# thaddius' Console Roast 2014 Edition - Round 16 - FINAL



## thaddius (Jun 6, 2014)

Welcome back to _thaddius’ Console Roast 2014 Edition_. For those of you who are not aware this is a poll where you, the GBATemp user, get to vote on what GBATemp thinks is the worst console ever is. For more information check out the Rules section below.

*Recap:*
No huge surprises here, right? Last week’s winner is:





*The Phillips CD-i!* Congratulations Phillips!

*The Phillips CD-i is officially GBATemp’s least favourite console!*

This one wasn’t even a contest; almost half of you voted for it! Unlike the first semi-final round there was nothing that could catch up to the CD-i, and for good reason! Congrats Lady-Temps and Gentle-GBAs, you made a good decision.

Anyway: rules!

*Rules:*


Spoiler



There can only be one!

Each week I pit each console generation against itself to determine what the worst console of that generation was. Updates will hopefully be up every Friday now.

We’re going to work our way up through consoles and handhelds until we reach the current generation. Once that’s all done, we’ll determine the worst console and the worst handheld. From there we choose the definitive GBATemp-approved WORST CONSOLE EVER.

Your only job, Mr. or Ms. GBATemper, is to cast your vote for what you think the worst of the generation is. Please try to do some research, watch some videos, maybe play a few of these games on a (completely legitimate) emulator, and you just might learn a little about the weird amorphous blob that is video game history. But I can't (and won't) keep you from just shooting from the uninformed hip. You're also encouraged to explain your choice in the form of a response to this topic. 

In the event of a tie, I (Sir thaddius prigg) will cast the deciding vote. It is my Roast after all...

The Generations are taken from Wikipedia as I've deemed that to be an appropriate neutral third party. I understand if you might have some concerns that I've put things in the wrong generation in your opinion, but I'm not too concerned about that. Generations are murky constructs at best and are based on arbitrary distinctions made by outsiders as post hoc rationalizations that don't mean anything to anyone anyway.

If I left out/included a certain console/handheld you think does/doesn't belong there I'm probably not going to include/not include them anyway. Basically don't take any of this too seriously. I'm not going to change the polls based on your opinion of them. I also can't change the polls once I've created them. The fact that people keep telling me to change things means that no one reads this but whatever. It's not like anyone cares about what I have to say. 

Aggressive discussion is allowed, but please try to keep within the rules of the forums. Just try to have fun and don’t be a jerk, k?


Enough of that crap, time to get started!

*Intro:*
We whittled down through the generations, through 39 consoles, through 25 handhelds, met some we’d never heard of, championed those we favourited, lambasted those we reviled, and bickered over which is the best of the best. We saw some surprising victories, some obvious defeats, and we argued a whole lot about an entertainment industry.

Now we will pit the console and handheld victors against each other to find out what video game platform GBATemp really loathes above all else!

*This Week's Challengers Are:*

*The Tiger R-Zone*




I can’t complain enough about this head rot or a system. This festering wound of a handheld captured the imagination of GBATemp and soundly defeated all before it in past polls. And need I say it again? This beat the Virtual Boy!

What can essentially be boiled down to LCD one off games that were built into cartridges, the games were nothing to write home about. And while the head mounted display didn’t make any necks sore like the Virtual Boy would have if the head attachment went through, it was only because there was not much tech to speak of inside…

In the semi-final the R-Zone was in stiff competition with the Nokia N-Gage for a little while, but eventually won by a large enough margin to solidify the R-Zone as the definitive least favoured handheld.

So GBATemp, is the R-Zone the worst thing ever?

*The Phillips CD-i*




After abandoning Sony for Phillips, Nintendo figured out the hard way that they’d made a mistake. In one failed venture they simultaneously spawned their worst rival and a horrid monster of a console. And they were stupid enough to license Zelda and Mario to Phillips too! And it’s those licenses that probably put the CD-i here in the first place. It matriculated to the top of this console roast for tarnishing what is otherwise a rather robust series.


In the semi-final the CD-i won by an absolute landslide - 47% of the vote! This means the CD-i was a much easier choice for y'all than the R-Zone was.

So GBATemp, it the CD-i worse that the R-Zone?

*Outro:*
And that is it, folks. We’re done. 16 rounds of unadulterated video game history madness.

All I have left to do is announce the winner next week! There we'll reminisce and get sentimental, etc. It'll be fun.

See you in the comments!

*Current Standings:*
*



*


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## DinohScene (Jun 6, 2014)

R-Zone.

Is it even a handheld?
Looks like pieces of cybernetics you put on..


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## Sakitoshi (Jun 6, 2014)

R-Zone, period.
the CD-i isn't way better but at least had actual games, even when they are a load of crap. and on top of that it was a good video player for the time, while the R-Zone was a headache-maker.


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## KingVamp (Jun 6, 2014)

It has to go to the R-Zone.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 6, 2014)

No contest - I'd rather spend a lifetime with a functioning CD-i than a day with the R-Zone that doesn't work properly by design.


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

People are voting the CDi?  
C'mon, why would you prefer a LCD game eyepiece in Red and Black that barely works instead of a working console with some playable stuff!?


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## codezer0 (Jun 6, 2014)

Let's just get this out of the way... they both colossally suck.

CD-i had the audacity to try to be an _edutainment_ system being sold as a *game console*. And like many CD-based systems at the time, was chock full of FMV crap that everyone saw through as being crappy to play.

The R-Zone not only had the kind of ungodly audio that would shame even an Atari 2600, but also the headache-inducing red-eye vision of the Virtual Boy, _before_ the Virtual Boy!

There is a special place in hell reserved for these kinds of gaming abominations... but I think the RZone's is going to burn a bit hotter simply because it was able to cause direct suffering of its users by the nature of its design.


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## Gahars (Jun 6, 2014)

This is like a slap fight between Mao and Stalin - whoever wins, it's fun to watch.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

Gaming Device.  Nice Choice of words compared to game console.  I say again that the CDI is not a gaming device or console.  Yes it can play games, but that is not it's chief function.  The poll is rigged; people who haven't even used these devices are passing a judgement because of what they have read and not what they have experienced.  Nuff said!


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> Gaming Device. Nice Choice of words compared to game console. I say again that the CDI is not a gaming device or console. Yes it can play games, but that is not it's chief function. The poll is rigged; people who haven't even used these devices are passing a judgement because of what they have read and not what they have experienced. Nuff said!


Again I will quote what I said in the other topic.



> However, the CDi was planned to be a console/addon.
> Also you could say the same for the PS2, most people early on brought one because it was a cheap DVD Player, heck, even Sony marketed the DVD Player feature too.


 
Same for the Xbone too, it is marketed as an all-in-one device/media center instead of video game console.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

matpower said:


> Again I will quote what I said in the other topic.
> 
> 
> 
> Same for the Xbone too, it is marketed as an all-in-one device/media center instead of video game console.


 

I know exactly what the CDI was planned to be but what it turned into should not be judged by people who have a hatred for anything non Nintendo and Mario and Zelda games not made by Nintendo.  They probably haven't even played one game on the system or watched any movie on it.    Whatever the CDI was.  It was ahead of it's time.  I was watching digital movies on my CDI before they were mainstream (DVD/BluRay), while everyone else was still watching VHS (which shall I remind everyone won the media storage battle between it and BetaMax - a far superior format).


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## Foxi4 (Jun 6, 2014)

Some of the best Zelda games were not made by Nintendo, for example The Oracle of Seasons, The Oracle of Ages and The Minish Cap were all made by Capcom. Just sayin'.


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> I know exactly what the CDI was planned to be but what it turned into should not be judged by people who have a hatred for anything non Nintendo and Mario and Zelda games not made by Nintendo. They probably haven't even played one game on the system or watched any movie on it. Whatever the CDI was. It was ahead of it's time. I was watching digital movies on my CDI before they were mainstream (DVD/BluRay), while everyone else was still watching VHS (which shall I remind everyone won the media storage battle between it and BetaMax - a far superior format).


The CDi was filled with FMV and edutainment, it tried to throw the gaming industry in a direction that nobody wanted.
Also I don't hate the CDi and I like non-Nintendo Zelda games too, it is just a crappy excuse for a console and besides its multimedia abilities, it was lackluster and expensive.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 6, 2014)

matpower said:


> The CDi was filled with FMV and edutainment, it tried to throw the gaming industry in a direction that nobody wanted. Also I don't hate the CDi and I like non-Nintendo Zelda games too, it is just a crappy excuse for a console and besides its multimedia abilities, it was lackluster and expensive.


I don't think it was necessarily lackluster, it was just unpolished. It definitely had good capabilities for a machine of its caliber, they just weren't pushed in the right direction. The system needed more talent, more quality games, but those were being released for the already popular albeit aged SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis. The CD-i just didn't have the console vibe that people liked at the time - it looked like a multimedia player, it played like a multimedia player and... frankly, it very much was a multimedia player - gaming was just one of its functions, or rather, _"their"_ functions since CD-i is a line of hardware, not just one device.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

matpower said:


> The CDi was filled with FMV and edutainment, it tried to throw the gaming industry in a direction that nobody wanted.
> Also I don't hate the CDi and I like non-Nintendo Zelda games too, it is just a crappy excuse for a console and besides its multimedia abilities, it was lackluster and expensive.


 
Not a console!  Did you own one?  Did you use every aspect it had to offer?  CDI owners were enjoying games like 7th Guest, 11th Hour and Myst on a non PC/Mac with better graphics and sound.  CDI owners were playing arcade perfect conversions of Dragons Lair 1 and 2,  Mad Dog McCree 1 and 2, and Space Ace years before any equal capabilities existed in games consoles.  Just to have a PC/Mac up to the task of playing those games at the time would have cost you over £1000.  Bought my CDI for £350 and it came with free TV, 2 Movies and 2 Games.

Just a shot in the dark but how many people that voted for the CDI actually played or used it; even once?


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 6, 2014)

Kind of an underwhelming finale, honestly. I was hoping to see a surprise, but I guess that's not the purpose of this series.


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> Not a console! Did you own one? Did you use every aspect it had to offer? CDI owners were enjoying games like 7th Guest, 11th Hour and Myst on a non PC/Mac with better graphics and sound. CDI owners were playing arcade perfect conversions of Dragons Lair 1 and 2, Mad Dog McCree 1 and 2, and Space Ace years before any equal capabilities existed in games consoles. Just to have a PC/Mac up to the task of playing those games at the time would have cost you over £1000. Bought my CDI for £350 and it came with free TV, 2 Movies and 2 Games.
> 
> Just a shot in the dark but how many people that voted for the CDI actually played or used it; even once?


Emulation and the 3DO also had arcade perfect ports of certain games.
Even if CDi's main purpose was a multimedia player, it had consoles abilities and can be called a console too btw.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

When did the Daphne emulator come out? It was well after 1991 when the cdi was released as did the first 3do in 1993.  Smells like it was ahead of its time


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## Vipera (Jun 6, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> Gaming Device. Nice Choice of words compared to game console. I say again that the CDI is not a gaming device or console. Yes it can play games, but that is not it's chief function. The poll is rigged; people who haven't even used these devices are passing a judgement because of what they have read and not what they have experienced. Nuff said!




You can clearly see that the main focus of the device was both video and gaming, yet they pretty much showed only games in this TV spot. But yes, I agree that, if you vote on the poll, you should at least write a few words here on why.
I mean, comparing the two systems is clear enough for me that the R-Zone wins, but I would like to hear what the guys who voted for the CDi would say.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

I agree I would like to hear what people who voted for the RZone have to say.  Why are they voting?  Have they actually used the device or is their only experience of the system through an emulator?  Oh there isn't an emulator.

You can pick up an RZone for next to nothing on eBay but the games are going for more than the system I might expand my collection and buy one.


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## thaddius (Jun 6, 2014)

RIP Philly H.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

The tv spot shows equal amount of games and video and it closes with CD for tv.  Not CD for gaming or console gaming.


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## Attila13 (Jun 6, 2014)

R-Zone. Period.


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> The tv spot shows equal amount of games and video and it closes with CD for tv. Not CD for gaming or console gaming.


Being a 100% gaming device or not, it still plays games. If everything that does more than play games is a multimedia device, none of the newgen consoles can be called Gaming Devices.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 6, 2014)

matpower said:


> Being a 100% gaming device or not, it still plays games. If everything that does more than play games is a multimedia device, none of the newgen consoles can be called Gaming Devices.



Exactly because that's what they are.   CDI just did it in 1991 that's a hell of a long time before Xbox and ps2.


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## matpower (Jun 6, 2014)

Well, so in that case, the CDi can be called a gaming device, like the newgen consoles.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 7, 2014)

matpower said:


> Well, so in that case, the CDi can be called a gaming device, like the newgen consoles.



No it is not like new gen multimedia systems because there is 23 years between the CDI and current multimedia systems but it was one of the first breakaway gaming systems.

Just out of interest how old are you?


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## matpower (Jun 7, 2014)

sion_zaphod said:


> No it is not like new gen multimedia systems because there is 23 years between the CDI and current multimedia systems but it was one of the first breakaway gaming systems.
> 
> Just out of interest how old are you?


14 years old, I really love old consoles, my first console was a famiclone called Phantom System. 
Well, by today's standard, the CDi can be called a Gaming Device.


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## sion_zaphod (Jun 7, 2014)

matpower said:


> 14 years old, I really love old consoles, my first console was a famiclone called Phantom System.
> Well, by today's standard, the CDi can be called a Gaming Device.


 
I'm 35 and I bought my CDI in 1992 when I was 14.  I have a lot of experience of video games and computer systems plus I have a degree in Software Engineering and I own quite an extensive collection of systems.  I owned my first computer at the age of 4 and have been a collector ever since.

It's good to see young games players going back to games outside their own genre,  instead of only playing the latest FPS game.


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## quinterrya (Jun 7, 2014)

Im gonna go with Tiger R-Zone and here's why. Panasonic CD-i introduced a CD based system, which was unheard of during those days. Sure, we couldn't afford it, but the commercials drew interest and helped pave the way for the Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Jaguar CD and Playstation 1. On the other hand, the Tiger-R-Zone took an old technology and tired to revamp it with poor virtual reality effects. The Nintendo Virtual Boy did a better job and was released a year later. With that say, Panasonic CD-i was bad, but Tiger R-Zone was terrible.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 7, 2014)

The CD-i is _most definitely_ a video game console - at the absolute worse it's a multi-purpose device, one of the purposes is being a console. If something plays games, has controllers and isn't a PC, it's totally a console. Even the _"remote"_ controller has a pseudo-joystick on it - the device is _clearly_ gaming-oriented and it was advertised as such, or rather, as a _"media player which plays games"_.



In fact, _games_ is the first thing the advert mentions. I quote: _"the ultimate in games, video, music and more"_. It's not directly referenced as a console because the image of a console back then was _"a thing that plays games"_, the CD-i was offering _"more than that"_, not to mention that CD's were all the rage, so instead the term _"CD player of the next generation"_ is used. For all intents and purposes though, by today's standards of what a console is _(entertainment hub with a focus towards games)_, the CD-i is a console, point. 

For similar reasons the NES is called the _"Nintendo Entertainment System"_ while the Japanese Famicom actually means _"Family Computer"_ - the term _"computer"_ was avoided in America due to a recent industry crash and Nintendo of America wanted their system to be associated with toys, not computers. It's all a matter of marketing.


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## Adeka (Jun 7, 2014)

The vote is much more closer than I imagined.  I thought the r-zone was going to dominate the vote.

I mean come on... this video pretty much shows it all....


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## KingVamp (Jun 7, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> but also the headache-inducing red-eye vision of the Virtual Boy, _before_ the Virtual Boy!


Was it actually before?


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## WiiCube_2013 (Jun 7, 2014)

Philips CDI compared to Tiger R-Zone is somewhat decent.


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## Veho (Jun 7, 2014)

What's wrong with you people?   


EDIT: No, really, if any of you had ever laid their hands on an R-Zone, you wouldn't dream of voting for the CD-i.


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## Taleweaver (Jun 7, 2014)

xwatchmanx said:


> Kind of an underwhelming finale, honestly. I was hoping to see a surprise, but I guess that's not the purpose of this series.


Really? Seeing how close those two finalists are is the most baffling surprise I've had in this entire series.

I mean, I voted for the R-zone wondering if the CD-i would even make it to 5% of the votes...and instead found it totally equal. With 99 votes for each, no less! 


It's not like I want to defend the CD-i here. I voted for it (perhaps even twice) with good reasons. But that is compared to other consoles. Now it is pitted against the R-zone. The freakin' R-zone. That thing is beyond "it's so bad it's funny". It breaks through that field and manages to land somewhere in a nether realm of shitty terribleness beyond comparison. I wouldn't play it if someone payed me for it, and if someone gave me one I'd complain that it would needlessly fill up my trash can. For the CD-i, at least it plays videos.


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## KingVamp (Jun 7, 2014)

Wow. The CD-i can actually "win".


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 7, 2014)

Taleweaver said:


> Really? Seeing how close those two finalists are is the most baffling surprise I've had in this entire series.
> 
> I mean, I voted for the R-zone wondering if the CD-i would even make it to 5% of the votes...and instead found it totally equal. With 99 votes for each, no less!
> 
> ...


 
I was referring to the fact that these ARE the finalists, not how close they are. They both just seem like too obvious of choices to me.

That said, the closeness of the competition is refreshing. I really think that people should be required to watch AVGN's episode on Tiger games (which climaxes with the R-Zone) before voting, though.


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## chavosaur (Jun 7, 2014)

As I said before, typically people will vote for whatever they have a broader knowledge of. The Phillips CDI is the cause for YouTube Poops, Disgruntled Zelda Fanatics and their tainted series, and for their most recent lawsuits against Nintendo. Granted I'm nt saying I voted for it, I'm nt blindly stupid about it. The problem is that people are generally gonna vote for the thing they have more knowledge of, and the CDI is pretty legendary as a bad console. The R-Zone on the other hand just doesn't have that kind of notoriety to it. You have to have actually played one to understand why it's so bad and why people would vote for it. So I can see why the votes are so close.


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## thaddius (Jun 7, 2014)

Should I call it?


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## Foxi4 (Jun 7, 2014)

This is insane.


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## Vipera (Jun 7, 2014)

chavosaur said:


> As I said before, typically people will vote for whatever they have a broader knowledge of. The Phillips CDI is the cause for YouTube Poops, Disgruntled Zelda Fanatics and their tainted series, and for their most recent lawsuits against Nintendo. Granted I'm nt saying I voted for it, I'm nt blindly stupid about it. The problem is that people are generally gonna vote for the thing they have more knowledge of, and the CDI is pretty legendary as a bad console. The R-Zone on the other hand just doesn't have that kind of notoriety to it. You have to have actually played one to understand why it's so bad and why people would vote for it. So I can see why the votes are so close.


The fact that no one is defending their vote (other than 2-3 people) makes this final incredibly boring...


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## Nah3DS (Jun 7, 2014)

The CD-i is a memorable piece of shit...
The R-Zone is so shit that it doesn't even deserve to win this poll.


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## Attila13 (Jun 7, 2014)

Fuck man... is this really happening?  






If this end in a tie, I say the contest was bought. 

But come on people.... The CDi is basically the best console in existence compared to the R-Zone...


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## Foxi4 (Jun 7, 2014)

Attila13 said:


> Fuck man... is this really happening?
> 
> If this end in a tie, I say the contest was bought.
> 
> But come on people.... The CDi is basically the best console in existence compared to the R-Zone...


A tie would actually be fairly fair - the worst of the worst is just... the worst.


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## 2ndApex (Jun 7, 2014)

Wow...it's a dead tie


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## Attila13 (Jun 7, 2014)

Foxi4 said:


> A tie would actually be fairly fair - the worst of the worst is just... the worst.


 
Yeah..I was thinking about that myself! xD
I just forgot to mention it!
Who would have known that the worst console ever made will/can be a tie...


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## WiiCube_2013 (Jun 7, 2014)

KingVamp said:


> Wow. The CD-i can actually "win".


 
Well, on the bright side CD-i will actually win something for once, hopefully as it's still better than Tiger R-Zone.


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## KingVamp (Jun 7, 2014)

chavosaur said:


> You have to have actually played one to understand why it's so bad


Because there aren't videos everywhere on YouTube.




The "games" alone should have been enough to vote for it.


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## WiiCube_2013 (Jun 7, 2014)

NahuelDS said:


> The CD-i is a memorable piece of shit...
> The R-Zone is so shit that it doesn't even deserve to win this poll.


 
The R-Zone is hardly a gaming device, hell, even iPhone is more of a gaming machine than R-Zone.

You'd probably have more fun with Doggie Doo than playing R-Zone.

Pretty stupid idea to make a game out of a dog that poops.. poop. The name of the company that released this? Ideal. lol


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## Vipera (Jun 7, 2014)

KingVamp said:


> Because there aren't videos everywhere on YouTube.


I refuse to believe there is one lucky dude who has never played a Tiger Electronic Game in his whole life.
The R-Zone is pretty much one of those games.


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## KingVamp (Jun 7, 2014)

WiiCube_2013 said:


> Well, on the bright side CD-i will actually win something for once, hopefully as it's still better than Tiger R-Zone.


I meant CD-i winning for being the worst console.


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## Veho (Jun 7, 2014)

Vipera said:


> I refuse to believe there is one lucky dude who has never played a Tiger Electronic Game in his whole life.
> The R-Zone is pretty much one of those games.


Only in glowing red on black. With terrible music. And with a headpiece that keeps slipping down your face unless you tighten the headband so much your brain starts leaking out your ears. 

And you can only see the screen with one eye.


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## WolfSaviorZX (Jun 8, 2014)

Deleted


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## TheCasketMan (Jun 8, 2014)

I can't believe people think the CDi is worse than the R Zone.  The CDi Zelda games were gold next to everything about the R Zone.  And to tell the truth, Hotel Mario for the CDi was not a bad game at all, it was just a puzzle game like the original Mario Bros arcade.  And the 3 Zelda games all had atleast a story with cut scenes. 

But the R Zone, that is just a torture device.


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## matpower (Jun 8, 2014)

How the fuck is the CDi winning? What is wrong with GBATemp.net!?


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## codezer0 (Jun 8, 2014)

matpower said:


> How the fuck is the CDi winning? What is wrong with GBATemp.net!?


My cynical opinion? A lot of butt-hurt Zelda fanboys voting on it because of the terrible zelda games that Nintendo has since spent the rest of its time ret-conning out of canon.

While they'll happily defend the Virtual Boy that could literally cause eye damage because OMG RED LASERS INTO MY RETINAS!


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## Adeka (Jun 8, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> My cynical opinion? A lot of butt-hurt Zelda fanboys voting on it because of the terrible zelda games that Nintendo has since spent the rest of its time ret-conning out of canon.
> 
> While they'll happily defend the Virtual Boy that could literally cause eye damage because OMG RED LASERS INTO MY RETINAS!


 
The glasses on your avatar are needed once someone plays the r-Zone.

I love how nobody has brought up the amazing sound the r-Zone has.  BEEP BEEP


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## codezer0 (Jun 8, 2014)

Adeka said:


> The glasses on your avatar are needed once someone plays the r-Zone.
> 
> I love how nobody has brought up the amazing sound the r-Zone has. BEEP BEEP


I _did_ bring it up the first time around it was discussed. I mentioned how the R-Zone's sound was somehow worst than even Tiger's wrist-watch games.


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## cdoty (Jun 8, 2014)

CDi fanboys. Representin'

I didn't think it was possible, but I just lost a little more faith in humanity.


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## Veho (Jun 8, 2014)

matpower said:


> How the fuck is the CDi winning? What is wrong with GBATemp.net!?


Like chavosaur said, people vote for what they know, not for what's objectively worst.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 8, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> My cynical opinion? A lot of butt-hurt Zelda fanboys voting on it because of the terrible zelda games that Nintendo has since spent the rest of its time ret-conning out of canon.
> 
> While they'll happily defend the Virtual Boy that could literally cause eye damage because OMG RED LASERS INTO MY RETINAS!


If it helps your faith in humanity, I'm a serious Zelda fanboy, and I voted for R-Zone.


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## HtheB (Jun 8, 2014)

I rather own a CD-I then a R-Zone....
The R-Zone is just a simple LCD game.

While the CD-I is a true console. Yes, maybe one of the shittiest, but it still is a MUCH more mature console then R-Zone..
Hell, ALL consoles are much better then R-Zone...


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## KingVamp (Jun 9, 2014)

IDK, guys. It's looking bad for the R-zone.


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## Taleweaver (Jun 9, 2014)

I still can't believe the CD-i is winning this. Again: I understand how it's a shitty console and (after watching some youtube) those Zelda-clones are much worse than the campy cutscènese lead you to believe. But still...did nobody ever play a Tiger game before? They were like game & watch games with blinking lights, except they were an entire generation late. And the R zone wasn't just a cheap knockoff of the virtual boy...it played THOSE SAME KIND OF GAMES. Which meant that it not only butchered just about every franchise they got a hold on (imagine Street fighter where your ONE AND ONLY character consists of a few lights hopping and pressing buttons), but that the games looked like this...







(I wish I was kidding. I really was  )

Meanwhile...sure, the CD-i managed to take Mario and Zelda games from the very good end of the spectrum to very bad, but very bad is still better than the atrociousness of the previous. At least it was able to show images like this:







I know playing hotel mario isn't as smooth as most platformers, but seriously...compare these pictures. Do you guys REALLY think this is even remotely comparable? Even when taking the handheld vs console into account, this is just nuts. And keep in mind that the R-zone was released 4 years later (1995 vs 1991 of the CD-i), so you can't blame anything on technology either.


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## The_Hulkster (Jun 9, 2014)

This is just horrendous!
The CD-i is only remembered by the bad games, while there were certainly very good ones as well.

Among other great platformers was The Apprentice.


Sure it's not a glamorous as most games from that era, but still it provided a fun enough gameplay to keep, at least me, entertained for hours if not days at a time.
It also contained nudity, can't say that for many "cartoon" games these days.

CD-i also offered a great port of Space Ace (Dragon's Lair series)


There were also some great shooters, one of which featured Terry "The Hulk" Hogan!


And let's not forget the "adult" games, which you can't find on any game system.

Most of the voters probably haven't even touched either of the consoles from the poll and are just voting based on inaccurate or incomplete information.
Sad.


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## Patxinco (Jun 9, 2014)

Never used any of them, but after reading the comments: i agree that CD-i made Zelda and Mario want to die, but after reading this:


Veho said:


> Only in glowing red on black. With terrible music. And with a headpiece that keeps slipping down your face unless you tighten the headband so much your brain starts leaking out your ears.
> 
> And you can only see the screen with one eye.


 
There's nothing more i couldn't ever think of worst console in my whole life; Tiger R-Zone, go to Hell and never come back!!!


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## KingVamp (Jun 9, 2014)

Taleweaver said:


> And the R zone wasn't just a cheap knockoff of the virtual boy...


It was barely that. The only thing really comparable is the black and red and they couldn't even get that right.


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## Gahars (Jun 9, 2014)

I like how a console with some hilariously bad Nintendo adaptations is somehow worse than one that literally did not work.

Only on GBAtemp. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## Taleweaver (Jun 9, 2014)

KingVamp said:


> It was barely that. The only thing really comparable is the black and red and they couldn't even get that right.


That picture isn't from the R-zone: it is built up from pixels. My guess would be that it is from the virtual boy.

This would be a screenshot from the R-zone...except that it would need to be red and black instead of this color (screenshotting was apparently pretty hard, and it doesn't clearly show on youtube videos either):






I played those Tiger games. This was a typical "terrible birthday present" in the nineties. Your parents don't see the difference, so they get you a cheap knock-off instead of the real thing (yes...the above is supposed to be mortal kombat). They were worse than the game & watch games from years earlier (especially in sound and build quality) and totally obsolete by the time the gameboy hit the market...if it wasn't for those uninformed parents who just bought the damn things.


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## KingVamp (Jun 9, 2014)

Taleweaver said:


> That picture isn't from the R-zone: it is built up from pixels. My guess would be that it is from the virtual boy.


 I know it isn't from the R-Zone. I was comparing it to the VB. In fact, I quoted the R-Zone.


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## TyBlood13 (Jun 9, 2014)

I think I was born at just the right time to avoid Tiger crap, but even I can see it's the inferior to the infamous CDi


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## matpower (Jun 9, 2014)

TyBlood13 said:


> I think I was born at just the right time to avoid Tiger crap, but even I can see it's the inferior to the infamous CDi


That is when I am grateful to be born at '99. 
But I had the good and old 9999999-in-1 Tetris clone.


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## Nah3DS (Jun 9, 2014)

Veho said:


> Like chavosaur said, people vote for what they know, not for what's objectively worst.


 
the tittle says: "least favourite" not "worst"


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## Veho (Jun 9, 2014)

NahuelDS said:


> the tittle says: "least favourite" not "worst"


But the first post says: 



thaddius said:


> Welcome back to _thaddius’ Console Roast 2014 Edition_. For those of you who are not aware this is a poll where you, the GBATemp user, get to vote on what GBATemp thinks is the *worst console ever*.


Conflicting information   

Instructions unclear, got my dick stuck in CD-i disc tray


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## thaddius (Jun 9, 2014)

God damn it guys. Just vote for whatever you want for whatever reason you want. No semantics.


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## matpower (Jun 9, 2014)

thaddius said:


> God damn it guys. Just vote for whatever you want for whatever reason you want. No semantics.


NO! THE R-ZONE MUST WIN! 
(Meh, rename that poll to worst console, pronto! )


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## codezer0 (Jun 9, 2014)

Already I have encountered fanboys who felt that there was somehow something wrong with me for liking Nintendo systems but *not* the Zelda franchise. And that even after I demonstrated my many criticisms about the series, they still blindly defend it and instead accuse me of being at fault.

I swear, if the CD-i wins, all this will prove is that the franchise and shiggy needs to die. I've already got Iwata on my shit list because he kicked Reggie out of leadership for no reason, and has been running the company into the ground. Objectively the RZone is worse.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 9, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> Already I have encountered fanboys who felt that there was somehow something wrong with me for liking Nintendo systems but *not* the Zelda franchise. And that even after I demonstrated my many criticisms about the series, they still blindly defend it and instead accuse me of being at fault.
> 
> I swear, if the CD-i wins, all this will prove is that the franchise and shiggy needs to die.


 
Good grief, if that's really the attitude you demonstrate about the series to other people, then of course they think something's wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with disliking the Zelda series, but blaming the outcome of a poll on it and thinking the series and its creator needs to die is just extreme.

I voted for the R-Zone, but I think it's pretty believable that people vote for the CD-i simply because it's more infamous than the R-Zone (those Zelda games probably helped that infamy, but that's besides the point), not just because they're butthurt Zelda fanboys.

Tl; dr: Quit whining and get over it. It's just an internet poll, after all.


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## jacksprat1990 (Jun 10, 2014)

Pathetic set of voters.


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## KingVamp (Jun 10, 2014)

I guess we call it now. GBAtemp worst console is CD-I.


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## thaddius (Jun 10, 2014)

Poll ends on the 13th.


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## jacksprat1990 (Jun 11, 2014)

thaddius said:


> Poll ends on the 13th.


It was pretty much over as soon as some moron voted for CD-i. All the rest started flooding in.


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## ByteBite (Jun 11, 2014)

The CD-i has brought us loads of memorable internet memes and jokes and was the catalyst for convincing Nintendo (along with the Super Mario Bros movie) to never put their stuff into the hands of third parties without careful oversight. In that respect it was good.

The Tiger R-Zone is just hot garbage where every game is basically the same and the hardware is lacking a lot of features that the competition had at the time. Also that display technology and setup is just awful - your eyes get fucked up by it.

Vote right. *Vote R-Zone*.


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## thaddius (Jun 11, 2014)

You guys have some time left. Put 'vote for R-Zone' in your sigs or something. Do you guys really want to be remembered for hating the CD-i over the R-Zone?


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## Gahars (Jun 11, 2014)

thaddius said:


> You guys have some time left. Put 'vote for R-Zone' in your sigs or something. Do you guys really want to be remembered for hating the CD-i over the R-Zone?


 

Aren't we already remembered for voting the N64 over the PS1?


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## Joe88 (Jun 11, 2014)

Are fanboys still butthurt over the subpar zelda games (which I doubt very few people even played it if any who voted) that they choose it over the worst gaming system ever made?


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## Sterling (Jun 11, 2014)

I voted the R-Zone, but hear me out on why I think the CDi is objectively worse.

For one, the price of the systems are incomparable. The Tiger R-Zone was 30$ on launch with 20$ games, versus the CDi's massive 700$ pricetag. The R-Zone was a zany kid's toy who's target audience was just as likely to buy a supersoaker or several packs of baseball cards. The CDi didn't know who they wanted to cater to. They tried very hard to provide the same functionality as a computer at a lower cost, even going so far to implement internet features at a later date.

Even their "games" were few and far in between, compared to the R-Zone's rather large selection despite it's short life. The CDi remained on the market for seven years despite causing Philips a billion in losses. The R-Zone is a product of the 90's and could have been a cool idea for children. We can look back and call it ridiculous, but come on, who didn't think of a scouter from DBZ when looking at it? The CDi was a commercial failure on every level, the other was an inexpensive kids toy. They both deserve the title of "GBATemp's Worst Console" and the fact that they're both here now really suggest they should be tied for the worst. Make it happen guys.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 12, 2014)

Sterling said:


> I voted the R-Zone, but hear me out on why I think the CDi is objectively worse.
> 
> For one, the price of the systems are incomparable. The Tiger R-Zone was 30$ on launch with 20$ games, versus the CDi's massive 700$ pricetag. The R-Zone was a zany kid's toy who's target audience was just as likely to buy a supersoaker or several packs of baseball cards. The CDi didn't know who they wanted to cater to. They tried very hard to provide the same functionality as a computer at a lower cost, even going so far to implement internet features at a later date.
> 
> Even their "games" were few and far in between, compared to the R-Zone's rather large selection despite it's short life. The CDi remained on the market for seven years despite causing Philips a billion in losses. The R-Zone is a product of the 90's and could have been a cool idea for children. We can look back and call it ridiculous, but come on, who didn't think of a scouter from DBZ when looking at it? The CDi was a commercial failure on every level, the other was an inexpensive kids toy. They both deserve the title of "GBATemp's Worst Console" and the fact that they're both here now really suggest they should be tied for the worst. Make it happen guys.


 
This is the first compelling argument I've heard for the CD-i (on this thread, at least). Props.


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## Sterling (Jun 12, 2014)

xwatchmanx said:


> This is the first compelling argument I've heard for the CD-i (on this thread, at least). Props.


 
Well, I figure they're both bad. The R-Zone doesn't deserve any credit, but the CDi is a complete failure in what it tried to be when compared to the R-Zone (which accomplished its status as quirky 90's toy).

EDIT: Replace 'quirky' with 'cheap' or 'shitty' and you'll get the same sentence.


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## KingVamp (Jun 12, 2014)

The gap isn't so far apart, so a tie can happen.


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## matpower (Jun 12, 2014)

Even if a tie happens, thaddius would decide who win, so there is no way we could get a tie on R-Zone X CDi wars. 
Basically, the CDi and the R-Zone can't be in the same level even if we wanted.


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## Sterling (Jun 12, 2014)

matpower said:


> Even if a tie happens, thaddius would decide who win, so there is no way we could get a tie on R-Zone X CDi wars.
> Basically, the CDi and the R-Zone can't be in the same level even if we wanted.


 
They are on the same level though... both suck massive diseased balls and both deserve to be stuffed into an ancient museum for future generations to laugh at.


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## EZ-Megaman (Jun 12, 2014)

Sterling said:


> They are on the same level though... both suck massive diseased balls and both deserve to be stuffed into an ancient museum for future generations to laugh at.



To clarify what Matpower meant by "level", he was referring to the amount of votes rather than quality.


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## Sterling (Jun 12, 2014)

EZ-Megaman said:


> To clarify what Matpower meant by "level", he was referring to the amount of votes rather than quality.


 
I'm pretty sure if a tie were to happen, Thaddius would be more than happy to give the title to both of them. They're 11 points apart, so close you can't even taste the difference in animosity.


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## cdoty (Jun 12, 2014)

Gahars said:


> Aren't we already remembered for voting the N64 over the PS1?


 

You say that like it's a bad thing...


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## cdoty (Jun 12, 2014)

Sterling said:


> For one, the price of the systems are incomparable. The Tiger R-Zone was 30$ on launch with 20$ games, versus the CDi's massive 700$ pricetag.


 
The Neo Geo AES was $649.99 at launch with $100+ games, does that make it worse than a Neo Geo Pocket Color which launched at $69.95 with $30 games?

To me, it's a simple question.. If I'm locked in a room with each system and the games available on that system, which is the worst option?


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## Sterling (Jun 12, 2014)

cdoty said:


> The Neo Geo AES was $649.99 at launch with $100+ games, does that make it worse than a Neo Geo Pocket Color which launched at $69.95 with $30 games?
> 
> To me, it's a simple question.. If I'm locked in a room with each system and the games available on that system, which is the worst option?


 
Well if you put it that way, then yeah. But at the same time that's like saying which shit do I want to eat, crusty old shit, or fresh shit with undigested corn in it. At the end of the day, you're still eating shit. They're both equally as bad and should be treated as such. But I think the CDi is worse than the RZone because it was meant to play more than just games and failed miserably both in price and function versus the RZone which did everything it advertised.


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## VashTS (Jun 12, 2014)

C'mon people vote for the proper loser here! The CD-i is just not worse than the R-Zone. The R-Zone isn't even a game console, it's a frickin toy.


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## Enchilada (Jun 15, 2014)

Damn it guys, why are you voting the CD-I?
Sure, the CD-I is an awful console but at least Philips tried. This R-Zone thing is even worse, you can even call it a toy. All those CD-I voters should just play/watch a R-Zone game and rethink it.


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## Sterling (Jun 15, 2014)

Enchilada said:


> Damn it guys, why are you voting the CD-I?
> Sure, the CD-I is an awful console but at least Philips tried. This R-Zone thing is even worse, you can even call it a toy. All those CD-I voters should just play/watch a R-Zone game and rethink it.


 
That's exactly what the R-Zone was advertised as FYI, a kid's toy. The CDi was advertised as a game console, CD player, internet browser, and all sorts of other things that a computer could be.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 15, 2014)

Sterling said:


> They are on the same level though... both suck massive diseased balls and both deserve to be stuffed into an ancient museum for future generations to laugh at.


CDi isn't nearly as bad as the R-Zone though. At the very least it had _some_ good games - the only thing that's good about the R-Zone is that it's easy to shatter.


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## Sterling (Jun 15, 2014)

Foxi4 said:


> CDi isn't nearly as bad as the R-Zone though. At the very least it had _some_ good games - the only thing that's good about the R-Zone is that it's easy to shatter.


 
I posted why I think they're equally bad, but I feel like the CDi is worse. They're both god awful, but the CDi and the R-Zone are in different leagues.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 15, 2014)

Sterling said:


> I posted why I think they're equally bad, but I feel like the CDi is worse. They're both god awful, but the CDi and the R-Zone are in different leagues.


The CDi is a lot like a beautiful promise that was broken, the R-Zone is like rape in the eye socket - choosing which one is worse is a matter of personal preference, I suppose. _;O;_


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## Sterling (Jun 15, 2014)

Foxi4 said:


> The CDi is a lot like a beautiful promise that was broken, the R-Zone is like rape in the eye socket - choosing which one is worse is a matter of personal preference, I suppose. _;O;_


 
The CDi is pretty close to eye rape, and dat box... so unsexy and VCR-Like.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 15, 2014)

Sterling said:


> The CDi is pretty close to eye rape, and dat box... so unsexy and VCR-Like.


Yeah, almost as if Microsoft made it. _;O;_


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## Sterling (Jun 15, 2014)

Foxi4 said:


> Yeah, almost as if Microsoft made it. _;O;_


 
Looks like Philips and Microsoft collaborated to help laser eye surgery.


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## Foxi4 (Jun 15, 2014)

Sterling said:


> Looks like Philips and Microsoft collaborated to help laser eye surgery.


Having the Virtual Boy in mind, I would've assumed that Nintendo should be credited for that... although the attempt was early and clumsy, as it's often the case with Nintendo.


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## codezer0 (Jun 16, 2014)

Honestly, it's depressing that the CD-i won this one.

At the very least, Phillips did have some worthy contributions to the video game scene at large, even if their sole console entry wasn't. It is in large part from Philips' work that we have the Wavebird, for instance, and why Nintendo was finally able to move onto optical media at last.

Tiger on the other hand, only chased the bottom of the barrel, and did so in such a miserable manner, it ensured that anyone interested in gaming would be made to suffer at the low end of the spectrum. Tiger to handheld gaming is much like the intel GMA to PC gaming at large - so bad, you've lost the game before it even began.

I blame the Zelda fanboys, because we all know it's only because of them that the CD-i got such a turnout.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 16, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> I blame the Zelda fanboys, because we all know it's only because of them that the CD-i got such a turnout.


Is that damage control, I hear?


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## codezer0 (Jun 16, 2014)

It's the truth. AVGN did three videos on the horrible CD-i games for Zelda and Mario on the console, but only did one regarding Tiger's crap-tastic game devices, and only covered the R-Zone for about three minutes of said video.


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## xwatchmanx (Jun 16, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> It's the truth. AVGN did three videos on the horrible CD-i games for Zelda and Mario on the console, but only did one regarding Tiger's crap-tastic game devices, and only covered the R-Zone for about three minutes of said video.


That doesn't show that Zelda fanboys are the reason, though. The CD-i is more infamous than the R-Zone is, largely due to AVGN, as you said. That doesn't mean all or most of the voters are Zelda fanboys. Suggesting such is both incredibly ludicrous, and just a little bit insulting.

Edit: Also worth mentioning that the CD-i videos AVGN did are years old, whereas the Tiger games video just came out within the past year.


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## EZ-Megaman (Jun 16, 2014)

codezer0 said:


> At the very least, Phillips did have some worthy contributions to the video game scene at large, even if their sole console entry wasn't. It is in large part from Philips' work that we have the Wavebird, for instance, and why *Nintendo was finally able to move onto optical media at last*.



The Gamecube is Nintendo's first CD-based console, yes? How does Philips come into that?


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## codezer0 (Jun 16, 2014)

EZ-Megaman said:


> The Gamecube is Nintendo's first CD-based console, yes? How does Philips come into that?


Well, apologies if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that even post-CD-i, Nintendo did have some partnership with Philips still, including sourcing for components to put into their consoles. It was my understanding that licensing to Phillips was a way for them to get the optical drive/media access without directly benefiting their competitor (in this case, Sony).


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## Psionic Roshambo (Jun 16, 2014)

I have to agree that the Phillips CD-i is the worst of the two consoles. 

My reasoning behind that is you have to consider the price of the two machines and the LOL software lineup... 

Software wise they both just are terrible machines, but only one had Nintendo games on it. A company known to produce awesome games.

Toss in the fact that the CD-i costed an arm and a leg when it launched. The Tiger machine was cheap so how could you expect much out of it?

So in summery yeah I can agree with the Phillips CD-i being the worst console of all time, when you account for all the factors.


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