Worst consoles of all time.

[Ack]

You know what? How about we all take a moment to relax, calm down, and enjoy some Atari 2600 Pac-Man?

Anyone?

Actually, Atari Pac-Man was the first version of that game I ever played as a kid and I've still got a soft spot for it (although Ms. Pac-Man on the Genesis is my favorite version).

You like Atari 2600 Pac-Man? And you call yourself a gamer? I'm sorry, you just lost all credibility.

Joking, of course, but I'm a little disturbed by how you guys ganged up on BurningDoom when he offered his opinion and then backed it with reasons why he felt the way he did. Let's face it, this list is dominated by opinions, because it really isn't possible to gauge a "worst" console since there is no kind of universal standard we can adhere to. We can make suggestions for such a list, but it will be based on our opinions of hardware capabilities, available software, and how the developer (or developers) handled the release.

It's also important to note that I doubt many of you have actually played what you consider the "worst" console to be. In BurningDoom's defense, he argued that the Atari 2600 was one of the worst consoles he had any experience with. If I had to argue which console was the worst based on my experience playing it, I may very well claim the Xbox 360 for its numerous breakdowns I encountered, its poorly designed D-pad, its steady phasing out of key features I enjoy (like local multiplayer) in favor of its digital network and home entertainment strategy. These are all valid complaints to make based on my personal experience with that machine. But I've never played an Apple Pippin, so how can I really claim its "worse" than any other? Heresay?

So let's look at BurningDoom's criticisms: A poor controller (I agree), poor sound capabilities (depending on the games he had access to, I'd agree), short games that do not hold his interest (I can see this, since so many games are either short affairs or repeat ad infinitum), poor quality games (the Atari 2600 is legendary for its lack of quality control [indeed, the results of Atari v. Activision pretty much tied their hands on this], and many companies with a limited understanding of video games created games for it [for example, US Games, the video game division of Quaker Oats]).

Now do I consider it the worst console I've ever played? Personally, no, but then I genuinely enjoyed playing E.T. on it. But I see no reason why BurningDoom's criticism shouldn't be considered valid, any moreso than any of the rest of you. In fact, I'd say he's probably being more honest since he openly admitted that his list was based on personal experience.

[dsheinem]

It's also important to note that I doubt many of you have actually played what you consider the "worst" console to be. In BurningDoom's defense, he argued that the Atari 2600 was one of the worst consoles he had any experience with...In fact, I'd say he's probably being more honest since he openly admitted that his list was based on personal experience.

He didn't even imply this qualifier until several pages after his original post (with a remark about the 5200), nor did he really clarify that this was his protocol for making his list until another few pages after that. It certainly isn't the approach that had been used in the thread up to that point/suggested by the OP, so the blowback/"ganging up" was absolutely justified.

[Ack]

It's also important to note that I doubt many of you have actually played what you consider the "worst" console to be. In BurningDoom's defense, he argued that the Atari 2600 was one of the worst consoles he had any experience with...In fact, I'd say he's probably being more honest since he openly admitted that his list was based on personal experience.

He didn't even imply this qualifier until several pages after his original post (with a remark about the 5200), nor did he really clarify that this was his protocol for making his list until another few pages after that. It certainly isn't the approach that had been used in the thread up to that point/suggested by the OP, so the blowback/"ganging up" was absolutely justified.

But I just find a good majority of it's game library to be too simplistic. And the sound on it is just cringe-worthy bad. Some of the sounds that come out that machine are ungodly. Plus I'm not a big fan of joysticks, especially Atari 2600's stiff-as-a-board joystick.

[dsheinem]

It's also important to note that I doubt many of you have actually played what you consider the "worst" console to be. In BurningDoom's defense, he argued that the Atari 2600 was one of the worst consoles he had any experience with...In fact, I'd say he's probably being more honest since he openly admitted that his list was based on personal experience.

He didn't even imply this qualifier until several pages after his original post (with a remark about the 5200), nor did he really clarify that this was his protocol for making his list until another few pages after that. It certainly isn't the approach that had been used in the thread up to that point/suggested by the OP, so the blowback/"ganging up" was absolutely justified.

But I just find a good majority of it's game library to be too simplistic. And the sound on it is just cringe-worthy bad. Some of the sounds that come out that machine are ungodly. Plus I'm not a big fan of joysticks, especially Atari 2600's stiff-as-a-board joystick.

You misunderstand.

Yes: it was clear he had played it
No: it wasn't clear that he was just making a list of worst consoles HE HAD PLAYED instead of, as the thread is titled, OF ALL TIME

[Ack]

You misunderstand.

Yes: it was clear he had played it
No: it wasn't clear that he was just making a list of worst consoles HE HAD PLAYED instead of, as the thread is titled, OF ALL TIME

And now tell me what the difference is in his perspective. Can he make an argument that something is the WORST THING OF ALL TIME if he has no experience with it? If anything, it is more honest (and intellectually honest) to only provide a list based on what we have experience with.

I hear the Pippin is terrible, but I wonder how many people who call it that have any experience with it. The Pippin may be considered the WORST OF ALL TIME by a bunch of individuals who are merely feeding off the continued criticism with no experience. I hear the Hyper Scan's game library is awful, but I do not know that first hand. Look at the original article and then consider how nearly every entry lists "bad games" as a problem. Compared to what? Did the author even play these games?

[dsheinem]

You misunderstand.

Yes: it was clear he had played it
No: it wasn't clear that he was just making a list of worst consoles HE HAD PLAYED instead of, as the thread is titled, OF ALL TIME

And now tell me what the difference is in his perspective. Can he make an argument that something is the WORST THING OF ALL TIME if he has no experience with it? If anything, it is more honest (and intellectually honest) to only provide a list based on what we have experience with.

I hear the Pippin is terrible, but I wonder how many people who call it that have any experience with it. The Pippin may be considered the WORST OF ALL TIME by a bunch of individuals who are merely feeding off the continued criticism with no experience. I hear the Hyper Scan's game library is awful, but I do not know that first hand. Look at the original article and then consider how nearly every entry lists "bad games" as a problem. Compared to what? Did the author even play these games?

Pretty much everyone else in the thread followed the lead of the link in the OP and were basing their opinion on a consideration of the console's game library, the success/failure of the console in the market, etc. This was the purpose of the thread. There was no "that you have played" qualifier.

I'm not disagreeing that BD's list is more grounded in first hand experience than those of most other posters, but (again) he didn't make that qualifier known until several pages later. His list of "worst consoles of all time" is really not a list of worst consoles ever made, it is instead a list of what he thinks are the worst amongst what he's played. This wasn't what everyone else was debating, and so he received justified complaints/blowback/calls for clarification.

[Ack]

Pretty much everyone else in the thread followed the lead of the link in the OP and were basing their opinion on a consideration of the console's game library, the success/failure of the console in the market, etc. This was the purpose of the thread. There was no "that you have played" qualifier.

I'm not disagreeing that BD's list is more grounded in first hand experience than those of most other posters, but (again) he didn't make that qualifier known until several pages later. His list of "worst consoles of all time" is really not a list of worst consoles ever made, it is a list of what he thinks are the worst amongst what he's played.

Admittedly though, our threads go off topic or change entirely quite often. The Random Gaming Thoughts thread recently turned into a discussion on collecting comic book collections, the film thread has turned into discussions on television, and other threads have gone in wildly different directions. To add a qualifier in a thread like this just doesn't seem so evil a sin to me.

And he revived the thread after four years to do this because he figured if he did create a new thread, forum members would savage him for not having used this one:

4 year bump?

Damned if I do, damned if don't.

Whenever I post a new thread, I always seem to be shown an older thread that already exists, no matter how old it is.

[Luke]

joke

But not self deprecating.

[dsheinem]

Admittedly though, our threads go off topic or change entirely quite often. The Random Gaming Thoughts thread recently turned into a discussion on collecting comic book collections, the film thread has turned into discussions on television, and other threads have gone in wildly different directions.

Those threads are more random by design. "Random" is in the title of one.

To add a qualifier in a thread like this just doesn't seem so evil a sin to me.

No argument here from me as it is certainly a closely related tangent in a mostly defined thread. But the qualifier WASN'T there in the necrobump. It would have been nice if he stated it in the post that he caught so much flack for though, instead of several pages and several of his own posts later.

[dsheinem]

joke

But not self deprecating.

well now I feel like an asshole