The time between the 4th and 5th generation. SNES and MegaDrive/Genesis had so many good games that are timeless. 5th gen as well.. so many hours lost on new, origional franchises, local multiplayer and on arcade games.

Now this is exactly the kind of post that we don't want to see (not least because I disagree with in entirely judging on what's out and what's in the pipeline thus far), if you disagree with someone and their opinion then fine, but no need to make sweeping insults like this. 

Any more posts similar will be moderated.

Either 4th or the 5th generation. Some of the best rpgs were on the SNES and the ps1.

SNES vs Sega, Nintendo vs Sega vs Sony = Between those eras when gaming was simple and fun, but still had a lot of choice. When Microsoft joined the gaming inudstry the golden age ended. They basically brought PC gaming to console gaming.

Golden age would be when gaming was at its best, not at its most popular. Very few think 7th gen was at its best - it's been a steady decline every generation since the 4th.

Yes, I would. Are you kidding me? SNES as a console destroys the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii put together.

the consistent answer to this question is, "when i was young".

for me that was the snes.

i wonder if the answer would shift to 6th gen 10 years from now

For me It was the fourth generation of gaming, blows every other generation out of the water in my opinion.

I think this generation will struggle to sell anywhere near 250,000,000+  in total console hardware.