Top 5 Console Names?

**CosmicMonkey** · 09-01-2007, 05:33 PM

Megadrive and Mega CD. The whole 'Mega' thing makes it sound really....Mega. Therefore making it sound interesting; a good name for many reasons. Thinking about it, we'll also include MultiMega and WonderMega in there too.

Super Famicom. Even to this day those words still sound so cool. And a UK SNES may look exactly the same as a SuperFami, but it's those important words on the front of the console that make all the difference.

Dreamcast. Cool name, another bit of good marketing.

Can't think of anymore that I'd count as really good. Although these Chinese pirate mateys seem to come up with great names for Famiclones.

**Sweater Fish Deluxe** · 09-01-2007, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Family Computer

Sega CD as a top 5 console name? Can you explain why?

Going by his other choices, I would say that DigitalSpace prefers names that are also descriptions of the system and you have to admit that "Sega CD" is an accurate description. Not like Saturn or Jaguar or other names like that which I'm sure have led to all sorts of confusion over the years.

Perhaps DigitalSpace was mauled on Christmas morning 1993 by the jaguar his parents mistakenly bought him and has forever regretted not just asking for a Sega CD instead.

...word is bondage...

**BydoEmpire** · 09-01-2007, 05:43 PM

1. Dreamcast - it casts your dreams into reality! Or something. It just sounds whimsical, powerful and cool.

2. Intellivision - "Intelligent Television" - I thought it was just cool and clever, and worked in with marketing push of the Inty being more "sophisticated" than the 2600.

3. Vectrex - good way of describing the system. Sounds bad ass, too.

4. Super Nintendo - it was a Nintendo, but SUPER! Not super original or unique by any means, but it just seemed to work.

5. Wii - unique, sort of clever, and although I certaintly thought it was stupid initially, it's grown on me.

**thegardentool** · 09-01-2007, 08:08 PM

Here's some of my favorites in no order:

Super Nintendo
As BydoEmpire said, it wasn't just a Nintendo but it was the Super Nintendo. It showed in just the name that it was more powerful. Superlatives are super great.

Sega Saturn
Sega had a history of using planets as their working title. I've read some interesting stories about why the name was used. One of my favorite stories compares CD-ROMs to the rings of Saturn. Also, the arcade equivilant version of the Saturn takes the name of the planet's largest moon, Titan. It's a good name when looking deeper into it.

Neo Geo
It's a great catchy name with great recongization. It was good for SNK to use the name for both the home and arcade versions. It's a shame that the home version was so expensive and out of reach for most people.

Atari Lynx
It's just a different sounding name that catches the ear. I don't know why I like it really.

Some of the worst in my opinion:

Sony Playstation 2 and 3
While the Playstation was an original name, Sony should have changed the name a little bit more than adding a number to the end. To me, it shows a bit of stagant progression and rehasing the same games over.

Nintendo 64
I don't find this name as attractive as some of the others of Nintendo. At least most of the games carried the "64" title so a good marketing idea I guess.

Xbox 360
If you do a full circle, 360 degrees, you end up where you started. While it is a better name than Xbox 2, it makes even less sense than Nintendo 64. With all the money Microsoft has to spend, they could have hired a marketing firm to find a better name.

Sega CD
Yes it does accruately describe what it does but it doesn't say anything more about it than that. Just by looking at the name, you don't know it is an add-on for an exisitng system. Sega could have came up with a much better way to describe it as part of the Genesis family.

**DigitalSpace** · 09-01-2007, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Family Computer

Sega CD as a top 5 console name? Can you explain why?

Originally Posted by Sweater Fish Deluxe

Going by his other choices, I would say that DigitalSpace prefers names that are also descriptions of the system and you have to admit that "Sega CD" is an accurate description. Not like Saturn or Jaguar or other names like that which I'm sure have led to all sorts of confusion over the years.

Sweater Fish Deluxe nailed it. In the Sega CD's case, it's simplistic yet perfectly fitting. CD-based gaming systems were the next hot thing, and thanks to the Genesis, Sega was becoming a household name. It was Sega, on CD! What were you waiting for, Nintendo to make one?

(Also, round the xmas of 93, I was too happy with the SNES I got for my birthday to ask for another console. Although I did ask for Tecmo Super NBA Basketball and got Bulls vs. Blazers instead.)

**Kevincal** · 09-02-2007, 12:39 AM

I forgot all about the "Phantom"...

That's a cool name for a system. Ultra 64 was dope, too. Nintendo should have stuck with it...

**Kevincal** · 09-02-2007, 12:40 AM

And just think, if the N64 DD had done much better than it did. And if it was named the "Ultra 64 DD", everyone would think of huge tits when they heard the name.

**dubiouscubanx** · 09-02-2007, 12:41 AM

1. Genesis
2. Turbo Grafx 16
3. Famicom
4. Pippin
5. Odyssey²

**Kevincal** · 09-02-2007, 12:45 AM

Pippen is a pimpen' name...

**Tron 2.0** · 09-02-2007, 03:05 AM

1.Neo-Geo
2.PC-Engine
3.Famicom
4.MegaDrive
5.Turbo Duo

**Icarus Moonsight** · 09-03-2007, 01:34 AM

1) Wii (I was all WTF when it broke, but in retrospect it's much better than Revolution or the inevitable shortening to Rev or Revo that would have occured - Nintendo Revo *shudder*)

2) Nomad (camel and turbin optional)

3) Genesis/Mega-Drive

4) Saturn (beautiful planet, beautiful console)

5) Dreamcast (although Katana would have secured a top spot for eternity with me. If Sega then would have dubbed the VMU "Wakazashi"... *swoon*)

**Vectorman0** · 09-03-2007, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by Icarus Moonsight

1) Wii (I was all WTF when it broke, but in retrospect it's much better than Revolution or the inevitable shortening to Rev or Revo that would have occured - Nintendo Revo *shudder*)

2) Nomad (camel and turbin optional)

3) Genesis/Mega-Drive

4) Saturn (beautiful planet, beautiful console)

5) Dreamcast (although Katana would have secured a top spot for eternity with me. If Sega then would have dubbed the VMU "Wakazashi"... *swoon*)

Wow, I forgot about the Nomad. I was always very fond of that name.

And with that, I am moving this to classic discussions as it has turned into a great topic.

**Cinder6** · 09-03-2007, 02:57 AM

Favorites, in no order:

Genesis
10x better than Mega Drive, IMO, which just sounds like a generic knock-off product from someone trying to make a quick buck on the re-emerging video game market.

Master System
It just sounds cool and...superior, I guess.

Vectrex
This one should need no explaining. The only reason I even started looking at getting one is because of the name.

PC Engine
A cryptic and somewhat confusing name, it nevertheless sounds good.

Neo Geo
Actually, I just refer to it as either the AES or MVS, depending on which version I'm indicating. I like the sound of either acronym. An honorable mention, following the neat-sounding acronym train of thought, is the MSX, but I'm not sure if it's really considered a console or not.

Least favorites:

Nintendo 64:
An uninspired name that spawned countless games with "64" in the title, which just rubbed me the wrong way. Strangely, I wasn't bothered as much by "Super" back when the SNES came out. I was younger then, though, so maybe that's it.

Wii:
This name just makes me angry, and that's all I'm going to say about it.

Mega Drive:
I already said why. It sounds like a cheap knock-off.

Xbox 360:
I've honestly heard this explanation from many different people as to what the name means: "It signifies that Microsoft's turning around the gaming industry!" The name sucks because it's showed me how so many people have no concept of rudimentary geometry.

180 would have been better, but still awkward. The only reason they didn't call it the Xbox 2 is because it would sound lesser than the PS3, IMO.

GameCube:
It's not actually a cube, the liars.

**Barbarianoutkast85** · 09-03-2007, 07:58 PM

These arent in any specific order, but here is my top 5;
1. Sega Genesis
2. Playstation 2
3. Super Nintendo
4. Sega Saturn
5. Sega Dreamcast

So I guess im a Sega fan-boy for the most part.

**XianXi** · 09-04-2007, 02:40 AM

1. Neo Geo
2. Famicom
3. Turbo Duo
4. Dreamcast
5. Virtual Boy

And I still prefer Nintendo Go over Wii

**Xizer** · 09-09-2007, 06:36 PM

1. Genesis
2. Dreamcast
3. GameCube
4. Saturn
5. Xbox

I always loved Sega's console names.

**grolt** · 09-19-2007, 10:04 PM

See for me it is tough to isolate the name from the company and the logo. To me it's those three things together that make the magic, not just the system name alone. While some people have contested the generic nature of "Saturn", when you couple it with Sega and that amazing blue sphere logo, to me there is nothing better. The way these things were marketted surely plays a role too, since whenever I think of the name "Sega Saturn", I picture the fat bald guy from the Choice Cuts disc yelling it out. How cool is that? If it were Gilbert Gottfried saying it, it'd sound a lot less cool.

But I'll play nice...here's my list:

1. Sega Saturn (for all the reasons above)
2. TurboGrafx 16 (has a great ring to it, PC Engine sounds like a circuit board by comparison)
3. Sega Master System (probably alone in this, but I really like the generic and overly long name; it adds class and certainly gives you a feeling of empowerment)
4. Nomad (brief and encapsulates the essence of the system - it's portable; the conotations to Indian tribalism also helps suggest that "edgy" 16-bit Sega image)
5. PlayStation (there's a reason why Sony continues to use it, like the Nomad it describes itself simply with one conjuring coupling of letters)

**Rob2600** · 09-20-2007, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by grolt

here's my list:

5. PlayStation (there's a reason why Sony continues to use it, like the Nomad it describes itself simply with one conjuring coupling of letters)

Am I really the only person who thinks "PlayStation" sounds like the name of a Fisher-Price baby toy? Again, I can't believe adult men take this name seriously.

**c2000** · 09-20-2007, 12:50 PM

i.n.p.o;

*Sega Nomad (good call from Icarus, forgot about it)
*Sega Saturn
*Atari Jaguar
*Atari Lynx
*Gamecube

Best of all would've been Titan, if it were used as console name (instead of the arcade unit).

**Pantechnicon** · 09-20-2007, 05:48 PM

No order here:

1. Lynx - Reminds you of one of systems better functions in that it "links" to others.
2. PSOne - I'm talking strictly about the little guy. I liked this whole campaign. It was like Sony was saying, "We have a new system on the market, but we're still mighty proud of our first effort, so here it is with a new name and a cool smaller packaging."
3. Game Boy - Your little buddy that you can take with you and play games with. I've said this in other threads, but back during its release, the concept of a portable cartridge-based system was a Godsend. "Game Boy" says it all.
4. System X - This was the prototype name for the Atari 5200. Too bad they didn't stick with it. Sounds almost scary: "Do you have the cojones to handle System X?! Well, do you, punk?!" System X > X-Box.
5. Intellivision/Famicom (tie) - I'm just a sucker for good portmanteaus.

**mnbren05** · 09-21-2007, 03:07 PM

Nintendo Revolution, Xbox, Sega Dreamcast, N64, Super Nintendo

**S-Wind** · 10-04-2007, 11:39 PM

Since the SEGA Genesis NOMAD has been mentioned, I've included the names of portables as well.

THE GOOD
1) Genesis - Even before I knew what that word meant I thought it sounded awesome!
2) Nomad - It has a badass vibe to it, and it's appropriately clever
3) Jaguar - sleek and powerful wild animal, and/or a nice car
4) Neo Geo - one of the more unique names
5) Lynx - I like it

Honourable Mentions:

Megadrive
Master System

THE BAD

1) PlayStation (2)/(3)- When I first heard that name the first thing that came to mind was either a Playskool play set or a deluxe dildo set
2) Wii - So are you pissing or do you have a tiny dick?
3) Wonderswan - 'nuff said
4) game.com - pathetic attempt at cashing in on the cachet of the dot com boom
5) Dreamcast - lame and fruity. HINT: NEVER have the word "dream" in a console's name!

In no particular order:

Nintendo Entertainment System - yawn
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - super yawn
Nintendo 64 - yawn X 64
Xbox - generic, it screams "We paid a marketing comapny big bucks and they spent 30 seconds coming up with this!
Xbox 360 - ditto, plus stupid numbers in order to prove that you dick is longer than Sony's

**Rob2600** · 10-04-2007, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by S-Wind

Xbox - generic, it screams "We paid a marketing comapny big bucks and they spent 30 seconds coming up with this!
Xbox 360 - ditto, plus stupid numbers in order to prove that you dick is longer than Sony's

I don't like the name Xbox either, but to Microsoft's credit, at least the X stands for something: DirectX. The Xbox uses APIs based on DirectX 8.1.