Gaming is entertainment, Sony just pushed the envelope to themselves and third parties to bring to life what they've always imagined. Less regurgitation. Their concept is for all ages to basically be who you want to be with newer ones per gen. Nintendos world is play as our characters over and over again. I love both, but I had to take a break from Nintendo for those reasons this gen. Im thinking about a Wii U though, because I miss the simple fun. Games are getting  quite complex. Gamers think their getting dumbed down, but if they looked in from the outside like most spectators do, they'll just realize we're desensitized. We dont flinch when it comes to a challenge because we're conditioned to it, which is why some games which we think should be tougher are really easier.

Then Sony publishes Demon Souls......

.......and the gaming world transforms into bunch of masochists..

Regardless of it all, Sony is the reason gaming is as large as it is today, working in tandem to evolve games. Both themselves and third parties getting in trouble for pushing the envelope on their games.

Weird question. Nintendo.

Without Nintendo and the NES, I doubt the industry would be as it is today.

Correct. Didn't Sega try for online during the genesis period?

Your missing achievements. Which is the best innovation this generation imo.

Also Microsoft pioneered not just online gaming. But also Pioneered Social networking in gaming viia Xbox Live with apps etc. Essentially a gaming facebook.

Sony. They turned gaming into more than just a toy for kids.

Nintendo, Their contributions laid down the foundations for the gaming industry as we know it today. Without the NES who knows what would have happened.

MS and SONY have had some good contributions but none as valuable as Nintendo's

Sega pioneered online gaming on consoles. Microsoft just helped them two generations after their first attempt on the Genesis and then the Saturn. The PS3 had apps before Xbox Live. Xbox Live didnt really have them until NXE.

Nintendo>>>>Sony>>>>>>>>>>Ms

Yep, now it's a toy for more than just kids!

I'm gonna say Nintendo for the first Era, considering arcade as prehistory of gaming. The NES really was awesome. But the innovation after the SNES were not that big, when we look at it backward.

Sony for the second era, since the playstation did bring gaming to a new era : New public, new markets, memory cards, dualshock, and CD (!!!). They brang gaming to another level.

Now it's too soon to say whom as brang the most innovation for the actual era. Mobile Gaming, Online gaming, Motion gaming, free to play, indies ...

We can not say, of all these innovation, wiich ones are going to stay for long, and wich are just features that will die with this gen.