Copying friend of the blog, Toomanywires, I’ve tried my hand at making a console using criteria from other consoles such as the name, logo, and controller. Here’s what I came up with.
The Name – Atari Jaguar
As a kid growing up in the 90s, I was drawn to allure of video games but the prices were one of the main drawbacks (read: my parents weren’t gonna pay hundreds for something I couldn’t even plug into the living room TV). So when the Atari Jaguar was being sold off for £20 towards the end of its life, my eyes widened. Sadly, that was still too much for me at the time so despite being within reach, it was so far away.
I knew nothing of Atari or this console but I knew the name sounded awesome and the packaging was very cool, especially as I was really into animals at the time (and still am!)
Honourable mentions: Neo Geo, Bally Astrocade, Champion 2711, Vectrex, Magnavox Odyssey
The Logo – SEGA
The fact that the SEGA logo has a sound that you hear in your head makes this the obvious choice and a truly ubiquitous one. Sure, the original Game Boy has that two-note jingle but SEGAAAAAA with that cool Sonic blue (or is it Sonic with that cool SEGA blue) stands out with its bold, unique typeface.
Honourable mentions: Super Famicom Disk System, Game & Watch, PS1, Dreamcast
The Vision – Sega Dreamcast
My only experiences with the SEGA Dreamcast were in game store kiosks, playing mainly Sonic Adventure until the shop assistants asked me to stop (killjoys). It was a beautiful console with a massive vision that a lot of people say was “ahead of its time”. We can debate that cliché for the rest of our lives or how SEGA got to the point where this was their last console rather than a propulsion to greater things but it really set a standard for what net play could be on home consoles as well as a lot of cool features like the VMU and great marketing that still went toe-to-toe with Sony.
Honourable mentions: Virtual Boy (cool idea, terrible execution), Satellaview/Sega Channel (not consoles but predecessors to what the Dreamcast tried to do), Apple Pippin, Phillips CDi, Panasonic 3DO, Atari Jaguar
The Console Design – PlayStation 2 Slim (Black)
One of the sleekest consoles ever, the original black PS2 Slim was like a slab of slate that holding the power to transport you to thousands of different worlds which added to its simple mystique. It proved that less could be more in a time where 3D graphics and power power power were primary factors of the video game generation is resided in. It also stuck out as a revision of a bigger console (although not the first time Sony had done it) compared to its adversaries who stuck with the same builds and made them bigger and chunkier over time (included Sony themselves with the PS3 which is my least favourite design btw)
Honourable mentions: PS Vita (aqua blue), Dreamcast, WonderSwan Color, Game Boy Pocket
The Controller – PlayStation Dualshock (PS1–PS4)
There’s nothing greater for me. The introduction of analog sticks, the rumble mechanism, and it being somewhat more ergonomic than other controllers made this an instant favourite. The D-pad would hurt your fingers after a while and only give you 8 points of direction but analog sticks could give you way more freedom and while they weren’t the first to do it, they did it so well.
Honourable mentions: Apple Pippin (it’s like they made this in the year 2095, not 1995), Dreamcast, Neo Geo
The Game Catalogue – PlayStation 2
While I didn’t get the chance to play much of the catalogue at the time, there’s no doubt that it’s packed full of greatness and most people would vote for the PS2 in this category. I have more access now than I ever have (IYKYK) so I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some great franchises including Dragon Quest, Pro Evo, GTA, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Gran Turismo, ICO… and the rest.
Honourable mentions: Nintendo DS/3DS, PS1, SNES
The Game Packaging – Super Nintendo
I’m a sucker for bold fonts and striking colours so whenever I saw a SNES bundle with Super Mario All Stars or Street Fighter, my eyes always lit up. Nintendo knew what they were doing. It was simple but effective, letting the games do the talking rather than the console which was still a hunk of grey plastic in all honesty. Having it in such a big box was also great because it played on the idea that big = more which is what you’d want from your video games in the 90s (I feel like the opposite is true for me in the 2020s)
Honourable mentions: Atari Jaguar, SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, SEGA Dreamcast, Game Boy