Unpopular opinion, but Xbox 360. The first ones didn’t have hdmi, didn’t have a hard drive, the giant power brick was unsightly, the controller has the worst dpad I have ever touched and playing any fighting game on it was a pain, the paid multiplayer cancer grew there, the ads in the main menu of the console… And I didn’t get to see the red ring of death since I’ve switched to PS3 as soon as I could afford one.
I know a lot of people have fond memories of it, but for me the 360 represented the worst of the console manufacturers’ greed, milking the consumer to the bone while cheaping out on everything that was possible to cheap out on.
Mine was also the 360, but simply because of when I got it. I was a young teen when it originally came out, and I begged my parents for one. They were concerned that my kid brother (several years younger than me) would inevitably end up playing the games I had for it. The 360 was marketed more as a mature console, compared to the family friendly Wii. So I had to wait until my brother was old enough to play games like COD and Halo.
All of this meant that by the time I finally got the 360, the XBO was nearing release. And the 360’s multiplayer heyday had largely passed by that point, as everyone had largely moved on from games like Halo 3, Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed Brotherhood, etc… So matchmaking lobbies for all of the games I wanted to experience were basically only full of the diehard fans who had absolutely no sympathy for new/learning players. It meant I ended up using it primarily as a single player console. I enjoyed lots of single-player games like Final Fantasy 13/13-2, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect Trilogy, Dark Souls, etc… But that’s pretty much all I used it for. I’d chat with friends while I played if they were online, but it quickly became clear that my friends were moving on from the console.
All of the big multiplayer experiences for the 360 were largely lost on me, because none of my friends were interested in playing those old games by that point. And multiplayer is unfortunately a large part of what the console was designed for. I think the only multiplayer game that really held our attention was Destiny, and even that turned out to be a pretty big disappointment after a while. We only really kept playing it as an excuse to hang out in voice chat.
I was also largely moving towards PC gaming by that point. I had already experimented with installing games like Oblivion and Skyrim on my (really shitty) laptop, and got them running at potato quality. I saw the potential, and shifted towards PC gaming after getting the 360. I saved up my money from my first job, and built my first PC a year or two after getting the 360. So I only really kept the 360 around for the exclusives that weren’t on PC.
Nowadays, I just emulate the 360 exclusives for single player. Currently working my way through Lost Odyssey, because I never actually got around to finishing it on the 360. I think because I built my PC before I beat the game.
That might be the favorite. Great size, battery, controls, games, peripherals… I kinda think I remember it got internet hate for some reason? But I LOVED this thing. Ultimate evolution of GameBoy.
I owned a Virtual Boy back in the day and… yeah. It sucked. I bring it up every time people think Nintendo are infallible - they do have shit ideas from time to time.
I also owned a PSP and I just didn’t use it much. I know it’s a well beloved console but I didn’t really like anything that I played on it.
The Wii was just okay, I just got tired of the gimmick too quickly, and the library was just atrocious. If you don’t like movie tie-in games, you miss out on like 3/4ths of the entire catalogue of titles.
I think I’m just tired of console gaming at this point. The only reason I would buy a console is if it were a mobile console that I can take with me when I want to game away from my PC, and so far the only companies that are interested in developing mobile consoles are Nintendo and Steam.
PS4 - no games. Worse multimedia experience compared to PS3. No longer matters to me but did at launch.
Xbone - no games
Didn’t buy PS5 or another Xbox myself but my roommate did get a PS5. No games. He’s not buying another Sony console either.
Artificial value of exclusives lost combined with drastically less output from AAA and oddball titles like Sony had on PSN during PS3 era renders consoles completely pointless to me now. Since I was always PC gaming while also owning consoles in the past, I built a PC for the living room too.
Upcoming disappointment:
Probably Switch 2. I think Nintendo has lost their way ever since Iwata died. Certainly their style has evaporated. You will like your black/white barren GUI or else Mario’s getting shot. Switch 1 was already borderline.
For me it was Xbox One. From day one (no pun intended) it just didn’t feel good to me. The UI experience never got away from being awful. The system itself was a sluggish awful mess. It should never take more than 3 seconds to load your options menu . On top of that Everytime I turned on my console it would take a half hour or more to update. The must have games just never came. The games they did come played worse than nearly anywhere else. If I was a teenage when I bought this system and played everyday some of these short comings could have been avoided. But as an adult it just felt terrible . From here I went back to Pc gaming made a rig that would destroy any console at the time. It was so bad to me I canceled my Xbox Live Subscription I had for 15 years ! That killed my love to Xbox entirely.
Probably second place was the PS3 but I bought it at the end of the generation and never got the exclusives I should have …
I can’t say xbox series x disappointed me, but compared to playstation it felt meh - probably due to as unenthusiastic UI as a gaming console can get. I guess I was lucky with consoles if this is the biggest issue.
Meta Quest 3s. It was an initially a cool way of playing games but the novelty soon wore off and most games are not that good with VR. Up until then I iterated through Nintendo systems and was always satisfied.
Master System 2
Super Nintendo
Game Boy
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
GameBoy Advance SP
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation 3
New 3DS
Steam Deck
I honestly think the 3DS was probably the most disappointing; I bought it on a whim 2nd hand from EB Games along with a copy of a Pokémon game (I don’t remember which). Mechanics hadn’t evolved much since Pokémon Blue, and the experience was kinda “meh” overall.
I also dabbled with a few other games, but nothing gripped me. The only saving grace for that console was that it rapidly appreciated in value since my purchase (like 5x?) due to the relative rarity of that particular colorway.
For perspective, I’ve owned a lot of systems from the NES on.
The first year of the Nintendo DS. The (first, Grey) system was quite ugly and there really wasn’t much great software coming out. That all changed after the first year, oh boy. My favorite system ever now.
The Wii. Too much gimmick stuff distracting from the experience (eg metroid wiimote shooting and wiimote sideways). So much shovelware!. It’s still a nice system (especially considering backwards compatibility too) but still.
I also had the 32X and virtual boy at some point of time but did not regret them as I knew what I was getting. After burner, star wars and virtua racing or (then) cheap stereoscopic red games.
The Wii. Too much gimmick stuff distracting from the experience (eg metroid wiimote shooting and wiimote sideways). So much shovelware!. It’s still a nice system (especially considering backwards compatibility too) but still.
It’s funny you say the controls distract from the experience, when I’d argue they add to the experience.
You ask me, the Wii is great and just keeps getting better, even now, with active homebrew communities. Many games allow you to choose what controller type you want, and there is a lot of creativity in the different games for using the Wiimote (though you may find those gimmicky). The biggest downside is trying to play if your TV is near a window and the sun is out. You have to close the blinds or it messes with the IR sensor.
Switch is easily my least played console. Its library was nearly entirely made up of games I already played on the Wii U. On top of that they had the cheek to require a subscription to play online. No thanks.
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Xbox One S. The library was crappy and the games are more expensive than on steam for some reason I can’t fathom.
Unpopular opinion, but Xbox 360. The first ones didn’t have hdmi, didn’t have a hard drive, the giant power brick was unsightly, the controller has the worst dpad I have ever touched and playing any fighting game on it was a pain, the paid multiplayer cancer grew there, the ads in the main menu of the console… And I didn’t get to see the red ring of death since I’ve switched to PS3 as soon as I could afford one.
I know a lot of people have fond memories of it, but for me the 360 represented the worst of the console manufacturers’ greed, milking the consumer to the bone while cheaping out on everything that was possible to cheap out on.
Mine was also the 360, but simply because of when I got it. I was a young teen when it originally came out, and I begged my parents for one. They were concerned that my kid brother (several years younger than me) would inevitably end up playing the games I had for it. The 360 was marketed more as a mature console, compared to the family friendly Wii. So I had to wait until my brother was old enough to play games like COD and Halo.
All of this meant that by the time I finally got the 360, the XBO was nearing release. And the 360’s multiplayer heyday had largely passed by that point, as everyone had largely moved on from games like Halo 3, Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed Brotherhood, etc… So matchmaking lobbies for all of the games I wanted to experience were basically only full of the diehard fans who had absolutely no sympathy for new/learning players. It meant I ended up using it primarily as a single player console. I enjoyed lots of single-player games like Final Fantasy 13/13-2, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect Trilogy, Dark Souls, etc… But that’s pretty much all I used it for. I’d chat with friends while I played if they were online, but it quickly became clear that my friends were moving on from the console.
All of the big multiplayer experiences for the 360 were largely lost on me, because none of my friends were interested in playing those old games by that point. And multiplayer is unfortunately a large part of what the console was designed for. I think the only multiplayer game that really held our attention was Destiny, and even that turned out to be a pretty big disappointment after a while. We only really kept playing it as an excuse to hang out in voice chat.
I was also largely moving towards PC gaming by that point. I had already experimented with installing games like Oblivion and Skyrim on my (really shitty) laptop, and got them running at potato quality. I saw the potential, and shifted towards PC gaming after getting the 360. I saved up my money from my first job, and built my first PC a year or two after getting the 360. So I only really kept the 360 around for the exclusives that weren’t on PC.
Nowadays, I just emulate the 360 exclusives for single player. Currently working my way through Lost Odyssey, because I never actually got around to finishing it on the 360. I think because I built my PC before I beat the game.
I still want to play some of the rpgs of that era: Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata
Just need to find the time somewhere 😅
My Switch 1 broke after just a few months. That gets it the worst spot for me.
They all have flaws, but I’ve had a lot of consoles over a lot of years and don’t have any I’d call “bad” all around. Each did its job masterfully.
Thinking about the question made me remember this bad boy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advance_SP
That might be the favorite. Great size, battery, controls, games, peripherals… I kinda think I remember it got internet hate for some reason? But I LOVED this thing. Ultimate evolution of GameBoy.
The Switch, because it removed all the cool features the DS had.
Nintendo has ironically made my favorite and most disappointing consoles.
Most disappointing:
Virtual Boy WiiU Wii Switch
Best:
NES SNES Game Boy GBA
I owned a Virtual Boy back in the day and… yeah. It sucked. I bring it up every time people think Nintendo are infallible - they do have shit ideas from time to time.
I also owned a PSP and I just didn’t use it much. I know it’s a well beloved console but I didn’t really like anything that I played on it.
The Wii was just okay, I just got tired of the gimmick too quickly, and the library was just atrocious. If you don’t like movie tie-in games, you miss out on like 3/4ths of the entire catalogue of titles.
I think I’m just tired of console gaming at this point. The only reason I would buy a console is if it were a mobile console that I can take with me when I want to game away from my PC, and so far the only companies that are interested in developing mobile consoles are Nintendo and Steam.
PS4 - no games. Worse multimedia experience compared to PS3. No longer matters to me but did at launch.
Xbone - no games
Didn’t buy PS5 or another Xbox myself but my roommate did get a PS5. No games. He’s not buying another Sony console either.
Artificial value of exclusives lost combined with drastically less output from AAA and oddball titles like Sony had on PSN during PS3 era renders consoles completely pointless to me now. Since I was always PC gaming while also owning consoles in the past, I built a PC for the living room too.
Upcoming disappointment:
Probably Switch 2. I think Nintendo has lost their way ever since Iwata died. Certainly their style has evaporated. You will like your black/white barren GUI or else Mario’s getting shot. Switch 1 was already borderline.
For me it was Xbox One. From day one (no pun intended) it just didn’t feel good to me. The UI experience never got away from being awful. The system itself was a sluggish awful mess. It should never take more than 3 seconds to load your options menu . On top of that Everytime I turned on my console it would take a half hour or more to update. The must have games just never came. The games they did come played worse than nearly anywhere else. If I was a teenage when I bought this system and played everyday some of these short comings could have been avoided. But as an adult it just felt terrible . From here I went back to Pc gaming made a rig that would destroy any console at the time. It was so bad to me I canceled my Xbox Live Subscription I had for 15 years ! That killed my love to Xbox entirely.
Probably second place was the PS3 but I bought it at the end of the generation and never got the exclusives I should have …
Xbox One disappointed me too! Switched to browser games after that. Much more relaxed gaming experience.
I haven’t gotten into a console since SNES.
I bought a PS5, played it a few times, but it gathers dust. I think it was last powered up in 2024. I don’t find the games fun.
What games do you play?
I can’t say xbox series x disappointed me, but compared to playstation it felt meh - probably due to as unenthusiastic UI as a gaming console can get. I guess I was lucky with consoles if this is the biggest issue.
Meta Quest 3s. It was an initially a cool way of playing games but the novelty soon wore off and most games are not that good with VR. Up until then I iterated through Nintendo systems and was always satisfied.
Master System 2
Super Nintendo
Game Boy
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
GameBoy Advance SP
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation 3
New 3DS
Steam Deck
I honestly think the 3DS was probably the most disappointing; I bought it on a whim 2nd hand from EB Games along with a copy of a Pokémon game (I don’t remember which). Mechanics hadn’t evolved much since Pokémon Blue, and the experience was kinda “meh” overall.
I also dabbled with a few other games, but nothing gripped me. The only saving grace for that console was that it rapidly appreciated in value since my purchase (like 5x?) due to the relative rarity of that particular colorway.
Hm, that’s tough.
For perspective, I’ve owned a lot of systems from the NES on.
The first year of the Nintendo DS. The (first, Grey) system was quite ugly and there really wasn’t much great software coming out. That all changed after the first year, oh boy. My favorite system ever now.
The Wii. Too much gimmick stuff distracting from the experience (eg metroid wiimote shooting and wiimote sideways). So much shovelware!. It’s still a nice system (especially considering backwards compatibility too) but still.
I also had the 32X and virtual boy at some point of time but did not regret them as I knew what I was getting. After burner, star wars and virtua racing or (then) cheap stereoscopic red games.
It’s funny you say the controls distract from the experience, when I’d argue they add to the experience.
You ask me, the Wii is great and just keeps getting better, even now, with active homebrew communities. Many games allow you to choose what controller type you want, and there is a lot of creativity in the different games for using the Wiimote (though you may find those gimmicky). The biggest downside is trying to play if your TV is near a window and the sun is out. You have to close the blinds or it messes with the IR sensor.
Switch is easily my least played console. Its library was nearly entirely made up of games I already played on the Wii U. On top of that they had the cheek to require a subscription to play online. No thanks.