Christmas is prime time for nostalgic memories to warm the hearts of the world-weary adults of Ireland; and little would bring more excitement on Christmas morning than opening the sitting room door to see that Santa, the legend, had left the newest games console under the tree.
With games consoles becoming ever-more advanced, and pre-loaded retro consoles making a comeback, DID Electrical asked 2,000 adults of Ireland to think back to simpler times of eating Coco Pops in their dressing gown on Christmas morning, and vote for their favourite consoles that Santa delivered.
In resounding first place was the PlayStation 1, with 30.7% of the votes. Those opening a PlayStation in the year of its release, 1995, would have spent Christmas morning fighting with their siblings over goes of games like Rayman, FIFA 96, Road Rash, Tekken and Mortal Combat 3; though in later years of course Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft would have made an appearance in the stocking, as well as Crash Bandicoot and even PaRappa the Rapper!
Next up was the Nintendo NES with 18.8% of the votes. Released in 1986, the now-seasoned-gamers, sitting comfortably in the 35+ age bracket, who were playing this on Christmas morning were undoubtedly squashing bad guys in Super Mario Bros.
However, the console claiming the top spot in the hearts of those in the 35-45 age bracket, and coming third overall with 16.1% of votes, was the Sega Megadrive. Everyone will remember the Sega Megadrive for the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog games, blazing the sound of clanging gold rings through the living room.
Next up was the original Xbox in fourth place with 12.5% of the votes. Some of the original games for the Xbox that would spark Christmas morning memories include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Halo: Combat Evolved, Tony Hawke Pro Skater 3 and Max Payne.
Following just behind the Xbox, with 12.3% of the votes was the Super Nintendo ‘SNES’, with a long line of absolutely classic family fun games like Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Street Fighter II Turbo, Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy and Zelda.
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Rounding up Ireland’s favourite games consoles of the 80s to 00s era is the Nintendo 64 with 8.8% of votes. The Nintendo 64 came out with a whole host of classic games with a ‘64’ twist, including Super Mario 64, FIFA 64, Bomberman 64, Duke Nukem 64, Doom 64 and Madden 64 to name a few!
A special mention goes out to the Atari and the Commodore 64, which did get some write-in votes and clearly hold a special place in some hearts, but all-in-all didn’t hold a flame to the more advanced consoles from the era.
1. PlayStation 1 (30.7% )
2. Nintendo NES (18.8% )
3. Sega Megadrive (16.1% )
4. Xbox (12.5% )
5. Super Nintendo (SNES ) (12.3% )
6. Nintendo 64 (8.8% )
7. Atari (0.4% )
8. Commodore 64 (0.2% )
9. Other (0.2% )
While the above represents the votes overall, outside of Dublin the Nintendo SNES was a firm favourite, taking the number one spot in the hearts of grown-ups in Meath, Clare, Limerick and Sligo; while the Super Nintendo (SNES ) claimed the #1 spot in Wicklow and Waterford.
And though the PlayStation was the clear number one for both genders, female gamers voted the Nintendo NES at #2, while more men voted for the Sega Megadrive in the second spot.
Of course, handheld gaming devices can’t be left out of the equation! To no surprise, the original Gameboy topped the list overall, but the Nintendo DS was the handheld console that resonated most with the younger generation of adults in the 18-24 age bracket.
1. Gameboy (38% )
2. Nintendo DS (27% )
3. PlayStation PSP (13% )
4. Gameboy Colour (8% )
5. Gameboy Advance (8% )
6. Sega Game Gear (7% )
In the spirit of video game nostalgia, DID Electrical have created an interactive games console world based on the history of gaming consoles where you can direct a tiny spaceman through the evolution of games consoles and relive the glory days of video games gone by – check it out here!
