Best second console

[GrahfsLament]

JRPGfan said:

I had a fat PS2, so could play PS1 games as well.. and there were just so many good rpgs to play on it.
Its what started my love for jrpgs and rpgs in general.

All 3 of them are great, however.

All PS2s, both regular and slims (and PS3s!), can play PS1 games straight from their black-foiled CDs.

This is a pretty tough choice, not least of all because of the differences in generations, which meant a vast difference in capabilities. As I've said elsewhere, the PS1 is my favorite console, so including the PS2's B/C seems like cheating (or, at least, not in line with the spirit of the question). I've also stated that I very strongly preferred the original Xbox to the XB360 (can't wait for this!), so that's out.

I picked the PS2 just because I logged far more hours on it than the SNES. And many more of these playtime hours were with friends (whether via a multi-tap or online). Many hours were spent playing Socoms, Champions of Norraths, EQOA, Timesplitters, MGSs, Ico/Nico, and GoWs. The only game I have on the SNES that is 3 player co-op is Secret of Mana (at least that I can recall).

All of that said, I think the SNES had a better library than the PS2 (sans the PS1). For me, there's nothing on the PS2 that approaches Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Illusion of Gaia, Mega Man X, or Super Metroid. I guess I'd sum it up as the PS2 has a significantly larger body of truly great games (it's the system for which I've purchased the most games), but the SNES has far more masterpieces.

*As a side thought, the XB360 was able to change fairly radically over it's lifespan due to firmware updates (e.g. interface), so, how much does that skew the results for those who picked the XB360? In terms of console features, this comparison is already a little like apples to tomatoes to grapes. Not a criticism of the thread/poll, just interesting to think about how our conceptualization/characterization of a console's identity might vary along with such shifting capabilities and where someone's final estimation of it ends.