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N64 vs PS2, Which Was More Influential?

GamersBliss.com writes: "With the main hot topics in the gaming industry being the recently revealed Xbox One and the PlayStation 4; it would seem like a great time to look back at two consoles that helped pave the way to get us where we are today. Within the last 20 years, two consoles have help lead their companies to where they are today and without these two, they might not still be around in the modern gaming industry. These two influential consoles being Nintendo’s N64 console and Sony’s PlayStation 2 console. Each console although in a different generations helped us get the industry to where it is today by their own means. So which console was more influential?"

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gamersbliss.com
PopRocks3594734d ago (Edited 4734d ago )

As far as pulling in more gamers, PS2. As far as innovations I'll give it to 64 for the 4 player ports. Both consoles had great features and games that gave me good memories for different reasons.

EDIT: @yewles1

This wasn't even a reply. That console has two ports on it. And besides, while I'm sure there was a console out there that had a multitap before the 64's existence, it doesn't change the fact that the 64 really popularized 4 player gaming. Same with rumble. The Xbox had it, the PS2 had a multitap and all future major consoles have supported four controllers at launch.

yewles14734d ago

"As far as innovations I'll give it to 64 for the 4 player ports."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w...

yewles14734d ago

"That console has two ports on it."

Read it again, it was the first ever 4-port console with a truly analog joystick. It got a later revision, removing two ports.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Elwenil4733d ago

The NES also had 4 player support with the NES Satellite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

As far as I've seen 4 player games have never been especially popular in the grand scheme of things.

PopRocks3594733d ago

@Elwenil

Should I go and assume that Goldeneye 64 and Super Smash Bros. don't fall into as far as you've seen then?

FamilyGuy4733d ago

PS1 and PS2 had multi tap which allowed 8 plyer gaming on a single console. Only sports games supported it though.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4733d ago
SoapShoes4734d ago

I'd say the PS1 was more influential than either. The PS1 really pulled gaming out of the "kid" image it had before then.

HammadTheBeast4734d ago

Agreed, the RPG games on the PS1 were legendary.

Legend of Dragoon

FF 7-9

Chrono Trigger

Bimkoblerutso4734d ago (Edited 4734d ago )

^ Chrono Cross?

I agree, though. I would much sooner compare the N64 to the PS1 than the PS2.

dedicatedtogamers4734d ago (Edited 4734d ago )

I'd say N64. It put console shooters on the map. It put rumble on the map. It put analog sticks on the map. It pioneered the concept of a fully-realized 3d platformer. It paved the way for 3rd-person action games (Ocarina's Z-button lock-on is still used today in many games). It popularized the Kart racing genre (granted, Super Mario Kart was the first but MK64 popularized it).

The N64 also - finally - cut the apron strings of the arcade market. PS1 was full of arcade games (not necessarily a bad thing) but N64 really tried to make console games their own force instead of an extension of arcade games.

PS2 was incredibly influential, no doubt about it, but popularity does not mean influential.

@ InTheLab

Um, yeah, that's why I said "put analog sticks on the map" instead of "invented analog sticks" or something like that. Analog sticks had been abandoned in the console market for 10 straight years between the time of the '83 crash and the N64's launch.

InTheLab4734d ago

Disagree with analog sticks as they were used in consoles long before the N64 was a thing...

Google "Atari". Yeah...it's an analog stick.

SilentNegotiator4733d ago (Edited 4733d ago )

"It put analog sticks on the map"

You could have played Mario 64 with an 8-directional D-pad. A little less comfortably, but still.

HOWEVER, Ps1 gave us the dual analog stick design and that over-right revolutionized console game controls. Again, it could have been two D-pads, but the dual design is what was revolutionary.

SilentNegotiator4733d ago (Edited 4733d ago )

Now that I think about it, I *did* play SM64 with a D-pad when I got the DS version.

Picnic4733d ago

Nobody told Sega that the arcade market strings had been cut though. The Dreamcast has large amounts of them. Some of them are far too niche for widespread popularity but I think that it's nice that the arcade game has made a comeback on downloads this generation, with the likes of ports of Mad Dog McRee and Sega's House of The Dead.

quantae064733d ago (Edited 4733d ago )

Yeah, before N64 the only analog or digital sticks were joysticks. Sony took it another level and modernized it, but they didnt even release the PS1 with analog sticks. The first PS1 controllers had no control sticks at all, until after they saw the N64's controller.

SilentNegotiator4733d ago

@quantae06

Like I said, it wasn't the sticks themselves that revolutionized console controls. They just made it more comfortable (and theoretically more accurate, unless you design it with 8 directions in mind like N64 and Gamecube did with their design, in which the sticks were housed in an octagon).

It was the design itself. It was comfortable and one of the easiest methods to manipulate the character and camera at the same time.

THAT design lasted. Octagon-housed control sticks did not.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4733d ago
lizard812884733d ago

I would have to give it to the N64, due to the analog 4 player. It also had online gaming, but it didn't become popular back then as it is now, as for the PS2, you could play DVDs on it, IIRC movies and Music, was means it ventured into other forms of media, rather than gaming, which seem pretty standard these days. The PSX also popularized discs as well. Sure, there were discs back before the PSX, but the keyword is popularized.

Tito084733d ago

N64 didn't have online gaming, it was the Gamecube, but it was limited to 4 games, mostly the Phantasy Star Online games, but the title for coming with online gaming is given to Sega with the Dreamcast, & the Saturn prototype(Sega Pluto) had an online broadband, but they removed it for the final version.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4733d ago
imXify4734d ago

I would say PS2 because it had a waaaay bigger impact worldwide. I mean, no other console ever could past the billion of softwares sold.

Qrphe4734d ago

PS2 sold +150 million units while the N64 sold a bit over 30.

mamotte4733d ago

Wonder what people here would say if we were talking about the Wii sales... "sales aren't what matter" or seomthing like that.

gamerben4734d ago

N64 definitely. PS2 had DVDs but the N64 was really the first console to do 3D gaming right imo.

Qrphe4734d ago (Edited 4734d ago )

The 3DO, Saturn and PS1 released predate it.

gamerben4733d ago

I know, but that isn't quite what I mean by "3D". I guess Super Mario 64 was more influential then the console itself (though the console was influential in it's own way, don't get me wrong)

Super Mario 64 did things that no other 3D game before it did. Sure, they had racing games and first person shooters, but it was Mario 64 that truly showed the possibilities of 3D gaming.

KwietStorm_BLM4734d ago

First to do 3D gaming right? WHAT does that mean?

gamerben4733d ago

Many developers were hesitant to adapt to 3D before the release of the N64 and Mario 64. The majority of 3D games released before that time were FPS games, racers, and a few 3D fighters. Really, Mario 64 had more of an influence on gaming then the N64 itself. Nobody ever seen a game like it before, it proved the possibilities of 3D gaming.

TheDivine4733d ago

Yea I agree with gamerben. Do you remember when the n64 came out? I do. I started on a NES and from that to a SNES, Genesis, Gameboy, Gamegear exc. but when Mario 64 released it was revolutionary. I had seen 3d games before but I had never seen it like that. Running through the field jumping everywhere with the analog stick was exhilarating. It was totally unheard of for me to really be in a full massive 3d world. It was one of the most pivotal moments in my gaming life along with Mario Bros, Super Mario World, and GTA3 which did the same thing for open wold that M64 did for 3d gaming.

The N64 wins just because it was earlier and created new genres. Before the n64 and after is like two different worlds. 2d with sprites and 3d with polygons. Prob have all my best memories with the n64. 4 player Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Star Fox, SSB, Zelda OOT, and so many more. Ps2 sold more and had more titles but it wasn't as groundbreaking.

Tito084733d ago (Edited 4733d ago )

The one thing going on with the N64 was the analog stick, but the PS1 was centered around 3D gaming way before N64, look at Tomb Raider.. Once Sony released the DualShock, that's where there were games that could move around, left analog for movement, right analog for camera view, can't beat that. Sorry but that 3D in Mario wasn't any different from the majority of PS1 games, of course it was a bigger game, more scaled, but that didn't interfere with the likes of MGS, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo, Spyro. Plus PS1 could do CG graphics, something which benefited JRPGs greatly for story telling, something the N64 didn't, & the limited texture cache.

I mean, N64 was the more powerful console, but it wasn't overall better, PS1, while weaker, but for a weaker console, PS1 proved to be better at things the N64 didn't simply do.

chente00254733d ago

you mean like the wii u? not the most powerful but the best overall. ;)

Tito084730d ago (Edited 4730d ago )

@ Chente0025-Can't say Wii U is the best when PS4 & Xbox One aren't even out yet, so it's best to wait before coming with conclusions.

@ SIANSLOW- Linearity has clearly nothing to do with graphics, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night & past 2D Zelda games weren't linear at all, nice attempt, try harder next time fanboy.

level 3604734d ago

PS2. No doubt about it.

Sold my N64 simply because the games were mostly the same.

Software_Lover4734d ago

They were 2 generations apart.

sealava4734d ago (Edited 4734d ago )

PS2 vs N64 ..
really .. again !?
how about Sega vs Snes .
why must it always be vs ?
everyone helped in their time.

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80°

(For Southeast Asia) New Price Changes for PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player

For Southeast Asia, new price changes.

Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.

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blog.playstation.com
18d ago Replies(1)
BeHunted18d ago

Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses

andy8517d ago

Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price

Pergele17d ago

Whatever you say buddy, let's all wear the tinfoil hats.

IceKoldKilla17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

LMFAO Your comment alone says a lot more about you than anything else. When has one game not selling 10 million copies made a company raise the prices of their console? Then Xbox would be costing $5000 by now lol. You remind of the crazy drug addicts on the street rambling on about conspiracies. xD You sure you don't need a hug, buddy?

ChunkyMonk17d ago

One game that Sony payed $200 million for. lol
Also, you sure were quick to get triggered. Maybe your the one who needs a hug?

Eonjay17d ago

If nothing else, we should be united against the real issue here. AI and unnecessary tariffs that are effecting all gamers.

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Athlon10118d ago (Edited 18d ago )

The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.

S2Killinit17d ago

Its not the war. Its the RAM issue.

jznrpg17d ago

War is causing gas prices to rise. Transport of everything requires gas so the prices of those items go up as well. So it does have an impact

Athlon10117d ago (Edited 17d ago )

The blockage of the Straight of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war has affected raw components used in semi-conductor manufacturing such as bromine, aluminum, and helium. Iran had attacked the liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Qatar which is a large producer (1/3 globally) of helium which is used in semiconductor etching. So it's the both the war and the RAM crises.

badz14917d ago

Oh no...should I get the Pro now before the price increase?

80°

Former Xbox Exec Says Developers Didn't Want a Sony Monopoly

Former Xbox executive Ed Fries comments on the early days of Xbox, the opinion of Japanese game companies, and more.

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insider-gaming.com
31d ago Replies(2)
Reaper22_31d ago

I dont think that'll ever happen. But i must say back in the day, they were definitely trying because they were more cash rich than their competitors.

CosmicTurtle30d ago

I think MS were and still are the richer company. They tried to acquire Sega back in the day (and considered doing so again more recently), they obviously bought exclusivity to Halo which was originally shown as a Mac title. I don’t think as a company MS can claim the moral high ground here. It’s a wilful lack of self awareness.

Of course Sony would try exactly the same if they had the resources, but when the PS2 dominated the industry was in a much healthier place with an abundance of great third parties.

This has been a depressing generation as far as first party decisions are concerned. The fact we are debating business plans rather than which game is better is a sad reflection of the state of things.

Darkseeker31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

There was Nintendo as well, Sony wouldn't have had a monopoly. In fact, the world would be better today if Xbox never existed in the first place. They pretty much brought all bad practices we have today. We might have gotten all of it either way, but not this early. In term of franchises, I don't think there is anything Microsoft released that would actually be missed if it didn't exist. Even Halo the world wouldn't notice if Halo didn't exist.

S2Killinit30d ago

MS was definitely a bad influence on gaming.

raWfodog31d ago

I think almost everyone will agree that a monopoly is not good for the industry. But that being said, the competition needs to be smart and strategic with their business. Simply buying up publishers and traditional third-party studios just to keep them out of the other companies reach is not a sustainable practice. That goes for all parties so don't think I'm just referring to Xbox.

I'm no business guru by any stretch of the imagination but I firmly believe that the best way to drive consumers to your software and hardware is to invest smart in your first-party studios. Give them full support and guidance in making unique, fun games that are only available to play in your ecosystem and the gamers will come.

Reaper22_31d ago (Edited 31d ago )

But first party studios aren't enough. They only make up a small portion of the industry. Without 3rd party there would be no industry for Microsoft or sony.Developing games take time and money and sometimes you gotta make moves to stay competitive.

raWfodog30d ago

Nah, I never said first-party was enough. I said it’s the ‘best way’ to drive gamers to your platform. 3rd-party is a free-for-all and there’s no guarantee that gamers will use your hardware to play the game. If you want to push your own software and/or hardware you need first-party, or at least exclusive deals with third-party studios.

SimpleDad31d ago

They Shure did a great job... 25 years later Xbox is dead.

Reaper22_31d ago

Then why be so emotional and continue to talk about it. Xbox will never die be ause it stays in so many people's head.

lodossrage31d ago

How can you even see him being "emotional" in that comment?

If anything, you're the emotional one, constantly trying to go at anyone that says anything against Microsoft. So when you call him emotional, it comes off as deflection

Elda30d ago

I own an XBSX & I can say it's becoming irrelevant out of the 3 current consoles.

30d ago Replies(2)
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50°

U.S. patent examiner rejects Nintendo’s summoning characters patent as obvious: non-final ruling

The rejection is non-final (and even when such rejections are labeled as “final”, the process is far from over, given that there can be, at minimum, an appeal to the Federal Circuit).

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gamesfray.com
Relientk7744d ago (Edited 44d ago )

Good, as they should! A game mechanic like that shouldn't be locked behind a patent, and Nintendo didn't invent it either.

PRIMORDUS42d ago (Edited 42d ago )

Nintendo wants to keep wasting money on bullshit lawsuits, real smart in this economy. They should put that money aside for other game projects. On the other hand, I don't care if they waste it all either, and they are screwed in the future maybe that will teach them a lesson.