Ahhh, the golden era of gaming. As it is well known, the Nintendo Entertainment System was not the first gaming console, but it is arguably the most loved! The GOAT? Why? Well, I’ll tell you…..

I remember when our family got our first Nintendo. Did you catch that? Yeah, OUR FAMILY! Big change from now right? But we got our first Nintendo, and it was the Action Set you see above. It was so exciting as a child to see this box with a zapper gun, multiple controllers, a cartridge with multiple games on it, and this big grey box that promised future gaming excitement. When my dad connected it all up to the big tube tv we had in the living room, put the game in, clicked that tv to channel 3 and pushed the power button…. Boom! There was Mario running to indicate which of the 2 games you could play. It was exciting and fun for everyone to play, and you could even have 2 players at the same time.

Yeah, this cheesy ad with fake dad and fake son creepily staring weirdly into the camera, while “dad” is death gripping “son’s” arm, is pretty bad. But back then this was common… and believable? Who cares! That big grey box was awesome! To give you the first reason why this system is the GOAT, dollar for dollar…

What can you get for $257.54 in the video game world today?

Lets look at Sony… The Playstation 5 is the flavor of choice today, so what can you get for that? Well…. The most stripped down, mini version of the PS5 is still way out of the question.

Even with the PS5 being out for a few years now, it still cant touch the price of the Nintendo Entertainment System’s next tier up bundle! You cant even play any physical media on it, only 1 controller, no other accessories, and a single gameish (because it is really more of a controller tutorial that they guise as a game)…

Another big dog should be able to come close right? Lets look at the Microsoft Xbox shall we? What can we get?

Is this the way of most all Microsoft products? (like the obsolete PC’s you get off the shelf at the big box store as the newest release)… Yes, but hey the price is close. Although way under the era for era technology grade. Okay, the price reflects it, but it is completely obsolete from the moment you purchase it, unlike the Action Set of its day, which was the top of its technological hill of its day. Come at me fanboys! If you were honest with yourselves, you know it to be true…

Now lets see what the company themselves have to offer… Nintendo! So what can we get from the company that originally created it?

Well, in the scheme of things, you get more bang for your buck here for sure. Now, I can hear you screaming… “Its not the same!” Well, you are right, but all that is for another post. We are talking about newest console you can buy off the shelf right now for each of the gaming companies. Thats it… So stay with me. There are multiple different packaging setups on the regular switch that come with a game as well, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Ultimate Super Smash Bros, so on for the same price, but I just put the basic version.

It looks like Nintendo still wears the crown inching out the garbage Xbox series S, yet they still dont measure up to the value of the Nintendo Action Set!

The Nintendo Action Set had a laundry list of items included in the box for $99.99 ($257.54 today). This is what it came with:

• The Console
• 2 Independent Controllers
• 1 Zapper Gun
• Super Mario Bros. Full Game (Not a Sampler) 2 player out of the box
• Duck Hunt Full Game (Specifically for the Zapper) 2 player out of the box
• AC Adapter, RF Adapter, & RCA Cables
• Paperwork Bundle, Including Posters and Such…

Dollar for Dollar? This is still the much better buy, and it was top of the line technology of its day. Not the stripped down, base, lower ability, lower technology, obsolete version of the console… No, it is the same console you get in any bundle you bought, only difference was the amount of games and more accessories, ie… Power Pad, R.O.B. The Robot and so on… Even of the era, it beat the brakes off of the other top consoles. Atari 2600, 5200, or 7800 and the Sega Master System. There were others, but they hardly deserve mentioning in the scheme of things, iconic? yes. Viable? No. Fairchild Channel F and Magnavox Odyssey…

Agree with me or not, the facts are the facts. The Nintendo Entertainment System is the GOAT! Not only was the console the GOAT, but this console introduced us all to the top 3 most iconic platformers of all time… Super Mario / Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong. All games and characters that are known and loved by children and adults alike to this day. Prove me wrong….