Contribution 1
n64 has superior hardware, but Playstation has the extensive game library (which in the past has decided the 8-bit and 16-bit greats - both Nintendo systems too by the way). It's hard to say which will emerge as the better system, but I think its safe to say Saturn is out of the picture (better luck with the Dural, Sega.)
Contribution 2
I have to agree with Contribution #1. N64 has truly amazing graphics, but PlayStation has an awesome selection of awesome games (Final Fantasy 7 rocks!!). Saturn has some kick-butt games too, and an Internet peripheral, but it is unloved. A shame really, because Sonic is a legend. :) So I'd have to say I like the PSX best, partly because I own one. But I love some of the Saturn/N64 games as well.
Contribution 3
n64 is better than PSX because of the better graphics.
Contribution 4
"N64 is better because of the graphics"? What utter tripe. Don't get me wrong, the N64 does indeed have great games - I could play Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 for hours - but the Playstation has *more* great games. Final Fantasy Tactics not only is a pretty good game, it has tons of replay value! Aside from FF7, it has quite a few other good RPGs/adventure games; Beyond the Beyond and Alundra come to mind. You'll note that while these games don't have great graphics (except for some of the battle and overworld effects, BtB looks just like a SNES game) they all have solid gameplay, something that a couple of new N64 games lack. In fact, the thing that sealed it for me is Square deciding to stick mostly with PSX; I own/have owned just about every US-released Square game. I'm just yer regular Squaresoft fanboy.. :)
Contribution 5
On the subject of contribution 3, simply because the N64 has a more powerful graphics engine, it does not mean it is a better system. For instance, I will make use of FF7 as an example. I have played many games on the N64, but I have noticed that most of them simply do not offer the richness and depth of many more PSX games. Also, what of sound? Just try playing MK Mythologies: Sub Zero on both systems to find the answer to that. Third, The PSX is capable of more dazzling graphics simply because of it's vastly higher storage capability. The PSX also has a built in geometry engine, which I am not sure the N64 does. Dedicated hardware always makes a difference.
Contribution 6
It depends which you go by, hardware or software. If you prefer better hardware that is superior in strength, then the Nintendo 64 would beat them all. However, with software, the Playstation is at the top with the most games and the best ones as well. The Playstation is also older than the Nintendo 64, so it still deserves some credit with its hardware, since it is pretty good for its time. If I had to choose my own favorite, it would have to be the Playstation. The Nintendo 64 does not have very good support and its programming library is hard to learn, yet the Playstation has very good support and a very simple programming library for its developers. Sony thinks of the developers as being just as important as those whome own the system, but the Nintendo is terrible with its developers, while Sega ignores them. Personaly, I believe the Playstation is best under these circumstances, but we never can tell unless we look into the future.
Although, right now, in the consoles home country (Japan), the statistics for the market share are: 6% Nintendo 3% Sega And most of the rest of it is for Sony. Sony is also in the lead here as well, but not by as much, we will have to wait and see if it gets to being the same as it is in Japan.
Contribution 7
While the n64 may have better graphics and whatnot, the PlayStation is the best system of all. Let me tell you that I have n64, for starters. I love it. The sound is beautiful. The graphics kick ass. But, it is marketed, currently, for a younger market. Also, it only holds up to 64mb on one cartridge. I believe that the only way this could survive would be if they got into niche marketing. They have THE BEST fighting/action games, don't get me wrong, well, besides Resident Evil, that is. However, in the other catergories, they are lacking. And that is why they have only 10% of the gaming market in Japan. Right now, it may be less or more than that, but from what I have heard, it is less. Now, the reason why I believe the PlayStation is the best is because of how much they can hold on a disk. On a single disk, they can hold up to 640 MB!!! That is 10 times the amount of what the n64 cartridge carries. Also, they can use multiple disks. One example of putting this into use is Final Fantasy 7.
The game is better than any n64 game, I'll tell you that. PlayStation can do everything, from awesome shooters to awesome RPGs. That is why it is the best.
Contribution 8
Number 6 makes a great point. To each of the companies, the "home turf" is the most important. And if what he/she says is true, it leaves a couple interesting possibilities. First of all, in either case, I think Sega is pretty much done for. Face it, the Saturn was a flop. Without the customer base Sony or Nintendo has, it will be extremely difficult to draw in more customers to their next generation console. I don't think they can pull it off. If not, Sega will flop again. I don't think they would be able to recover, and they would have to move on to something else (other than consoles) or would have to merge with a more stable (Sony or Nintendo) company. This would cause a huge shift in the power balance Sony and Nintendo share. But back to the two likely possibilities. If Nintendo can't recover market share in Japan, I find it quite possible that they would stage a strategic retreat, and possibly stay out of Japan for the next round of consoles to focus on US sales.
Nintendo could do quite well in the US if that is where their primary focus was. It would be to hard right now to tell the outcome of this scenario, but I think it would be good for the US. If Nintendo recovers market share in the US and Japan (quite possible as they begin to use the full power of the 64), the deciding factor would be how soon Sony could pump out their new system. If they can get it out way before Nintendo, they would be pretty much in control of the market. Only time will tell.
Contribution 9
Good arguements on all previous contributions, Each system has strong points. Me owning the PSX ups it a little in my book but, before I had it, I babysat for a man who had it all SNES, Saturn, 3DO!, Playstation, N64! and I played them all. To me N64 has the hardware to make it great but it has screwed componies wanting to develop games for the N64 (In fact FF7 was slated for N64 but when Nintendo would not release prototypes and info on the system Square went to SONY (this is not a lie obtained info straight from Square!)) Thus the N64 has seen games like Turok (do we need more Doom?) and a bunch of mediocre games mage by Nintendo, while the N64 will eventually take out the PSX (it will happen just look at SNES to Genesis) It will be a while if game design does not increase. Playstation: A great selection in games from RPG to racing the dualability to double as a regular Cd player (don't overlook this), a built in polygonal engine, a greater FPS rate, CD storeage, and a jump on Nintendo.
How long did we wait for N64? How many time did Nintendo say it'll be out blah, when blah came around they said it will be out bloo and so on, many left Nintendo for PSX with a gamebase larger then the SNES and growing a large base of owners, and releasing the games that rewrite the rules PSX will remain on top for a long while, forever if Nintendo cannot get it's player base back and release games worth playing. Ohh and Sega's dead, Saturn did have awesome games manly those Panser Dragon games. One more think don't think Sony will fade because it's no longer the newest, Sony is working on PSX 2 which will be 64-128 bit! and can still play PSX games!
Contribution 10
I don't know much about the technical side of things, or the business side of things, but I know what I like, and I'd have to say that, *based on what I know*, the N64 is best. There's the obvious factor - I still drool at the graphics occasionally, but I also adore the Nintendo feel of games - I have not seen a Playstation game which has the *charm* of a Nintendo one. Mario 64 or Zelda 64 (hopefully), anyone? I ought to now point out one key factor, which is very important - I've never played anything on a Playstation, so I can't really say it's games are bad or good - I'm basing any comments on the arcade equivalents which I've played.
Ummm... that's all I can think of now. But finally a quick word about the Saturn. I have a Saturn - my first nextgen machine (Based on the theory that Sony have never made a console before, while Sega have tons of experience, so Sega are bound to do well and Sony badly - Oops...). I adore it. Why? Because there aren't any games released for it anymore. This means that if you shop around, you can get great bargains. I got Shining Wisdom for about UKP 25, Dark Saviour for UKP 15 and Panzer Dragoon for UKP 10. Still, you've got to be careful. I've been beaten by one out-of date machine going out of date too quickly - the (original) gameboy - Can I find a gamelink cable for it? Can I *@!"£! :-)
Contribution 11
Damn, a hard one: Well because i live in Mexico the only game company known here was nintendo, and that was cool because i didnt have many choices (i only bought a sega genesis) i own most of nintendo systems, except GB and VB (VB was a cool idea but it was in RED!) Thanks to USA magazines i read about PSX and i tought it would be cool to have one, but Mexican mags said "Wait for nintendo, etc.." (well that magazine is like nintendo power's lil' brother) And yeah, it was 4 years ago, i still tought that Graphics rule, but now thanks to emulation i changed my toughts. Now i own a N64 and a friend of mine owns a PSX, from time to time we exchange systems, we cant afford two, they are expensive here (US 300!!!!) while on one side i love psx because of some few games i have played (Street Fighter Zero, Megaman X 4, Castlevania, FF7, Xmen vs street fighter, tekken 2 and 3, tomb raider 2) the system could be ideal for me, because i'm a fighting nutz (but KOF97 on PSX sux, better wait for neorage with sound he he). On the other side, i stick with nintendo, because companies are starting to recognize its potential, and memory istarting to grow, and get cheaper, (look at Zelda and turok 2, 256 Mbit) Yeah, nintendo had very few games, but this end-of-year line up will blow psx away. Turok 2 (dont say is another doom because it isnt) ZELDA (enought reason to buy a N64), Fighting force64 (this one gives me hopes to see a tombraider port for N64) Wipeout 64, (cool companies are starting to move to N64) Castlevania 64, which improved gratly and its no more mario-with-a-whip, and the tunes sound just like psx's symphony, top gear overdrive, and som many games i dont remember now (capcom just released a tetris with mickey mouse, they love Disney ;)) but its rumored that if that one is succesful then the strong titles will come out like Resident evil, Ghouls and ghosts, Megaman, street fighter (AAAAAHHH STREET FIGHTER!!!!!!) the 4 mb ram pack, etc etc etc. Dont get me wrong but psx has good games and all, has the memory advantadge, companies support, but i hate the CD format for fighting and action games, That 10-30 seconds loadings screens are really annoying, games were made for contiunous action, and no pauses, altough 3 seconds are tolerable for a fighting game (tekken 3). Now the ultimate system would be one that joins the best of teh two worlds, a Cart-CD-based system, everygame could be made in a cart, and have a CD included. look: Carts for game, sounds, gfx, etc... the CD for the music, and FMV, the music rocks on cd and save space on the cart. Now that the next wave of systems is coming, ill be waiting for the three companies, and see which one will i buy, (i Nintendo system is a must buy, only for zelda,) then another between dreamcast and PSX2. For now i stick with the big N, and enjoy that PSX ports that i couldn play before. and sorry for my %&$&% english.
Contribution 12
Well, all you people who are debating whether N64 or PSX is better, you obviously haven't been to http://www.sega.com/
The SOUND ENGINE for SEGA's Dreamcast is more powerful than ALL of the previously released console systems (from any company, any time!) combined! They are carrying forward the Saturn's multiplay modem and are planning on creating their own set of multiplayer servers with which you can connect to with your $250 Dreamcast + 33.6 modem (will be upgradable) and play people around the world!
Plus, the new CPU developed by Hitatchi can perform floating point operations over 4X faster than ANY Pentium II! (Even the 450Mhz!) If that's not enough, NEC, a leader in chip mfg. and their coporate partner, Videologic, are putting 2nd-generation PowerVR 3D accellerator chips into the new Dreamcast system! The 2nd generation PowerVR chip annihilates the PC's 3DFX Voodoo 2 chip by far. In addition, Microsoft is re-wiring their DirectX technology and putting it into the Dreamcast units. Point? All of the parts in the Dreamcast's architecture will now be seamlessly able to talk to each other, with no fear of slow translations. Yamaha is now incorperating their own 64-channel (for those of you who don't know what that means, in the 'old days', MIDI sound had to be made with 128 instruments, but only a few channels... to make a different instrument, they had to 'mix' two or more channels together, reducing audio quality... the first Sound Blaster for example had 4 channels.) sound engine, meaning for 64 of the instruments, there's a dedicated sound, and for the other 64, you combine them... that's half of the sound being perfect! The chip developed by Hitatchi is a RISC (Reduced-instruction-set-chip), and runs at a clock speed of 200 Mhz... compare that to the N64's pale in comparison 93 Mhz... or the original SNES's 3.58 Mhz!!! (Fact: when SEGA came out with the Genesis, it more than doubled SNES's speed with a total of almost 8 Mhz. Fact: They soon topped this with their own SEGA CD add-on, pumping it up to 14 Mhz and Stereo sound for the original Genesis model)
All in all, I think N64 and PSX are very, VERY pale contenders when it comes to SEGA's monster, Dreamcast.
Contribution 13
Zelda 64. Best game ever on best console ever. Case closed.
Contribution 14
I own a n64, PSX, and Saturn, so this comes as an experienced opinion. Not that this really matters, but I am just setting up the background. The Saturn leaves the running in this opening statement. Simply because of lack of support and lack of interest on my part. I bought one for one reason only, to play Street Fighter Vs Xmen. The rest of the system is fairly horrid, and the fact that it seems Sega kinda bailed on it gives it a double negative whammy.
Now that leaves us n64 Vs PSX. This is a tougher choice. I love them both, but if I had to pick a winner it would be Sony Playstation. Why? Simply because it has good solid gameplay. n64 busted onto the scene with groundbreaking graphics and 3D, but kinda missed the boat on software support. Of all the games out there for the n64 I can count the really great games on one hand, (in my opinion Golden Eye, Mario Kart 64, Zelda 64, Mario 64, and Waveracer). Whereas the Playstation has a huge list of really classic, fun, and original games, (in my opinion Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy 7, Parasite Eve, Soul Blade, Tekken 3, Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot 2, Medievil, Resident Evil, and Castlevania should be titles every owns). The graphics on the playstation are adequate, and the sound is extremely good. Load time is generally not that bad once you get into a game. I think it is pretty neat that a 32bit system can stand up to a 64bit one. Had n64 gone with a CD-ROM system I believe the 64 would have been the system to beat.
Contribution 15
Well, here's my opinion... (NOTE: Opinion, based on playing and trying out all the systems, 32-BIT ONLY)
The PSX, first of all, is great in a lot of areas. Great 3D games, excellent music/movie scenes, etc. But there are, believe it or not, quite a few things wrong with it, load time, heat-up (Yes, Sony said all PSX machines heat up over time - Courtesy of Tips and Tricks), and slowdowns. I'm sure every person who owns the PSX has heard on playing the machine too long causes it to heat- up. They are correct. When this system heats up, the processor slows down, causing the "slowdown" effect. For instance, Command and Conquer: Red Alert was played on my machine (1st-gen PSX) and my friend's (only was a year old in its gen when he got it). My system, as has been told, slowed down in about 5-6 hrs of play. My friend's slowed down after 10 hrs. This is one of the typical Strategy games.
Now, slowdowns... PSX, in -almost- every 2d game, somehow has trouble with producing that much graphics and animation on the screen. Example, any Capcom 2d game after Darkstalkers. Grant you, the 3d was terrific, but the machine lacked in the memory department to produce 2d graphics. Why not make an upgrade there using the back I/O port, like a PC card in a PC?
Finally, load time. How long sometimes? About 7-10, maybe 15-20 seconds per section of game, mattering on the type of game. Grant you, on some games I'm not worried on it, but SF games don't need that.
Now, Sega Saturn... well-rounded system, upgradable, and easy to update. I run a SS with Action Replay Plus, a clone of the GameShark, with a 4meg upgrade on the mem. Now, the games, like SMS, were lacking in variety, -but- quality was priority there. Though some companies did produce some bad games for Sega, quite a majority of their games were good on it.Of course, everyone should know if you want a perfect and -speedy- rendition of the Capcom games, get the SS. Could be the reason why Sega sold the product to another company to reopen the system, that and after they shut down here, we missed out on a -lot- of games, like PS Collection (-All- the PS series, wrapped up in a 32-bit CD). In case you wish to know, Sega is -still- a strong number two in the popularity, even when with the 64-bitters are in it (courtesy of EGM2).
Contribution 16
Give it up people. No way to beat playstation. Now granted N64 is bigger, stronger, and more powerful, but we're not even seeing what's good about it. Nintendo's only original games worth a crap so far are Mario 64 and Zelda. All the other games that are any good are made by third party vendors and half of those are already on the playstation. (Nightmare Creatures, Gex, etc.) Another issue is cost. Playstation is much more affordable. Finally there's controls. Playstation has an easy to adapt to control system wich is more familiar. It's a total pain in the ass to play fighting games on the 64 with the stupid C^ C> C< crap. And I don't see 64 making an interactive double cartridge magazine any time soon. At least not for only $30 a year.
Contribution 17
Hmmm.... I think that N64 is better. Why?
1. No loading time. If there is one thing I don't like about PSX is the loading time.
2. The more scratches you have on a PSX CD, the slower the game plays. I've been to movie rental stores, and I asked them why don't they have more PSX games. They said that 'the games were scrached up because of', 'pets' or 'people tugging on the controler and hiting the system when they loose'.
On a side note Metal Gear Solid is being released ofr Game-Boy Color! (Wierd hu?)
Contribution 18
First of all, you haven't played many of Nintendo's games. Smash Bros. in particular is the best console fighting game ive ever played.This may change when powerstone comes out for dreamcast but im not sure...Anyway, 1080 Snowboarding is also the best snowboarding game ever made...play it once and you'll agree. PSX has a lot of good games, but they just dont have many Great games...Zelda in particular is amazing.its practically a work of art
On a final note, i hate controlling 3d games with the psx joystick...You know, anyone who doesnt own an n64 will complain about the joystick, but the people that have one dont.ESPECIALLY if you have 1080.
Contribution 19
OK, Here is a review of all the next gen systems pros & Cons
3DO + The original - The weakest - Hardly any good games - Almost NO support + PO'ed was kinda cool Sega Saturn + Street fighter games are awesome + So is VF2 actually + Great controller - Not enough support + NiGHTS into Dreams Sony Playstation + Good 3D - Horrible 2D + RPGs are very good...but I never liked FF7 - Overheating problems + Great support - More bad games then good Nintendo 64 + Very Powerful - Not enough games + Quality over quantity (Super Mario64 Banjo Kazooie Goldeneye Zelda 64) - No 64DD yet Sega Dreamcast + Powerful...Insanely Powerful + Sonic Adventure - Have to wait until 9-9-99 to buy
Contribution 20
I think I have to agree with contribution #13. That's what I would say if I was a brain dead, retarded, alcoholic, chimp with Alzheimer's who just had a lobotomy. case closed. I might accept that person's opinion. Assuming that person had played every game on every system ever made. in history. The psx may have quite a few crappy games but they have some very kick ass games(like final fantasy 7,8 and Tactics, Castlevania SoTN, Metal Gear Solid, to name a few). I think the N64 is ok, just not as supported as the Playstation. Also, the Playstation's infamous loading time is not that bad. Assuming you have some patience. I mean, come on. It's not like it's one of the Fallout games for pc. You have no right to bitch unless you have experienced that.
Contribution 21
I would just like to say, I think the PSX is better by simply the games. I'm something of an RPG nut and have played many a games from both PSX, and N64 systems, though I never touched a Saturn (At least that I can remember). Good graphics doesn't always mean a good game. Back to the games, I have a few friends who have either PSX's, N64's, or both, all of them have played a fair amount of games. And again all agree with me on the fact PSX games just seem to have more playability, why? The reason seems simply to be storage capacity. Example.
PSX: FF7 - Played through start to finish MANY times and every time enjoyed it
N64: Zelda - Played through twice but was getting old fast.
For anyone whose played both, Zelda's gameplay doesn't change to much other than changing from adult/child and back. Were as FF7 just changes a lot (minigames) and generally has a LOT more depth, from what I have seen/played of FF8 it seems to have continued. Then again, multiplayer which is defiantly a major plus is almost always better on the N64. Example.
PSX: Umm? - Well I can't think of an exact example, there are very few games that support more than 2 players, and some don't even support 2 players. Its here the PSX loses out a little, racing games here can be good, but games such as Grand Turismo don't allow 2 players at the same time (I think, I may be thinking of something else). And due to a lack of extra power games can start to get really graphically side-tracking. Exceptions to this are the fighting games.
N64: Golden Eye - If anyone out there hasn't played this game multiplayer, I wouldn't unless you have a LOT of spare time, its a addictive and fun. And various modes keep things going for hours on end. Running at a decent speed with out to much in the lose of quality especially with an expansion pack is great. This is probably the best N64 game I have ever played so its probably a little biased.
Another one thing that most people think the N64 is better, are loading times, PSX games will generally a longer game so this evens out, N64 games seem to be more "quicker" exceptions such as Zelda exist of course. The logos as the PSX boots up are a big mistake on the part of Sony, but once your actually in the game, do you even think about at all? I myself completely forget about it. Overall, I believe PSX is better, because I think the singleplayer experience on a console is more important, but with the new consoles sporting internet connections and the likes, this could soon change. :)