The Ultimate Guide to the Greatest Consoles of Every Generation
Discover the ultimate ranking of home consoles through the generations From the classics to the latest innovations, find out which consoles reign supreme in each era Unveil the victors of gaming history in this epic console showdown!
Video games, much like humanity itself, have made tremendous progress in a relatively short span of time. What started as simple dots on a screen has evolved into a highly profitable industry, raking in billions of dollars annually. The advent of home consoles has played a significant role in this growth, continuously pushing the boundaries of what was once thought possible.
With each new generation of consoles, there is a remarkable improvement in performance, allowing for more complex and visually appealing games. The competition between console manufacturers was fierce, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. Nowadays, the console wars primarily manifest through acquisitions, with Microsoft and Sony opting to acquire successful studios rather than solely relying on their own creative ideas. Nonetheless, there still exists a passionate divide between fans of PlayStation and Xbox, reminiscent of the memorable clashes of the past.
1 The First Generation of Home Consoles
: Ranking each generation's consoles involves considering multiple factors, such as cumulative sales, console features, and the caliber of the game collection.
Magnavox Odyssey
Coleco Telstar
Atari Pong Home
The first ever commercially available home console was the Magnavox Odyssey. Its limited capabilities included displaying three square dots and a vertical line on the screen. Along with the console, players received overlays to stick onto their televisions and various board game-like accessories such as dice and poker chips.
During the same period, the Coleco Telstar and Atari's Home Pong console were also introduced to the market. The Home Pong console provided a simplified version of the popular game Pong, eliminating the need for players to visit arcades. On the other hand, the Coleco Telstar offered a range of sports-themed Pong clones. Despite their simplicity, these three consoles marked the dawn of an extraordinary and ongoing journey that spans across a century, with no signs of stopping any time soon.
2 The Second Generation of Home Consoles
Atari 2600
Intellivision
The Nintendo Entertainment System is often hailed as the console that revolutionized gaming by bringing it from arcades to people's homes. However, it was not the only one to do so. The Atari 2600 played a significant role in starting this trend, as it sold approximately 30 million units from its launch in 1977 until its discontinuation after about 15 years.
By contemporary standards, the 2600 may appear exceedingly rudimentary, but during its time, the ability to enjoy games such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders from the convenience of one's own residence was a genuine game-changer. Despite the presence of rivals like the Odyssey 2, Intellivision, and ColecoVision, none of them even came close to posing a significant threat to Atari's dominant position in the industry. Nevertheless, all of this would soon undergo a significant transformation.
3 The Third Generation of Home Consoles
Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Master System
Atari 7800
The third generation of video game consoles began when the market became oversaturated with low-quality games, leading to the video game crash of 1983. However, the Nintendo Entertainment System (known as Famicom in Japan) emerged as a game-changing hardware that played a major role in reviving the industry. Mario, a character in overalls, also contributed to this success.
Although the Sega Master System also played a role, it did not have a standout game that boosted its popularity. It did eventually release an eight-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog after its Genesis release, but by then, many gamers had already moved on. Atari, on the other hand, fared even worse than Sega due to its involvement in the crash, with the Atari 7800 selling less than one million units during its short lifespan.
4 The Fourth Generation of Home Consoles
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Genesis
Neo Geo
After Atari's significant decline, the fourth generation of home consoles became a competition between the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo to dominate the market. Contrary to popular belief, the race was closely fought, as Sega's intensive marketing and the Genesis' impressive array of games enabled it to thrive in various important markets. Nevertheless, despite their efforts, it fell short of ultimate success.
The SNES revolutionized the gaming industry by introducing the world to a collection of extraordinary JRPGs, such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6. These games played a pivotal role in solidifying the genre's immense popularity in North America. Additionally, the SNES showcased remarkable 2D versions of Nintendo's iconic franchises, including Super Metroid, Super Mario World, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. These titles greatly exceeded the capabilities of the Genesis, leaving it unable to compete with the SNES's exceptional offerings.
5 The Fifth Generation of Home Consoles
Sony PlayStation
Nintendo 64
Sega Saturn
During the late eighties and early nineties, the competition between Sega and Nintendo was intense, pushing both companies to new heights. However, in 1994, a new contender emerged - Sony. With its disc-based console, Sony allowed developers to store significantly more data compared to cartridges. This breakthrough resulted in a substantial increase in overall quality and levels of detail that players could only dream of before.
While the N64 boasted exceptional platformers and a few outstanding first and second-party titles, its reliance on cartridges prevented many third-party games from being released on the console. For those that did make it, they often suffered from missing features or compressed assets. In contrast, Sega's hasty release of the Saturn and abandonment of its Genesis add-ons caused the company to lose the trust of prominent third-party developers, ultimately leading to the downfall of both the Saturn and its successor.
6 The Sixth Generation of Home Consoles
PlayStation 2
Dreamcast
In the sixth generation of home consoles, there were four exceptional video game consoles, but there can only be one clear winner. Despite its innovative features such as online multiplayer and motion controls, the Dreamcast failed to compensate for Sega's previous blunders. Similarly, while the GameCube had its strengths, its limited library resulted in it being Nintendo's least successful home console to date.
The sixth generation also witnessed the arrival of a new contender, Microsoft, a tech giant. The original Xbox's impressive catalog of exclusive games and its reliable online connectivity contributed to its unexpectedly high sales within a relatively short period. However, these numbers were dwarfed by the success of Sony's PlayStation 2. Boasting an exceptional library of games and the ability to play DVDs, the PlayStation 2 shipped over 155 million units, nearly triple the combined sales of the other three consoles.
7 The Seventh Generation of Home Consoles
Xbox 360
Wii
PlayStation 3
Released only four years after the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 was the first of the seventh-generation consoles to hit the market. It quickly gained popularity due to its impressive online services and wide selection of games. Although the PS3 eventually caught up and surpassed the 360 towards the end of the generation, the gap between the two consoles was much smaller compared to previous generations. Sony's lead of over 130 million units from the sixth-generation was reduced to just a few million, and the 360 could have completely overturned it if it had succeeded in the Japanese market.
The PS3's high price at launch and lack of compelling system-selling games initially worked against it. However, things gradually improved in the following years. It is worth noting that two of the top-selling PS3 games were released in the same year as the PS4, indicating the console's initial struggles. Despite outselling the 360, the PS3 fell significantly short of the sales achieved by its predecessors and was easily surpassed by the Wii, which appealed to both gamers and non-gamers with its innovative, albeit debated, motion controls.
8 The Eighth Generation of Home Consoles
Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
The Xbox One was not able to match the rapid success of Sony's eighth-gen console, the PS3. This led to the PS4 surpassing the record of selling over twenty million units in its first year, a milestone that remains unbeaten. This impressive sales performance continued throughout the life of the console, mainly due to its exceptional lineup of exclusive games. As a result, the PS4 outsold Microsoft's Xbox One by a significant margin worldwide. Sony, however, faced competition not just from Microsoft, as was the case in previous generations.
Following the Wii U's demise, the Nintendo Switch was unveiled in 2017, roughly three years after the PS4's introduction and concurrently with Sony and Microsoft's mid-generation updates. It is noteworthy that the Switch initially sold fewer units than the PS4 during its maiden year due to limited supply; nonetheless, as availability improved, the Switch quickly gained massive popularity. Its hybrid design resonated particularly well with individuals leading busy lives, and its impressive collection of first-party games proved to be equally captivating as the acclaimed exclusives on the PS4.
