Do You Agree That the PS2 is Texas’ Favorite Retro Game Console?
Maybe I'm just getting old, but Texas' favorite retro game console doesn't feel that retro to me.
When I think "retro gaming", I think of the Atari 2600, the original Nintendo Entertainment System (Mario/Duck Hunt, anyone?), and early 90's consoles like the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.
I might count the PlayStation 1 or Nintendo 64, since I was in middle school when those came out and have fond memories of playing both as a kid. Remember when one friend would have a "Sony" and the other would a "64", and one kid would take whatever they had to the other kid's house on a Friday night? Ah, the good old days of burning out on Twisted Metal before switching to Golden Eye 64.
The folks at SatelliteInternet.com recently did a deep dive into Google Trends data and used what they found to determine each state's favorite retro console. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), the PlayStation 2 dominated much of the country, including Texas.
Don't get me wrong: I absolutely love the the PS2. It came out when I was a freshman in high school, and the first game I played on it was Final Fantasy X. Everything about it blew my mind. The graphics were amazing (for the time), and you could watch DVDs on it. That was a huge deal back then, and I still use it as a DVD or CD player sometimes. (Yes, I still use both. You can have my physical media when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.) Best of all, it was backwards compatible with your PS1 games, so you got a new console with a a DVD player that you could play your old PS1 saves on.
PS2 had some amazing titles, especially if you were a nerd into JRPGs and horror games like me. Trust me: I get why people love it, but...it doesn't feel retro to me for some reason. Again, that could be a sign of getting old. *sigh*
Coming in 2nd place nationwide was the Nintendo 64, which I also loved. Remember Ocarina of Time? How about Mario 64, Shadows of the Empire, GoldenEye, and Conker's Bad Fur Day? I could go on. There were too many great games on that system.
The 3rd place console was another that feels weird to call "retro": the Nintendo GameCube. Again, I was in high school when that came out. It's not retro!
I didn't have a GameCube, but I played enough Super Smash Bros. Melee and Wind Waker to know it was an amazing console. If you're currently playing Animal Crossing during the pandemic, you have the GameCube to thank for making it popular.
So, how did the team at SatelliteInternet.com determine the top retro consoles? According to their website, they made a list of the most popular consoles from the 90's to the 2000's, popped it into Google Trends, "narrowed it down by state, and let Google work its magic". They note that 80's-era consoles like the Atari probably aren't in demand because they aren't compatible with modern TVs.
Check out author Kristin Cooke's full article here for more information, including the top GameCube titles in each state.