If I were to carve a Mount Rushmore of video game consoles, honouring my personal picks of the most iconic and influential systems in gaming history, these four would be my picks.
🗿 1. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – The Saviour [1986]
Legacy: Introduced franchises like Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and Metroid.
Impact: Standardised the D-pad, cartridges, and third-party licensing.
"Okay, so I never owned an NES, but what I do know is that this grey box that sat under millions of TV sets across the USA and the rest of the world was a primary reason that we have a video games industry today. I remember when my mate Briggsy got an NES in the late 80s for his 10th birthday, and we all went round his house to just sit there and watch him play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Castlevania. For me at that age, the NES felt out of reach as it looked like a luxury product that my pocket money would never be able to stretch to. So alas, I never got to own the grey oblong, but what I do know is that we owe Nintendo a lot because of this little grey box."
🗿 2. Sony PlayStation 2 – The Titan [2000]
Legacy: Home to GTA III, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid.
Impact: DVD playback, massive third-party support, global dominance.
"The PS2 was the first time I can recall being a part of a mega release of a super console. I owned a PS1 and was so excited for the release of the follow-up console, and I had saved all my money from my job to get on board from the start! The biggest games that I wanted to play were GTA III (especially after I had played the original GTAs to death on the PS1) and Metal Gear Solid 2. The PS2 felt like a massive jump from the PS1, and I can honestly say that the PS2 was the console that I have probably racked up the most hours on in my lifetime. The library of games was endless, and the PS2 was a true powerhouse that I enjoyed every moment with. I also have to mention the fact that it brought me the football video game that I consider to be perfection, Pro Evolution Soccer 4. A true powerhouse."
🗿 3. Nintendo Switch – The Hybrid [2017]
Impact: Redefined portability, indie accessibility, and family-friendly design.
"Before the Nintendo Switch was released, I was a sceptic. The Wii U had been a relative flop for Nintendo, and after the mega success of the Wii, it was hard to fathom what Nintendo were thinking when they put all their eggs into the handheld basket. For me, though, seeing The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild in action was all I needed to see to make myself a Switch devotee. It just seemed perfect for me. A cool Nintendo console that I could either sit on the sofa with while my wife watched Netflix, or I could drop it in the dock and play it on the big TV. It was a perfect piece of design. One thing I didn't realise, though, was that it would introduce me properly to the wonderful world of Nindies. Those indie titles on Switch made me look at smaller games in a new light. It was also so cool to see Nintendo rock up with a new style of cartridge for this underpowered powerhouse. Just everything about it hit the sweet spot, and in my honest opinion, it probably saved Nintendo from itself as they released probably the biggest seller in console history!"
🗿 4. SEGA Genesis (Mega Drive) – The Challenger
Legacy: Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Phantasy Star IV.
Impact: “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” era, sports dominance, edgy marketing.
"SEGA turned my head when I saw Sonic in action. The Mega Drive for me was a console that my mate Zesh played, and I just had to have. He had a Japanese Genesis that his dad had imported for him through the ads in the back of Mean Machines. Zesh and I would often just stare at the pages of Mean Machines and look at the SEGA Genesis screenshots in awe. I knew that I needed the Mega Drive in my life to upgrade my gaming from SEGA Master System to Blast Processing. We'd play the likes of Sonic, Wrestle War and Strider endlessly on days at his house or mine. The SEGA Genesis was the cool console, and it even extended to when Nintendo released its SNES. You were either a SEGA kid or a Nintendo kid back in those days, and at first I was a SEGA kid through and through (until my head was eventually turned by Super Mario World and F-Zero)"
Honourable mentions that nearly made the cliff face: 🕹️ Atari 2600 (the pioneer), Xbox 360 (online gaming explosion), Super Nintendo (2D perfection that still stands up today), PlayStation 1 (3D revolution), and Game Boy (handheld icon).
Which Consoles Would Make Your Mount Rushmore? 🎮
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