Best Gaming Consoles Ever

Nintendo Switch

A tablet that docks to a TV shouldn't have worked, but Breath of the Wild launching alongside it turned skepticism into a cultural reset, letting Zelda ride the subway and the living room in the same afternoon. It out-sold consoles twice its power by refusing to choose a lane, and Animal Crossing's pandemic timing cemented it as comfort food for a generation stuck at home. Hybrid gaming isn't a gimmick anymore because Nintendo proved it could carry Metroid, Mario Kart, and a hundred million units on its back.

Release Year: 2017Units Sold: 130 MLaunch Price: $299Overall Rating: 9.3/10

added by IJRin 4 rankingsNintendo Switch

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

After the 1983 crash convinced retailers video games were a dead fad, Nintendo dressed the NES up as a toy with a robot bundled in just to sneak it onto shelves — then Super Mario Bros. quietly rebuilt the entire industry from the console up. It didn't just sell tens of millions of units, it invented the vocabulary — save states, side-scrolling platforming, the D-pad itself — that every system on this list still speaks. There is no argument for its place here; there's only the argument that everything after it is a footnote to what it started.

Release Year: 1985Units Sold: 61 MLaunch Price: $199Overall Rating: 9/10

added by IJR

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo looked at the arms race for horsepower, shrugged, and handed grandmothers a plastic remote that turned bowling night into a phenomenon — Wii Sports became the best-selling single-platform game ever almost by accident, bundled in as a demo. It dragged non-gamers into living rooms in a way no marketing campaign ever had, briefly making Nintendo the most culturally dominant console maker on Earth again. Underpowered and proud of it, the Wii proved motion and mass appeal could out-sell teraflops.

Release Year: 2006Units Sold: 101 MLaunch Price: $249Overall Rating: 8.6/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

Xbox 360

Red Ring of Death scandal and all, the 360 is the console that made Xbox Live and achievement points the default language of online gaming, turning Halo 3's midnight launches into cultural events. Gears of War's cover shooting and Call of Duty's multiplayer boom found their true home here, making the 360 the console an entire generation of shooters were built around. It's the system that taught the industry gamers would forgive hardware failure for a great friends list and a killer lineup.

Release Year: 2005Units Sold: 84 MLaunch Price: $299Overall Rating: 8.7/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsXbox 360

Super Nintendo (SNES)

Born into the heat of the console war with Sega, the SNES answered with Mode 7 graphics, a controller with shoulder buttons that's still the template today, and a software library — Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, A Link to the Past — that's arguably never been topped for pure density of classics. It lost the marketing war but won history, becoming the console most cited by developers as their personal gold standard. Sixteen-bit perfection, and the reason

Release Year: 1990Units Sold: 49 MLaunch Price: $199Overall Rating: 9.1/10

added by IJR

Xbox One

Found its footing after a bumpy start, powering Xbox's modern era.

Release Year: 2013Units Sold: 51 MLaunch Price: $499Overall Rating: 7.8/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

Nintendo 64

Pioneered 3D platforming and legendary multiplayer split-screen fun.

Release Year: 1996Units Sold: 33 MLaunch Price: $199Overall Rating: 8.3/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsNintendo 64

Sega Genesis

Sega's speedy answer to Nintendo, home to Sonic and fierce console wars.

Release Year: 1988Units Sold: 30 MLaunch Price: $189Overall Rating: 8.4/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsSega Genesis

Sega Dreamcast

Ahead of its time with online play, but doomed by market forces.

Release Year: 1999Units Sold: 9 MLaunch Price: $199Overall Rating: 8/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

Atari 2600

The console that put video games in living rooms worldwide.

Release Year: 1977Units Sold: 30 MLaunch Price: $199Overall Rating: 7.5/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

PlayStation 2

The best-selling console of all time with an unmatched game library.

Release Year: 2000Units Sold: 155 MLaunch Price: $299Overall Rating: 9.5/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsPlayStation 2

Game Boy

The handheld that started it all and stayed relevant for over a decade.

Release Year: 1989Units Sold: 118 MLaunch Price: $89Overall Rating: 9/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsGame Boy

PlayStation 4

Dominated its generation with a deep, critically acclaimed lineup.

Release Year: 2013Units Sold: 117 MLaunch Price: $399Overall Rating: 9.2/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsPlayStation 4

PlayStation 1

Brought 3D gaming to the masses and launched Sony into dominance.

Release Year: 1994Units Sold: 102 MLaunch Price: $299Overall Rating: 8.8/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

Nintendo DS

Dual screens and a stylus made this a genre-defying sales juggernaut.

Release Year: 2004Units Sold: 154 MLaunch Price: $149Overall Rating: 8.9/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsNintendo DS

PlayStation 3

A rocky launch gave way to a beloved, powerful, Blu-ray-equipped machine.

Release Year: 2006Units Sold: 87 MLaunch Price: $499Overall Rating: 8.5/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

Game Boy Advance

A powerful handheld leap that still felt classic Nintendo.

Release Year: 2001Units Sold: 81 MLaunch Price: $99Overall Rating: 8.7/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsGame Boy Advance

PlayStation 5

Blazing SSD speeds and next-gen visuals make this a modern favorite.

Release Year: 2020Units Sold: 60 MLaunch Price: $499Overall Rating: 9/10

added by IJRin 3 rankings

Xbox Series X

A powerhouse of raw specs aiming for the throne of this generation.

Release Year: 2020Units Sold: 25 MLaunch Price: $499Overall Rating: 8.5/10

added by IJRXbox Series X

PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Brought console-quality gaming to a sleek handheld form factor.

Release Year: 2004Units Sold: 82 MLaunch Price: $249Overall Rating: 8.2/10

added by IJR