Wii is waaaay too high for now.

I think, for understandable reasons, early systems have an edge when it comes to  importance.

I'd rate the top 10 as follows:

1. Atari 2600 - The first big cartridge based console system. Without it, we wouldn't have the industry we have today.

2. NES - Saved the industry, and showed the 2600 wasn't just a fad (hello, Wii!).

3. Game Boy - Launches the hand held era.

4. PlayStation 2 - Did more than any other system to grow the market, and still has the best library of any console (unless you count the PC as a console). Also the first console to be seriously used for home entertainment purposes (ie DVD player)

5. DS - Pushed handhelds into the blue ocean. Set the stage for motion control and the Wii.

6. XBox/360 - Put the online in the living room and did it right.

7. Wii - Huge success and will be recognized for revolutonizing controls, but we have yet to see if the BO strategy will carry over to another generation (which would push it at least one step higher).

8. TIE: 

8A. PSX - Paved the way for the PS2 and disc-based games, elevated the role of third party titles, and emphasized mature games. While it didn't really reach out for new gamers, it did manage to keep young gamers playing as they got older.

8B. N64 - The 64 is known more for being a failure than anything else, but Mario 64 created an immediate demand for more 3D games, and made analogue controls and rumble as standard features.

10. Sega Saturn - Killed Sega as a serious console developer. Dreamcast was stillborn, and the door opened for both Sony and Microsoft to enter the arena.

That's the stupidest snarkiest effing thing I have ever heard. You have blinders on if you think Xbox Live hasn't influenced every single aspect of current consoles.  Sony and Nintendo both had to copy it but oh no, it's not important. And its not that much of a success because they spent a lot of money on it?? That makes no sense.

1. NES (Defined gaming and brought video games into many households and more importantly popularized the name in video games.)
2. PS2 (Unmatched software library, widespread popularity, great variety of genres more so than any other console before and after it).
3. SNES (Wonderful system with a wide array of titles and a linear improvement over the NES).
4. PS1 (Really changed the way people experienced gaming.) Had a wide variety of software titles as well and games unseen before.
5. Dreamcast (Really started the whole ball of wax moving on the online component although it failed, it still proved with games like Phantasy Star that online was something consumers were craving).
6. Xbox (Contained a hard drive which added to the wide range of possibilities for games as well as put fuel into the online gaming fire).



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I don't think you can properly evaluate the current generation of consoles yet. The Xbox 360 pushed the online gaming and networking to the forefront. The PS3 pushed High Definition to the mainstream. The Wii pushed a control mechanism that garnered a large casual fanbase. It's WAY too early to see how these decisions will play out.

For example, Xbox 360 came out with the original online networking component but the PS3's network could potentially overthrow the Xbox 360s in terms of software, features, etc. The next generation could feature FREE online gaming from all companies. In which case, the PS3 online model was superior thus nullifying the 360s overall impact.

Another example, The PS3 could have pushed High Definition into the forefront but the next generation could completely abandon the Blu-Ray and move more towards more cost effective development measures.

Another example, The Wii could have had much success this generation with casuals but casuals are called casuals for a reason. Casual gamers don't buy new video game systems ever few years. They buy one once in a great while and then keep playing that system. Who knows if the motion controls on the Wii actually take off and become a feature that all future systems use. Way too early.

Sharky, we are talking about consoles not PCs. Plus I always feel you get what you pay for, would you complain about paying for an MMO?

Anyway, I understand, this whole post is basically "who are the head cheerleaders and quarterback jocks of the video gaming world?" Because the only point of it seems to be, what system is the most "popular" and we all know most popular must mean best. Screw innovation we want a list that rewards that fact that the PS1 was the "cool" system to own. Because we are gamers and we want to be accepted and COOL!

Lack of SNES = Fail...
Wii should be 4th/5th
PS1/PS2 should be in the top 3
PS3 takes 8th spot
N64 takes 9th
360 takes 10th (would be 8th if online was free)

(1) Yes, each move was like pressing a button, but not all "moves" could be mapped to an ordinary NES controller. There were more combinations available than an NES controller could offer; therefore, it was more than the NES was originally designed to do.

(2) It's all digital signal one way or the other. My PC was never designed to use motion controls, nor was Half-Life 2, but I've used my Wiimote to play Half-Life 2 on my PC.

(3) Personally, I'd rather buy a $10 Rumble Pak than a $20 controller, so the Rumble Pak was hardly "retarded". It was much cheaper, and in theory, a much better marketing concept.

(4) Nobody ever said the N64 had rumble from the get-go. You're the one that's been saying that rumble capability had to be included from the manufacture date in order for it to work with the system (so really, you just contradicted yourself. Good job). All I ever said was that the N64 had rumble before the Playstation, and everybody else here agrees with me. I clearly remember when both the Dual Analog and the DualShock came out - my best friend at the time bought both immediately upon release.

8:sega genesis
7:sega satumn
6:sega dreamcast
5:msx
4:nes
3:snes
2:xbox
1:xbox 360

for me,..

The only omission on the list is the absence of the Magnovox Odyssey. (Cooolest Guy also made that point -- but he omitted the Atari 2600 which currently has higher lifetime sales than the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3).

Admittedly it was more proof of concept than commercial success. But those patents to move items on a TV screen are still there and Ralph Baer is still alive (for an encore, he invented the handheld Simon).

RolStoppable, you are right and I am completely wrong. Please forgive me for daring to have an opinion. Please continue to share with me your amazing knowledge and valid opinions.

That list must contain the 360 for the simple reason that xbox live has revelutionised online gaming on consoles.  PSN even now is still chasing features of live and I personally doubt there would have ever been a virtual console on the wii without live arcade.  Moving forward every console released in the future will have a minimum basic function set of online features that the 360 and live brought to the table, I consider that one of the most important additions to be added to videogame systems.

The OP did feature a fairly balanced list but for me if you put the Wii at 1 then the least you can do is put the 360 at 8.