06-06-2016, 09:27 PM
In terms of actual hardware, N64 wins for usually having the prettiest 3D (hi texture filtering), since unlike the Saturn and PS1, the N64 seemed to have 3D much more directly in mind. Nintendo also had the advantage of making some of beloved names and faces synonymous with N64; Sony was dependent on new gambles or 3rd-party properties once found on Nintendo, and SEGA goddamn near neglected their star child during the Saturn era (when the closest thing to the system's "mascot game" was a Genesis port, especially a game that was considered a low point in the series... hoo boy). This makes the N64 my winner, even though cartridges made games much more limited and expensive.
In terms of how developers handled hardware and software, PS1 wins easily (yes, fewer restrictions did lead to a larger output of stinkers, but it also made it a far more inviting platform for developers, which usually ended up bearing great fruit, also giving the PS1 a ridiculously long lifespan compared to the N64 and Saturn); the intersection of power and ease of access really helped many developers to establish quite a number of gaming norms. But it's been mentioned already that being the first to market meant the hardware aged the worst.
In terms of... fuck i dunno, arcade ports, Saturn usually did the best (although the tradeoff was that a lot of the 2D fighting game ports required a 1 or 4 MB RAM cart, and IIRC some of the SNK fighters had fucking proprietary RAM carts that contained graphics for games or something like that). However, the Saturn was much more built for 2D than 3D, which meant that developers couldn't as easily explore new territories like developers could on PS1 or N64, and in a way its arcade prowess (not to mention insane launch price) was a downfall as video arcades were beginning to make their way out. In addition, I believe the Saturn was just as much a bitch to program for as (or moreso than) the N64, albeit unlike the N64 it was mostly just the hardware side of things. And this isn't even to go into SEGA's sheer bungling of how they brought the Saturn over to America. (Unpopular opinion: the Saturn Analog controller is my favorite 1st party controller from this era.)
In terms of how developers handled hardware and software, PS1 wins easily (yes, fewer restrictions did lead to a larger output of stinkers, but it also made it a far more inviting platform for developers, which usually ended up bearing great fruit, also giving the PS1 a ridiculously long lifespan compared to the N64 and Saturn); the intersection of power and ease of access really helped many developers to establish quite a number of gaming norms. But it's been mentioned already that being the first to market meant the hardware aged the worst.
In terms of... fuck i dunno, arcade ports, Saturn usually did the best (although the tradeoff was that a lot of the 2D fighting game ports required a 1 or 4 MB RAM cart, and IIRC some of the SNK fighters had fucking proprietary RAM carts that contained graphics for games or something like that). However, the Saturn was much more built for 2D than 3D, which meant that developers couldn't as easily explore new territories like developers could on PS1 or N64, and in a way its arcade prowess (not to mention insane launch price) was a downfall as video arcades were beginning to make their way out. In addition, I believe the Saturn was just as much a bitch to program for as (or moreso than) the N64, albeit unlike the N64 it was mostly just the hardware side of things. And this isn't even to go into SEGA's sheer bungling of how they brought the Saturn over to America. (Unpopular opinion: the Saturn Analog controller is my favorite 1st party controller from this era.)