BlaZer91's Top 10 Countdown

The Top 10 Worst Video game consoles.

Unless you or your family relatives never knew what a game console design was then you'll remember the horrible memories of the following consoles. This list contains some of the horrible list of machines that has taken your hard earned wallets and blended the gaming industry. This nightmare comes from bad design, bad games and bad business from the consoles standpoint. You may never see a countdown like this on my Gamespot account as this is my list of the worst and most offensive gaming machines in all of gaming.

10. Atari Lynx (1989 Atari)

Atari's handheld console that tried to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy system but also it's named after a cat instead. It maybe the first handheld to use colour but the system drains a lot of batteries faster then the Gameboy. The consoles is harder to see from most angles so you'd have to tilt it to get a better view. The system is also incredibly bulky which makes it hard to hold even with the new design model. The console failed to sell well in comparison and there was no third party support and the console was eventually abandoned making this Atari's little handheld a failed competitor to the Gameboy.

9. Virtual Boy (JP July 21st 1995, NA August 14th 1995 Nintendo) (Never released in Europe)

Continuing the success of the Gameboy, the creator Gunpei Yokoi made the system that would give gamers a virtual reality feel, but however the consoles deign had a really awkward stand which makes it difficult to play it in a position, the consoles technology limited the colours to red and black and even worse that there's warnings that it can cause stiff necks, headaches and eyestrain, this simply makes the console unhealthy to play on. There were only 14 games known to be released in the US with most are simply Gameboy games with gimmicky 3d effects. Although Warioland was okay but those games you might as well be better be playing on Gameboy instead. Thus the console was dropped several months following and thus the reason why this console was never released in Europe before.

8. N-Gage (October 7 2003 Nokia)

A handheld console designed by Nokia that would be used as both a phone and as a game system. But however the system bumped down with numerous issues. The screen was to tall then it was wide, many of the games are poorly botched ports of great games other then Pocket Kingdom and Pathway to Glory. If you needed to change a game you'd need to switch out the battery as the game slot was next the battery cover which is annpying. Also holding the console and speaking to it simply makes it into a Taco-phone. The newer designed model resolved most of the consoles issues but however the N-Gage service was limited and as of 2010 the service have been shut down for good.

7. 3DO (October 4th 1993 Parasonic)

An expensive console sold at a price tag of $699.95 in the US that the PlayStation 3's first launch could compare with. The console only had one controller port so if you want to play with a friend you'd have to plug the other controller into the first to just chain them together. Games came in Jewel cases but they were placed in unnecessary boxes which makes it harder to place on your shelf. The console had it's library of a few good ports of arcade games and a set mediocre titles with poor FMV quality. The console lacked any copy protection and region coding, but the games worth stealing where already available on other systems. The 3DO was eventually outmatched by the superior PlayStation system and the infamous title Plumbers don't wear Ties shall continue to spoof the Internet of it's awful quality.

6. Atari Jaguar (November 18 1993)

Numbers could compare with other systems on the market while other consumers would rant on about their bits on their hardware, Atari's Jaguar Console in 1993 was prompted as the first 64-Bit console which was 4x the bits more than the Mega Drive and Super Nintendo. Old advertisements told gamers to do the math and see how the 64-Bit capabilities would outmatch it's other competitors. However the console failed due to it's numerous issues such as faulty processors, short third party support and a ridiculous controller with with a keypad. The system had some of the worst exclusives of all time like "White Men can't Jump", but the only worthwhile games Alien vs Predator and Tempest 2000. How else could a system like this spawn a CD addon which wouldn't work at all causing the the infamous Red Screen of Death. Thus the system suffered with bad sales of the market which got Atari off the console race.

5. Philips CD-I (December 3rd 1991)

A console which spent a lot of time in development, Phillips created it's own console which would have brought new meaning to the media. The CD-I had share of many educational games as well as many FMV quality games like Dragon's Lair and Mad Dog Mccree. The controllers were awkward to handle including the wireless remote which has buttons clustered all over the joystick and your fingers can keep slipping off. The main controller port is located at the back of the console which is unbelievable and it's a pain to have to switch controllers when you need to pull out the console. The biggest mistake that could ever happen is when there was a deal between Nintendo and Philips to create a CD based add-on for the Super Nintendo which never came through but Philips had permission from Nintendo to use some of the Nintendo Franchises. This resulted in an awful Mario game and 3 awful Zelda games which spawned infamous tragedies and Youtube poops which will forever haunt the Internet.

4. Sega Mega-Drive add-ons (Mega-CD, Sega Multi-Mega, Mega 32X)

Sega is sure technical with their addons for the Mega drive, including one which allows you to play Master System games on it and a Sonic and Knuckles lock on cartridge which gives Sonic games additional features. However with the Mega Drive aging Sega decided to increase the life span of the Mega-Drive by making the Mega CD addon. Dispute celebrity Dana Plato's appearance in the awful Night Trap it's interactive entry failed with bad FMV quality games and many where just unplayable. When the console began to fall on it's face dispute the amazing Sonic CD Sega released the Multi-Mega, the machine included all the funcionallity of the Mega Drive and the Mega CD into one unit. The ultimate mistake was selling it for £350, that's £50 more then having to buy the machines separately. For the same reasons the Multi-Mega failed only for it to be followed up by another failure the Mega Drive 32x. This one was a cartridge based addon that plugs into the Mega Drives cartridge slot. It might have featured 32 Bit processing but only 40 games where released before the console fell into decline when the Saturn was released in Japan. With the Sega saturn on it's way gamers found out it was defintaily better to just wait and thus the Mega Drive addons gets it's spot for number 4 in this countdown.

 

3. R-Zone (1995 Tiger Electronics)

Tiger Electronics have always have bad mini-games to cash in including the Game.com which sucked so bad, but those where nothing comparison to their failed attempt at virtual reality. Enter the R-Zone which is an LCD handheld games system which proberbly would have looked like a PlayStation 5. It had two different models first one was a capitalize on the Virtual boy with a ridiculous headgear design and an X.P.G model which was more handheld. The system barfed down with numerous issues such as not being able to adjust the volume other than muting it, loads of buttons in which not many of them are unneeded like the ON button since the game starts when you insert the game in. With horrible sound and music and a glut of bad games. The R-Zone failed to sell in markets in comparison to the gameboy and this resulted in putting Tiger Electronics into bankruptcy.

2. Atari 5200 (November 1982 Atari)

With increased competitions between the Intelevision and ColecoVision going against the 2600 In 1982 Atari released the Atari 5200. The console design was huge making it take up alot of room and also it has a door on it for some reason. The console's biggest mistake is making the TV and AC adapter to share the same connection port making it harder to connect the console. It wasn't compatiable with Atari 2600 games even though it wasn't a concern at the time. It also suffered with a line up of re-released titles and having the most hated controller of all time. Sure the controller had some innovations for it's time like the 360 degree Joystick and a Pause button but the controller had keypads on it and also the Joystick was faulty that it would brake within several hours of play. The console's marketing failed miserably with little attention and overall effort that Atari put into the console.


1. Gizmondo (19th March 2005 Telematics)

Being the worst selling console of all time it's hard to imagine a console selling for about £229. The console may have allowed you to take pictures, store music and video, send and receive e-mails and also come packaged with a funcional GPS system. However with a dreadful battery life, a screen that's really bad to look at along with most have games like Stickyballs and a few rubbish ones. The console forced you to watch 3 commercials a day and console crashes every now and then. I find it unbelievable that this console was actally overshadowed by executive Stefan Eriksson who was linked by organised crime, making this console my choice for the Worst Console of all time.

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