[Musashi]

So which ones have you owned, and which ones do you still have? Mine, from 1985 to the present:

(Atari 2600): Dad picked one up for the living room. We all played it a little, but me most.

(NES): Christmas 1987 present! First one that one truly mine to keep, and what really ramped up my love of games.

Super Nintendo: First one I bought with my own money! Sold off a chunk of my NES collection to pay for it, then re-acquired some of those games in the years that followed. It was effectively a replacement as my original was struggling to get games started up.

NES compact model: Much as I loved my Super, I still liked some older games too, so I got the smaller NES to play them. Much more reliable than the old box.

Sega Genesis: After trying Sonic 2 at a friend's house, I had to have my own. Spent Christmas money to get it January 1993.

Sega Game Gear: The day I got the Genesis, mom got me this as a rain check Christmas present as she was unable to find one before December 25 of 1992.

32X: It's $20 on Clearance? With Virtua Fighter? Sure why not?

Nintendo 64: Another December gift! Mom knew how much I wanted Mario 64 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy for sure.

PlayStation: Bought it with money from my first job in 1997 just in time for Final Fantasy 7. Although: my first game was actually Mega Man 8, which I got with a CompUSA gift certificate from the previous birthday.

Super Game Boy: I had borrowed my friend's brick Game Boy to play a couple games. After playing some Mario Land 2 at my cousin's I wanted it for myself.

Sega Saturn: I saw Shining the Holy Ark at a college preview program. Got it for myself the next summer.

Game Boy Color: Gift. I asked to get in on the Pokemon craze and after December 1998, I could!

SNES re-model: Picked it up because I could. Original was actually better; this version can't use the S-Video cable.

Genesis 3: Got a hand-sized Genesis for easier transport.

PSONe: Laptop-level portability proved helpful since I got the clip on screen for it as well. It was also easier to play Japanese DDR games on it.

Sega Dreamcast: I was sold on Marvel vs Capcom 2 after playing it in arcades. Got a few more little games for it too.

(PS2): A vital piece of my gaming center for years. Mom went to get it for me with the money I supplied since I was overseas would be when the Sam Goody Sale took place. It was sold out when she went but they gave her a raincheck of sorts where we could pre-purchase it and get the extra points that day but pick it up when they restocked. The day I got back, much to mom's surprise, friends and I went to a different mall and picked up my pre-order of Final Fantasy Chronicles for PS1 instead. I got the PS2 the week after, where it served as my main console and DVD player until the disc reader quit.

Game Boy Advance: Gift. Parents knew I had to play Mario 2 and Castlevania Circle for sure!

GameCube: I had my own launch party of sorts. Sure the system had been out for a while but I still pre-ordered the silver version and picked it up on release day alongside Smash and Sonic Adventure 2.

Game Boy Player: Playing GBA games proved tough with getting in just the right spot under the light, so I got this. Prefer Cube controller to Game Boy controls too.

GBA SP: But that said, I still wanted a portable option.

PS2 slim: Tired of struggling with a broken laser on my old PS2, I told friends, "BRB" and walked across the street to Best Buy to get a new PS2.

DS: Once I saw Super Princess Peach on the internet, I had to have it. Got the DS that same day.

PS3: A story about this is hidden in the depths of these boards! Spent my work bonus and tax refunds and jumped into the blu-ray pool. It served as a movie player for several months until I finally got a game for it in the form of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Next thing you know I am awestruck with its astounding graphics!

PSP: I got a Dissidia bundle for mine, but I really got one to play Mega Man remakes and the still best to this day versions of Final Fantasy 1/2/4.

Wii: I got it a while after the craze of grandmas and non-gamers buying them all up. It was secondary to the PS2-3, but Smash and Super Paper Mario were worthy experiences.

SuperSlim PS3: My phat PS3 still works, but I wanted this one for the bigger hard drive and lower electricity use. Still serves as my main Blu-ray player.

3DS: Girlfriend wanted to play some multi-player and StreetPass games, so I got it.

Wii U: Was gonna wait, but then Nintendo showed me Super Mario 3D World!

PS4: Got it as a Dave and Busters prize. I didn't open it for several months but finally did after Rock Band 4 came out. May have been a slow start, but until very recently, it was pretty much the only console I played the past few years.

PS TV: I wanted a Vita to play some games like Adventures of Mana.

PS4 Slim model: Another Dave and Busters prize. On seeing I could level grind in Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep by rubber banding the sticks, I decided to get the smaller model so that trick wouldn't eat as much electricity.

Switch: Also got it as a Dave and Busters prize. I just had to play Link's Awakening remake!

PS5 re-model: I started playing more simple looking games or remasters of previous gen games on my PS4 knowing that the more graphically demanding games were best played on a Pro, then later, a PS5. I didn't feel like fighting for the short supplies, so I waited. Then, hearing rumors of a slimmer model, I committed to waiting for it as its easier to fit on my shelf. When I finally got it, I jumped into Resident Evil 2 Remake, which looks amazing!

Key:
Italic: Belonged to the family as opposed to me.
(Parentheses): Don't have it anymore / it broke.

Funny thing about belonging to the family, the old Atari indeed did, so apparently my entitled sister thought the NES did too. I told her: nice try but no. That Christmas present distinctly had my name on it.