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.
Last edited by Musashi; 03-06-2024 at 03:21 PM.
Reason: Added systems and stories
NES
Game Boy
Super Nintendo
Sega Genesis
Nintendo 64
Playstation
Game Boy Pocket
Gamecube
Game Boy Player
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance SP
DS
Wii
Xbox 360
Playstation 4
Nintendo Switch
Xbox Series X
PS5
Game Boy Color (Atomic Purple) - I probably got this some time in 1999 for my birthday or Christmas, originally purely because of the Pokémon craze.
Nintendo 64 - Got this one for my birthday in July 2000. A visiting relative actually got me my first game before I got the console on my actual birthday, so confused not-quite-seven-year-old me tried putting the cartridge in my VCR.
Game Boy Advance (Blue) - I probably got this sometime in 2002, though it could have been late 2001. My uncle was a bus driver and found it left behind by a passenger. After the lost & found holding period ended he gave it to me.
GameCube (Silver) - Most likely this was a 2002 Christmas gift, as I remember getting Super Mario Sunshine with it.
DS - The original silver launch model as a 2004 Christmas gift.
PlayStation 2 (Slim) - I probably got this some time in 2005. I barely ended up using it and don't have many memories of it.
Xbox 360 - Launch model with the hard drive for Christmas 2005. Red ringed twice.
Wii - I know I wanted this for Christmas 2006, like every other kid on Earth, but it took until sometime in 2007 to actually get my hands on one.
PlayStation 3 (40 GB) - Birthday present in July of 2008. Got it purely as a Blu-ray player initially but then started gaming on it once my 360 became unreliable.
3DS (Blue) - Launch model I got sometime in the latter half of 2011; don't remember when exactly. There was virtually nothing to play on it and I sold it pretty quickly.
PlayStation 4 - Original model; I got this in April of 2015. Bought my copy of Dragon Age: Inquisition months in advance of getting the console itself.
New 3DS XL (SNES design) - I think I got this sometime in 2019? But it honestly could have been 2018 as well. Sometime after the Switch was established, by which point there was finally stuff I wanted to play on this damn thing.
PlayStation 5 - Original model in its discless Digital configuration, not because I wanted that but because it's what I could afford. Had to line up for hours in the cold morning before sunrise outside of a GameStop in April 2022 for the privilege of paying way too much for a mandatory bundle with crap I didn't need.
I went from:
Radio Shack Pong System (no longer have this)
Coleco mini Arcades of: Galaxian, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong (no longer have)
Colecovision as a tiny kid to:
NES
Sega Master System
Amiga 2000
Sega Genesis
Playstation 1
PS2, (Dreamcast, Gamegear both new on deep sale)
Xbox 360 (x4 burnt out units under free MS warranty, traded in for PS3)
PS3
PS4
PS5, PC
I still have all my consoles except I gave the PS1 away as it kept overheating and flickering the games, (traded in my 360) but I kept all the games and play them on PS2 and PS3.
It’s pretty freaky that I got my SNES when I was 6 years old and I’m now 38 and it still works. And mind you, I was a little kid at the time and I wasn’t exactly careful when handling it. So I’m amazed it still works. Some of my cartridges lost its saved data but that’s because those things had battery backed memory. So I imagine the battery in those cartridges are quite deteriorated at this point. But the console still works great!
Game Boy Color (Atomic Purple) - I probably got this some time in 1999 for my birthday or Christmas, originally purely because of the Pokémon craze.
Nintendo 64 - Got this one for my birthday in July 2000. A visiting relative actually got me my first game before I got the console on my actual birthday, so confused not-quite-seven-year-old me tried putting the cartridge in my VCR.
Game Boy Advance (Blue) - I probably got this sometime in 2002, though it could have been late 2001. My uncle was a bus driver and found it left behind by a passenger. After the lost & found holding period ended he gave it to me.
GameCube (Silver) - Most likely this was a 2002 Christmas gift, as I remember getting Super Mario Sunshine with it.
DS - The original silver launch model as a 2004 Christmas gift.
PlayStation 2 (Slim) - I probably got this some time in 2005. I barely ended up using it and don't have many memories of it.
Xbox 360 - Launch model with the hard drive for Christmas 2005. Red ringed twice.
Wii - I know I wanted this for Christmas 2006, like every other kid on Earth, but it took until sometime in 2007 to actually get my hands on one.
PlayStation 3 (40 GB) - Birthday present in July of 2008. Got it purely as a Blu-ray player initially but then started gaming on it once my 360 became unreliable.
3DS (Blue) - Launch model I got sometime in the latter half of 2011; don't remember when exactly. There was virtually nothing to play on it and I sold it pretty quickly.
PlayStation 4 - Original model; I got this in April of 2015. Bought my copy of Dragon Age: Inquisition months in advance of getting the console itself.
New 3DS XL (SNES design) - I think I got this sometime in 2019? But it honestly could have been 2018 as well. Sometime after the Switch was established, by which point there was finally stuff I wanted to play on this damn thing.
PlayStation 5 - Original model in its discless Digital configuration, not because I wanted that but because it's what I could afford. Had to line up for hours in the cold morning before sunrise outside of a GameStop in April 2022 for the privilege of paying way too much for a mandatory bundle with crap I didn't need.
Dude! Love the story for every console. I'll have to add my own now!
Intellevision
NES
Game Boy
Super Nintendo
Sega Genesis
Nintendo 64
PlayStation
Game Boy Color
PS2
Game Boy Advance
GameCube
GBA SP
DS
PS3
XBOX360
PSP
Wii
3DS
New 3DSXL
Wii U
PSVita
PS4
PSTV
Switch
PS5
NES (sold)
First console owned with Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt dual cartridge. Then Castlevania II, III, Terminator 2.
Atari PC (with Mega Drive Combi)
Got to experience a few Mega Drive games, though all weren't compatible with it unfortunately.
SNES (still own)
Brilliant console, excited to own it just for Super Mario World that I saw in a toy department store.
GAME GEAR (sold)
Had a few games on it, mainly bought it for the TV option and colour screen over the Gameboy. Didn't have it long.
Playstation (sold)
Was excited to own this after I saw the Formula One game, when my Uncle got the console and game. Then the demo disc with the T-Rex. I got to play Castlevania: SOTN, Resident Evil series (the first game blew my mind when I rented it), Tomb Raider, Silent Hill. So many good games.
N64 (sold then bought again preowned)
Super Mario 64. Hands down the most impressive game I've seen and played. I was obsessed about it. When I finally got to play it, it was unlike anything I'd played before. Then Zelda: OOT (my first Zelda), Castlevania, Goldeneye (what a game too). The console was ground breaking but just lacked the amount of games Playstation had.
Dreamcast (sold)
For Shenmue (amazing experience at the time) and I was obsessed to play Resident Evil CVX. So glad I did, great experience. Then Crazy Taxi.
Playstation 2 (broke, bought a preowned one again)
Slow start, first game was Fifa. However, I got to experience Silent Hill 2 (my favourite game of all time), Silent Hill 3, Grand Theft Auto III (ground-breaking like Mario 64), GTA Vice City (favourite in the series) etc.
Gamecube (sold then later bought preowned)
Never quite got into this one and some of its games but have since I bought it again years later, mainly to play the Resident Evil series.
Xbox 360 (sold and bought preowned one a month ago)
Bought it for Bioshock, Tomb Raider Anniversary and Superman Returns. Enjoyed it a lot and bought it instead of a PS3.
Playstation 3 (bought preowned near end of life cycle)
Late to the party but got it for The Last of Us really.
Playstation 4 (sold)
Great selection of games, most since PS2. Horizon Zero Dawn a personal favourite and of course, Resident Evil 2 Remake!
Wii (bought preowned)
Late to the party but wanted to play Mario Galaxy and Silent Hill.
PSP (bought preowned and sold)
To play GTA Stories series (Vice City prequel mainly) and Castlevania Rondo Remake.
Mega Drive (bought preowned)
To play The Terminator, Castlevania: Bloodlines (since re-released on other consoles) and Robocop v Terminator again.
Switch
Current console. Love it.
Playstation 5
Current console. Thankfully backwards compatible with PS4 games. Some good games but a little underwhelmed. Bought for Horizon Forbidden West, best game so far for me.
I live in the UK and 8bit consoles were not really a thing over here. There is 1 high school in my town, so every kid knew each other.
1 guy had a NES with only 3 games...Duck Hunt, Mario Bros and Top Gun. 2 guys had Sega Master systems. Blockbuster in the UK didn't rent out games so those guys had woefully small game collections. Everybody else had a computer, so I'll start there.
Amstrad CPC464
Amiga A500
Sony Playstation
Sega Saturn
PC
N64
Dreamcast x2 (I imported a Japanese console and bought a UK one)
Sony Playstation 2
XBOX x3 (I bought a UK one, a USA one so I could play the uncensored Ninja Gaiden and a hacked USA one)
Gamecube x4 (none of them broke down but it's cheaper to buy a second hand console with a controller than a new controller)
Sony Playstation 3 x2 (one broke down)
XBOX 360 (solely to play Ninja Gaiden 2)
Microsoft announce that you have to be online all the time and cannot play second hand games so I decide it's Playstation only from now on.
Sony Playstation 4 x2 (both of them have broken down)
Sony Playstation 5
Currently I've got the PS5 and the PS3 set up. PS3 because there are so many great games you can't play anywhere else.
Magnavox Odyssey
Mattel Intellivision
Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Genesis/Sega CD/32X
Nintendo 64
GameCube
These were all my main gaming systems while I was a kid, which I will define as from my very earliest memories up until when I graduated college. I will note that I also had a 3DO between the Genesis and N64, though I'm still mystified as to why my parents bought me one of those.
Towards the end of the GameCube generation I picked up a Dreamcast, then a PS2, and eventually an Xbox. I've owned every major console since then. Right now I have a Switch, Series S, and PS5. That said, I've been a primarily PC gamer since I build my first rig in 2016. Mostly play on that and the Steam Deck these days. I also had an Apple IIGS in the late 80s but it was mostly just a curiosity in the house. I missed out on the early days of PC gaming.
Oh, and I loved going to the arcade as a kid. I think they were just as responsible as home consoles for my lifelong love of gaming.
Oh, and I loved going to the arcade as a kid. I think they were just as responsible as home consoles for my lifelong love of gaming.
I didn't really have an arcade near me, unless I went to Portsmouth or a sea-side down where they had them. However, having said that one of my favourite memories is seeing the Street Fighter II cabinet in my local leisure centre and that tune...'Duh Duh, Duh Duh Duh Duh' into the main theme and hearing 'Hadouken!'.
I feel like my console history is kinda weird because I mostly had handhelds growing up. It was often difficult to get TV time to myself, so having a portable device just made more sense. I also chose to get into older systems in the past few years rather than getting a PS5 or whatever, because I already have a decent gaming PC that can more-or-less handle all the console-style games I want to play. Right now I primarily use my PS Vita since I've been putting on more hours at work and don't have as much time for gaming at home as I used to, but I've also gotten a lot of use out of my DSi XL.
2004: GBA SP (backlit model)
2006: DS Lite
2007: Wii
2009: DSi & PSP Go
2011: 3DS
2013: 3DS XL
2021: PC & PS Vita
2022: DSi XL & PS3
2023: 2DS
NES
SNES
Sega Genesis
PS1
N64
Game Boy Color
PS2
Xbox
Gamecube
Game Boy Advance SP
Xbox360
PS3
Wii
Nintendo 3DS
Nintento Wii U
Nintendo Switch
Xbox Series S
Game Boy - (original) non-color. Can't remember the years that I had it, this was pre- 2nd grade maybe? I have a fond memory of having it before I moved to Vegas, which was prior to 2nd grade. Don't remember my first game for it, but I did have a Mortal Kombat game, NBA Jam, and an Itchy & Scratchy game that I couldn't beat to save my life.
Playstation - (original) Got it as a gift from my parents when I was in 4th grade. Gah! What a time to be alive. This would've been '98 (showing my age). 1st game was a NCAA Basketball game and whatever demo disc came with the PS.
Playstation 2 - (original) Got it as a consolation gift when my mother went on her honeymoon to Hawaii, leaving me with my grandmother. I think my first game may have been Midnight Club (remember those blue discs?). I bought another game with it, but I honestly can't remember. Max Payne and GTA 3 were among my favorites. Rockstar does no wrong!
Xbox - (original) Asked for it for a birthday with a justification of why I wanted it despite already having a PS2. Somehow I got it! Go me!! I really don't remember what my first game for it was though. Remember scrounging chore money to save up and buy WWF Raw, which was a PIECE OF S**T game, especially compared to the likes of the content that N64 got. I was always jealous of my friends who had N64 WWF games. I also "un"fondly remember buying SOCOM and remembering my absolute hatred of the strategy-based combat system. But Dead to Rights and True Crime: Streets of LA were phenomenal!!!
Xbox 360 - (original x2 since the first one got the red ring) Sold the PS2 and Xbox for the 360. Can't remember the decision behind that vs. PS3, but that's the route I went. This was probably my FAVORITE system of all time at the time. This was peak gaming time for me with SvR games, GTA, Saints Row, COD, Arkham City, Fable 2, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, etc.).
Playstation 3 - (OG Slim) This was me telling myself that I would never be jealous of friends and their systems (me having Xbox and friends having N64), so I sold the 360 and bought a PS3 for the free online gameplay, MLB the Show, and the Uncharted series.
Playstation Vita - (original) Playing my PS3 in bed while my girlfriend read? That's the only justification I needed, but it was so hard to do, so I just committed to using it for exclusive games (i.e. Uncharted: Golden Abyss). Didn't end up buying many games for it and eventually sold it.
Playstation 4 - (original) Sold the PS3 and upgraded to the 4 shortly after launch. Grabbed almost all launch titles before slowing down drastically.
Xbox One - (original and Xbox One S) Had to have the Xbox One after playing games like Ryse: Son of Rome and Titanfall with my nephew at his house. This was my 2nd time owning 2 systems simultaneously. Sold the original Xbox One because video game playing hit an all-time low after I had my daughter. Fast forward a couple months later and my father gifted me his Xbox One S that he bought for himself, but never opened. I was back in the game!!
Playstation 5 - (original w/ disc drive) I'm old now, I swear off upgrading consoles. I'm at a good place -- married, kids, mortgage, car payment, etc. I don't play as much. These were all the justifications I gave myself for not wanting to get the PS5, especially with how limited they were. But my friends somehow lucked up and got the PS5 standing in line at a Gamestop and I was f***ing jealous!! I HAD TO HAVE ONE!!! I somehow got one online after selling my PS4 and Xbox One S. YES!!! Can't remember my first game, but it was probably Miles Morales.
Xbox Series X - (original) Same friends also somehow got an XSX at launch. What the f**k?! Okay, let me try! I got it too!!! Woo!!! (3rd time having both the PS and Xbox, simultaneously). Watch Dogs Legion and AC Valhalla were my first games.
Nintendo Switch - (OLED) Remember when I said that I was done after the PS4 and Xbox One S? Yeah, well friends were talking about this Zelda game that was amazing!! Oh, and I do love Super Smash Bros. from all the jr. high parties where we stayed up until the wee hours playing the original. [sigh] Okay, I really do want that Breath of the Wild. Sold a ton of movies, not to buy the Switch, but just because I didn't need them in my collection anymore. What should I do with the $350 earned? Enter the Switch. My first game was Breath of the Wild. Still haven't gotten far in that game. Ha!
Steam Deck - (OLED) I swear I'm done, but ooh, I've always been jealous of those with PCs and the games they can play and sometimes the prices that they pay (ridiculously cheaper than consoles at times), but I don't want to have to deal with the mess of having to keep up with my graphics card and SSD and blah blah blah...ooh!! A handheld PC that you can dock to monitors???!!! #acquired. First games were The Ascent, Stray, Hollow Knight, and Hatred.
Now I'm in this unfortunate predicament where I currently own a PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch OLED, and Steam Deck OLED... and because I'm a husband, father, coach, have a career, mortgage, etc. and I'm tired as hell so I don't play as much. But I have my options.. and COVID forced me to buy a TON of games because GameStop had more games than they had space so B1G2 Free or B3G2 Free sales led me down a path where I now own 124 games (well, 125 games to be exact since I own Inside for both Steam Deck and Switch; listen, in my defense, I forgot that I bought it for Steam Deck and it was $1.99 for Switch along with Limbo, and I'm old and I forget s**t). And of course I'm currently engaged with the longest f**king games ever (Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, Marvel's Midnight Suns, The Ascent, Super Mario Bros. Wonder) all at the same time. I'm at my happiest.
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey of nostalgia.
Last edited by aredell2nd; 03-11-2024 at 11:09 PM.
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