Topic: Which Systems Have You Been Most Impressed By In Terms Of Unique Features?

So lately, I've been genuinely enjoying playing video games and not only because of the games themselves but by how I'm experiencing them. When it comes to Nintendo, I absolutely love the Switch since you can play all games on either the TV or on the go, which is just an amazing feature. On the PlayStation side, I've rediscovered PS4 Remote Play on Vita and realised now that it's actually very good when you have the right settings and fast internet. Finally, on Xbox One I've been highly enjoying playing next-gen versions of games through Cloud Gaming. I've seriously been finding so much joy using these unique features on all three platforms and it makes me so happy because it feels like we're in the future (even though the Vita is almost a decade old, lol). Like I'm just so impressed that this technology exists today because it's actually really useful. Being able to have the option to play games on the go or not being forced to buy next-gen systems to play next-gen games are just awesome options to have.

Are there any systems you've been impressed by in terms of unique features?

The Wii U’s off TV mode was a huge reason why I still love that console. I even played Wii games on it, using the Gamepad’s IR sensor as a sensor bar. The Wii U’s a better console with CFW installed though, Cube, Wii and Wii U support is a fantastic package. The Switch obviously takes that concept further but the cool factor isn’t there the same way it was with the Wii U.

@LtSarge I could say I've been impressed by many consoles over the years - take PS1 for example and playing CD's or OG Xbox with its built in HDD so you could have your music as the 'in-game' car radio for example, save games without a memory pack and even play online with friends anywhere in the world. 360 gave us Achievements and PS3 was the First Bluray player I owned too.

With the current crop of consoles, I can't really comment about the Switch as it doesn't 'fit' with how I game - I don't game on the go and if I am gaming on my 4k HDR TV, both PS5 and Series X (inc via Back Compat) versions are much better. Therefore, I have not purchased a Switch for the 'few' exclusives I may of played. That's NOT a criticism of Switch, more a reflection on how I game.

With PS5, the most impressive feature as far as I am concerned is the Haptic Feedback from the DS5 - although in some games, I have turned it off. With Series X, I'm loving Quick Resume - especially with Game Pass. Having several 'digital' games that I can jump between very quickly (from a 'paused' state) is great. I consider Game Pass as the primary Microsoft Platform and Ultimate allows for streaming and cross-platform gaming - by that, I mean I can play on PC, Mobile and/or Console without having to buy the game again, my progress carries across all and of course, get Day 1 access to a LOT of games over the year. Its MS's Primary Platform because that's what they are most focussed on - All games are coming to Game Pass, 3rd Party deals are made for 'Game Pass' etc - the Console benefits too as the games are released exclusively too but if Console/Game sales were the focus, then the Games would release exclusively on Console 'first' to encourage you to buy both Hardware and Software like Sony/Nintendo do.

I am sure that as this 'generation' progresses, we will see more and more Games utilising 'features' that could impress me more. The SSD era has already 'impressed' with the speed of loading, but really we have yet to really see games utilising the 'full' feature set these consoles offer. The 'Activity' cards (or whatever they called) on PS5 for example haven't really grabbed me at all and not used them at all but maybe this feature could 'impress' in the future...

Every generation has had some new feature that has become an expectation. No one expects to buy a Console without Storage or Online Connectivity so there has always been a 'unique' feature that impressed at the time even if today, every console has these now...

Are we basing it on how impressive the feature was at launch?

If so for me the most was with the PS3 with the ability to store my own pictures, music and videos on the console really impressed me, It's now outdated with cloud storage being so easy, but I remember going to my sister's for Christmas taking pictures then just taking the SD Card out and plugging it into my PS3 and copying straight to the HDD its something that no console since seemed to do

More recent and this goes to both the PS5 and the Series S/X is that so many games now support 60fps and the near instant load times...

For me the N-Gage comes to mind.

It didn’t sell well, but I thought it was amazing that it was both a phone and a games console. Not to mention the graphics were outstanding for a handheld at the time. You could play ports of PlayStation games, like Tomb Raider and Pandemonium while out and about! It even had it’s own open world Elder Scrolls game! I regret selling mine. I had quite a good collection of games.

@nessisonett It's weird because even though I like the Switch, for some reason I don't really like using Wii U's off TV feature. You mentioned some time ago that you felt that the Switch is too clunky compared to the Vita and I think for me, the Wii U gamepad is just really clunky in general. So that could be the reason why. Although I do enjoy playing DS games on it that require using the touch screen, such as Pokémon Ranger, because you hold the gamepad vertically. It feels surprisingly really good to hold it like that because there's a grip at the top of the gamepad's back, so you can easily hold it with one hand and then use the stylus with the other.

@BAMozzy Quick Resume on Series X is a good shout actually. If I were to ever get the console, I think I'd love using that feature because I switch between different games a lot. And combining it with Game Pass would be really useful indeed. I've still not tried out the haptic feedback on the DualSense. I've seen a lot of people say that it truly makes a game way more immersive, but others have also said that it's not really that good so I don't know what to think of it yet.

@Legionari Just systems you are impressed with in general today. Near instant load times is a good one, I've been playing more games on Cloud Gaming and the fact that you can e.g. fast travel anywhere in Forza Horizon 5 in just one second is simply incredible. Although I've still yet to see any next-gen games that have utilised this aspect in order to change the way games are usually designed. For example, going through tight spaces in order to hide a loading screen.

@Bentleyma I've never heard of this system, it sounds pretty cool actually, at least for the time. Nice collection of games as well.

I am curious though, do you find the N-Gage more impressive than the Switch?

@LtSarge The Haptic Feedback can work really well in some games and does add 'immersion' to the experience. For example, in a 'racing' game, you can 'feel' the edge of track because the 'vibration' on that side increase so gives you more feedback on what's going on. Some of the 'issues' is that it can get too much - especially the triggers which can get really 'tiring' to keep pulling back, fighting the increase of tension over and over again.

Its one of those 'features' that has a LOT of potential but also requires the 'developers' to utilise it in a way that enhances rather than detracts from the 'long term' game play experience. If the controller is Vibrating too much and it becomes tiring trying to pull the triggers, it becomes too distracting and/or uncomfortable to play but a more subtle use and its enhancing...

@LtSarge Obviously the Switch is the better console, but really it’s just a tablet you can also play on your TV. The N-Gage came out back in 2003, before smartphones were a thing, so it was pretty impressive to be able to play full blown 3D console games on a mobile phone.

1. Touch screen from NDS
2. 3D Slider from 3DS
3. PS2 Japan for bunch of BEMANI games with its peripherals
4. Portability from Nintendo Switch
5. Motion play from Wii

The feature that has impressed me the most in the last ten years or so has been the SSD for the PS5. It really changed my experience. I get less frustrated whenever I die, because of quick restart. Games are more immersive, because cut scenes don't need a loading screen anymore. And more often than ever before I'm switching between games, because it's just so quick.

All the other stuff... second screens, motion controls, HD rumble, VR, etc. Some of them are fine, others fun, others distracting, but they never changed my gaming experience that much. So after the first 'ooh' and 'aah' my excitement quickly wears off.

Xbox360 console . wii was unique at one point but when you realize its entire gimmick was just an early ps4 contoller (motion controls and speaker) then it really wasn't all that unique . but the xbox 360 though -

• party chat
• download full games
• copy games to your harddrive from disc
• achievements
• kinect having full body motion without needing a controller
• app downloads
• greatest controller ever made

its probably some more im missing , but the xbox360 was a phenomenal machine with addicting features .

This doesn’t really make sense? You can’t really say it wasn’t all that unique because another controller also did it a few years later. It’s extremely likely that without the Wii the PS4 controller wouldn’t of had any of those features.

@Bentleyma meaning the impression it left on me wasn't as great as i thought it was ; its just personal opinion . i used the wii-mote motion controls for mario kart wii as it was my preferred way to play but , beyond that ? i didn't use the wii-mote controls for anything else that wasn't wii sports .

on the flip-side i just thought of something that really is impressive about the wii - you can play it with multiple different controllers . now thats amazing , & i dont think any other console did that .

and , i doubt the ps4 controller wouldnt of been what it was without the wii-mote . the ps3 came out around the same time as the wii and the six-axis had motion controls . the speaker on the controller is subjective since the ps4 innovated more than the wii mote , and the ps5 innovated even further .

One of the most unique gaming experiences for me was the first SOCOM game on the PS2 when playing with the headset.

It allowed you to issue verbal commands to your team from a set list and it was so unlike anything I’d seen before. The game was so difficult though and had zero checkpoints which made it even more tense.

But it was so cool to move half your team to another spot, get everyone to lie down and hold fire, and then issue the command to open fire as enemies walked between you.

Using “breach, bang, clear” to get a team mate to open a door, another to throw a flash bang in, and then all to storm in and clear the room after also felt so cool (unless they threw the flash bang off the door so it blinded you all and allowed the enemy to obliterate you all first of course).

The system that's impressed my the most in all my years of gaming is perhaps the Xbox 360. It felt like such a leap in terms of hardware capability, and the way it integrated and standardised networking and chat was wonderful. Then there's the 3D on the 3DS. Nintendo abandoned it, but when it was properly implemented, it was very impressive. Even earlier than that I loved the shift towards analogue sticks and how effectively the N64 utilised it as a standard feature. The controller is hideous, to be sure, but analogue stick controls and rumble are things that have stuck as standard industry features. The speaker on the Wii remote is another feature I liked, as it added to the immersion. The speaker itself was tinny and cheap with foul sound quality, but it's something that improved immeasurably on the Wii U, and then when Sony adopted it on the PS4 and PS5.

So many features each generation feel needlessly tacked on. The Vita suffered from having too many hardware features, most notably the rear touch-pad. Tearaway used everything beautifully, but overall, it ended up being a neglected feature and I can't really see what it added to the hardware experience. The PS3's SixAxis is another one, as I absolutely can't stand the motion controls developers shoehorned into games. It's hideous and unnecessary. Yuck.

In terms of modern consoles, the very fast SSD on the PS5 is extremely impressive. Games load so quickly that booting something up, or switching games isn't the slog it used to be. It's actually quite difficult to go back to older systems and their slower loading if I've recently played a PS5 game: Metroid Dread's loading times were certainly something! I was very impressed with the haptics and triggers in Astro's Playroom, but haven't noticed it as much in other games, and it will be interesting to see if it ends up being one of those abandoned features.

Quick resume on the Xbox Series consoles looks like a great feature that could be very useful, particularly with older Xbox One titles. On the Switch I rarely switch between TV and handheld, but I like that with certain games I can play on the TV if I wish, while others better suit handheld play for me. TV output for handhelds is far from a new innovation, but I like how seamless it is on the Switch. On the Wii U the gamepad was an extremely flawed technology, but it was new and exciting. I actually made good use of off TV play when I was ill in bed, and found it even worked in the next room, so playing Yoshi's Woolly World and Hyrule Warriors in short bursts was great.

The PS2, 3DS, and Switch all wowed me at the time.

PS2 for the multimedia factor. Being able to play DVDs was really cool and new as a feature in a game console.

3DS for the stereoscopic 3D. When properly implemented, it adds a tremendous depth to the on-screen image that was really neat.

Switch for the hybrid factor. Playing home console on a portable device was, and remains, an amazing feature of the hardware.

PS3 first blu ray player i owned and still a good player to this day also a good media player and the only console that you can still put your own files on the internal harddrive still own and love that console

Xbox series X i love that it supports 5 consoles worth of games xbox, xbox 360, xbox one, xbox one X, xbox X/S when i boot it up it sorts them into console type and the games them selves via backwards compatibility are a marvel playing fallout 3 in 4k 60fps instead of sub 720 sub 30fps.

As a kid before I had my own radio I'd play my music cds off the original PlayStation 1 and have "pretend concerts" in my room. Also the wow factor with the start up intro. Oh yeah, we can't forget the birth of Dualshock.

As previously mentioned with the PS3, which didn't step up but flew high from PS2's online features. Other than the PS Home app we would also host private rooms in that one app where we'd voice chat and be able to be on cam and showcase all the funny pictures we snapped in games that were on our hard drive and chat all night. I also loved how certain games would allow you to play your own music that was stored on the hard drive and have it be a part of the game (Soul Calibur V, Modnation Racers, etc.) Along with saving all the pictures onto a flash drive and upload it onto my PC a later date. I miss being able to listen to my downloaded MP3s in my modern games (A bit too old to care for Spotify).

PS4's Share button was dope. On PS3 only certain games allowed screenshots like Soul Calibur V, where you had to press the PS button wait for the XMB to load and then scroll to Photos and snap a picture. But with the PS4's share button that 30 second process was now cut to a second. Then PS5 now allowing you to choose how far back to save a video clip without having to open another app.

As for PS5's features, I do wish the activity cards were used more often. In certain games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, it can serve as a quick resume, where it literally takes you back to a specific spot you were on bypassing opening the game, waiting for the title screen and selecting load.

The Switch was probably the biggest unique feature for me. Being able to play a PS4 quality game on the TV or on the go (without a laptop) was really cool, and I started buying all my new games on Switch for a while, even games I already had on PS4. When I think about it, the PSP kind of did it first though with its component output, although it could only play PS2 quality games.

Other notable features for me would be
-Wii motion controls - They wern't the main reason I got the system (actually wanted a PS3 at the time, but it was too expensive), but they did get me into FPS with Metroid Prime since I had trouble using dual analog sticks at the time.

-Wii Virtual Console - being able to download old games was a first for me at the time. Got me into Zelda series, Super Mario World, and Super Metroid

-Wii U tablet play - this was useful if I was taking turns with a friend on another console so I could play on the tablet when it was their turn. Also, when I got my Wii U, I would get uncomfortable with my parents watching me game, so I would switch to the tablet if they came in my room.

-Xbox 360 custom soundtracks - It was cool to be able to import a CD and use it as a soundtrack for something like Need for Speed Rivals, although I found out much later that the PS3 did it much better, since you could copy the files from USB instead of being forced to use a CD

-Xbox 360 digital AAA games - I was really happily surprised to find that I could buy full digital AAA games instead of just retro or indie games from the Xbox Live store. The first game I bought I thought was going to be shipped to me, but then I found it was downloading a bit later.

-Gamecube to GBA link - This was useful to me so I could transfer Pokemon from the GBA games to Colosseum and Gale of Darkness and back.

-Gameboy Color portable gaming - while this was not a unique feature at the time, it was for me, and it blew me away how much fun one of those could make a roadtrip. I would take turns with a friend who had a GBC, but I didn't end up getting a handheld (or any console for that matter) until the GBA SP, which was a great system and got me into series like Pokemon, F-Zero, Mario Kart, and Mario Tennis

Some unique features that I thought wern't that good

• Vita rear touch pad - Hard to reach while gaming
• Switch Joy Cons - Put a real D-Pad on this!!! And fix that drift!
• DS touch screen - Didn't like it at first and made some games less fun then they would be without it (Zelda). Some games used it well though like Pokemon Ranger and Spectrobes
• PS2 analogue buttons - Too hard to tell how hard you're pressing. Better for triggers

360 - the jump to HD was huge, and the entire suite of online capabilities in general (this was back when it didn't have a Wi Fi receiver built in, so you had to buy it as an accessory). I don't really play online much anymore, but playing COD online at the time (even with all the kids cussing you out through the headset) was unique.

Wii - Motion controls. Not much else to say.

DS - It may not have been the first 3D graphics capable portable, but it was my first & playing Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword blew me away at the time. Of course the tough screen as well.

3DS - Stereoscopic 3D. I'm still sore this never really took off (I still see movies in the theatre in 3D when I can, so I'm not quite giving up on it yet, lol).

Switch - The hybrid nature. I mostly play docked, but I like having the option.

PS4 - VR with PSVR of course. Admittedly it's been awhile since I dug it out because it's so cumbersome to set up, but it's had some great experiences like Moss, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, & Tetris Effect.