Out of the three big console manufacturers,Nintendo’sbeen around the longest, not only in regards to consoles but in a literal sense, as well. The company’s been active since the 1800s, practically ancient history from where we are right now.
Starting with the Famicom/NES, the company rebirthed the video game business in North America and continues to release stellar consoles to this day. What’s interesting is that few of Nintendo’s consoles could be considered ten out of ten masterpieces, as while nearly all of them are good, they all have flaws. This makes pitting them against each other even more difficult.
Console variants will not be counted here as a separate entry.
7Wii U
The Nintendo Wii SAD
It should come as no surprise the poor Wii U comes in dead last. This system just had nothing going for it, especially in today’s age. Sure, ithad plenty of great titles, but nearly all of them were ported to Switch, making owning one sort of pointless. At least the GameCube still has many exclusives that require the console or an original Wii to play.
The Wii U had no system seller to speak of, with no new 3DZeldauntil the Switch was released, and lacking a real successor toSuper Mario Galaxy 2. The tablet controller was a neat idea, but unlike the Wii Remote, most developers didn’t have a clue how to effectively use it. Along with third-party support worse than the original Wii, the Wii U is a failure all around.
6Wii
A Revolution, Indeed
Motion controls were the hottest thing in gaming for a while, and it was all thanks to the Wii. A solid system, theWii had a great libraryfor its first couple of years. First-party games included Mario Galaxy 1 and 2,Metroid Prime 3, Twilight Princess,Punch-Out!!,Donkey Kong Country Returnsand third-party games were excellent as well, withNo More Heroes, MadWorld, Red Steel 2, Zack & Wiki, andHouse of the Dead: Overkill.
However, the latter half of the Wii’s life was pretty barren. After 2010, it became clear that third-party Wii exclusives, especially mature ones, were just not selling, and even first-party titles weren’t as good as before. The sheer amount of shovelware also brings the Wii down a peg, but it’s still a very good system.
5NES
An Old Favorite
In North America, the NES is what brought video games back from the dead, and one look at its library should explain why. The NES’s library remains one of the best of any Nintendo system, with so many classics. It also helps that virtually every third-party company supported the NES, so much so that it made the Sega Master System look like small fry.
The reason the system’s rather low is because it lacks the wow factor and innovation present in nearly every other Nintendo console. In reality, the jump from the previous generation to this one wasn’t that big, and while the games were better, that missing jump doesn’t look good compared to the rest of Nintendo’s consoles.
4Nintendo Switch
The Portable Game-Changer
One of the most influential Nintendo consoles has to be the Switch. Initially pitched as a portable and home console in one, it actually later defined the whole field of portable gaming devices. There would be no Steam Deck, ROG Ally, or similar devices without the Switch. However, that’s part of the problem.
The Nintendo Switch lasted way longer than it should have been, with no Pro variant releasing (at least until March 2024). At this point, your phone is likely more powerful than the Switch. Theexclusive games for it are still phenomenal, and the innovation factor bumps this system up even though there are far better options now for your portable gaming needs.
3Nintendo 64
A Killer Library That Makes You Forget The Hardware Setbacks
Some of the most acclaimed and influential games of all time were launched on the Nintendo 64.Ocarina of TimeandSuper Mario 64changed gaming forever, and the rest of the library is similar in quality.Mario Party, Majora’s Mask, andStar Fox 64were all great, but the best developer on the system outdoing Nintendo was Rare.
The company’s work here is legendary withGoldenEye 007,Perfect Dark,Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, DK64, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and many others. This battalion of great games does enough to overshadow the system’s flaws, like the use of cartridges and the dreadful controller. Fighting games were not ideal on the system.
2SNES
A Flawless System
The two best Nintendo consoles are extremely close in quality, but the silver medal goes to the SNES. It’s about as perfect of a successor to the NES as you could ask for, with the games getting bigger and better. Both first and third-party games here were debatably the best of any Nintendo console, with way too many titles to count. Two genres especially flourished on this system: fighting games and RPGs.
Fighters usually played far superior on the SNES with its all-time great controller andsome of the greatest RPGs ever madewere launched on the system.Final Fantasy 6,Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and, of course, the one game Nintendo of America loves so much and always listens to the community onEarthBound. It really is a perfect system, but another just takes a slight edge.
1Nintendo GameCube
The Best Overall
Like many music artists or authors, the GameCube only received its notion as one of the greatest Nintendo consoles after it died. This is unfortunate, as there’s a plethora offantastic first and third-party games. What’s impressive about the GameCube is its sheer diversity, with virtually every Nintendo franchise having a title released on it.
Third-party support was surprisingly good, with exclusive titles from Capcom, Silicon Knights, and Factor 5, plus the controller’s one of the greatest ever crafted with the most precise analog stick in gaming. What puts the GameCube at the top spot are the accessories because they were a blast. Whether it was the GBA connectivity, the e-Reader, the stellar Game Boy Player, or the DK Bongos, this system had more experimental and effective accessories than the SNES.
