totaly agreed with your choice : Game boy should be at least second on the list cause he open the way for portable system...

Super Nes was pretty cool but the N64 had a huge impact for the 3d...

I agree with this.

My list:

6. Virtual Boy (for the giggles)

5. Wii

4. DS

3. SNES

2. Game Boy

1. NES

The Wii showed that Nintendo is the most innovative of the 3 console makers, and it's the most selling console of this gen (handhelds excluded), but otherwise I think it's not that important.

The DS saved Nintendo from becoming a third-party developer. Many might argue with this, but after the mildy successful GBA and the less successful GameCube Nintendo needed some money. Without the DS, Nintendo wouldn't have had the funds to develop the Wii. They could still tried the Wii, but I doubt Nintendo were willing to risk their whole money, if they didn't had the DS. Combine that with the innovative touchscreen (Yeah, I know Nintendo weren't the first to use touchscreens, but they made the mass appeal), and we've got a winner.

the SNES established Nintendo as one of the most important game and console makers, and brought out probably the best games that ever existed. I still play SNES games today, and many others do the same, many consider it the best console ever made (I tend to disagree because I think PSone was better, but only by a small margin).

The Game Boy pretty much started the total domiance of the handheld market of Nintendo, which no one was able to beat until today. (And please don't me with iPhone etc., you can't seriously consider these handhelds...) If ask  people what comes first to their minds if they hear Nintendo, it's the Game Boy. Also the most sold series, Pokémon, helps, too.

The NES is where it all started. Nintendo became a console maker. The biggest gaming franchises like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, it all started here. Additonally, Final Fantasy started here, too. The NES is the most important Ninendo console. Fact. Every list where NES isn't first is just plain wrong.

CGI and Boutros, your lists are incorrect. You need to fix them.

Gameboy should be number 1

SNES and Wii shouldn't be on the list, N64 should be. A consoles importance shouldn't be based around it's sales, it should be based on the influence it has on future generations. Analogue controls, 3D gaming, 4 Player splitscreen, rumble pack, handheld linking and coloured consoles are far more important than any of the things that the SNES or the Wii have brought us.

Why no game and watch?

a good list, but I think it should be like this:

5. DS:- it was good, but shared competition with the PSP and I think its library suffered because of the competition, but the touch screen was great and innovative

4. Wii:- motion controls are great and certainly made it easier for more people to play games, but the total lack of 3rd party support hurt the system and the lack of online and achievements hampered it

3. N64:- this system introduced 4 play co-op as standard making it (for me), the ultimate party machine with Mario Kart, SSB and Goldeneye, as well as many many more titles, it was also Rare at its peak (for me) and introduced the rumble pack and analoge stick

2. Game Boy:- first popular handheld and created the market

1. NES:- first popular console after the crash and restarted the market

Just as far as importance, I'd say:

1.  NES     (brought back gaming and established it as permanent, genre defining software)

2.  DS     (excellent core games plus pure blue-ocean success)

3.  Gameboy     (the beginning of portable dominance)

4.  Wii     (introduced pointer/motion controls, family friendly)

5.  N64     (Nintendo meets polygons; also a lesson to Nintendo themselves as to the importance of storage media and 3rd parties)

SNES is way too high.  I don't think it should even make top 5 honestly, it was an evolutionary success but really isn't all that significant compared to some other Nintendo systems.

I'd say...

• 1. Famicom / NES (single handedly revived US games market, exploded Japan's games market, defined modern 3rd party licensing structure)
• 2. Nintendo DS (most successful dedicated game system in history, birth of "non-games")
• 3. Wii (spearheaded casual audience boom, turned traditional console market on it's ear, pushed motion controls to the forefront)
• 4. Game Boy (first dedicated handheld console, huge success, essentially had 2 full lifecycles)
• 5. Nintendo 64 (marked Nintendo's fall from grace, various technology/control innovations for 3D games)

Mine would be

1) NES - brought back the home console industry

2) Game Boy - started the Nintendo domination of hand helds

3) Wii - brought back Nintendo to the top of home console, introduced new ways to play

4) DS - insured Nintendo domination of hand helds for the future, introduced new ways to play

5) N64 - making analog controllers and 4 player gaming popular