I have owned almost every console ever produced in one way or another. From Commodor 64, Atari 2600, NES to PS3, Wii and Xbox360 and each one has had it's positives and negatives. However, except for the game selection and revolutionary status of the NES, the PS2 has to be a close second to being the best console debate. Let me explain...

I own an original PS2, the think black, bulky unit that was cutting edge technology of it's time. It's been treated farily well, but through time and sometimes minimal physical abuse, the console has seen better days. Of course, when PS3 was released, I was able to get a fuly backwards compatable unit so my PS2 and PS1 would finally become retired, so to speak. Since then, new slim PS2 units have come out and are still be produced and sold. I left my old unit in a box, wrapped in it's own wires and controllers.

As my apartment is being renovated, I was forced to use only my Xbox 360 since my temp location does not have HDMI or any HDTV available for my PS3. But, as luck would have it, after about 4-5 years of service, my Xbox finally had the red ring of death. Almost completely removing my ability to play games until I could unpack and move back into my place. I went into storage, hoping to find my PS3, buried in a box somewhere. While looking through I happen to come accross a box that had my PS2 inside, complete with all wires, controllers and even 3 memory cards. I thought to myself, I still have some old PS2 games on hand, I should try to hook this up an dsee if it works. After taking it to my temp location, with heavy doubts in mind ready for dissapointment, I plugged in all wires and powered it on. The PS2 came on instantly with no issue. Somewhat surprized, I loaded a game and it started up as if it had been used the whole time. This was about 3 weeks ago and it is still working as if it was brand new.

Now do you see my point? I have had 3 NES units that had to be refurbished with new 72 pin connections, a portable PS1 that wouldnt turn on after a while, 2 different Gameboy types that had screens burn out, Xbox that stopped turning on, Xbox 360 red ring of death and plenty more game disks that the console's wouldnt even read. (That covers almost all disk reading consoles, including one PS3 game) But after years of constant service, being retired to a box in a closet, banged around I'm sure during use and during the move, my original PS2 console still works like a charm and going strong.

So, if I had to rate all the console system that the world has ever produced, I would have to vote for the PS2 hardware as the most reliable. And this time I dont have to rely on reviews or word of mouth, I have all the proof I will ever need sitting on a TV stand ready and waiting for me to insert a new game to start again.