there are only three V important consoles. The Atari 2600, NES & PS1. Each as important as the others in their own way.

Just some thoughts:

• Original Xbox for making online gaming mainstream and establishing FPS (Halo)!
• N64 for the arcade stick / for the 4player on one console experience / The rumble feature
• Dreamcast for first online-gaming experience on a console and the awesome library that didn't sell and the birthplace of the only great sonic 3d-game... And the visual memory card. ^^

Who bought Online Gaming mainstream?

Modders did. Then valve bought cs from them.

hmmm i think that the SNES should be up there since it basically did the same thing as the ps2 did after the ps...minus the sales numbers... so i would say that 8 should be the SNES

I would have to say PS2 w/ socom...ofcourse not counting PC :P

I'd list it like this

(S)NES
PS1
PS2
Gameboy



those are the essentials. NES revived gaming, PS1 brought it main stream, PS2 introduced casual games (in a way that worked properly) and gameboy ... well it brought in a lot of gamers :P maybe not to consoles but it is responsible for most of the handheld market.

Pretty much agree with the list save that I would put NES as number one for saving the videogame industry.

SOCOM came out well after Halo CE. While I hate Halo, I do have to say - it was doing big online console gaming things well before SOCOM was even in development.

 The first i can think of on a console was Quake arena on the DC.