Topic: The Greatest Console Of All Time Poll

As promised way back in March here's the GOAT Console Poll. You get 1 pick. That's it. So think carefully before posting. Which is the best console ever?

Feel free to write a blurb accompanying your choice.

This is a console only poll so Amigas, PCs and C64s dont count as a choice.

On the 12th of July all of the picks will be counted and the top 4 will go into a league. From there some other rules will apply so be mindful to check back. Happy polling people.

I would have to say PS2

ps3 all the way

N64 - I have had this discussion before. The N64 was revolutionary and its impact on gaming is still evident today. Its use of the analogue stick transformed what gaming could do - as evident in SM64 - the ability to move at incremental speeds, to creep, walk, jog, run, sprint with precision. Mario Kart also used this to steer with more precision too. Its set a precedent that virtually every game today still uses - whatever genre. Its games are also in the top games of all time list. It may not have had as many as the PS1 (a console that opted for quantity over quality) and a fair share of more 'adult' games too proving it wasn't just a 'kids' console with 'cute 3D platformers'. It took MP to a whole new level with up to 4 players being able to play together and games like Goldeneye transformed the FPS genre - not just from its MP but the campaign had a story and depth to it too.
The N64 and its games inspired virtually every game since - whether directly or indirectly (inspired by a game that was inspired by a N64 game) and mechanics first introduced and made possible by the N64 are still being used today.

N64!

I can still vividly remember getting home to find my brother had bought one; he was playing Wave Race and my jaw was on the floor. The move to 3D was the biggest single leap forward for gaming that I ever witnessed- I know PS1 got there first but for me the N64 just beats it in terms of games (especially the happy memories of spending hours battling my big bro on ISS, GoldenEye and Mario Kart).

I'm hoping VR will give the next true leap forward and turn me into a giddy 15 year old again.

PS1

The birth of;
Wipeout
Tekken
Ridge Racer
Final Fantasy
Pro Evo
Resident Evil
Silent Hill
Crash Bandicoot
Pandemonium
Anna Kournikovas Smash Court Tennis

What a console. The X360 (terrible latter lifespan), GameCube (lack of games) and 16bit consoles follow but none blew me away like the PS1.

PS4 gets it for me with PS1 a close second. Love the variety of games and it's kind of what I expected the PS3 to have been. I remember seeing the Motostorm E3 trailer and thinking it looked awesome - it was a jaggy mess once I actually saw it on my friends 50 inch telly.

Considering PS4 is only part way through its cycle I can't wait to see what comes next.

Having said all that, it also has something to do with my current circumstances i.e more time/money to enjoy games these days.

The PS5 could be even better but I might not have the time or resources to play it

Daaaaaamn........this is tough.

In the end though, I'd have to go with the first Playstation.
Sooooo many great games (yes, much crap too), many quality games, that made me think of myself for the first time that I was a gamer, it's my hobby, instead of just a 'thing to pass the time on a rainy day'.

Super Nintendo, everything else looks like crap compared to its games nowadays. Best lineup of 1st & 3rd party games clearly.

Gonna go with PS1. People have already mentioned the impact of N64 on the software side of things, but I reckon from a hardware perspective PS1 had as much of an impact as any console before or since. The move away from cartridges to discs and the dualshock controller set standards for the industry which I would argue are basically still adhered to.

Result so far Closes on the 12th of July.

PS1 - 3
N64 - 2
Snes, PS2, PS3, PS4 - 1

My head says PS1 but my heart goes with the Sega Master System.

@TXP: The dual stick controller was a response to N64's analogue stick. The playstation originally launched with what was essentially a 'D-pad' except each of the four directions was a separate button. Because of the impact of the N64's analogue stick and what that brought to gaming, Sony then created the dual-stick. Games like Crash Bandicoot were a response to SM64. Sony also got the marketing right by targeting the teenage and young adult market - putting their consoles into clubs. It was these people that had the 'cash' to buy the console which helped propel it forwards. Sony were also not 'fussy' over what games released for it so whilst it had a much bigger library, often with 5+ games releasing weekly, many were absolutely terrible. A lot were great too but considering the 1000's of games that released, it had a very high percentage of rubbish too. Of course the PS1 had some classics that went on to spawn a number of sequels but if we look at games that are regarded as some of the best of all time, the N64 again wins here. Sony did well with PS1 but how well would it have done without copying N64. It had to go Dual stick because they couldn't release an asymmetrical controller.

Wow this is a tough one. As much as I want to say SNES, that might be to nostalgia. Going to have to think on this for awhile.

I'll say PS2, but I feel like the PS4 will eventually better it when we're further into its life cycle.

The PS3
I have a lot of fond memories with this one

Tough one, I'll say PS2 but it's also a tough choice between that and SNES because both, for me, were easily the best at what they did in very different eras of gaming.

I'd have to go with PS1.

I still remember being utterly blown away when I played Resident Evil 2!!! The atmosphere, the graphics, the cut-scenes everything about it just amazed me. Wipeout was just soooo cool as well. It was the perfect game for that period of the 90's, good dancey sound track, brightly coloured epilepsy inducing graphics and superb gameplay. I remember going to clubs in Birmingham and they'd have rows of PS1's with Wipeout playing and battered clubbers lining up 'for just one more go'.

Atari 2600 the first console I owned and what started it all. It did not rely on fancy graphics it was purely about gameplay and there have been some real clasisic games that have stood the test of time. The choice of different controllers was also good for different games.

I thought this would be easy but it's sooooooooooo hard to objectively decide which is the best.

In the end, I'm just going to go with my biased favorite system, everyone else's opinion's be darned! I vote for the PS3! So many insane exclusives, weightless controller that could last me days without charging, blu-ray playback, the PSN store and multimedia apps, the landslide of QUALITY free PSN+ games, and for being the console to bring me back from PC gaming.

Only downsides were the garbage framerate of some of the multiplatform games, and the slow-as-hell PSN store interface implemented in the last leg of its lifespan. Otherwise, I still love that thing!