UPDATE 5/21: Make sure to check out this post, too: Sorry to Disappoint, Fanboys.
The console wars were more ferocious than any other war in history. You could say they top the Vietnam War, but you won’t. Many companies would rise and fall through the video game crash of 1983, yet only one would prevail to be the most terrible. And now, dear reader, I present to you the 10 worst systems of all time.
10. SNK Neo-Geo AES (1990)
There are those of you who are complete SNK fanboys and will probably stop reading after you’ve seen the 10th worst gaming system of all time: the Neo-Geo Advanced Entertainment System. But to be fair there is probably a good chance I’m a bigger SNK fanboy than you are and even still, I could not resist placing this system on the list. Great hardware and even better software, so what’s the problem with Neo-Geo? SNK’s American marketing team is the problem. You’re marketing a system to the American public claiming it’s an arcade unit with arcade power (and for the most part…it is) at an arcade price. Buying Samurai Showdown in cartridge form and playing it on my Neo-Geo, the graphics look just as good as they do in the arcade, which can’t be said about practically every arcade to console port in existence. That still doesn’t mean we want to pay $200 bucks for one game that we could play for a few hours at an arcade with a roll of quarters.
For $649.99, you could have this system in your house in 1990 with two controllers and Magician Lord. Magician Lord is an awesome game, but if I wanted to increase my library I’d have to throw down hundreds and hundreds of dollars just for one game. Meanwhile, my friends bought their SNES (a year later) for $200; it came with Super Mario World, which is pretty much all you needed and if you wanted more you’d drop around 50 bucks per game. It was because of the sole issue of pricing that the Neo-Geo could not thrive against systems that may not have been better, but were more affordable. To this day, the Neo-Geo out performs nearly every system in 2D graphics display, so does it really belong on this list? Yes, it was released 5 years too early.
9. Mattel Electronics Intellivision (1980)
The first time I ever played Donkey-Kong was on my neighbors Intellivision when we were kids. To say the least, it was a terrible experience for me (though I don’t put Mattel’s Intellivision on this list just because of some traumatic gaming experiences during my youth.) I owned an Atari 2600 Jr. growing up. The Atari 2600 Jr. came out in 1986, the same year as the original NES, it still sported the same technology that was on the original 2600, which was three years older than the Intellivision. My friends and I always found ourselves wanting to play the 2600 over the Intellivision. Don’t get me wrong, BurgerTime was the shit on Intellivision, but who wants to play a shitty version of Q-bert when you can play Asteroids or Space Invaders? Yeah, Astrosmash is great but it isn’t Asteroids.
8. Western Technologies’ Vectrex (1982)
The Vectrex was a fantastic idea on paper. A home console system that’s built into it’s own miniature TV that was almost portable (if you want to lug around fifteen pounds), that’s plain cool. It’s release could not have been more ill-timed, as it came out just short of the market crash that would cripple sales in 1984. The system’s most unqiue feature was its vector graphics, which are essentially lines of light, making the graphics age much better than any other system of its generation. But unless you’re nostalgic of days long past or you’re a complete dweeb interested in homebrewing shitty games, there is no reason to ever want to play on a Vectrex. Not then and certainly not now.
In the ’90s, this system became popular among the homebrew crowd. Why? The screen is the size of a book! These nerds huddle over this tiny screen playing Minestorm, instead of getting fresh high definition games on next-gen systems. It’s ridiculous. Quit living in the past. Did I mention that the controller is like playing with a nipple? It’s fun, but the response to the system isn’t.
7. Sega 32X (1992)
Though not technically a stand-alone console, I believe Sega produced enough Sega-CDs and 32Xs to warrant a place on this list. This is just ridiculous. Whoever got the idea to put expansion slots on a home console unit should’ve been fired faster than a game programmer in 1983. The highly anticipated second piece of shit add-on for the Sega Genesis, the 32x, is the sacrilege of gaming. It required its own power supply in addition to the power supply that would befit the Genesis and Sega-CD. Shit, #7 could’ve been anything. It could’ve been 3D0, but this add-on bullshit takes the cake. Sega didn’t even manage to crank out 40 games for the 32x. They sold it, despite gamers knowing full well that the Sega Saturn was on the horizon.
6. Atari Jaguar (1993)
I personally know people who actually like the Atari Jaguar. Are you fucking kidding me?
Besides Alien vs. Predator and Tempest 2000, every other game on this system wasn’t worth time or effort either invested in the playing or the creating of the game. Remember the Atari Jaguar controller? Y’know, the one that was a Genesis controller with a calculator slapped on the center. The system just wasn’t 64-bit enough for its competitors and much like other systems on this list, it had a small library of games. The fact that this was Atari’s last system (because the Atari Jaguar CD is not a real system) puts the Atari Jaguar in number six.
5. Philips CD-i (1991)
The Cd-i is guilty of the most heinous crime against gamers since the Colecovision tried to dupe the Intellvision’s controller. Butchering the franchises that are Mario Bros. and Zelda, the Cd-i produced some real stinkers. There has never been a more shitty use of Nintendo licensing, except for maybe Starfox Adventures for the GameCube. So what if this thing could show full stream video? No one wants to play Dragon’s Lair. No one.
Look at this image of the Cd-i. I mean look at this fucking thing:
The system isn’t even connected, the controller is wrapped up like it hasn’t been touched in ages. Who would want to play this system over an original Sony Playstation? CD-i just couldn’t catch on to what gamers needed specifically because of its terrible misconception of what a game is. A game is not a movie.
4. Amstrad GX4000 (1990)
The name alone means it’s from the future. Far from it, the Amstrad GX4000 is quite possibly the most horrible crime committed to plastic. I believe Dave Chappelle said it best: What can be said about it that hasn’t already been said about Iraq, it’s bombed out and depleted. This system shouldn’t have even tried to mess with Nintendo or Sega. They were fighting a losing battle from the start: no games, faulty hardware leaves this system at #4.
3. Nintendo Virtual Boy (1995)
Don’t get me wrong, the Virtual Boy had a few good games by design, but no one wants to hunch over and stare into this thing until their eyes burn out. Yeah, they have the warning, you’re not supposed to play it for too long. We’re gamers and we want to play games until our eyes burn out! We just don’t want them to burn out that quickly. There was no comfortable way to play it, it was doomed by design.
Whatever happened to connecting games to TELEVISION? Remember television, Nintendo? Americans love Television. Nintendo forgot about that and suffered with the utter failure that this shit-bucket produced. Speaking of which, it wasn’t much. The Nintendo Virtual Boy only had 14 games. If I’d have to pick one I’d be forced to play it’d be Teleroboxer. . The idea of VR could’ve worked if perhaps they tried this in a different setting, such as an arcade. Just wall mount that piece add a quarter slot to it and idiots everywhere would come up to it, throw quarters in it and have their shades of red.
2. Nokia N-Gage (2003)
The Nokia N-Gage was a blur. I recall seeing the games on store shelves for a month. Besides Pocket Kingdom being 1337, the N-Gage had nothing going for it for one sole reason: it’s a fucking phone. Not only was it awkward to game on because it was a “taco”; it was a taco-shaped PHONE. The controls blew, the buttons didn’t feel right and the hardware was buggy.
“Oh man you gotta try this game it’s called Snakes, it’s on my N-Gage dude and that’s EXTREME!” Perhaps I don’t want to play a shitty game that came out in the 70s in “3d” form on my cellphone.
1. Nintendo Wii (2006)
I just started getting used to the fact that every gaming system I played before this my hands were connected on ONE piece of plastic and circuits. Now, I’m having my hands separated and waving around during game play like a 12-year-old kid with hyperactive disorder who just smoked PCP. I don’t want to be jumping rope with the controller, I just want to control the cool shit that’s on the screen. This thing is a Gamecube slapped with another shitty Powerglove-like gimmick.
Nintendo seems to just be re-releasing crap that didn’t sell in the ’80s. Yet, these casual gamers are buying it for their kids. This system is nothing more than a gimmick for the kiddies. The Wii fit is the new age Power Pad and it’s pathetic that no one can see this tripe that Nintendo is feeding you. The Wii earns its spot for worst console of all time for being nothing more than a joke.
In #4’s text, you should have given Dave Chapelle the credit for the “bombed out and depleted” line.
In #1, it’s “tripe”, not “trite”.
Wahhhhhhh, the Wii is outselling my precious Ps3/Xbox360! I’m going to complain about it on the internet!
Wii the worst? that would make it worse than gamecube. Odd. I’ve actually enjoyed the Wii. I’ll probably buy a PS3 someday, but not until I’m bored of Metroid, SSX:Blur, and Mario Strikers, all of which use the controls as an actual contribution to the gameplay, and not just a “shake remote to activate” action.
Also, check out my list:
#1: Lists are just opinions
#2: Opinions are biased
#3: HD is expensive
#4: PS3 is a great Blu-Ray player!
#5: Wii will double 360 total sales by Jan 1 2009
#6: This list is biased
One number and two letters: 3DO! $900, few games, woohoo!
Couldn’t agree more with your list, Ryan.
Can’t say I’m fond of Metroid Prime: Corruption or any of the other games you mentioned, but I do acknowledge the Wii’s appeal as a great system for casual gamers. As you probably guessed, I’m not a casual gamer.
Keep in mind that I’m not trying to bash these systems (some of them), just poke fun. I personally own every system I posted about except for the Nokia N-Gage. I purchased the Amstrad GX4000 at a flea market for 5 bucks including the controllers and a copy of Burnin’ Rubber.
The Vectrex is by far my most guilty pleasure system, and the one I was most reluctant to post about.
As many stated, the Neo-Geo and Intellivision being on there is a crime. I agree but I’m tired of people glorifying bad systems just because they had a disadvantage during the time of their sales. Basically, the way I approached this piece was with a “Everything or nothing” attitude. If you weren’t a big seller or fun to play by todays standards, you’re going on the list.
There are shittier systems than the ones listed, for sure. But, they’re so bad they don’t deserve the attention other top 10s give them.
Ida, the 3DO lost out on 32Xs place…too bad. No one wants to read about the 3DO. People like the 32x. It’s quite sad.
You lost me at #7. This article started off as a sophisticated critique of hardware, strategy and marketing failures and devolved into the loudmouthed complaint session of a spoiled gamer. If you want to call the the Neo-Geo’s pricing strategy into question, don’t do it in the same article you dismiss the largest selling console in the world as a joke. Have some standards.
M
Mike, right on the money.
Top 10s are nothing more than opinions, right?
Here’s one:
Largest selling goes hand in hand with cheap, over-produced hardware as well as slowly distributed.
“If you want to call the the Neo-Geo’s pricing strategy into question, don’t do it in the same article you dismiss the largest selling console in the world as a joke.”
Handhelds are still outselling the Nintendo Wii. It may have beat out the main next-gen competitors because it’s cheaper and as we all know, consumers are cheap.
Yawn. Nothing new here.
You sir are an IDIOT!
I think you needed to rethink the overall theme of this list; it loses focus quickly. It’s one thing to assemble a list of marketplace failures and tech disasters (as you did with the CD-I, Jaguar, Virtual Boy, and Amstrad), but to include the popular & influential Intellivision, the N-Gage (not a console… a handheld), and most bizarrely, the best-selling console in the world… a console that actually DOES allow you to directly “control the shit on screen”.. well, you’re off-base.
Maybe “10 Gaming Devices That Personally Baffle Me” would be more appropriate?
I can’t see putting the Wii on there – it’s a good system.
My votes go for the Odyssey 2, Apple/Bandai Pippin, Atari 5200, and the X-Box.
Dude, you just got your ass handed to you by boing boing
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/05/20/graded-the-worst-10.html
I’ve heard it said that although there are a lot of people who want to write about video games, there are very few people who can actually do it well. Apparently the ones who can’t still find jobs.
by Ryan Ash — May 20, 2008 16:55pm
Basically, the way I approached this piece was with a “Everything or nothing” attitude. If you weren’t a big seller or fun to play by todays standards, you’re going on the list.
—-
the #1 on your list is the biggest selling console today, and is fun to play by any standard. you lose your credibility here dude. this list should be titled “Top 10 Consoles That I Personally Don’t Like”
Thank you Gobo.
You sir, are a dueche.
Editor’s Note: Learn to spell “douche” correctly in the future, buddy.
WHO CARES? NO ONE CARES.
But seriously, while I don’t agree with everything Ryan says… I don’t have to. In fact, I can read it, laugh about the funny stuff and the gross sarcasm, and then get on with my life. These top 10 type articles are a dime a dozen. Is there one in existence that was written as a result of chance encounter with an arch-angel? The lot of you seem to make that case.
Ah fuck all, now I’ve gone and wasted my time writing in response to the internet subculture that wouldn’t know reality if it (insert original/cliché metaphor here). If your making the commitment to spend time reading someone else’s opinions you might as well take it or leave it. If I seem hypocritical, well then fuck you. I don’t do this usually so forgive my indulgence.
Now put down the controller and go out side!
when I see a list like this I think to myself “never been kissed by a girl”
“But unless you’re nostalgic of days long past or you’re a complete dweeb interested in homebrewing shitty games, there is no reason to ever want to play on a Vectrex. Not then and certainly not now.”
Best arcade game console in his day. Did you ever play with this machine??? I do, for days and days… The resident game Minestorm was greater than the real Atari coin-op Asteroïds. The strong point of this system was true coin-op experience at home. Problem was the high price.
“Did I mention that the controller is like playing with a nipple? It’s fun, but the response to the system isn’t.”
IMHO, even if they were little in size, the controllers were incredibly tough and could take lot of abuse with their coin-op quality stick and buttons (these buttons where the same used in real coin-ops). Control was very acurate and fast. Did you really play with this machine? I doubt it…
I own the machine Gab, these are merely opinions; the machine is not THAT bad.
Thanks for the comment.
The Wii #1? Ha. I laugh at that.
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/worstconsole.png
you fail at life. even tho its an opinion, i still think youre just jealous of how the ps3 blows cock. lol (or how wii is doing better than 360, whichever one you’re a fanboy of
cuz i know you are)
i only like the wii for its mario games mostly, without them and smash bros i would have no passion for gaming whatsoever. and i aint no fanboy, i just happen to like wii and dont find it worth my money to get a ps3 or xobx 360 especially since there are a lack of games that i would find interesting.
i view gaming as a way to get away from reality once in a while, and not constant war games that are just lik real life and “amazingly new graphics.” hell if it were my decision, id like games to ALWAYS be animated in pixels. i dont need a gaming console to let me do something i can already do myself w/ enough time, money, etc..
THE WII IS THE GREATEST CONSOLE EVER
Dude, you are so wrong in so many different ways.
Also, who the fuck can take you seriously? You put the Nintendo Wii as the ‘worst console of all time’. Please consider the following extract:
“The console wars were more ferocious than any other war in history. You could say they top the Vietnam War, but you won’t.”
More ferocious than any war in history? I hope you’re joking; it’s forgivable.
‘…top the Vietnam War, but you won’t’ – Oh, won’t I?
Wat.
Your journalistic skills are lacking and you’re evidently a butthurt fanboy of the PS3/360. Since when did gaming become about taking sides and stubbornly refusing that rival companies’ systems/games are irrefutably inferior to the the company that you swear blind allegiance to? Did you just compile this list just to say ‘WII’S SHIT LOL’?
Have you actually played the Wii? Did you REALLY wave your hands around like a 12-year old that had smoked PCP? You must be pretty unique, dude.
ALL right your right with the jaguar but with the 32x comon that system has 15 realy good games “doom,vitrua fighter,star wars.And more lots more.
I think Doom for 32X was voted worst version of Doom ever back in the day.
This article is a crock of shit. #9 (Intellivision) and #8 (Vectrex) were very innovative for the time, they were just victims of poor planning and poor business strategy.
The Wii at #1… are you KIDDING ME? Did Sony or Microsoft pay you to write this article? This thing is the FUTURE of gaming and you will be eating your words in just a few years’ time.
Fanboys R SO FUNNY
the neo geo is pretty good but the price tag is just bad.
You didn’t even mention the Dreamgear?
U R A FUCKING SPED THE WII IS KICK ASS. U R PROBABLY SOME WEIRDO U LIVES IN IS PARENTS BASEMENT
The Wii is Shit,
Not only is it the Phillip Glass of Games Consoles, but it is also using methods that are decades out of date. Motion sensor technology is not new or innovative. The games are a pile of mediocre, instantly forgetable japanese turds.
Even the new mario is no different from the one made in 1996.
I agree with this list, although I think that the Playstation 3 should be on here, because in europe it is viewed in the same light as a nazi paedofile.
haha Phillip Glass
Sounds like Ryan Ash is a “Fanboy” in his own right and the target for the Xbox 360 or PS3. Designed for boys age 10-35 who like to lock themselves up in a dimly lit room with a case of Jolt Cola and some Delivery Pizza play till his eyes burn out. I would bet that Ryan also enjoys playing the most state-of-the-art eye-popping graphically intense descended of Castle Wolfenstein 3D FPS on the most immersive consol technology available. No shame it that, however I am not exactly sure what criteria Ryan is using to judge what makes a game consol the worst of all time but I would bet its more about graphics and sound than it is about improving the social or anti-social aspects of gaming. Shooting the crap out of online gamers that he might consider his friends in Call of Duty 4 or questing in a MMORPG like WOW are probably the definitive limits of what Ryan Ash thinks of “social gaming”.
The Wii has dramatically expanded the market for video games to almost everyone without compromising its core customers who enjoy relatively clean family friendly games. Nintendo never intended to create a consol to compete against Xbox360 or PS3, they knew that they would get their butts handed to them by those to huge conglomerate corporations who could afford to practically give their hardware away to sell licenses to game developers. So Nintendo had to get smart and looked at what non-gamers and casual gamers did & didn’t like about modern console. They knew they had to do something about the overly complicated controllers and the fact that most games were only fun for 1 player at a time and successfully designed a console that would bridge the gap between the 10-35 male gamer and the rest of the world.
That’s why I found it funny that the Wii topped off Ryan’s list, he totally discredit himself when he obviously didn’t get what Nintendo was trying to do with the Wii. Nintendo always targeted family video gaming since the Famicom way back in the day, probably before Ryan was born. The Wii was an attempt by Nintendo to touch base with its roots and cerate a consol that was geared towards group, party and family play AKA Social Gaming. I know that just about anyone but the hardcore anti-social gamers can and will play with the Wii together, old people young people, little tiny kids, men, women, girls and boys. Yes it is weak when it comes to graphics and sound but it is more than enough to get the job done. However Ryan was right on the money when it comes to raw power, the Wii is pretty much a Gamecube with a gimmicky yet cool and easy to understand control interface that almost anyone and their grandmother can use. But I bet Ryan is too cool and would not want to play video games with his grandparents, or a younger relative or someone of the opposite sex.
What I don’t understand is why the Hardcore gamers and fanboys like Ryan don’t have any respect for the Wii. The Wii is the gateway console bringing more and more people to the wonderful world of videogames. This expanding market will reduce prices, increase technological development of consoles and expand the number and quality of video game titles available.
“I would bet that Ryan also enjoys playing the most state-of-the-art eye-popping graphically intense descended of Castle Wolfenstein 3D FPS on the most immersive consol technology available.”
@Jackson,
Actually, I’m playing Nightmare On Elm Street for the NES. The control scheme is better than the Wii and doesn’t require a separate accessory to get it to work properly:
http://www.gearfuse.com/more-expansions-more-money/
Your system is a joke, fanboy.
“I bet Ryan is too cool and would not want to play video games with his grandparents, or a younger relative or someone of the opposite sex.”
You’re absolutely right. I don’t want to play video games with my grandparents or a toddler who can’t keep up with me. And as far as the opposite sex is concerned, I have no quarrel with playing games with them, so long as it’s not the Wii.
Vince, Who is the biggest douchebag you have ever met in RL? LOL I do enjoy playing video games with my grandparents. I feel it has done wonders for our relationship and I also feel it has helped them maintain their cognitive abilities, linear thinking, manual dexterity, eye hand coordination, effectively keeping their progressive illnesses at bay.
And yes I do feel like a big looser trying to discuss the positive social changes in videogames with people like you. I wrote such a long post because I think Ryan is funny and intelligent, has a point of view shared by many that I want to better understand and I am stuck in an airport till evening with nothing but a Moded DS, and a fried Flash ROM.
shit shit shit shitty shitty shit shit shit shit shit shit
I liked that list up to #1. look, just because you’re a sony/microsoft fanboy doesn’t mean you have to be bitter towards the wii. hell, i’m a nintendo fanatic. do i hate the 360? no. i think it’s a decent console and deserves the success it’s gotten. do i hate the ps3? no. although it’s my least favorite of the big three, mainly due to price and lack of good exclusives, it does have great hardware and MGS4, and also deserves the success it also has achieved.
Hehehe, loved ya on DIGG.
Big fat “F” for this one indeed, and not just because you are a ridiculously bias fanchild throughout, but because you don’t know how to write or spell properly!
Convince me you’re not a 12 year old (because you write like one) then I’ll believe your reasons for hating on the Wii. Maybe you just need to work on your coordination a little before you give it another go.
C’mon guys, ease up. You don’t agree with the list, that’s fine, but don’t attack him over it. That makes you guilty of many of the same things you complain about in his article.
To Ryan – Wow, I hope you realize what a great service boing-boing just did for you! Free traffic (from them and then from digg linking to them) and free editing! You can’t get much better than that. Hopefully you take some of their criticisms to heart. We can always improve our writing, and they give some great tips to help improve yours. (I think one of their top points… stop using so many curse words! In casual conversation with your friends, they are great. In writing, not so much. Using them makes anyone seem less professional.)
LOL U SUCK A LOT
FAIL:
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/worstconsole.png?from=rss
The attempts at sarcasm in this list are very poor. I don’t know what Ryan Ash thinks the word “worst” means. Just because the Neo-Geo AES was expensive doesn’t mean it wasn’t great. The reason it was expensive was because it was basically a home arcade cabinet (in a console) that you could swap games in and out easily. And Super Mario Land was on the Game Boy, not the SNES. That was Super Mario World. Please do research before you try to crack wise in a published piece.
OMG, I just wasted 5 minutes of my life…
no sense list written in a no sense language.
Fail.
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/worstconsole.png?from=rss
This is going in my Top Ten Worst Lists on the Internet list!
Nice list, but I’d have to disagree on several consoles on here including the Vectrex, Intellivision, and Neo Geo. All three systems were way ahead of their times when they were released.
Here are my list of top 10:
10-Apple/Bandai Pippin
9-Amstrad GX4000
8-Atari Jaguar
7-Virtual Boy
6-Tiger R-Zone
5-Tiger Game.com
4-Atari 7800
3-Atari 5200
2-Phillips CDi
1-RCA Studio II
If you don’t like an authors opinions or style all you have to do is stop reading. It may not be a shining example or english literature, but how may blogs are? And if the goal was to be interesting and generate traffic then this article is a stellar success. And if anyone points out my grammatical error of putting “And” at the start of the last sentence, I’ll be very annoyed. And angry.
Boy. You really have no sense of proportion, do you?
Whatever you wanna think about the Nintendo Wii, there is NO way that it’s worse than the CD-I, the Virtual Boy, the 32X, the Jaguar, and many others that you neglected to mention like the Gizmondo, the Sega Pico, or the Atari Lynx.
I could have ignored it if you put the Wii was lower on the list, but the fact that you put it at number one makes the whole thing suspect.
gamester81, Nice list. Yes, those three were ahead of their time.
Holy shit my unborn pet dog could write a better list than this.
While I’m not saying that you aren’t entitled to own opinion you cannot find a person that would rather play Super Smash Bros Brawl (with a gcn controller) or all the c-di games ever!!!!
You make me sick
This is a really good list, except that Wii is a very good console. =/ All three new generation consoles are great!
If you don’t like the Wii, you’ll hate everything about Nintendo!
This list would have been million times better if Wii isn’t here. -_- That console is like one of the best consoles! (If not the best console)
The Wii is actually not that bad. But still, not bad at all.
The wii is fine but the other ones suck. You should just cuss a little less
Wow. Wii as the worst console of all time? This is obviously a biased attack on the Wii from an Anti-Nintendo fan.
Go back to masturbating to Halo fanboy.
good list, not exactly how i would of put it but oh well.
Wii the worst console ever?!! WTF? Go suck dick asshole!!!
The Wii is the system for dipshit soccer moms that are too fucking busy to look over their kids, so the buy them a shitty system that you can play by sitting on the couch, with a joke of an online system (friend codes/no voice chat), no DVD/HDDVD/Bluray playback, shitty games and (according to the comments), a legion of shitheads that don’t even own a real console (hell, the Dreamcast is better than the Wii).
Nintendo’s future development efforts will focus on crap games marketed to the non-games…. oh wait, the last actual game they developed was Twilight Princess.
Okay, 1. This list is just a poor excuse to show your a sony fanboy 2. Rational Person, just shut up before you embarass yourself. Wii is better than Dreamcast. 3. Wii worst console ever? So your saying the Atari systems are better? This list is such bullcrap.
HELLO AUTHORR…..
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE #1 WORST CONSOLE YOU MENTIONED
HAS THE LARGEST MARKET SHARE OF GAMING CONSOLES ON EARTH
YOU ARE FROM EARTH, AREN’T YOU??
(ALSO LEAVING SONY PS3 BEHIND THOUSAND MILES AWAY..)
I THINK YOU BETTER REPLACE THE FIRST POSITION BY THE ‘HI-TECH”HD’ Playstation 3 “the follower of XBOX 360 and the price follows a car”.
My favorite post from the boing boing hit piece aka “english lesson” aka minutia.
by Tahiri: Why is wii crossed out? It deserves to be there more than any system before it, except maybe the atari since it’s bringing down the industry just like atari did before the NES.
Short and sweet. I could rant about the Wii all day long, but I won’t. The Wii fanchildren have really fragile minds. They can’t take a person’s opinion for what it is.(maybe that’s why they “LOVE” the Wii) I’ve owned a few of the older systems on the list and a few that weren’t. I still have some of the original legacy consoles. For the “gamers” we want the best. Not some 90’s throwback posing as something new. I view the Wii just as I did the Gamecube. Waste of time and waste of money. I don’t have anything against Nintendo.(I grewup on the NES) It is time for TRUE gamers to say enough is enough. Sadly I’ve moved on from console systems for now to PC. When Nintendo is gone from the market, maybe it can get back on track with “real” advancements in the gaming industry.
Ryan, rational, and all the other posters with common sense have it right. We want serious games with serious gaming systems. Not this watered-down, low graphic, old tech, elementary crap. The children(”tween” and “pre-tween”) can have the Wii. All the non-gamers need to go back to non-gaming.(whatever that is) There is a good reason I stopped buying Nintendo products after the NES. They cater to children. Gamer’s don’t build/buy thousand dollar gaming rigs, high dollar consoles with the works because we want some old junk dressed in new plastic. We want our monies worth. I don’t play games because everybody “loves”them. I only play the best. If I need nostalgia, I’ll go in the closet and pull out a legacy unit or pull up a emulator on the PC.
(note: I don’t own any “Next Gen” consoles. No need. PS2 was the last. Mid-level gaming rig, I built, gets my time)
Ryan keep bringing the truth to the gaming market. It needs it before history repeats itself.
3 things wrong with this list
9. Mattel Electronics Intellivision- That console kicks ass. Better games, sounds, and graphics 2600.
9. goes to- R-zone
3. Nintendo Virtual Boy – Don’t get me wrong the virtual boy belongs on the list, but not at 3. IT belongs at 10. It has some good games.
belongs- Apple/Bandai Pippin
1. Wii. This console is nearly better then the SNES. This system has some amazing games. THhis belongs as the best video game console of all time.
Belongs- Atari 5200
I think you bashed the wii a little too much… Dont get me wrong, I think the PS3 and the Xbox are light-years ahead technologically, but the wii was a nice innovation from a company that produced some bullshit and then went silent for 5 years
Very interesting list but no rule for how you did the voting. The wii definately is NOT the worst console in the world. It´s one of the best and innovatove game systems ever made.
Beside the Sega Dreamcast my favorite system of all time!
Nor do I agree with the Atari Jaguar. It was far ahead of it´s time and it also has DOOM (then Iron Soldier I+II, Skyhammer…) and some other titels worth playing and it´s a shame that the system didn´t sell better as it´s competitors were the Sega Genesis and Super Famicon. If Americans were half as patriotic as they say they are they wouldn´t have let their one and only true video game company fade away
With Atari the world did lose a piece of history. In general their hardware was far ahead (Lynx was kind of 16 bit handheld) and I personally think that with their achievements they forced other companies to develop further… We will see what the future brings…
Next is the Amstrad GX4000… it was not a weak system, nor had it bad games. Sure it was wrong timed, but I enjoyed it very much back these days.
And sure mentioning the Neo Geo is a Joke… if you go to pricing you could even say that PS2 was around 800 bucks while you could get a dreamcast for half the price… just because of dvd playback?
But I think that those lists strongly depend on what kind of games you like and what feature you want…
I love wii. My list:10.Turbografx-19 9.Phantom 8.N-Gage 7.Virtual Boy 6. [insert add-on here] 5.Jaguar 4.Cd-i 3.Atari 5200 2.R-Zone 1.GIZMONDO how could you leave that out.
Add 3DO at 7. #3 is now tied, 5200 and CDi. R-Zone is even worse than Gizmondo.
Actually, I’d agree with the Wii being pathetic. It’s gone baby like. Although, as a marketing ploy, it went awesome. It’s not aimed at the “hardcore gamer”. It’s aimed at people who like going to the arcade to play with the cars. At people who game every now and then. But it still sucks.
@Ryan
Include Gamecube?!?
PIKIMIN!!! How can you bag Pikimin?
Also, it was backwards compatible with the N64. Golden eye dude. XD
I agree with you all the way. I loathe wii, it’s absolutly a piece of crap
I must agree about your statements for the wii I don’t think it is the worst but it is pretty bad but the wii has somethings one is the virtual console I love that thing it is so useful to play clasics i just wish that 80% didn’t suck. The other is the wiiware mainly final fantasy 4 the after years I loved final fantasy 4 but that’s it I have a hard time playing Zelda Twilight princess on it so i decided to get the gamecube version but the games that use the classic controller are fun.
i dont think the wii is that bad. it shouldent have been number 1 on the list
all major consoles do look strange though:
the ps3 looks like a toastie* machine.
the xbox looks like a sky+hd box
and the wii does look a little like a dvd or cd player.
virtual boy should have definitely been number 1:)
*a toastie machine is kind of like a hot sandwich machine. if you didnt know : )
This list is fine except for the Neo Geo. It was never meant to compete with the other mainstream systems. That’s like saying that Rolls-Royce is in direct competition with Honda or Rolex competes with Timex. The Neo Geo was made only for the niche market that was willing to pay the premium prices for it. Comparison FAIL.
PS3 is shit
XBOX …………. not so bad
Wii is probably the best console made to date.
Virtual boy and philips: DEFINITELY NUMBER ONE
Oh, im so, so, sorry, you were asking why PS3 is shit: well XBOX and Wii both made thier
new consoles, then sony tried a little too hard to blitz the others with its new console, RESULTING IN A PS1 WITH NEW GRAPHICS
AND people say that a wii is a gamecube in running shoes, and i see the sense in this, but people just instantly HATE THE Wii
NO-ONE HAS BOTHERED TO LOOK AT THE Wii SPEC. AND THEREFORE HAVE NOT SEEN HOW HARD NINTENDO HAS TRIED TO MAKE IT.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER PLAYED A WII STILL HATE IT
YOU SIR ARE AN UNIMAGINABLE PS3/XBOX FREAK
YOU ARE ALSO THE BIGGEST GAY IN THE WORLD
THE WII IS ONE THE ABSOLUTE BEST CONSOLES IN THE WORLD
DID YOU KNOW? THAT THE CONSOLE YOU PUT AS #1 HAS THE LARGEST MARKET SHARE IN THE WORLD???
YOU PROBABLY CHANGE THE POSITION YOU PUT THE WII BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO SEES THIS IS GOING TO GIVE YOU BAD F**KING COMMENTS
Fuck you. The Nintendo Wii is probably one of the greatest revolutions in video game technology. So what if it’s graphics don’t match other systems? I can still guarantee most games on the Wii are amazing fun and the graphics are from lazy developers who don’t put enough effort into the graphics of their games. You can do many amazing things with the Wii if you try. And the motion controls work well depending on the developer, along with the graphics. And if you haven’t noticed, you’re new Xbox 360 destroyed all you’re new games when you bump into it and you end up buying a new one every other month because of the fucking red ring of death. Also, where is the Xbox’s internet browser? Where is the built in wireless internet? Where is the built in memory? If you find any of these things, I’d love to know. And the PS3 just burnt half a paycheck just for the system and the hideously long waiting times just take the cake. And I’m sorry if Nintendo has redone a few games to make them amazing and completely better. And the Wii has a much better graphics system then the Gamecube, if you took long enough to study what you we’re writing about. And I’m sorry if one company is trying to get the incredibly fat, idiot Americans off of their fat asses by tempting them with video games. Obesity is a pretty big problem here, and a lot of America is experiencing it. And even if Nintendo didn’t care, they’ve still sold millions of their system. Almost everyone has one. They should be swimming in money right now, so shut the fuck up about what you don’t know. You obviously don’t know shit about anything. Do not judge what you don’t know. If anything, go on a walk every once in a while, experience what the REAL world has to offer. Your TV can wait.
well the list was fine until i saw the wii. sure it doesnt have the best graphics, but it is still pretty fun. also, i do own all 3 7th gen consoles (dont judge me) and yeah theyre all pretty awesome. and…. i think you should change the title a little to stop the bad comments….
I think you may have some mental problem u fuckin retard. I was agreeing with you up until i saw wii on the list as the worst console. I mean WTF! All of those other consoles sucked and failed. Wii would be on the top ten BEST consoles ever. btw wii has VC with many of the old games and has many features VC is nice i can play the old games on SNES and NES etc. without em freezing on me. How could the wii suck more than a piece of shit phone boy (better name than N-gage lol). I had to get that out because really dude wii worse than a virtual boy or N-Gage?! WTF? I agree with alot of the comments saying wii is not the worst and is probly one of the best consoles out there. My opinion is PS3 is #1 XBOX 360 is #2 and Wii is #3. if wii is so bad why does evry1 i know have 1 or knows some1 who has one?
Actually WII #1 PS3 #2 XBOX 360 #3
last comment cuz i feel like im spamming. u have ur opinion i have mine so u can think it sux but u r definitley gonna get bad comments.
why is it that if a console doesnt have the best graphics on the market that alot of fuckwits will go as far as to hate it
The Wii is now being copied by sony and microsoft because they obviously lost this generation….badly.
In a time when the only advancements in consoles where graphics leading to the market slowing, nintendo took a different path all together and it is one of the best business decisions in console gaming history, Nintendo pretty much breathed life into the dying games industry single handedly and should have everyones respect.
Microsoft and sony should be thanking nintendo.
The console has something for everyone and has defined the way we play console games forever as all 3 next generations will have motion gaming, some might evne have introduced it this generation in desperation to get back some of the market that nintendo are utterly dominating.
So putting the Wii as the worst console of all time has made this guy look like a complete idiot as he has put one of most pivotal and most important gaming consoles of all time as his worst consoles.
What a fucking idiot.
I mean Nintendo’s mii’s vs microsofts avatars??? come the fuck on.
Wii shouldn’t be #1. I understand that people have different opinions, but you’re not going to tell me Wii is worse that all those others, as the Internet would say, “epic fails” up there. I mean, worse than the CD-i? Hah. I would understand (thought disagree) if it was #10 or something, but COME ON! Either this was just a joke in bad taste to get Wii fanboys/girls all riled up, or you, my good man, have no idea over what a “good” or “bad” console is. Sure, there’s a few things I don’t like about the Wii, like friend codes, poor online support and stuff, but my love for Mario, Pokémon and Zelda weighs up for this by far.
Also, some games doesn’t have “waggle”, or an option to play without it, and most of these are actually “good” games, the ones that get on almost every “top 10 games” list for the Wii. Just a note.
Hoppip out.
Everyone is so mad that he chose the Wii but I think he’s right.
Look at the hardware on the system. Its a friggin joke.
Gimmick all the way, nintendo definitely earned that #1 spot with the Wii.
Ah, I have to wade in here. Missed the original posting, saw it by random link-trawling.
Overall, as an avid gamer from the 80’s this was a fantastic waltz down memory lane.
Honestly, though, some commenters need to consider a little deeper about the Wii.
Being the largest selling console doesn’t mean it’s particularly good. Take a look into actual title sales (the sales of games for the consoles) – Very few Wii owners buy more than 3 games tops for their console. That’s it. xBox and PS3? Often into dozens.
Now, I’m not a xbox or ps3 fanboy. I don’t own either, actually.
The real crime of the Wii, though, is taking a great innovation and packaging it up Nintendo-style: The motion controller can do so much, but the Wii console is so heinously underpowered, with graphics that would have been crappy five years before it’s release. Ever hook a Wii up to a bigscreen TV?
The Wii, as popular as it is, is a huge demonstration of wasted potential. If it was made with more horsepower, and if someone had bothered to make GOOD games for it, it would be a thing of magic. Neither of those things required anything out of Nintendo’s grasp either – even moderate resolution and graphics processing hardware hare readily and cheaply available. It saddens me endlessly that the Wii could be SO MUCH MORE than it is, but Nintendo is content to just rake in cash off of the laziest console design ever.
It’s like gaming on an oversized iPhone.
That all said, I’d be hard pressed not to put one (or both) xboxes on this list. While the games are awesome, both of the consoles were so ridden with flaws, almost everyone I know with one has had to have it repaired or replaced at LEAST once.
ive seen much worse things than the wii, this reeks of favoritism, why not put the 3DO in there, or the Atari 5200?
Neo-Geo and Wii shouldn’t be here, and the Amstrad thing should be #1 by far. All the other systems had at least 1 good game, that one did not, and was in every way behind the times when it came out.
Although I can see why one wouldn’t like the Wii, I don’t think it’s the worst console of all-time. I don’t really understand how anything could be worse than the Virtual Boy or the Phillips CD-i.
The Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 are all awesome gaming systems that offer a relativity different experience. To say that any of them are even close to being the worst video game console of all-time is more than a little hilarious.
The posts from Derrick and Thedude Have just proved my point. If Graphics were the be all and end all of gaming the PSP would be destroying the DS but the definatley is not the case.
The PSP like the 360 and the PS3 are being raped.
Don’t get me wrong graphics are awesome but if it comes at the expense of good games i’d pick the latter.
Ha, this list make me sad.
Super biased, many wrong spellings, and childish.
I hate seeing people like you with no experience in the gaming world.
Started off good, like someone else said, but I couldn’t agree less on most of those.
How can you stand there with a strait face and say that the Wii is the worst system ever?
Above the abomination that is the CD-i……..that is just retarded.
You need to go out and learn a little bit, that it doesn’t take shooting or graphics to make a good game.
You need to play some Brawl and some Punch Out to learn the true meaning of quality.
Shame on your for making this patehic list. Neo-Geo, Intellvision, Vectrex, Amstrad, and the Wii?
I cannot believe how horrible the fanbase is. Very few members actually have brains and realize that there are more then just shovelwares on those consoles, especially the Wii. Nintendo cares about us audience, they make good fiancial desicions, Nintendo of Japan work their ass off for you unapperatice people.
I was not surprise that the Wii gets all the hate from the community. To the people who think the fanboys are bad, well, the Wii haters deserve to be called the worst offenders of Nintendo property. I’m actually surpise this wasn’t a Nintendo bashing thread or something liked that. In fact, I can with a flat-out stright face call the Nintendo fanbase the number #2 worst fanbase of all time. Worst then the Sonic fanbase, worst then the Anime fanbase, worst then any fanbase except that insane clown fanbase.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Wii haters were to work together and destroy Nintendo because they won’t give the company a chance nowadays. I know that you fans are the most unforgiving fanbase I’ve ever seen. Once Nintendo makes a mistake, even the slightest one, you go ballistic over them. I don’t see that happening constantly with other fanbase, at least some of them are somewhat sane. However, the hardcore part of the fanbase is out of control and beyond repair. How is Nintendo going to satisfy you now with the grumpy atitude you people support? I realize that people who hate the Wii tend to curse more then people like me who enjoy the Wii. That means that hating the Wii with a passion must have a negitive effect on you.
If you Wii haters do attempt so to call the Wii the absolute worst video game console, prove it at Nintendo Life, a place where people who enjoy the Wii can properly discuss Nintendo gaming without constant *****ing from haters.
Ryan Ash, you are an insult to Nintendo for not giving Nintendo a second chance at life and saying that the notorious Nightmare on Elm Streets for the NES is better then ALL of the Wii games. Despite this, I am giving you the oppertunity to make an account on Nintendo Life and troll the hell out of the forum to make sure you feel sorry for what you have done.
The Nintendo Wii hating fanbase needs to die this instant.
Look here is the answer to this, games sucks your brain out and makes you poor after making all that hard earned money, also it can kill you like the wii. Don’t believe me look up hold your wee for a wii, and Tim Even. People it is simple get rid of the games for good. it is like gambling it is addicting. I got rid of them and I am living an easy life. I got rid of the 64, gamecube, Ps2, Ds, color, advance, Sp, xbox 360, and the Ps Three. It is point less now in this time of a bad economy. So wasting your hard earned money that can save your life for some stupid entertainment? Well then sell your life too. Books are the best source of entertainment. ALSO texing is stupid too. What a waste of anybodys time even writing about these stupid games period. Here is a good saying, Shut the fuck up, and get rid of games, or be married to merry ann drew keep them and it will shatter you. I hope there is a program that can stop the addicting game playing like there is a program for cigarettes. Really feel bad for the human mind. Not matured at all. Like an apple that never ripens.
Oh one more thing it is really the creators of every game systems who are smart with taking you money because, well, they know that you would be addicted. If you can’t see this then how smart are you? Your IQ = 0.
??????? WOW Luke. How stupid you are for even typing. What a waste of time for people to be typing these comments, well that means your stupid too. Who agrees? If you don’t like playing games that is your loss. No one is going to listen to you.
I love super smash bros, and melee, but brawl I am not sure about that one. I found Roy to be the most strongest character in the history of smash bros melee, because of that counter. That was a shame that they replaced him of Eike . Roy was to powerful of a character to appear in brawl. Oh well at least they didn’t take out Marth. In melee I love his mid air combat followed by ground combos and his counter. In melee the computers cheat a bit. there anticipation level is too high so if I were to lets say attack them with a ray gun close up they just simply shield and it bounces of to you. I was like how is that possible? Oh well it is just a game. So anything is possible.
Question who do you think is the strongest smash bros melee character?
so which is the wurst game – asteroids or hemoroids?
Author lost all credibility at #1…stupid article is stupid
the wii? on this list? you suk dik and i hope you get hit by a plane! (i know im overreacting but the wii is amazing! a.k.a.: it has legend of zelda the twilite prinsess)
the wii you must be kidding me it should not be up here it should not even be in the list.does any body remember the odessy and odessy2 those gaming systems should be 1 and 2. they were just plain awful.