The most important console for gaming thus far....

[7th lutz]

[QUOTE=agbulls;1247218]I understand and live the passion that is the 2600. However, I really don't think video games would be video games if we didn't have the NES. After all, didn't Nolan Bushnell admit to totally destroying the video game business around '84?

QUOTE]

Bushnell didn't destroy the videogame business around 1984. He was really not the videogames at that time. He was not involved with the videogame industry at the time. He was the owner of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre around 1984 when the crash happened. He left Atari months after I was born. I was born in the year Space Invaders was first released in the arcades. That means Bushnell had no impact from a video game company stand point.

There was many factors to the crash with some of them being blamed on Atari management like doing the e.t deal. The other factor was Jack Tramiel. He made computers cheap at the time and computers offered more then a video game console could at the time in terms of games. Computer games offered more genres in terms of advancement then the videogame home console did. The price of the c64 on keys to the crash. Jack made computers affordable at the time under the Commdore brand.

[SkiDragon]

I still vote 2600, and there is no bias there as it really predates me. I own one now and I enjoy it but it is not my favorite system. But it has to be the most important. The NES had competitors that would have had more market share and could have done the same thing as the NES if the NES wasn't there.

The Odyssey would be a candidate, but I don't think it was ever very popular, and it hardly even qualifies as a "console". It's more of a plug-and-play device that happens to use jumpers to select the game.

The 2600 was what really made gaming popular. It could be argued that another system eventually would have, but then we are basically saying that the development of video games was inevitable, and that no single console really changed the eventual course of things. There has been no Thermopylae in video games.

[neogamer]

Did you ever think if people need more than one, than the answer is really not that simple for most people?

Do you know how to follow instructions?

Most of us learned that before the age of five!

Are you special or just different?

Again, the thread reads: "The Most Important Console for Gaming Thus Far..."

[scooterb23]

So my question is this: What console do you think has been the most important or influential so far? Why? What games help define said console? What console from the current crop of 'new gen' consoles do you think will be most important in the future?

G-Boobie, out.

Do you know how to follow instructions?

Most of us learned that before the age of five!

Are you special or just different?

Again, the thread reads: "The Most Important Console for Gaming Thus Far..."

Actually, the question is what G-Boobie, not you, wrote above. I didn't see where G-Boobie made you the lifeguard of this thread, so please, stop doing...whatever the hell it is you are doing in this thread. There is no need for the name calling and the repeated insults. ESPECIALLY since you only seem to have only read the thread title, and not the actual thread content.

To answer the REAL question, not the imaginary one, it's obviously very complicated. My gut is telling me to say 2600 because of how it helped bring gaming into our houses, and helped bridge the gap between the arcade and the family.Also, wasn't the 2600 pretty much the start of the third party developed game? If not then it brought their importance to the forefront.

On the other hand the NES brought video gaming back from the crash, plus think of how it many genres of games that were, in many senses perfected on the system. Also, the NES brought us the most recognizable mascot in the industry. I'm not sure if I put the Playstation up to that level of importance yet, but it's not very far behind.

It's hard to tell though; how much of our gaming world now was shaped by the Jaguar's failure? Or the Game.com? Sometimes events like those can have just as much, if not more influence on an industry than a success... we just may not know about it because it is behind the scenes.

As for today's consoles with the most future impact? Ask again in a year But the continued popularity of the Digital Distribution may hold a lot of the keys to what we may see in the future.


Or to answer it in a way neogamer can handle: there isn't one.

[PallarAndersVisa]

dreamcast needs credit where its due. The most important thing to happen to gaming since the introduction of the game pad has been online gaming, and the dreamcast made it work, and brought it to the mainstream. Gaming wouldn't be squat without functional online multiplayer (and im not talking about the Xband, that was garbage.)

[smokehouse]

dreamcast needs credit where its due. The most important thing to happen to gaming since the introduction of the game pad has been online gaming, and the dreamcast made it work, and brought it to the mainstream. Gaming wouldn't be squat without functional online multiplayer (and im not talking about the Xband, that was garbage.)

So online gaming was the most important thing to happen in the gaming world? More important than the startup of home gaming or the resurrection of the US gaming market?


Sure.


@ Dreamcast fanboys….still delusional even after all of these years…the fact is that DC or no DC, the XBox would have still accomplished what it did and it was the system to beat for online gaming…not the DC.

[sabre2922]

So online gaming was the most important thing to happen in the gaming world? More important than the startup of home gaming or the resurrection of the US gaming market?


Sure.

AGREED

Online gaming is HIGHLY overrated in my opinion

The only ppl I know that are hyped about online gaming are a couple Halo fanboys and amazingly enough thats the ONLY game they play online even though they have other online enables 360 and PS3 games.

Ill add that it surprises me (in a good way) that I have had many ppl ask me about how to download virtual games on their Wiis before purchasing or when hooking up the system.
Thats the only online feature that I see regular type ppl or "casuals" really interested in.

not to hijack the thread mind you.

[neogamer]

Actually, the question is what G-Boobie, not you, wrote above. I didn't see where G-Boobie made you the lifeguard of this thread, so please, stop doing...whatever the hell it is you are doing in this thread. There is no need for the name calling and the repeated insults. ESPECIALLY since you only seem to have only read the thread title, and not the actual thread content.

To answer the REAL question, not the imaginary one, it's obviously very complicated. My gut is telling me to say 2600 because of how it helped bring gaming into our houses, and helped bridge the gap between the arcade and the family.Also, wasn't the 2600 pretty much the start of the third party developed game? If not then it brought their importance to the forefront.

On the other hand the NES brought video gaming back from the crash, plus think of how it many genres of games that were, in many senses perfected on the system. Also, the NES brought us the most recognizable mascot in the industry. I'm not sure if I put the Playstation up to that level of importance yet, but it's not very far behind.

It's hard to tell though; how much of our gaming world now was shaped by the Jaguar's failure? Or the Game.com? Sometimes events like those can have just as much, if not more influence on an industry than a success... we just may not know about it because it is behind the scenes.

As for today's consoles with the most future impact? Ask again in a year But the continued popularity of the Digital Distribution may hold a lot of the keys to what we may see in the future.


Or to answer it in a way neogamer can handle: there isn't one.

Thank you!

That is all somebody had to say and look how long it took!

to quote: "there isn't one" (meaning just one console)

Anyone disagree and want to state that there is only one console that is THE most important thus far??

[PentiumMMX]

Because NES, Atari 2600, and PSX have already been said, I'll go with the N64. It made the rumble feature and analog sticks a standerd feature of controlers, along with proving consoles can do FPSes properly.

EDIT: Yes I know the NES brought back the market, but that's been said enough times in this thread already.

[Rob2600]

To put things very simply, the Atari 2600 was important for the video game industry in America, but the NES was important for the video game industry worldwide.

[theoakwoody]

I'd say the Nes was the most influential. It drew a line in the sand between arcades and home consoles with games that were not just pick up and play games. I know the 2600 had a couple of games like Adventure and bad ports of other next generation games that fall into this category as well but not to the same degree as the nes. Now all you hear about in marketing is that this game will take 40 hours to beat and that you'll spend hours on side quests alone.

[BydoEmpire]

It drew a line in the sand between arcades and home consoles with games that were not just pick up and play games.

That's an interesting point, I never thought of it in that way. Still can't decide between the 2600 and NES, though. The PSX would be a distant 3rd imho, as it already had several competitors which could have done exactly the same thing. Not only that, but the market was relatively well-established at that point which would leave the door open for somone else Sony-like to do what they did. Pure speculation, of course.

[G-Boobie]

OK, now I guess I'll weigh in ..... And to no ones surprise, it's a partial sell out.

I think the NES is the single most important console in terms of 'being the seed', or the progenitor of many of the most famous and revered franchises in gaming... But if you look at the state of the industry today, at it's structure, its traditions, and it's conventions, I think you'll find that the PSOne is the console with the heaviest mark on the industry.

What we're seeing with the Wii and the resurgence in PC gaming is an evolution of not only gaming, but the perception of gaming. WoW has 9 million subscribers; Steam boasts nearly as many registered users, and the Wii has sold millions to Alpha Moms across the world. None of this would be possible without the steps that Sony took to bring gaming to an older, more mature audience.

Nintendo has always designed their hardware to appear innocuous; like a toy. Sega followed this philosophy as well, and so did Atari in their post-2600 phase. In fact, EVERYONE did this, until the advent of the Playstation; inoffensive and friendly to kids was the rule. I'm a big fan of the Gamecube, but it looked like a lunchbox. The original Xbox looked like something to store He-Man figures in. Sony took care with the PSOne (and the PS2, something I think factored heavily into the huge numbers it eventually sold) to bring an adult sensibility to the design of the console; you wouldn't feel weird about leaving it under your TV if you weren't a hardcore gamer. It was another 'Sony' product, something that stood for quality in the minds of the average consumer.

Or so I think. Opinions, no doubt, will vary.

[zerohero]

Depends,

For me personally it was the NES, though I had an atari, the NES was most influential for me gaming wise till this day. Which is why if there ever happened to be no Nintendo, gaming would not seem right. Kinda like the feeling alot of people got when Sega stopped making consoles.

[Rob2600]

I think the NES is the single most important console in terms of 'being the seed', or the progenitor of many of the most famous and revered franchises in gaming... But if you look at the state of the industry today, at it's structure, its traditions, and it's conventions, I think you'll find that the PSOne is the console with the heaviest mark on the industry.

Exactly what structure, traditions, and conventions are a result of the PlayStation?

Nintendo is the company that started having officially licensed third-party developers, not Atari and not Sony. To this day, that is a huge part of the industry. Because of the NES, third-parties have been able to make tons of money (Capcom, Konami, Square, etc.).

Nintendo has always designed their hardware to appear innocuous; like a toy. Sega followed this philosophy as well, and so did Atari in their post-2600 phase. In fact, EVERYONE did this, until the advent of the Playstation; ... Sony took care with the PSOne to bring an adult sensibility to the design of the console

Keep in mind, the NES was designed specifically for the U.S. It was meant to resemble a front-loading VCR or other home electronics device at the time and was designed to not look like a toy.

I think the Atari 5200 and 7800 are sleek, modern, and cool looking. I also think the original PlayStation is ugly and cheap looking. It's a hideous, generic gray rectangle. The small PSOne, the PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation 3 are much better looking.

[Kittens_for_Peace]

[neogamer]

Exactly what structure, traditions, and conventions are a result of the PlayStation?

Nintendo is the company that started having officially licensed third-party developers, not Atari and not Sony. To this day, that is a huge part of the industry. Because of the NES, third-parties have been able to make tons of money (Capcom, Konami, Square, etc.).



Keep in mind, the NES was designed specifically for the U.S. It was meant to resemble a front-loading VCR or other home electronics device at the time and was designed to not look like a toy.

I think the Atari 5200 and 7800 are sleek, modern, and cool looking. I also think the original PlayStation is ugly and cheap looking. It's a hideous, generic gray rectangle. The small PSOne, the PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation 3 are much better looking.

I got to agree with Rob on this one!

[sabre2922]

dreamcast needs credit where its due. The most important thing to happen to gaming since the introduction of the game pad has been online gaming, and the dreamcast made it work, and brought it to the mainstream. Gaming wouldn't be squat without functional online multiplayer (and im not talking about the Xband, that was garbage.)

Total Bullshit

Videogames would still exist and yes even be popular WITHOUT online gaming.

Online gaming is a nice feature for certain games but it is not a necessity for me and I doubt im the only gamer that feels that way.

[Rob2600]

Online gaming is a nice feature for certain games but it is not a necessity for me and I doubt im the only gamer that feels that way.

I agree. I've never played a console game online. I'm just not interested right now. Neither are most of my friends or relatives. The same goes for HDTV.

Perhaps in a few years, I'll be more interested in those features. We'll see.

[Slate]

It has to be the NES For reviving the market.

[FantasiaWHT]

The NES, for bringing gaming back from the dead (in North America at least)

The PS1, for bringing gaming to a more mainstream crowd (think of the extreme popularity of Tony Hawk & the EA sports titles)

The Wii, for bringing gaming to an even more mainstream crowd (think of all the people who never touched games until the Wii (and WiiSports in particular) brought a more interactive form of entertainment.

[neogamer]

Total Bullshit

Videogames would still exist and yes even be popular WITHOUT online gaming.

Online gaming is a nice feature for certain games but it is not a necessity for me and I doubt im the only gamer that feels that way.

Got to agree!

Online gaming does not appeal to me either!

[G-Boobie]

Got to agree!

Online gaming does not appeal to me either!

I respect both of your opinions, but they aren't at all indicative of the culture at large. Online gaming, console gaming included, is the most important step in gaming in long time.

[neogamer]

I respect both of your opinions, but they aren't at all indicative of the culture at large. Online gaming, console gaming included, is the most important step in gaming in long time.

Your taking the context of this thread away from its original purpose.

Now, are we answering the question of what is the most important console for gaming thus far (as the thread name implies).

or, are we answering the question of:

what is the most important step in gaming?

Do you see the difference?

[ozyr]

The Odyssey2 - because it is the Voice of the Future.