Do these eras include PC games? If so, I vote for the 32-bit era. The N64 is probably my favorite console ever, mainly because it delivered so many amazing 4-player local multiplayer experiences, the one area the PC can't touch (without 4 computers to lug around, anyway). Not to mention, it had some of the greatest games ever (Ocarina of Time, hint hint). Tack that onto the PC's golden age (imo), and that's gaming at its best.
I say this even though I didn't have a PS1! To this day, many of my friends and I still occasionally play the N64 for its local multiplayer, even with the Wii out.
If PC games are out of the picture, I'd probably vote for this gen. I mean, PC gaming is much weaker nowadays, and while the Wii / HD consoles haven't caught up to the greatness of older systems, the DS and 2-3 more years of games to go easily makes up for it.
If handhelds don't count either, meh. Put my vote for 16-bit consoles. The best JRPG's, the best platformers, the birth of the fighting genre, 2D gaming at its best, etc etc...
