Nintendo was n’t the firstvideo plot consoleon the market , but it surely defined it as what we know it to be today . Starting with theNESand presently anticipating theSwitch 2 , Nintendo has stacked each of its system with some of thebest franchisesin gaming . Nintendo is all over the list of thebest console of all time , but what about pitting Nintendo against itself ? Between the home console table and handhelds , Nintendo has secrete more consoles than any other troupe . Determining what console is superior comes down to a lot of factors , but the most important one is how much fun we had with them . A console could be the most muscular piece of engineering science in the world , but that does n’t the games more fun or influential . The good Nintendo console not only had great secret plan but promote the medium of games further .
10. Virtual Boy
There should be no surprises here . The Virtual Boy is unconditionally the bad cabinet Nintendo has ever turn . It had a nugget of a majuscule musical theme but neither the technology nor the games to take it to reality ( or practical reality , for that matter ) . The black and red silver screen alone would be a decease conviction for a console you ’re mean to wear on your face , but that ’s only the starting signal of this scheme ’s problems . It was a headset that could n’t be worn on your chief , it had a unknown comptroller , and barely a XII games ever come out for it . Of the games released , only one or two is seen as large . Every other Nintendo console has at least a lowly subdivision of the interview that champion it , but not the Virtual Boy .
9. Wii U
Put your pitchfork down . No , the Wii U was not a dreadful console . It had so much electric potential , and perhaps the second best library of biz of any Nintendo system , but it failed to by rights intercommunicate what it was . The gamepad accountant is a dandy estimate poorly executed . We ’ve seen Nintendo introduce with dual screens before , but this form factor just did n’t sit well with audiences . It also hurt that only a handful of titles in full fill reward of that young control scheme and made some genuinely innovative games we ’d never seen before . Other games , which were still fantastic , either leave the gamepad screen as an afterthought or brush aside it completely . We do n’t need any more proof than seeing all the Wii U games become monolithic vender on the Switch to know that it had the clobber in terms of biz . It was just everything else that descend short .
8. GameCube
TheGameCubeis the only metre where Nintendo felt more like a follower than a leader . It had no particular gimmick or joke , which is n’t necessary but does give it a lack of a trenchant identity compared to its contemporaries . It was just a better , pretty N64 from that aspect . However , it did have a howling subroutine library . Unlike the N64 ’s dearth of games , the GameCube is packed with titles , and almost all of them are worth playing . Many classical games from this era are still called back to and even remastered orremade . Despite such a stiff first - party batting order , the console itself did n’t catch on like most Nintendo hardware but has earn itself a cult position .
7. Game Boy Advance
TheGame Boy Advanceis to the Game Boy as the GameCube is to the N64 . By that , we stand for it is everything its herald was , only upgrade . Still , this was such a postulate advance over the original Game Boy ’s technology that it feel like a full generational leap . Where the archetype was doing its full to be a portable NES , the GBA crushes it as a portable SNES . Games looked stunning on the young hardware , and plenty of new enfranchisement flourished on the handheld that would go on to become blockbuster series . It also built upon the Game Boy ’s linking system to flat connect with the Game Cube as an early example of Nintendo experimenting with treble CRT screen child’s play .
6. NES
As of import to television game history as the NES is , we also have to accept the fact that it was during an era where games were still going through a lot of develop pains . Even some of Nintendo ’s own games feel a flake too clunky and primitive to fully delight today , despite how radical they were at the fourth dimension . On the other hand , we have the NES to thank for the birth of so many of the expectant franchises we still enjoy today , fromSuper Mario Bros.toThe Legend of Zelda . It also had perhaps the greatest ethnical impingement of any console . This once unheard of Nipponese company became a household name in the West and is still often used interchangeably with video biz .
5. Nintendo 3DS
After the unmitigated success of the DS , Nintendo could have simply iterate once more with a more powerful version of the threefold cover system . However , it was n’t contented with that this clip around and wanted to keep push the limit of gameplay . The shabu - free three-D effect seemed like an impossible claim , and yet Nintendo managed to take out it off . The 3D essence was n’t a thoroughgoing plot changer , but it did n’t need to be . It was a gracious proportion of something devs had the alternative to take advatage of , but would n’t be crippled by it if they want to make a more traditional secret plan . With the entire DS and GBA library backing it up on top of the fantastic3DS plot , it ’s no curiosity this system of rules basically wiped out all other handheld competition .
4. Wii
The only system that held more mindshare than the original NES was theWii . Nintendo needed to find its footing again after both the N64 and GameCube regard sales dropping , and boy did it ever . The Wii see the company fully vacate the race for good graphic and ironware and go back to what was most important — fun . Motion controls opened the room access to every demographic and age radical thanks to its intuitive organization . If you want to swing a squash racket , swing . Want to wrap a bowling glob ? You already know what to do . Wii Sportsalone was enough to make this system almost impossible to get for months after release . Sadly , this system was overburdened with shovelware look to capitalise on its massive audience , but if you baffle to the games made by Nintendo and other reputable team , the Wii is still the perfect organization for all players .
3. Game Boy
Taking your game on the go was every kid ’s dream , but the best we had were tacky single - biz toy to fill that gap . Until theGame Boyappeared , that is . For the first time ever , cabinet - grade games were uncommitted at our fingertips no matter where we went . Even after other handhelds come onto the scene , only the Game Boy had game that were just as good as what we were play on the NES . This is whereTetrisfirst seem , and later on its own set of Mario game and the parentage ofPokemon . Nintendo stomach this system for over a decade with various revise and minor improvements . Any kid who owned one is certain to have care for memories of trying to play in the back seat of a car , but only able to see when passing under a streetlight , or abstract it into school to play under their desk .
2. SNES
Unlike the NES that precede it or the N64 that follow , the SNES exist in that sorcerous blank space where it still looks and plays amazing . Nintendo was in its blossom with game growth , creativity , and find , and the 16 - bit graphics have n’t aged a day . It is a organization that feels like every mo of succus was used with nothing squander . With no doohickey and a great but introductory restrainer , the SNES earns its fabled condition on the back of its games . This one console is home to some of the best launching in major franchises , such as Mario , Zelda , Final Fantasy , Donkey Kong , and more . But unlike some NES classic , nearly every single one can be enjoy today without strapping on any nostalgia goggles .
1. Nintendo Switch
Now that we ’re at the end of its spirit , it is hard to argue againstthe Switchbeing the greatest console Nintendo has ever built . This was n’t a fluke , but the apogee of many constituent . After the Wii U had flop , Nintendo was capable to make a flying pivot and take its innovations in a raw direction with a hybrid system . This allowed it to consolidate all its evolution effort onto one system rather than two , as well as reintroduce all the amazing Wii U games everyone had missed to fulfill in the gap . It is almost a fact that the Switch has the best library of biz when appear at its exclusive , indie , ports , and grow program library of classic on Nintendo Switch Online . Yes , it has some power conflict that put a damper on some games we like were n’t there , but the games tend to be so good and musical genre define that most of us are willing to overlook a few technical warble .
