I judge consoles based on the quality of their exclusives because without exclusives, nothing really makes a console special/unique compared to a budget PC. Let's face it, if you can't make the argument that a console offers unique exclusives, then it's almost like a cheap PC with crappy graphics - which is what Xbox was for the most part. Since I have owned a gaming PC, I played all those cross-platform Xbox/PC games on the PC in the first place due to better controls and graphics. Since Xbox 1 barely had more than 5-6 great exclusives over 4 years (!), Xbox 1 is not a console I ever cared for.
Looking at key exclusives, some of Nintendo's titles are among the most innovative, highly rated or have been recognized for changing the gaming industry back then.
Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, Rogue Squadron, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Super Smash Bros, Donkey Kong 64, etc. All of these are console exclusives.
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The same cannot be said for Xbox 1 which list of Top 25 games is essentially made up of mostly ports of PC games, and therefore by definition were best played on the PC since they were made for the PC from the ground-up (Chronicles of Riddick, KOTOR, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Beyond Good and Evil, Elder Scrolls 3, Prince of Persia, GTA San Andreas, Rainbow 6). Xbox 1's key exclusives were Fable, Forza Motorsport, Halo 1 & 2 and Ninja Gaiden. Actually, 3 out of the top 5 Xbox 1 games can be purchased on the PC and quite a few of top 25 Xbox games are sports games. That shows you that there really was a lack of unique key exclusives for the Xbox 1. Because of that, it will have little importance in the pantheon of console gaming history since you could have played those games elsewhere, with better graphics and controls.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/17/the-top-25-xbox-games-of-all-time?page=1
Rephrasing the question: Would the gaming world suffer more if Xbox never existed or if N64 never existed? Given that the majority of Xbox 1's best games would still be available on the PC, and in far superior form too given they originated there, losing N64 would be a lot more hurtful to gaming history, especially since LoZ: Ocarina of Time may be in the top 5 of best games ever made. This game has a MetaCritic professional score of 99 out of 100:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time
Also, the original Xbox controller is one of the least comfortable gigantic tortoises in console gaming history (Xbox 360's is one of my favourite though).
Judging the quality of a console based on quality and number of such exclusives and its contribution to the gaming industry, N64 wins for me by a landslide.
