something for everyone regardless of their age. And it was the system that destroyed Nintendo in that generation due to Sony going CD for their storage medium. That had a lot more storage compared to how much carts could hold at the time. When Square decided to develop exclusively for Sony Playstation, that was the end for Nintendo during that generation since other developers jumped ship and ended up making games for Sony

PC

Let me just say that being able to play older games that are stuck on older consoles is fantastic. I love how open the OS is. Want to download a Emulator and ROM, sure why not? Want to mod your games, yes you can. I've been playing on Steam for a long time too and the amount of games that releases for that platform is insane. When it comes to making my own PC, I have the freedom to choose my own parts and get it built. And I really like how you don't have to get a powerful pc, and just can't settle for a cheap build. I just like how much freedom PC gaming has given me

Xbox 360

Booting up Blue Dragon for the first time on my HDTV was a special experience. Back than that was my first time experiencing a game in HD. I was amazed at how sharp and clear it looked. It is the console that kickstarted the HD Era going forward. This console came out an year before the PS3 came out and it showed that someone other than Nintendo and Sega (before they went 3rd Party) could compete with Sony. They had a good variety of titles across all genres even though in it's later years, there were less JRPGs on it. I played so many games on this system. It's too bad Microsoft isn't as into the console business as they used to be. I never got the red ring of death. Out of all the 7th Gen consoles, this one is my favorite

 

[ReBurn]

I'd be interested to hear what people felt were the most important console's of all time.

Obviously this isn't meant to be a "what's the best console" thread, but is looking at which machines have been the most influential in developing gaming, bringing it to new markets etc.

My top 5 are ....

1 - Pong machines (and copies) released in 1975 - really the 1st TV games that most people played! Loads of people bought these as they were somehow before and separate from the "geeky" side of computer games that was to soon develop. The official units sold out straight away and people went on waiting lists for the machines!! Many people still have one of these (albeit copies such as the grandstand version) tucked
away in their attics! Only problem with it was that you couldn't change the games....

2 - Atari VCS 2600- released in 1977 - The first successful cartridge based machine which allowed the changing of games! Although Magnavox released the Odyssey in 1972 it was only to moderate success. The Atari became a runaway hit right from release! Saw off challenges from Intellevision and Colecovision to maintain it's position as top console specially in the US. Classic games such as Combat (contained multiple 2 player games such as the superb Tank), Breakout, Centipede, missile command, Asteroids, Pacman and of course Space Invaders were released for this system.

3 - NES/Famicom - Released in 1983 in Japan - Low price games console which instantly did well in Japan but couldn't get it released in the US due to the Video games crash of 1984. The crash came about through loads of rubbish 3rd party games coming out on the Atari. Shops couldn't shift them and lost loads of cash. Nintendo brought in the "seal of Quality" with the NES. Nintendo searched for a US distributor (even approaching Atari) and eventually found one in 1985. Got a trial release in New York in '85 and went on to revitalise the games industry! Sega and other companies jumped on the bandwagon with consoles but the NES must take the credit for the gaming revival.

4 - Sega Megadrive - released 1988 Japan - Computers (such as the Amiga and Atari ST) seemed to have the gaming market fairly well sewed up until this great console emerged! More powerful and cheaper than it's computer counterparts, it became an instant hit and brought gaming back to consoles in a big way! Sega's most successful console continued to be top of the popularity stakes until games such as Street Fighter 2 and Mario Kart on the later released SNES evened up the balance. Still this machine must get the initial credit for the revitalisation of console gaming after the 16 bit Computer boom.

5 - Sony Playstation - released in 1994 - This machine is pretty much responsible for bringing video games to the true mass market! Through brilliant marketing (and a lot of money!) from the electronics giant Sony the machine became the first console that people thought of as cool! They popped up in night clubs, had ads galore on TV and in print, had games such as wipeout (with tracks from House bands of the time Future Sound of London, chemical Brothers etc) and Tomb Raider (the first heroine based 3d adventure game). The machine blew the Sega Saturn out of the water (essentially setting up the demise of Sega as a hardware manufacturer) and couldn't be touched by the more powerful Nintendo 64.

So those are my top 5 most important console's. I've focused on machines that can be connected to the TV. Obviously if looking further a field the Nintendo Gameboy should well be included, but then again what do you leave out??

There are also machines such as the SNES, PC Engine (first 16 bit machine), Neo Geo, PS2, X-Box, Game Cube, N64, Master system, Gameboy Advance, Atari 7800, FM Towns Marty(first 32 bit console), Atari Jaguar, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast or even the Sony PSP.

I mostly agree with this, except that I would place the VCS at #1 and Mattel Intellivision at #2. I would make that change because Intellivision's entrance sparked the first real competition that contributed to the expansion of the video game market in the late 70's and early 80's. I don't think Pong machines has as much of an impact as the first console war.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

A reminder for those in this thread who have clearly forgotten where console online gaming started…

 

[Rran]

I'm gonna go to bat for the Nintendo 64 for bringing these to the table:

-3D momentum-based platforming and adventures: yes, it didn't invent them but it showed how to do them extremely well. Mario 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time made for blueprints that were regularly referred to for decades.

-Rumble: a feature that's still standard in consoles today. Granted, it's a little unclear whether the N64 or PSX really pioneered this.

-Modern-day analogue stick: still used today

-A true trigger button: still used today

-Standardized four-player capabilities: again, not exactly invented by the system but it certainly popularized it to the point where 4P is often the go-to number of players in games.

The N64 didn't sell all that well and only had a few hundred games but it made a huge impact in the long run.

That said I wouldn't put it at the number one spot but I think it's rather underrated in this thread. Other important consoles would include the PS1, PS2, Atari VCS/2600, Game Boy, and (my #1 pick) the NES. I love the Switch and SNES but they weren't as groundbreaking.

 

[Sorcerer]

In terms of actual importance?

1. Pong and all its clone consoles, if you were a kid in the 70's this makes a lot of sense. This game and later clone consoles laid the groundwork for what was to come.

2. Atari 2600, not much to be said, spectacular rise and (bonus) fall.

3. NES, who knows what things would look like today if Nintendo did not decide to dive in at what looked like at the demise of home consoles? I'm guessing we would only be playing on PC today.

4. Playstation, finally cracking the mainstream and cementing video games that casuals and enthusiasts could both appreciate.

5. Not really but bonus points for the OG Xbox for making online play accessible to the masses on consoles. I know Sega did it first but Microsoft made it huge. Too bad we had to pay for it. LOL!!!

Other than that, it's basically just been tech improvements. Can't really claim VR has stepped up and changed the world yet either.