What Is the Most Under-Rated Console?

[Bill Loguidice]

And if I add the Euro machines, then the CPC is probably a perfect definition of underrated, as it received a huge load of games, tho most people back then considered the CPC as a fancy and beefied up ZX Spectrum, and suffered from poorly optimized games and Spectrum awful ports. Only recently (around 2010 no less) programmers really started to utilize the CPC's hardware thoroughly and stopped the standard practice of coding generic Z80 game engine code (for porting on the ZX Spectrum and MSX) and adding the CPC color support and sound support, to make games that really stick more to the CPC's specs.

That's one definition of underrated.

 

As an American who has a really good CPC collection and obviously only knows about it from modern day collecting (since it was never released here), I'll agree it was a really nice hardware series, but I'll also agree that the audio-visuals in its software are generally pretty dreadful. I'm not sure that makes something underrated, though, rather than underutilized. After all, then or now, we can only rate something on what it actually produces consistently rather than its ultimate potential (which has been the key point about the healthy Jaguar discussions around these parts).

[carlsson]

Let's agree that we all disagree.

 

When it comes to systems with a wider library than you might think, and thus may be underrated on that merit, I must say that both the Oric and the Acorn Electron surprise me with relatively large libraries for having so small market shares. Even a fair share of 3rd party support. I've understood that the French Thomson series also have more titles than one first would think, but I don't know how closely it translates to the CoCo and Dragon 32 ranges so software might've been adopted from those.

[godslabrat]

I will also say that, while I do enjoy the Dreamcast, I do NOT think it's underrated. Dreamcast is romanticized to the point where people still have hallucinations that the world will realize its error and bring it back. And while it is good, it's fanbase thinks it walks on water.

 

It's the Firefly of consoles.

[mbd30]

I will also say that, while I do enjoy the Dreamcast, I do NOT think it's underrated. Dreamcast is romanticized to the point where people still have hallucinations that the world will realize its error and bring it back. And while it is good, it's fanbase thinks it walks on water.

 

It's the Firefly of consoles.

Or the Freaks and Geeks of consoles.

[+wongojack]

Let's agree that we all disagree.

I disagree!

[78001987]

Underrated is about opinion, not sales. The power glove made 86 million dollars. No one likes the powerglove. Many people believe that the Wii is a kiddie console that sold a motion control gimmick to kids and their grandparents.

 

I guess the Wii fits in with the "importance" part of the definition instead of money value.

No console that was released with Standard Definition video output only in 2006 is "underrated".

Edited May 12, 2016 by 78001987

[78001987]

In this hobby, it seems there are many of us who become intrigued by the sepia-tinged paradigm of obscure and long-forgotten “gaming stuff.” Much like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends arriving at the Land of Misfit Toys, they see “something” in that old abandoned junk and donate their love to it, so that it may rise from the dead and have its day in the sun.

 

Then a thread like this comes up, and those relic hunters – in a grand display of nerdy egalitarianism – rush to cite their pet treasure as an example of something that is “underrated.”

 

But is it, really? Or is there perhaps a clear causal link between the conspicuous absence of historical accolades for the system, and a relative worth that is arguably low?

 

When I think “underrated” game systems I think of ones that have more than just 4-5 memorable games that are “kind of cool, based on what they had to work with at the time.” I think of systems that have been relegated to the dustbin of obscurity despite having *lots* of good software that is on par with – or better than – the dominant and still-lauded systems of the same era.

 

Sega Master System and TG16 come to mind immediately, whereas Atari 7800 and Atari Lynx do not.

 

EDIT: before the bitch forks come out, I had the 7800, NES, Game Boy, and Lynx when they were current. The 7800 and Lynx just didn't have the games of their competitors, and, IMO, are "rated" right where they should be.

This is most likely what you could consider a "bitch fork" (I like that, gonna steal it) - but the 7800's lack of games had less to do with the system's ability, than it did with Atari's mismanagement, and moreso to Nintendo locking out both Atari and Sega from a significant portion of the 3rd party development market.

 

So I would say taht in 1988, the 7800 was underutilized and underperformed. But in hindsight, seeing what has been done in homebrew, it was underrated.

[KreatorKat]

No console that was released with Standard Definition video output only in 2006 is "underrated".

I don't really understand what you mean. Is this a knock against the Wii or my post? Either way, please refer to my last post. Opinions differ and that is not a reason to argue. I stand by my opinion and have no intent to argue with anyone else; all ideas posted in this thread are compleatly valid and insightful.

[CatPix]

Plus unless I'm wrong, the Wii can output 480p video, which is NOT Standard Definition, but Enhanced Definition.

[KreatorKat]

Plus unless I'm wrong, the Wii can output 480p video, which is NOT Standard Definition, but Enhanced Definition.

Yup, Wii with component cables can do 480p for Wii and GameCube games, as stated in my original post.

 

Fun fact is that the Wii can output an authentic 240p signal for virtual console games prior to the GameCube if set to 480i. Makes it a superior option than the Wii U for certain games, like NES VC games.

[Andromeda Stardust]

How about the Sega Game Gear? I think it might fall along with the Lynx for being ahead of its time but really not something mass seen as much as the Gameboy's walking about. It had a decent library and then utilized itself to also play master system games and you could watch TV. Maybe that falls also with the Turbo Express as well though.

So how about a short list.

 

Game Gear

Turbo Express

Commodore 64

 

I would personally count the Wii as an under appreciated console not so much underrated. When people were pre ordering and had to wait to get their first one that to me does not scream its ratings suck. There was plenty of hype around it it advertised well and sold everywhere pretty much.

From my experience growing up, the Game Gear had a lot more popularity than the Lynx. I knew tons of kids who owned a Game Gear and there were plenty of Sega/Nintendo fanboy wars in the playgrounds. I was the only kid I ever knew who owned a Lynx. The day that Toys-R-Us stopped carrying Lynx games made me a sad panda.

[78001987]

I don't really understand what you mean. Is this a knock against the Wii or my post? Either way, please refer to my last post. Opinions differ and that is not a reason to argue. I stand by my opinion and have no intent to argue with anyone else; all ideas posted in this thread are compleatly valid and insightful.

It's knock against the Wii, because all of it's console market competition were Full HD resolution. It was a poor choice on Nintendo's part. In my opinion, a system can't really be overrated if it sold 100 million units, while also being the least technically capable, when compared to it's contemporaries.

 

I'm not arguing with you. Simply stating my a reason why I formed my opinion. That's how these discussion forums work.

 

You can disagree with me.

[KreatorKat]

It's knock against the Wii, because all of it's console market competition were Full HD resolution. It was a poor choice on Nintendo's part. In my opinion, a system can't really be overrated if it sold 100 million units, while also being the least technically capable, when compared to it's contemporaries.

 

I'm not arguing with you. Simply stating my a reason why I formed my opinion. That's how these discussion forums work.

 

You can disagree with me.

 

Sorry if I seemed defensive, I completely agree that discussion is great and that disagreements are expected.

 

I personally think that while it stinks that the Wii isn't HD (now everyone wishes it was and there's the Wii U that does a good job of Wii games in HD), it was a good decision by Nintendo from a sales standpoint. Part of the reason the Wii hit 100 million units was that Nintendo kept the price down using severely underpowered hardware, which allowed for it to still have motion control integration and not be super expensive.

 

So yeah, the Wii would have been great in HD. But Nintendo's choice to make it a powered up Gamecube probably helped sales in the long run. Simply speculative here; maybe the Wii would have sold 200 million if it was HD.

 

I was calling the Wii "Underrated" due to people lumping it as a junk/kiddie console due to the motion control "gimmick" and less than stellar video output. I think the Wii is a top notch console despite its so-called flaws.

Edited May 13, 2016 by KreatorKat

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I was calling the Wii "Underrated" due to people lumping it as a junk/kiddie console due to the motion control "gimmick" and less than stellar video output. I think the Wii is a top notch console despite its so-called flaws.

 

I was just popping into this thread to mention the Wii, but I think you covered all the major talking points already. I actually think the composite video output is great, because I leave my Wii hooked up to a Sony Trinitron Pre-HD CRT TV and spend a lot of time using it to emulate 8 and 16-bit systems of all kinds. From Atari 2600 to Sega Genesis, they all look fantastic when played on the Wii with a CRT and there's no discernable difference between the video output from the Wii and the original consoles I use it to emulate when I compare the two side by side with an A/V switch box.

 

I also like the wide variety of control options for the Wii. The motion controlled games are really unique and generally work quite well, but there's also tons of light gun games to be played with gun grips like the Nyko Perfect Shot and Wii Zapper that you can slot the Wii remote and nunchuck into, as well as mountains of more traditionally controlled games that you can use the Wii Classic Controller or GameCube controller to play. And if you're into emulating Atari 2600, 7800, ColecoVision, or fighting games/shmups on any 8 or 16-bit system then Mad Catz Tatsunoko vs Capcom Wii Fight Stick is just about the best arcade stick control option you may ever find for these systems/games. After upgrading mine with real arcade parts customized to my liking (which is a simple drop in install for Sanwa and Seimitsu parts) I almost never bother playing the aforementioned games on the original systems anymore because the control options for the Wii are just so much better. There's just no comparison between playing with a real arcade stick controller and the Atari CX-40, Sega Genesis Arcade Power Stick, or NES Advantage. The TvC fight stick just blows all the original systems' joystick control offerings out of the water and makes me generally prefer to play classic 8 and 16-bit games on the Wii rather than on the original systems. But if you are a stickler for using original controllers then it's fairly easy to get adapter cables for the Wii's GameCube ports that will let you use original Atari, Sega, and Nintendo controllers with your emulated or Virtual Console games.

 

The Wii tends to get a bad rap as being a casual gamer's console with lots of gimmicky motion control games, but I think it's really the one of the best consoles ever made not only due to it's amazing emulation capabilities through the Homebrew Channel but also it's outstandingly diverse library of quality Wii and GameCube games. I honestly can't think of any other system that affords it's owner with a wider array of games to play and quality controller options to play them with than the Wii.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Jin

[Andromeda Stardust]

It's knock against the Wii, because all of it's console market competition were Full HD resolution. It was a poor choice on Nintendo's part. In my opinion, a system can't really be overrated if it sold 100 million units, while also being the least technically capable, when compared to it's contemporaries.

 

I'm not arguing with you. Simply stating my a reason why I formed my opinion. That's how these discussion forums work.

 

You can disagree with me.

Anything that sells 100 million copies is overrated. That said, there were some very good gems made for it, and a metric ton of shovelware.

 

Super Mario Galaxy I and II were among the best 3D Mario games ever made IMO, though M64 and Sunshine were equally good in their own right.

 

Also what Jin said regarding Virtual Console.

[Ska_music_fan83]

Just throwing my 2 cents out here and although it's been mentioned on another thread somewhere, the Nintendo Gamecube is totally underrated.

(On a side note, my 100th post. Woohoo!! *happy dance* )

[EdwardK]

Went to school with a guy who had a 3DO. Can't for the life of me remember what 2 games he had for it, and pretty sure he didn't get more. But I remember those games looking really good, and being fun. That was the only time I ever saw a 3DO. Still haven't seen another to this day outside of the occasional picture on the net. Maybe we were so impressed because we were young, but It looked a hell of a lot better than the SNES then just vanished from the scene. If my memories are accurate of how good it looked, I'd say that that system deserves the title of most under rated.

[empsolo]

This is most likely what you could consider a "bitch fork" (I like that, gonna steal it) - but the 7800's lack of games had less to do with the system's ability, than it did with Atari's mismanagement, and moreso to Nintendo locking out both Atari and Sega from a significant portion of the 3rd party development market.So I would say taht in 1988, the 7800 was underutilized and underperformed. But in hindsight, seeing what has been done in homebrew, it was underrated.

Atari didn't start releasing more modern games until 89-90. The fact they waited till the end of the cycle that generation to release a generic Mario clone or an RPG, or an action adventure game like Metroid or Zelda is baffling. The fact that Atari Corp under Tramiels felt that older arcade style games could still get it done in the late 80's is a pretty stark indictment of Atari's developmental process.

[Professor Gull]

I think this system is totally underrated.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I think this system is totally underrated.

Because I gotta ask, what's in the box to the right?

[Professor Gull]

Because I gotta ask, what's in the box to the right?

They were clear plastic display cases. not sure what they were for but they wanted $2 a piece for them.

[+wongojack]

Just throwing my 2 cents out here and although it's been mentioned on another thread somewhere, the Nintendo Gamecube is totally underrated.

 

(On a side note, my 100th post. Woohoo!! *happy dance* )

Congrats on 100!

 

I like the cube but it was a third place console. Everyone knew it then and they know it now. It really doesn't help that two of its best, RE4 and Twilight princess (according to some) were quickly available elsewhere. Metroid Primes have since followed. Unless you are a fan of plastic instruments, it's just a Viewtiful Sunshine machine with a weird controller.

 

Edit: Playing gameboy games might be it's best lasting feature.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Congrats on 100!

 

I like the cube but it was a third place console. Everyone knew it then and they know it now. It really doesn't help that two of its best, RE4 and Twilight princess (according to some) were quickly available elsewhere. Metroid Primes have since followed. Unless you are a fan of plastic instruments, it's just a Viewtiful Sunshine machine with a weird controller.

 

Edit: Playing gameboy games might be it's best lasting feature.

Bah, humbug!

 

There are plenty of great games worth playing on the Cube besides Sunshine.

 

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is perhaps the greatest RPG Mario adventure ever, with Paper Mario 64 and Super Mario RPG runners up.

 

Arguably the best Smash Bros.

 

Double Dash had the best battle mode of any Mario Kart with bomb blast, hands down.

 

Luigi's Mansion.

 

Wario's World, the first and only 3D Wario adventure.

 

Kirby Air Ride.

 

DK Jungle Beat.

 

Two Zeldas, albeit both are now available on Wii-U.

 

Ditto for Pikmin 1 & 2 and Metroid Prime 1 & 2, which got reissued on Wii.

 

A bit of an oddball, but true asymmetric gameplay with Pacman Vs. Why Nintendo did not reissue this game on the Wii-U Gamepad, I have no idea.

 

Before Virtual Console ever existed, you could play NES games in Animal Crossing.

 

An awesome futeball soccer game, Super Strikers...

 

Mario DDR.

 

Not under-powered, and actually semi-decent 3rd party support compared to N64, Wii, Wii-U, when you exclude FPS or RPG titles.

 

Although cute as they are, the mini discs did hurt Nintendo somewhat, much like the N64 carts...

[Flojomojo]

In this hobby, it seems there are many of us who become intrigued by the sepia-tinged paradigm of obscure and long-forgotten “gaming stuff.” Much like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends arriving at the Land of Misfit Toys, they see “something” in that old abandoned junk and donate their love to it, so that it may rise from the dead and have its day in the sun.

 

Then a thread like this comes up, and those relic hunters – in a grand display of nerdy egalitarianism – rush to cite their pet treasure as an example of something that is “underrated.”

 

But is it, really? Or is there perhaps a clear causal link between the conspicuous absence of historical accolades for the system, and a relative worth that is arguably low?

 

When I think “underrated” game systems I think of ones that have more than just 4-5 memorable games that are “kind of cool, based on what they had to work with at the time.” I think of systems that have been relegated to the dustbin of obscurity despite having *lots* of good software that is on par with – or better than – the dominant and still-lauded systems of the same era.

 

Sega Master System and TG16 come to mind immediately, whereas Atari 7800 and Atari Lynx do not.

 

EDIT: before the bitch forks come out, I had the 7800, NES, Game Boy, and Lynx when they were current. The 7800 and Lynx just didn't have the games of their competitors, and, IMO, are "rated" right where they should be.

 

 

I think this is the best answer yet. The question is full of assumptions and seems to come from the perspective of someone looking to discover something he or she has missed. I totally understand -- one of my favorite features of retro gaming is Racketboy's "Hidden Gems" section. You could even say it's a hidden gem itself.

 

It's all very subjective -- where you live(d), how old and how much money you had when system x came out, how many pieces of software came out for that machine, and how much time has passed. Early 8-bit machines with <100 releases are very different from something like the Wii, which had well over a thousand. Systems that were expensive when they launched, like the Turbo Express, 3DO, Neo Geo, and others, have cachet while mainstream things like GameBoy and NES do not.

 

I think the Wii is underrated as a Nintendo system -- playing New Super Mario Bros with my kid showed me exactly how it's a descendant from the Super Nintendo -- but overrated in other ways, mostly because of its ubiquity and tons of third party shovelware, way worse than the Atari VCS ever was, even while it temporarily crashed the game market.

 

I only recently discovered how fun the Amiga could be -- absolute crap-tons of software, much of it amazing for the time, some of it still lots of fun -- but to say it's "underrated" by anyone but me ignores all the European fans who were in the room where it happened. Same thing for ZX Spectrum.

 

I agree that Atari 7800 and Atari Lynx are right where they belong. I love them for their arcade ports and underdog status, and like you, owned them when they were current. 7800 was late and under supported, Lynx was relatively expensive and while powerful, also had a small library in addition to battery limitations. Neither system is underrated, but many of their games got the attention they deserved. As much as I liked arcade ports in the 80s and 90s, MAME has rendered them mostly irrelevant nowadays.

 

I like it when the platform is big enough that it doesn't make sense to generalize about it. No one ever said that Xbox 360 doesn't have enough games, and only those unwilling to scratch the top 10 list would complain there's nothing there for them -- it has more classic arcade ports than the Atari 7800 and Lynx combined!

[Flojomojo]

Congrats on 100!

 

I like the cube but it was a third place console. Everyone knew it then and they know it now. It really doesn't help that two of its best, RE4 and Twilight princess (according to some) were quickly available elsewhere. Metroid Primes have since followed. Unless you are a fan of plastic instruments, it's just a Viewtiful Sunshine machine with a weird controller.

 

Edit: Playing gameboy games might be it's best lasting feature.

 

 

I also keep mine around for the 2 Star Wars Rogue Squadron games on it. Not that I actually play it, but I do keep it around.