The Sega Mega Drive has been named the most popular retro games console, narrowly beating the Nintendo 64 in classic console combat.
Gaming site Playr2.com asked 1,411 British button-bashers aged 18 or over to name their favourite vintage videogame console. 61 per cent of those who replied named the Sega Mega Drive as their favourite.
Looks like Sonic the Hedgehog beats GoldenEye. The Mega Drive launched in Japan in late 1988, arriving in the US in the 1989 -- where it was known as the Sega Genesis -- and finally landing in Blighty in 1990. It survived in Europe until 1998, in which time 8 million Mega Drives were sold.
But gamers were allowed to choose more than one console in the new survey, and the Nintendo 64 was a very close second. The N64 was a 64-bit console launched in 1996 in Japan and early 1997 in Europe. Despite being one of the last cartridge-based consoles when its rivals were switching to CDs, it's still held in high regard by 58 per cent of gamers.
The N64 is followed closely by the Atari 2600 and original PlayStation, both winning approval from more than half of those who replied.
Nintendo won the hearts of many a gamer with the Game Boy, SNES and NES, in fifth, sixth and seventh places. The Sega Game Gear and Neo-Geo are in eighth and ninth, while the SEGA Master System rounds out the top ten with just over a quarter of the vote.
Vidyer gaming is certainly coming of age, with this year marking the 30th birthday of the Commodore 64, fondly remembered by gamers of a certain age.
For gaming goodness of a more up-to-the-minute variety, check out the latest news, reviews, videos and interviews from our console-crazy compadres at GameSpot UK.
Which games console had you rapt in wonder when you were knee-high to a joystick? And what games ate up way more of your formative years than could possibly be healthy? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 11
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damien2501 24 January, 2012 22:36
The megadrive was the best, so much better than the snes. Sonic, Comix Zone, Ecco The Dolphin. Good times!
anonymous 25 January, 2012 00:45
The SNES was better but this looked like the bomb at the time!
professerclever 25 January, 2012 01:51
Although not a console, the Commodore Amiga was a marvellous device which I held in the highest esteem.
A fantastic games machine but also; a TRUE multi-tasking power computer that I used for University in 1995 to write my thesis which involved; CAD, spreadsheets, word-processing, artwork and DTP to the mix - and a game of the excellent 'Stunt Car Racer' or 'Lemmings' for a break from work.
All this in one machine and only the unbelievably bad marketing department stopped it from becoming THE wonder computer that every home should have had! It even has a Graphical User Interface just like Apple;. all running on just 500MBs!
weaz1981 25 January, 2012 10:27
My mate had an Amiga ST and I was extremely jealous!
My vote would go to the SNES as the controller was revolutional at the time - seems crazy now - plus Ecco was a girls game!!
mattbabs 25 January, 2012 12:30
I still have my N64 and my kid's love it. I don't really think of it as retro as I got it after my PS1 - they're "next-gen". I do remember playing Micro Machines on a friend's Megadrive, you could plug extra controllers into the cart. Te best level was "Rim Racers" - racing tiny cars around a toilet seat!
Nick Hide 25 January, 2012 13:13
SNES4LIFE!!!1
anonymous 25 January, 2012 21:33
Always and forever, will be the NES, N64 better? Pish posh
UKNESBoy
Barry Harmon 26 January, 2012 13:55
The truth hurts, Nintendo fans.
anonymous 30 January, 2012 22:05
The truth hurts so much that since the late 80's not a single handheld console has beaten Nintendo....NeoGeo, Game Gear, Lynx, PSP, Vita....all have fallen or shall fall before the big N!
anonymous 31 January, 2012 00:19
Sry but 1400 people from a single country isn't exactly a valid result. If it was possible to get every gamer over 21yo across the entire planet to name the best, I would bet money that 95% of them would say the SNES is hands down the best.
anonymous 3 February, 2012 15:28
Oh no Nintendo didn't win a poll let's all cry about nothing because Nintendo subsequently became a software company and had to sell their souls and mascots oh wait...