Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

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Paul Campbell
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Joined: August 12th, 2015, 10:52 pm

Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby Paul Campbell » January 31st, 2017, 10:13 am

I was thinking about whether or not I was going to get a Nintendo Switch, and I started to think about whether or not I would be truly excited when I got it home and I unboxed it, because I would almost exclusively be using it as a regular home console, and not a portable, removing much of makes it unique. This got me thinking about which consoles actually gave me that childhood "Christmas morning" feeling of excitement and wonder that can accompany a new console. The last time I had this was with the Wii. The Wii offered something new and exciting that got me feeling especially excited about the new possibilities of gameplay. When I had a new console as a kid I would get out if bed in the morning before anyone else just to squeeze a bit of play time in before I started my day. I did that with the Wii as an adult. I have NOT done that with the PS3, Xbox 360, or PS4. Sure there was some excitement, but nothing like the Wii or the consoles I got as a kid. Back then a new console brought new possibilities with big increases in graphics and sound, or new games that weren't previously available (like when I got a Genesis to go with my SNES, which finally allowed me to play Sonic). I was big into arcades as a kid, and all I wanted was that arcade feeling at home. Now, a new console brings a relatively small amount of performance improvements, but gameplay is generally the same, and most games are on all consoles. At this point I cant think of what else a new console might bring that could provide this level of excitement. I thought maybe the Playstation VR could bring a bit of this, but messing with some VR with my Android phone has made me doubtful. And after writing this I think I have my answer. Unless and until the Switch provides me with something fresh to really get excited about, I doubt I will be buying one for a while...

ESauce
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Joined: April 8th, 2015, 12:20 pm

Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby ESauce » January 31st, 2017, 11:32 am

The Wii was probably he last one for me too. The 3DS, PS3 and Xbox One I was excited about when I got them, but the Wii was the last one where I really had that magical feeling when I opened it. I actually waited in line in the morning for the Wii and was the last person in line at Circuit City (remember Circuit City?) to get one. Some guy who was too late to get one was actually offering people $250 for their place in line and no one would give it up. If I had been standing in line for an Xbox One--I wasn't--I would have gladly given up my place for $250.

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LS650
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Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby LS650 » January 31st, 2017, 1:11 pm

The Dreamcast.

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velcrozombie
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Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby velcrozombie » February 1st, 2017, 1:19 am

I've never been as excited about a console as I was when I got my NES (my first console) for Christmas back in 1987, although the time my cousin left his Playstation (of which I had no prior awareness) at my house around Thanksgiving back in 1996 came pretty close. In the past ten years I've only had something close to "that feeling" twice: in October 2008, when I bought a Gamecube at Goodwill for $10 after barely touching a video game for the last 5 years; and in May 2010, when I bought a used Wii at a pawn shop and promptly softmodded it. The former was exciting because I bought the system on a whim and the hobby suddenly felt new again, the latter because I'd never dreamed that I'd be able to make a console do so much more than it was intended to do. I'm not exactly unhappy with the hobby now - I certainly have access to more than ever before, and the inexpensive and diverse nature of PC gaming means that I'll never run out of things to check out - but I do wonder what could possibly give me that same feeling again. VR is the only thing I can think of that would provide something truly distinct, and I'm still not sure if we're there yet.

Breaker
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Joined: May 13th, 2015, 7:40 pm

Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby Breaker » February 1st, 2017, 11:43 pm

Probably my N64 in August of 1998. The feeling of getting my Genesis in November of 1994 won't ever be topped since that was MY first new console. The hand-me-down 2600 from my cousins in about 1987 or 1988 was neat, but was clearly outdated already compared to friends' NES.

I bought a Wii new, and a PS4 new, and other than Beatles RockBand, neither have been played much. I've actually considered selling the PS4, but for some weird reason I haven't been able to convince myself to.

All my other systems have been bought used, and most well after they were established, and they didn't generate "that feeling".

Voor
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 8:08 pm

Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby Voor » February 2nd, 2017, 7:06 am

One cool thing back then was that because new console included a pack-in game, there was some unity among the gamers in that we ALL had Super Mario World, for example.

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Rookie1
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Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby Rookie1 » February 2nd, 2017, 12:42 pm

I was pretty excited when I got my PS3. I have a library of what I can only describe as amazing games, with some of my favorite games of all time. However, I would have to say it was probably my PS1 that gave me that feeling youre talking about, with the PS2 as honorable mention. I had received the N64 the previous Christmas, and was pretty disappointed with it over the year despite having Goldeneye and Zelda OOT. I just remember the N64 being considered a console for kids, where the PS1 was the cool edgy console for adults. Oooooo aduuuulllllltsssss. I was so excited when I got that thing Christmas morning that I hooked it up right away and didnt open anything else. I was the last of my friends to get it, and could finally talk to them about Metal Gear, Resident evil, Twisted Metal, etc. Those were some really good times.

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BlasteroidAli
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Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby BlasteroidAli » February 2nd, 2017, 5:25 pm

the bone...
wow... it was soooo awesome... not so much now...

matmico399
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Joined: November 25th, 2015, 6:11 pm

Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby matmico399 » February 2nd, 2017, 5:33 pm

For me without a doubt the PS2. I luved my Ps1 and gamed on it constantly. When the PS2 came out I was about ready to go through a divorce and couldn't afford it as a luxury. In 2002 or 2003 I finally got one. With the exception of maybe my 2600 as a kids, no console has ever received as much play time. The Genesis comes somewhat close. But the upgrade In Graphics and open worlds from the 1 to the 2 was amazing. I still consider the PS2 the greatest console of all time!

Alucard1191
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Joined: November 16th, 2016, 12:55 pm

Re: Last new console to give you "that feeling"...

Postby Alucard1191 » February 2nd, 2017, 8:35 pm

For me it was the N64 about... 6-7 years ago?

One of my longtime buddies had moved out to go to college in Chicago, (we're all from San Diego) and after his mom got tired of storing his stuff for several years she offered all his old game stuff to me. I got a Dreamcast and an N64 from them for free, with tons of games and many SNES classics, like Chrono Trigger. My friends all had the N64 when it was new but I didn't, so I missed out on the great single player titles like Mario 64 and Zelda Ocarina of Time. Getting to experience those, especially the fantastic game that is Mario 64, gave me that child-like wonder.

And I've said this before on these boards, but never really got into the dreamcast. Sure, it has great games and has gotten a lot of hours of play, (especially MvC2) but it never grabbed me like a lot of the systems around that time frame. I love my PS2, loved it then and love it now, and even though I was a big sega fan, (was one of the idiots that bought a Saturn new.) I just can't bring myself to like the Dreamcast as much as the other systems I have. It's probably my least played of all of them.

So yeah... tangent, but N64 is my final answer.


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