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Forums - Gaming Discussion - The greatest loser; which console that lost its gen in sales do you love most?

d21lewis on 18 November 2019
rapsuperstar31 said:
d21lewis said:
In my other post in this thread, I said Xbox 360. While a loser, it was still what I'd consider a huge success.

My favorite inarguable loser is definitely the Dreamcast. I actually hated Sega and I was happy to see the Sega Saturn so soundly stomped by superior systems. Fast forward to early 2001 and no matter what I did, I couldn't get a PS2. Frustrated, I finally gave up and bought a Dreamcast. What a fool I'd been!

This thing blew away my every possible expectation. I was buying great game after great game. Graphics were light years ahead of what I'd experienced on N64 and PS1. The machine was full of exciting innovations, too. Maybe a week (that's how I remember it) or maybe a month after buying my Dreamcast and bragging about games like Shenmue to my PS2 owning friend, I watched sadly as Sega announced they were leaving the business but still supporting the Dreamcast for one year. Then the price dropped $100--a lot of money for me at that time.

In March 2001, I finally got my own PS2 with copies of The Bouncer and Zone of the Enders (with NBA Street, Red Faction, and Onimusha to follow). After a couple of weeks, I was right back to my Dreamcast. Say what you will about the PS2 but up until maybe November 2001, no PS2 owner alive was having as much fun with their console as I was with my Dreamcast.

I know the PS2 is considered one of the best console ever, it certainly sold the best.  But it was my least favorite PlayStation console.  I enjoyed the Gamecube quite a bit more than my PS2.  I also wished I would have gotten the Dreamcast, I thought about getting it so many times back than, especially when the price dropped.  I've never owned a Sega system, but I still kind of regret it.  I keep hoping we will get Skies of Arcadia brought back, as I missed out on that game on the Gamecube, but it looks terrific. 

I'm actually right there with you on the GameCube. I think Nintendo just didn't market it right. It was truly amazing. My favorite console of the gen.

Also, it's good to see you have an open mind. Something I had to learn the hard way. Most consoles are worth owning. We only hurt ourselves when we're afraid to at least try something new. And yeah, Skies of Arcadia was AWESOME.



Twitter: @d21lewis

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archbrix on 18 November 2019

The Gamecube. In addition to the NES, they're the only two generations I've been fine with only having Nintendo's console. Of course I wasn't going to miss out on playing games like Halo and God of War completely, but there wasn't enough there for me to feel like I had to own another console that generation.



Doctor_MG on 18 November 2019

For me it is definitely the Gamecube. With games like Super Mario Sunshine, two unique Zelda titles, Pikmin 1 and 2, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, 1080, Wave Race, the best F-Zero, Double Dash, Super Smash Bros Melee, some of the best Resident Evil experiences with 1 Remake and 4, and some actual decent third party support (Need for Speed, Soul Calibur, Medal of Honor, etc).

It's too bad that the console didn't sell well, because, in my opinion, that was when Nintendo was at some of their best.



Chrkeller on 18 November 2019

I really loved my Dreamcast. I realize it bombed, but it was a cool console with some great software. RIP Sega.



DarthMetalliCube on 18 November 2019
curl-6 said:
DarthMetalliCube said:

N64, with GameCube and Dreamcast as a distant 2nd and 3rd. N64 had some amazing 4 player mutiplayer titles while GC and DC just were underrated in general with some really solid single and multiplayer games. 

I don't really consider 360 much of a loser as it was nearly even with PS3 and was by far MS's most successful console. 

Perhaps "loser" is a bit harsh, it's just a catchier thread title pun. As I explained, I'm simply referring to consoles that didn't win their gen in sales.

Sure I gotcha. It's still tough for me to even consider XB360 a console that didn't win since it sold close to 86 mill - though I guess that's technically correct compared to its competitors.

That sure was a weird gen in that all 3 consoles were pretty solid success stories and split relatively evenly in sales - Sony bouncing back from a rocky start and bad PR and still getting second, MS having their most successful console by quite a bit despite virtually no Japanese support, and of course Nintendo rebounding after the GameCube w/the first place console, tapping into a new audience and storming to dominance for at least the first few years.

I guess I'd put XB360 in second after N64 in terms of beloved losing consoles if you do count it.

So I guess it'd be:

1. N64
2. XB360
3. GC
4. DC



 

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Scoobes on 18 November 2019

Nice idea for a thread. I'd say (in order):

1. PS3
Had nearly all the major core third-party games of the gen with some pretty special exclusives like Metal Gears Solid 4, the Uncharted trilogy, God of War 3 and Last of Us.

2. N64
The N64 really did have some of the best games of the gen not to mention the absolute blast you could have in local multiplayer at the time.

3. PSP
A worthy handheld with some great exclusives/timed exclusives like FFVII, Crisis Core, GTA, God of War, Gran Turismo and had a large PS1 back catalog to boot.

You could be pretty happy with any of those consoles without needing to purchase the "winning" console.




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curl-6 on 18 November 2019
DarthMetalliCube said:
curl-6 said:

Perhaps "loser" is a bit harsh, it's just a catchier thread title pun. As I explained, I'm simply referring to consoles that didn't win their gen in sales.

Sure I gotcha. It's still tough for me to even consider XB360 a console that didn't win since it sold close to 86 mill - though I guess that's technically correct compared to its competitors.

That sure was a weird gen in that all 3 consoles were pretty solid success stories and split relatively evenly in sales - Sony bouncing back from a rocky start and bad PR and still getting second, MS having their most successful console by quite a bit despite virtually no Japanese support, and of course Nintendo rebounding after the GameCube w/the first place console, tapping into a new audience and storming to dominance for at least the first few years.

It was closer than most generations but still far from an even split; Wii still outsold PS3/360 by 14-16 million. It remains a unique example of the market supporting three high-selling consoles though, yeah.



Bet with Liquidlaser: I say PS5 and Xbox Series will sell more than 56 million combined by the end of 2023.

Spike0503 on 18 November 2019

Love the PS3. It lost its gen but for me, it had the best exclusives and the best controller.



Alby_da_Wolf on 19 November 2019

Intellivision. I enjoyed it for many, many years even after its gen was long over. It had more than enough games and Mattel even expanded it in innovative ways.



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Random_Matt on 19 November 2019

Dreamcast, duh.