While it seems like gaming systems have been with us for eternity, those of us old enough to get discount rates on auto insurance remember when the arcade games and first gaming systems were developed – PONG anyone? Completely revolutionary at the time, game systems have undergone multiple makeovers in their thirty-odd year history.

Now in their seventh generation, game systems such as Wii and Playstation 3 have their roots in some of the best game systems of all time. While the youngsters out there might feel strongly that 3D graphics and interactive online play make the latest systems far superior to the junk their parents used, those of us wise enough to have already graduated know that they are dead wrong.

The best gaming systems are the systems that offered something new to the world – perhaps a new mode of play or a game that is now a true classic. Revamping an old technology and adding great sound is not enough to make it on my list of the Greatest Game Systems of All Time. You might even disagree with me, but, I'm making the decisions around here.

In the interest of maintaining some semblance of a scientific process, I judged the systems on;

• The innovation of the system on its release,
• The system’s ease of use,
• The addictiveness of the system and corresponding games,
• And, the legacy of the system (what did it bring to the table that current systems are still ripping off?)

With these criteria it was a tough contest. Finally, however, it became clear that the Sony Playstation is superior – although not by much – to the other systems. The disc-based gaming with such improved graphics and sound put the Playstation barely ahead of the Atari system that started it all.