Goodnightmoon said: In Europe PS is way more popular, but the thing is, what games people thinks of when we talk about PS in europe? They think about Call of Duty, Fifa, Final Fantasy and Grand Thef Auto, they don´t think on Sony games, but when you talk about Nintendo everyone thinks on Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, etc, because their games are way more iconic.

And that is not the question.

The brand name and consoles are undoubtedly more famous but Nintendo games run circles around Sony's attempts at memorable franchises

no nintendo still holds the top spot and imo the reason for that is more because nintendo was the first company to really become very popular and push gaming to the mainstream

as a result they made a huge impression and built a reputation before playstation and xbox were even on the market

they created the first popular video games and as a result their characters became known widely, combine that with the fact that we see these same characters every single generation and imo you pretty much have the reason for their iconic status

even though since the 90s or so imo their performance can hardly be called remarkable given that they've been outsold every generation beyond the seventh but it was that first impression that still resonates with people to this day

just like people reminisce about old movies like alien or terminator or whatever, because those movies were the first to really make a big impact in their particular genre even though they may not necessarily be the best by current standards

DarkRPGamer007 said: The brand name and consoles are undoubtedly more famous but Nintendo games run circles around Sony's attempts at memorable franchises

you phrase that like if that is the case with their newer franchises

when you really look at it nintendo's memorable characters are the ones that are decades old - obviously mario, link, donkey kong

what new characters have nintendo created that are as popular as say kratos?

nintendo's iconic characters became iconic in the era when there was no competition where they were the main company pushing gaming and i believe that is why they have the status they do today

DerNebel said: Goodnightmoon said: In Europe PS is way more popular, but the thing is, what games people thinks of when we talk about PS in europe? They think about Call of Duty, Fifa, Final Fantasy and Grand Thef Auto, they don´t think on Sony games, but when you talk about Nintendo everyone thinks on Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, etc, because their games are way more iconic. And that is not the question.

But it is, how is a videogame company iconic if not because their games? Most of the games that made PS iconic are not really PS games, while the games that makes Nintendo iconic are indeed Nintendo games. Sony does the most iconic plastic boxes for third parties, that´s why I never felt attached to them even when my first consoles were the first 2 ps, but Nintendo does the most iconic videogames and that´s what really matters , because the console is just a way to play the games, but the finality of consoles are those games, people today is learning to love the hardware more than the games, but that´s superficial imo.

So Lady gaga is selling much more albums than Madonna these day and she is more popular especially with Young people. Is Lady gaga more Iconic for pop music than Madonna??? Never!

It is the same for Nintendo and Sony. People saying Play Station as a brand had became much more iconic for gaming as a whole than Nintendo because of higher hardware sales are off the question. Sony has really not many first party memorable IPs that stood the test of time compared to Nintendo. Yes the Playstation brand had become more popular with regard to hardwares than Nintendo, but not more iconic for gaming as a whole for god sake.

It would be hard to measure of course but I would be ready to argue that Nintendo has affected our collective imagination and memory much more than Sony, both for harcore gamers and the mainstream public.

Not even almost. Being iconic and having success are two largely different things. Nintendo characters and consoles are way more cemented into the public consciousness than anything Sony. And there isn't anything wrong with that--I love Sony, but ask any non-gamer about some game consoles and characters and they're not going to be bringing up Playstation.

the way some people talk i wonder if they believe mario or donkey kong or metroid would be popular had the games never existed before now and were released at this present time on all consoles

imo it would do about as well as any 2d platformer we see on xbla

imo mario isn't popular because mario is a great character ( he doesn't talk, the storyline for the games are basically the same )

the gameplay is about the same as any platformer we see for $20 online

the reason for the popularity is all down to timing and consistent appearances

Goodnightmoon said: DerNebel said: And that is not the question. But it is, how is a videogame company iconic if not because their games? Most of the games that made PS iconic are not really PS games, while the games that makes Nintendo iconic are indeed Nintendo games. Sony does the most iconic plastic boxes for third parties, that´s why I never felt attached to them even when my first consoles were the first 2 ps, but Nintendo does the most iconic videogames and that´s what really matters , because the console is just a way to play the games, but the finality of consoles are those games, people today is learning to love the hardware more than the games, but that´s superficial imo.

Lol that's what you say now, but the moment someone suggests Nintendo should go third party then all hell breaks loose.

Anyway, the question is if PS is as or more iconic as/than Nintendo, not if Sony games are more iconic than Nintendo games. If someone feels that PlayStation is iconic to him because he remembers playing Tekken on the system, does that not count because Tekken isn't a Sony game? No, of course it counts. Being an iconic console brand is about how many people associate certain (positive) things with the brand, it's a purely emotional thing, so if someone associates certain games etc. with a brand that make the brand iconic to him, then it doesn't matter if those games are actually made by the company behind the console.

Arlo said: Not even almost. Being iconic and having success are two largely different things. Nintendo characters and consoles are way more cemented into the public consciousness than anything Sony. And there isn't anything wrong with that--I love Sony, but ask any non-gamer about some game consoles and characters and they're not going to be bringing up Playstation.

You might wanna try that in Europe ;)