Gamers have long argued over which console is the best. Lovingly referred to as “console wars,” these arguments are some of the most divisive of any in the space, and for good reason. How can anyone truly determine which console is the “best” when nobody can agree what it is that makes a console good? It makes sense that the conflict still wages today.
Until now. We at Hard Drive have decided to determine what truly is the best console, so nobody has to fight about it anymore. This list marks the end of the console wars.
#30 — Nintendo Virtual Boy
Release Date: July 21, 1995
Best Exclusive: 3D Tetris
The Virtual Boy is easily the worst console on this list. The monochrome display looks awful, the controller is an ergonomic nightmare, you have to lean way over to actually see into it causing awful headaches and neck pain, and there were hardly any games for the thing.
There were only 22 Virtual Boy games released, with only 14 of them releasing in North America. These games include a reimagining of the original Mario Bros. that is made no better by the inclusion of stereoscopic 3D, a Mario Tennis game that is made no better by the inclusion of stereoscopic 3D, and 3D Tetris, which is actually pretty cool. It does not need to be on this awful system, though, so that’s no points towards the Virtual Boy.
#29 — Xbox Series S
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Best Exclusive: Hi-Fi Rush
Listen. Something had to be at the bottom of the list. It’s very difficult to rank the Xbox Series S due to its somewhat unique position, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it simply shouldn’t exist. There is no malice in this decision, and I understand that it’s intended as a budget alternative to the Series X, which was released on the same day, but the negatives far outweigh the positives here.
The all digital nature of the console combined with the increasingly aggressive push of Xbox Game Pass is concerning when you consider the nature of digital ownership, so I can’t recommend the console to anyone. Microsoft’s insistence of feature parity between the Series S and Series X console means this console is making current-gen games worse for those who bought the more powerful console. The controller is nice, but that’s not unique to the Series S.
#28 — Sega Saturn
Release Date: November 22, 1994
Best Exclusive: Panzer Dragoon
The Sega Saturn was a commercial failure. Compared to its peers from Nintendo and Sony, it lacked high profile releases from franchises that fans loved. It was launched as a surprise in North America leading to poor initial sales and was never able to recover.
That said, Panzer Dragoon slaps. I love that game. There’s nothing else like it. Star Fox does not even come close to the greatness of this series. I will die on that hill.
#27 — Sega Dreamcast
Release Date: November 27, 1998
Best Exclusive: Soulcalibur
The Dreamcast is an amazing looking console. The color palette is fantastic, and the circular motif on the controller mimicking the CD tray on the console itself is genius. Unfortunately, it is also the console that killed Sega as a first party developer. It was unable to compete with the PS2, despite having some fantastic games.
Full disclosure: I have played several Sonic games, and hated every one of them. I know that you all love Sonic Adventure. I know it’s a good game, and I know by saying this all of the Sonic fans have written off this entire list as invalid. Soulcalibur, on the other hand? That game is my jam.
#26 — PlayStation Vita
Release Date: December 17, 2011
Best Exclusive: Persona 4 Golden
The PlayStation Vita was seemingly forgotten by Sony only a couple of years after its release, but it could have been great. The successor to the PlayStation Portable, the Vita boasted dazzling new features like “thumbsticks that don’t hurt to use” and “not using a disc drive in a handheld.”
None of that matters, though, because the lineup of games is subpar. There are some great JRPGs and lots of indies, but major first- and third-party support ended pretty quickly after launch, resulting in a somewhat disappointing library.
#25 — Nintendo Entertainment System
Release Date: October 18, 1985
Best Exclusive: Super Mario Bros. 3
Deciding where to rank the NES is not an easy task. On one hand, it helped the video game industry climb back after the crash and its legacy is still felt today. On the other hand, the controller hurts my hands and many of the games are mediocre at best.
There are certainly some gems. Super Mario Bros. 3 has aged wonderfully, and adventure games like Metroid weren’t really possible on older home consoles.
#24 — Nintendo Game Boy
Release Date: April 21, 1989
Best Exclusive: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
I hope you like green, because the Game Boy has four shades of it. While technically portable it’s actually rather large and you don’t see many people nowadays pulling a Game Boy out of their pocket to play Tetris on the go. It’s also a bit of a battery sink.
The buttons are meaty and satisfying to press, but the rest of the physical design of the handheld is lacking. The screen lacks a backlight, and relatively low processing power means many games are rather simple. Link’s Awakening is a standout, however.
#23 — Sega Mega Drive
Release Date: October 29, 1988
Best Exclusive: Sonic 3D Blast
With the release of the Mega Drive, Sega decided to do the unthinkable and make a controller with three face buttons, which I think is stupid. What is it even for? If only this controller had six buttons instead, then it would be perfect for fighting games. I guess there are some good games on the system? I spend more time thinking about the controller, to be honest.
#22 — Sega Genesis
Release Date:August 14, 1989
Best Exclusive: Golden Axe
Now this is a console. Unlike the Mega Drive, which has three face buttons on its controller, the Genesis has six, which makes it at least twice as good. The aesthetic of the console itself is so much better too. The iconic Genesis logo and monochrome design make this a great looking system. I think there are some Sonic games on it, too?
I had to google which Sonic game was on this thing, and in doing so learned that there are a lot more Sonic games than I thought there were. What do people see in this franchise? The stupid hedgehog never goes where I want him to. It’s just too fast.
#21 — Sega Master System
Release Date: October 20, 1985
Best Exclusive: Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star is, to my knowledge, the only Master System game that I have ever played or even heard of, but it absolutely rocks so the Master System gets automatic points. The 3D dungeons were novel for the time, and the enemy design is so expressive and – Huh? This is supposed to be about the Master System? It’s fine, I guess.
#20 — Playstation Portable
Release Date: December 12, 2004
Best Exclusive: God of War: Ghost of Sparta
The PSP has a lot going against it. The controls are heavily downgraded from that of the PS2, severely limiting the potential for games on the system. It uses optical discs for games, for some reason, which is a huge pain for if you want to swap to a different game on the go. That said, it’s impressive how powerful the hardware was for the time.
Many games on the system are fantastic. Both PSP exclusive God of War games are awesome, with Ghost of Sparta being almost necessary for Kratos’ story, and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a fun action game. It’s a marvel how those run on a handheld from 2004.
#19 — Xbox Series X
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Best Exclusive: Hi-Fi Rush
The Xbox Series X is just a much better version of the Series S, this time with a disc drive. It has generally powerful hardware and a great controller, but there still aren’t that many exclusives that are good enough to warrant purchasing a whole new console.
#18 — Nintendo Wii U
Release Date: November 18, 2012
Best Exclusive: Splatoon
The Wii U was ahead of its time. Recent years have brought handheld cloud devices designed to connect to your computer or console to be able to play your favorite games without hogging the television, but Nintendo did it first and better. It’s not perfect, and it’s clear that Nintendo iterated on the concept with their next console, but the Gamepad is not nearly as bad of an idea as most people said it was back in 2012.
The Wii U didn’t get too many games due to its short lifespan and poor third-party support, but what games it did get are mostly pretty good. Splatoon is an incredibly fun and creative third person shooter, and Super Mario 3D World was always a good Mario game, despite what the haters say.
#17 — Nintendo Game Boy Color
Release Date: October 21, 1996
Best Exclusive: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
The Game Boy Color is a smaller Game Boy with a color screen and a lot of very good exclusive games. Link’s Awakening DX is one of the best, despite just being an updated version of the Game Boy original.
#16 — Playstation 3
Release Date: November 11, 2006
Best Exclusive: God of War 3
The PS3 had a rough launch. It initially retailed at $499, which was a steep price at the time. Sony got a little arrogant after the massive success of the PS2, and decided to try and make an all-in-one home media machine. Unfortunately, the unconventional architecture of the system led to poor third party support, and the high price meant poor initial sales.
The first party exclusives are why people bought a PS3, though. Games like God of War 3 or The Last of Us were experiences only available on PlayStation, and were enough to make up for the shortcomings of the console itself and cause the PS3 to eventually pull ahead of its competition in sales.
#15 — Xbox One
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Best Exclusive: Sea of Thieves
The Xbox One also had an unfortunate launch. Microsoft went all in on restricting resale of physical games, and even though they backpedaled on the decision, the console was never able to catch up with the PS4 after that.
Games like Sea of Thieves and Quantum Break are fun, but play better on PC and weren’t quite worth buying a whole console for.
#14 — Nintendo Game Boy Advance
Release Date: March 21, 2001
Best Exclusive: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The original GBA had its flaws, including being somewhat uncomfortable to hold and still not having a lit screen. The revision, the Game Boy Advance SP, is fantastic. The new clamshell design was far more comfortable in the hand and clearly made way for the design of the DS, and the screen finally had a light so you could actually see what you were playing.
I never owned a Game Boy Advance, but I did play Super Mario Advance with a friend on his GBA on the bus home from school every day. Turns out that some of the best GBA games are just SNES games, on the go.
#13 — Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release Date: November 21, 1990
Best Exclusive: Chrono Trigger
The Super Nintendo controller was so good that almost all controllers today draw influence from it. The console itself is iconic, and Nintendo’s first-party lineup was stellar.
But the real reason I love the Super Nintendo is because it’s the console that gave us Chrono Trigger, the best turn-based RPG ever made. The SNES is perfect for this kind of game: It’s capable of rendering gorgeous sprite art and supports games long enough that they can feel meaty without overstaying their welcome.
#12 — PlayStation
Release Date: December 3, 1994
Best Exclusive: Resident Evil 2
The Playstation is an early 3D system with an extensive game library that you’re sure to like at least part of. The controller is essentially an SNES controller but far, far more comfortable.
RPGs like Final Fantasy VII and survival horror games like Resident Evil came to define the system, which was marketed as the “adult” console for anyone too mature and cool for a Nintendo system.
#11 — Nintendo DS
Release Date: November 21, 2004
Best Exclusive: Super Mario 64 DS
The original model of the DS was pretty chunky and somewhat heavy, but the DS Lite fixed pretty much every issue with the build of the handheld. The controls are essentially that of the Super Nintendo, just on the go. The bottom screen is a touchscreen, adding more possibilities for games that wouldn’t work on a home console.
The DS was revolutionary for being a handheld that was able to render full 3D games. Games like Super Mario 64 DS run surprisingly well, though the low resolution of the screen can make it a bit hard to make out details at times.
#10 — Xbox 360
Release Date: November 22, 2005
Best Exclusive: Gears of War
The Xbox 360 is probably the better of the two main consoles of its generation, despite selling fewer units than the PS3. The low price point compared to its competitor led many to make the switch to Xbox. The controller is almost perfect, except for the lack of rechargeable battery.
Many units were known to die for little apparent reason, known as the “red ring of death.” It’s a testament to the staying power of the system that it’s well liked despite that.
#9 — Nintendo 64
Release Date: June 23, 1996
Best Exclusive: Glover
The Nintendo 64 made a bold decision to still be cartridge-based in an era of CDs, a decision that ended up hurting Nintendo, but not the weirdest part of that console. That would be the controller. What the hell was Nintendo thinking with this thing? Sure, you’re supposed to use either the center prong or the left one, but why make it that way at all? You can never easily reach every button on the controller at once, severely limiting the possibilities for what games could do with all of the controls.
Speaking of games, the Nintendo 64 was, for a brief period in time, the only place you could play Glover, which pushes it way up the list. Glover is, without a doubt, the best 3D platformer on the system, and maybe even the best 3D platformer ever made, so Nintendo is lucky that they were blessed with such a fantastic game.
#8 — PlayStation 5
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Best Exclusive: God of War Ragnarok
The PS5 has the best controller of any current-gen console, and actually looks pretty cool once you clear a space large enough for it. It was hurt by production issues surrounding the launch, causing low stock for several years.
The other main issue with the console is a relatively small library, but that’s slowly becoming less of a problem. Games like God of War Ragnarok really show off the power of the system and the speed of the SSD.
#7 — Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: February 26, 2011
Best Exclusive: StreetPass
The 3DS is a better version of the DS, with more powerful hardware, a “glasses free 3D” screen, and a circle pad that wishes it was a real thumbstick. The 3D is a neat gimmick that generally doesn’t add too much to games, but the circle pad is rather helpful for 3D games.
The best thing about the 3DS isn’t even the games, though. It’s StreetPass. This is such a genius feature. It made me want to bring my 3DS with me even if I didn’t think I’d have time to use it, because you never knew when you’d get a StreetPass hit. It’s a shame the Switch didn’t have a similar feature, because I would bring it out with me a lot more if it did.
#6 — Nintendo GameCube
Release Date: September 14, 2001
Best Exclusive: Resident Evil 4
Nintendo released a tech demo for what GameCube games could look like by making a gritty, realistic looking Zelda demo. Gamers were pissed when they saw what the GameCube Zelda actually looked like, but it turned out to be one of the best Zelda games so they couldn’t stay mad for long.
The GameCube is, famously, the only platform where you can play Resident Evil 4. It says it on the game’s box, so it must be true.
#5 — Xbox
Release Date: November 15, 2001
Best Exclusive: Halo: Combat Evolved
The original Xbox brought us Halo, which revolutionized the first person shooter genre and still influences games made today. The controller is also insane, and I love it. It’s the perfect console to be made in America: it’s stupidly large for no apparent reason, and has a lovably stupid design with a giant “X” across the top of the system.
#4 — PlayStation 4
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Best Exclusive: God of War
The PS4 was the clear winner of the eighth console generation, becoming one of the highest selling consoles ever, and for good reason. The PS4 has a great controller, a sleek design, and tons of fantastic exclusives.
#3 — Nintendo Wii
Release Date: November 19, 2006
Best Exclusive: Super Mario Galaxy
The Wii is significant for turning so many people into gamers. Nintendo primarily marketed the Wii as a more casual, family friendly console compared to Playstation and Xbox, and the marketing worked. The motion controls were novel at the time, and easy for non-gamers to understand.
Games like Wii Sports contributed greatly to the success of the system. Everyone knows how baseball or bowling work, and the motion controls make it incredibly easy to pick up and play even if you’ve never played any games before. There are certainly more traditional games on the system, but they’re far rarer than the casual ones.
#2 — Nintendo Switch
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Best Exclusive: Super Mario Odyssey
The Nintendo Switch released between generations, because Nintendo does not care about generations at all. After the massive success of the Wii and massive failure of the Wii U, Nintendo needed to innovate in order to create another hit. The main innovation was combining their handheld and home console lineup into one hybrid system that can be played on the television or on the go.
The Switch also had a killer first year of games. Zelda, Splatoon, and Mario were the highlights, but the system had tons of different styles of games for everyone.
#1 — PlayStation 2
Release Date: March 4, 2000
Best Exclusive: God of War 2
The PS2 is, definitively, the best console of all time. It’s the highest selling console ever made, and for good reason. The controller is perfect, the system looks fantastic, and it was cheaper than buying a regular DVD player, but the main draw is the games.
Oh, the games. There were so many amazing games on this thing. Final Fantasy X. Silent HIll 2. Final Fantasy X-2. Metal Gear Solid 3. Final Fantasy XII. Shadow of the Colossus. It’s impossible to list them all. There’s no other system with such a density of fantastic games on it, and there likely won’t be for a long, long time.
In Conclusion
Turns out it’s rather difficult to rank consoles. Do we even know what makes a good console? Is it the amount of units it sells? Is it the games that are available on it? The games exclusive to it? It’s a good thing we made this list, because these are tough questions that likely never would have been answered otherwise.
And it’s actually none of those things. The best console is the one you enjoy playing the most, which is obviously the PlayStation 2, because no other console has that many God of War Games.
