Being a Nintendo Fanboy (part 2)

 Being a Nintendo Fanboy (part 1)

As a loosely related second post, I'm going to go through how the debates between Sega, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and others shook out from my point of view. This is going to be a post that is very much not objective, and has a lot of my opinion baked into it, and some stems from childhood biases that have persisted/lingered, while other opinions have been tempered with a more objective and dispassionate clarity that comes from being (temporally) distanced from the debate at the time.


For whatever reason, someone, somewhere (probably on Wikipedia) decided to group these consoles into “generations,” and we’ve just sort of ran with it. So for that reason, I’m going to divide these up into generations, though it must be said that there aren’t clear divisions between them. It’s not like in sports where you can compare the 2018 NY Jets against the 2018 Miami Dolphins, who each played the same numbers of games and who started and ended the season on the same dates. I mean, It would be nice if the big manufacturers (Nintendo, Sony etc.) all got together and decided on a set number of years (like 6 or 7) for how long between hardware releases. It would make comparisons easier, and you wouldn’t have hardware like the Switch that comes out in the middle of a generation. I know they would never agree to something like that, but it would certainly help me put everything into neat little boxes.


I’m not counting PC or Phone/mobile games in this list for obvious reasons. And I’m going to follow a similar format to James Rolf’s video about the SNES vs Genesis debate where he has several categories. However, I’m going to add a few that I feel are important factors, and slightly alter one or two of them. The categories are ranked by importance/weight, meaning that the first few (graphics/sound/controls) are more important than gamebox design.

First Generation - Most of them are just some variation of  a dedicated Pong console, they were out and failed/forgotten before I was even born, and I only know about any of them from YouTube videos. Other than my grandma's APF TV Fun Pong Console that I got to use for one evening, I’ve never played any of them (that I can recall) and they aren’t really on my radar. But there were quite a few of them - more than 900 according to Wikipedia, apparently. So because of that I don’t have a preference or really know much about them. Many of them were single game consoles, and some had a few different variations (like singles vs. doubles pong). This generation also has the distinction of being the longest one, and because of their simple nature, I can understand why people would consider them “toys” rather than electronic entertainment on par with Hollywood movies (like it is now). Because all of these were before my time, I don’t really have an opinion about them so ranking them would be a pointless endeavor.

Second Generation - In my view, the only real console that deserves to be mentioned was the Atari 2600, mainly because that’s the only one I ever came into contact with (in my defense, Atari sold 10 to 15 times as many consoles as their competition). I had a few acquaintances and extended family members who had an Atari, and I got to play them here and there. I wasn’t even aware that other consoles like the Atari 5200, ColecoVision, or Odyssey2 existed until I learned about them from YouTube channels like the AVGN. Part of it was due to the lack of marketing in the same way that games are marketed today, I wasn’t getting Radio Shack’s newsletter, and a lot was just because I was young and only saw things that were advertised during Saturday morning cartoons (usually toys and cereal). However it was during this generation that I had the TI-99/4A in my house that we mainly used as a substitute console. Some of my other family and friends had the Commodore64. Neither of those are considered “consoles” and are more computers that also happened to play some games. But this is all to say that in my mind, Atari was the only game in town and would be the winner in all categories (except for the ones that would be marked as N/A), so there’s no point in delineating it. Also of note is that there were fewer of the "unknown" consoles compared to the previous generation.

Third Generation - This is where the story really starts for me. While there are over 18 entries on the Wikipedia list of consoles, the only ones that are worth mentioning are the Nintendo Famicom/NES, and the Sega Master System. I’ve only played a Sega MS a handful of times at my cousin’s house, and only known a few friends to have one. But I knew a ton of people with the NES, and it was equivalently popular in Japan as well. There really wasn’t much in the way of competition for Nintendo here. Sega didn’t make as much of an impact in Japan, and Nintendo was almost single handedly responsible for the recovery of video games in the US after the crash in 1983. Nintendo had the best games and the best developers working for it. Stores outside of electronic stores and toy stores usually didn’t stock Sega stuff, so it was far easier to find Nintendo products. At school, nobody talked Sega - it was Nintendo or nothing.

Category	Winner	Reasons
Graphics		They both look pretty similar, but later NES games looked much better as there was a lot more development put into getting the most out of the NES.
Sound Effects/ Music		Also pretty similar in capabilities, but Nintendo had Koji Kondo, as well as pretty much all of the memorable games from this era.
Controller		Also fairly similar, but the NES’s D-Pad was better.
Games		No contest. Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Metroid, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Contra, Tecmo Bowl, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Tetris - the list could go on and on.
Price/ Availability		Initial NES prices were cheaper, and it was far easier to get one from a typical department store.
Accessories/ Peripherals		Other than the 3-D glasses, Nintendo had a much wider variety of accessories/ peripherals available. ROB was instrumental in resurrecting the home console market in North America..
Online Services	N/A	There were modems available, but the internet wasn’t really used by anyone except real computer nerds back then. But it will become more important in future console generations.
Backwards/ Cross- Compatibility		Only because Atari controllers worked in it. Neither company had a previous system to port from.
Console Design		It looks more futuristic and didn’t have the lockout chip problem that caused the blinking grey screen.
Box Design		Plastic boxes were way ahead of its time, and were better than cardboard boxes and plastic sleeves.
Coolness Factor		Nintendo was synonymous with Video games by the late 80’s. Nintendo had cereals and animated shows (SMB Super Show, SMB3, Captain N) to boost their brand’s visibility.
Overall Winner

Fourth Generation - Here’s where the Bit Wars really took off. While I remember a few ads in comic books/magazines for the TurboGraphix16, and I was vaguely aware of the existence of the NeoGeo and CD-i, the two biggest contenders here are the SNES and the Genesis (with their respective add-ons). There were TV ads showing off the newer 16 bit graphics of the Genesis comparing it to the older 8-bit NES. While the SNES overtook the Genesis in sales and was superior to it in almost every way (the one exception is processor speed), the Genesis did have about a year and a half head start. This was the first instance of Sega using newer hardware released early to get a leg up on the competition - a strategy that they would use often but which was never as successful as it was with the Genesis. For the first time, I started seeing Sega stuff on store shelves. I didn’t appreciate Sega’s aggressive advertising tactics - (Genesis does what Nintendon’t, There is no Nintendo CD, Mario is slow compared to Sonic and the Genesis’ “blast processing”, etc.) I would have preferred that they just show their products and let them speak for themselves. However, I did enjoy an article in Nintendo Power detailing the specs of the SNES vs the Genesis, as it gave me a little ammo for why I had chosen wisely (even if it came from a biased source, the specs couldn’t be denied).

I pretty much agree with James on the comparison of the SNES and Genesis. The console design and the plastic game boxes made the Genesis more attractive, and it was better for sports games (which I have never really been into unless it’s unrealistic e.g., NBA Jam). But the SNES had better graphics, way better sound/music, a better controller, and better games in every category other than sports. These 4 areas (graphics, sound, controls, games) are the major things that make up a video game, and are weighted more heavily than things like boxes and console design on a rubric. The only thing I would really disagree with James on is that the backwards compatibility part isn’t the best argument. It would be a tie at best.

Category	Winner	Reasons
Graphics		Both were pretty good, but when you compare the later games like Star Fox, DKC, and SMRPG it’s clear that the SNES has better graphics. But even from the beginning there were little things that set it apart (like Mode7 and more backgrounds).
Sound Effects/ Music		No contest. The SNES had a vastly superior sound chip.
Controller		The diamond arrangement and greater number of buttons outshines the Genesis.
Games		Sega upped the ante with Sonic, X-Men, Moonwalker, and a wider variety of sports games, but still doesn’t compete with the 1st party titles and RPG selection on the SNES.
Price/ Availability	Tie	They both had similar launch prices, but because Sega had a 1.5 year head-start, it was lowered in price sooner.
Accessories/ Peripherals		Both had similar accessories, but the Genesis had the 32X and CD add-ons, while the SNES had the Satellaview. But what puts Nintendo over the top is Mario Paint and its mouse.
Online Services	Tie	Both systems had XBAND available. While Nintendo’s Satellaview add-on was better but only in Japan, Sega had the Sega Channel in all regions.
Backwards/ Cross- Compatibility	Tie	While the SNES did have the Super GameBoy, the Genesis had the Power Base.
Console Design		The black and less boxy design wins out.
Box Design		Again, the plastic boxes make things better for collectors. The little clear plastic covers for SNES games were easily lost.
Coolness Factor		Sega was really good at painting Nintendo as a bland, slow console for little kids, while the cool kids played Genesis. Sega pushed their one technical advantage (higher clock speed) by advertising “Blast Processing”
Overall Winner

Fifth Generation - The big ones here are the PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, and the Nintendo64. The Atari Jaguar had a few ads I remember but their marketing was very misleading (claiming that two 32-bit processors equals a 64-bit processor). Just like the last generation there were a few other systems that I vaguely remember hearing about, namely the 3DO, but it was never enough to warrant looking into because they were so obscure, hard to find, and had little to no memorable marketing. Another factor making comparisons difficult is that there were different mediums (CDs vs Cartridges), different bit counts (32 vs. 64) and they were released at different times (Dec ‘94, May ‘95, and Sept ‘96), and had other differences (like 2 vs 4 players).

Category	Winner	Reasons
Graphics		While there was a certain “muddiness” to it, the N64 could do more polygons and texture mapping, anti-aliasing, Z-buffering, and have larger levels than the other two. Many of the games from Sony/Sega felt like running in a tunnel (e.g. Crash Bandicoot) instead of an open field, or resorted to pre-rendered static backgrounds (FFVII).
Sound Effects/ Music		The added storage of CDs made better quality sound possible when used correctly.
Controller		While Nintendo’s 3 lobed approach was a little strange, the analog stick was revolutionary and was soon copied by others.
Games		While Sony had some heavy hitters (including Square-Enix’s games), Nintendo still had Goldeneye, Mario64, 2 Zeldas, Mario Kart, and more Rare games. A lot of what we now accept as normal in 3D games was developed/ innovated with Nintendo’s offerings. It must also be noted that Nintendo relied almost entirely on 1st party games here, while Sony had garnered favor with almost all 3rd party developers.
Price/ Availability		The N64 was half the price of the Saturn and ⅔ the price of the Playstation. By the time the N64 was released those prices had dropped a bit. But all three were sold at the usual places.
Accessories/ Peripherals		All of them had several accessories, but the Rumble Pak was the one that eventually became a permanent, built-in feature of controllers.
Online Services	N/A	Online services as we know them still weren’t mainstream.
Backwards/ Cross- Compatibility	N/A	None of the systems were backwards compatible with anything, but the PSX and SS could play CD’s.
Console Design		Both of the other two were somewhat boxy, but the main reason is the inclusion of 4 controller ports.
Box Design		CD Jewel cases are longer lasting and more easily replaceable than cardboard boxes.
Coolness Factor		It was the new game in town, and being marketed for older teens as the less-kiddy system.
Overall Winner

Being a Nintendo Fanboy (part 3)

Being a Nintendo Fanboy (part 4)