Edge's 10 best consoles of the last 20 years

[vfguy]

10. Dreamcast

Small library, but its ratio of creative and good-to-great games is unsurpassed.

9. Xbox

First console to do online successfully. First console to nail FPS games. HDD in every box.

8. Wii

Introduced a new demographic to games. Was genuinely fun to play at parties for a little while.

7. PlayStation 3

Has played catch up this whole generation in terms of games, achievements, and online, and is only just now approaching parity with the 360 in terms of features.

6. DS lite

Massive library and unmatched popularity. Did touchscreen gaming way before tablets and phones went there.

5. GameCube

I would probably have this lower on the list even though it had some great games and did some things right.

4. Nintendo 64

Not a fun console to own at the time, but it has a handful of some of the best games ever and 4-player split screen was fun.

3. PlayStation

Sooooo many titles. Most of them do not hold up at all, but because of the VAST library there are a lot of games that are still very much worth seeking out. Brought cheaper games because of CD.

2. Xbox 360

Set the template for what a console's online environment should be. Introduced achievements. A vast library. Stronger exclusives and better running multiplatforms for most of the generation.

1. PlayStation 2

An amazing library and full backwards compatibility means I still have mine hooked up. Should have had four controller ports and a better online strategy.


GBA should emphatically not be on this list. I had one and loved it because of the solid library (though mostly SNES retreads), but it should have been backlit and it only lasted a little over three years before the DS came around.