Flimsiest/Sturdiest Home Consoles?

Most of our favorite home consoles are pretty well built and hardly ever crack or suffer any kind of cosmetic damage... Most also feel pretty sturdy and somewhat heavy for their size. But, which ones don't?

I hate to say this, but my personal vote goes to the Neo Geo home console. I'm basing this off a Japanese system, which doesn't have any RF shielding, unlike an older USA system. That said, the Neo Geo feels very light for it's size and has quite a bit of empty space inside, mostly around the back, behind the cart slot. Yes, the motherboard fills the entire shell, but there's a lot of vertical airspace inside. The reset button is one of the cheapest push buttons I've ever seen. There's pretty much no resistance in pushing it and it has a lot of travel. Heck, when I push it, I can hear an echo inside the system, not kidding. The plastic shell is also very prone to cracking. I've seen lots of pictures of cracked or otherwise shattered Neo Geo systems. I feel like this thing might crack if I accidentally drop it on the floor. For a system that retailed for $650 in 1991 (probably $500 or $400 in Japan for this 3-5 revision Neo Geo), it feels unusually cheap. There isn't even S-Video on the mutli-AV jack (which could have been something other than an 8-pin DIN), or stereo sound... What the hell SNK...

As for sturdiest... I've had quite a few consoles I would describe as sturdy and crack-proof, or otherwise solid-feeling. Systems like the Gamecube, Dreamcast, N64, Saturn and Genesis Model 1 (except for the crummy power switch).

Intellivison was pretty crappy. Well the controllers were anyway.

Super Nintendo and Genesis are well built.

360 is full of fail....first one died on me.

Sturdiest console is certainly sega dreamcast.

Idk what the flimsiest is..

Idk why they had to keep using that huge mobo in the AES through its lifespan... Have you seen the later model 1 slot MVS boards? They're tiny! They should have made a AES slim or something later in its life and sold it for a lower price. Hell, even the neo geo CD probably could have been made smaller and cheaper than the Sega Saturn and playstation. sometimes I think SNK was run by dumbasses, even though they made awesome games.

I have yet to see an N64 that didn't work.

Yeah, the 360 feel massive and heavy but once you take it apart its just so many cheap parts. The tiny plastic clips are very easy to break, and im not gonna comment on that wafer-thin motherboard.

The 360 probably is the worst,ask anyone with a 360 and they are on their second or third system.

Famicom disk system ive found to be a really unreliable system,with it being so old all the belts have turned to mush but thats to be expected.Even with a shiny new belt your gonna run into a lot of loading errors,they have to be very finely tuned to work properly.

Playstation 2 was well known for disk read error but i personally havent had any many issues i think it was just the early models.

Same with the playstation 1 i remember all the laser problems back then but its minor in comparison to the 360.

All the cartridge based systems are built like a rock of course,no lasers or disk mechanisms to screw up,id have to give a special mention to the gamecube though that thing had amazing reliability i used mine all the time for years and it never give me a hiccup,dont think ive ever even seen a gamecube fail to load a disk.

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Originally Posted by AlecRob

Sturdiest console is certainly sega dreamcast.

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Many people had the the "random reset" problem though,your playing a game then out of nowhere it just resets on you.

I dont find it to be very reliable but i love it to bits.

Yeah my first DC stopped reading discs...same with second one...yeah not the best....design wise....

MD model 2. The power connexion is unsteady. Might as well RROD.
MCD model 1...everything.
Dreamcast. Prone to controller shorts that ruin the controller board.

3DO's the stoutest CD or DVD based machine. Saturn comes in (an honourable) second due to the cartridge slot and battery replacement problems. **
N64s are hardy though the system's pretty young and they don't tend to change hands too often.
MD model 1's good though as with all MDs and SNESs I mistrust how hot the AC stays even when off.
NES original despite all the cartridge recognition problems never fully breaks.

** oh yeah, forgot the GCN. Those don't fail.

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Originally Posted by StarMist

MCD model 1...everything.

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Personally I've never had a problem with my model 1... Though its probably only a matter of time before the laser, belt, and capacitors all fail on me simultaneously. Haha

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Originally Posted by Murphy245

The 360 probably is the worst,ask anyone with a 360 and they are on their second or third system.

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Only with the red ring older models. The recent slim model system of the last few years had most of the problems fixed, and has been rock solid from my experience.

I have seen SNES plastic shatter when its decently yellow, but that is not too common as not all units develop brittle plastic. SMS1/SMS2/MD1/N64/TG16 are all very solid.

NES tends to have cartslot problems, MD2 sametimes has power connector problems (which I have not experienced on none of my EU machines...), I have seen it more on Nomado which are otherwise pretty good as lon as you dont step on the screen but that ruins every machine.
Dreamcast has laser issues aswell as a lot of PS1 and PS2 machines.
NDSlite and that flimsy ribbon going through the hinge...

The original model 1 NES is pretty flimsy when it comes to its shell, and it's prone to all sorts of issues once it starts aging.

For most sturdy, I'd have to say either Dreamcast or N64; when it comes to the later, I don't think I've ever seen a cracked or broken one.

Saturn is really solid, but not as solid as the dreamcast. The Saturn seems to have more empty space inside it.

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Originally Posted by AlecRob

Saturn is really solid, but not as solid as the dreamcast. The Saturn seems to have more empty space inside it.

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That's exactly why I didn't list it. Sturdy, but lots of air in der. I think this same problem is what makes the original NES so unreliable.

I dont think any design is infallible. This is just going to be a long thread of differing anecdotes really, rather than a decent analysis of console design and rigidity. But hey this is Sega 16! So here are my anecdotes:

Super Nintendo - well made and solidly construction but I've had one crap out internally that had to be replaced. Certain games had corrupted graphics, which indicates the PPU was messed up, this problem was probably already present but only games I bought later exhibited the problem.

Megadrive, Mega CD, 32X - Never any problems with these, the scart DIN socket does feel a little loose on my Asian Import Megadrive though, so I fear that might go wonky soon.

NES - Built like a brick shit house, but internal components where finicky. Had a hell of a time getting Zelda 2 working and occasional save problems.

SMS - No issues here.

Sega Saturn - like the NES ^^^ very sturdy construction, original black PAL model 2 fine, but my cart connector was craping out on my Grey JPN Saturn.

N64 - Never any issues, friends console did overheat once with the RAM pack in on after a heavy sesh of Perfect Dark.

PSX - Didn't feel it was quite that solid, but never heard of any issues from friends relatives.

Dreamcast - I don't get why people feel the DC is that sturdy, its fan wheezes like an asthmatic smoker, and the disc drive always leaves me feeling cautious that its on its last legs due to access noise. I will say my DC is going strong despite horrible yellowing.

PS2 - My evil Damien child cousins unit crapped out due to his constant mishandling of everything for his Grandma to replace it (spoilt child), not really a construction fault more wear and tear. No issues with my own silver model, though the paint was cheap ass and scratched easily.

Newschool:
The Gamecube is solid as phuck. Will survive most damage. Most other disc-based systems are flimsy and I wouldn't want to drop them.

As for oldschool stuff:
Do handhelds count? If so, then obviously the Game Boy. It'd probably survive a holocaust.
If that doesn't count, then the N64.
Flimsy retro consoles? Not sure. The NES can get pretty wonky.

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Originally Posted by AlecRob

Idk why they had to keep using that huge mobo in the AES through its lifespan... Have you seen the later model 1 slot MVS boards? They're tiny! They should have made a AES slim or something later in its life and sold it for a lower price. Hell, even the neo geo CD probably could have been made smaller and cheaper than the Sega Saturn and playstation. sometimes I think SNK was run by dumbasses, even though they made awesome games.

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It might have been too expensive for SNK to mold a new case and fabricate a completely new board. Even then, the Neo Geo cart system was not a great seller, the cartridges couldn't be cost reduced much either. The AES was removed from production in 1997 or somewhere around there. The MVS was still selling, so it made sense to keep going with that.

Well the consoles that have broken on me are Dreamcast, PS2 and Snes.

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Originally Posted by NostalgicMachine

That's exactly why I didn't list it. Sturdy, but lots of air in der. I think this same problem is what makes the original NES so unreliable.

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The model 1 saturn is pretty cramped inside but seems to be more prone to failure.

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Originally Posted by Thunderblaze16

I have yet to see an N64 that didn't work.

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I have two :(

I think SNES, MegaDrive and MasterSystem (especially model 2 SMS) might be the sturdiest, no moving parts whatsoever and solid encased PCBs.
NES is built very well too, but the ZIF connector could probably snap rather easily if you really tried.

Just about any console with a CD or DVD drive is just asking to break if you ask me, but only if treated rather rough.

I've been through 2 Dreamcasts. My launch model died and I traded it in to Walmart for another unit that had the launch packaging. The second DC started having disc read problems and wouldn't hold the date and time; it was stolen from my apartment shortly after.

I still have my lauch Saturn and it works as well as the day I'd bought. The cartridge slot started acting up after using a cheap Pro-Action Replay, but after cleaning the slot it seems to be working fine with all the carts I put into it. I'd say the Saturn is the most sturdy disc based system, behind the Gamecube.

The Genesis feels really sturdy, but I somehow think the Japanese Mega Drive is a bit more fragile.
Maybe it's because it's much lighter than its American counterpart

Probably just like how famicom is made from cheaper plastic and parts, doesn't feel nearly as sturdy as the NES.

Sturdiest: Atari 5200 - Big as a horse and weighs about 5 pounds.

Flimsiest: Xbox360 - Look at it wrong and you will get RROD failure.

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Originally Posted by tz101

Sturdiest: Atari 5200 - Big as a horse and weighs about 5 pounds.

Flimsiest: Xbox360 - Look at it wrong and you will get RROD failure.

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Except the 5200 controllers are good for a couple of games and then just completely fall apart.

My experience with different systems:

-Atari 2600: Models prior to the Jr. are pretty much sturdy as all hell, though I did have two Light Sixers with some broken switches and one of them had unfixable discoloration in the graphics, so I just made a fully-working Light Sixer out of those two consoles. The Jr., on the other hand, feels quite cheap, though I haven't had one break on me yet.
-Atari 5200: My console has finicky controller ports, but aside from that, it's a tough son of a bitch.
-Atari 7800: Prone to issues with the Power, Reset, Select and Pause buttons, but that's about it.
-NES/Famicom: Front-Loader NES has issues with the cartridge slot (and I've found some with faulty PPUs, as well), Top-Loader NES is a lot more reliable (the plastic does creak a bit, however) and the AV Famicom is quite sturdy, too, and the Twin Famicom has the typical problems associated with the Famicom Disk System.
-Super NES/Super Famicom: Very sturdy so long as it hasn't discolored, but appears prone to unexpected PPU problems (at least the older models). I did once have a Super NES Mini with completely screwed up sound.
-Nintendo 64: I only had one console with a finicky cartridge slot, but once that was fixed, I never had a single problem with the Nintendo 64.
-GameCube: I dropped my original indigo GameCube on tiled flooring in 2002 and although there are two chips in the plastic, the console itself still runs like it was brand new.
-Wii: My spare Wii has a rather unresponsive Eject button and I've seen a few have issues reading discs such as my friend's Wii.
-Master System: I found a Model 1 with a blown 7805, most likely due to user error. When kept stock, they're reliable, but if you solder to them too much, particularly if you solder to the video encoder (at least with the CXA1145 models), you'll have problems.
-Genesis/MegaDrive: Model 1 is prone to capacitor issues (pre-VA5, mainly), Model 2 has issues with the DC 10V input, haven't had a problem with the Model 3 unless I screwed up a mod, CDX appears to have some issues with the laser, add-ons, at least the 32X and Sega CD Model 2, are quite reliable aside from blown fuses (Sega CD) and dislodged ribbon cables (32X).
-Saturn: Can't speak for the oval-button model, but the round-button model is a sturdy beast. I just wish that damn battery wasn't there for the internal RAM.(was it really necessary to use volatile memory for this?)
-Dreamcast: I've come across one that doesn't like burned games that are burned at under 12x, and of course, the battery again.
-TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine: The only PC Engines I have experience with are the Duo-R and SuperGrafx, and they're quite reliable. The TurboGrafx 16 does have issues with the RF box and the motherboard is a REALLY cheap pile of shit. And that CD-ROM add-on... TOTAL CRAP! Unless you have a Duo console, in which case it's CONSIDERABLY more reliable.
-Intellivision: I can only speak for the Intellivision II, which feels cheap, but isn't all that unreliable.
-ColecoVision: Finicky as hell and HIGHLY prone to RAM failure.
-PlayStation: Consistent laser issues.
-PlayStation 2: These things like to blow fuses a lot and the fat models have quite a few issues with the laser.
-PlayStation 3: A disc did manage to get stuck in the 320GB slim I have, but that was due to glue from a rental sticker (I hate these things so much) and I had some corruption on the console, but that wasn't a big deal, the console itself fixed it.
-Xbox: This thing is built like a f***ing tank. Very sturdy and very heavy, too.
-Xbox 360: The fat model is the single most unreliable console I have ever come across. No need to repeat all the problems they have as I'm sure most are familiar with them.

So many different ways people are taking this thread.

Sturdiness: ths AES does feel very cheap and flimsy. The SuperGrafx has a more solid shell, but it feels like Masters if the Universe playset plastic and is very light. The Intellivision I & III and their pads are very sturdy. I once broke one of
f the air vents of a TurboDuo while cleaning the exterior and tore a whole in the back of another when I stepped on the AC plug. I've encountered many cracked SNES systems and one particularly smashed unit is what I am currently playing on. I plan on swapping the shell for one of the many dead SNES systems I've picked up over the years. I also have a collection of Genesis model 1 & 2 systems with various defects and physical damage.

Of over a dozen people I know with original model 360s, only one might have red ringed. They just sent it off as soon as one of the lights went red and got a free replacement. Everyone I know who had an original model Playstation had it break down. Only one person I know didn't have their original model Playstation 2 break down.

I don't think its even possible to break a model 2 master system, i dropped mine down a flight of stairs as a kid breaking its casing pretty badly but it still works like a champ to this day, the N64 is also very solid.

My xbox 360 broke within a couple of months and i never even bothered getting it repaired with the warranty instead i just bought a Playstation 3 which has been working no problem since 2008.

Sturdiest I'd say goes to the Model 2 Saturn. I dropped mine down the stairs as a kid and aside from extremely minor case damage (one of the thin pieces of plastic on the bottom vents broke off) it still in fine running condition. It's still my only Saturn and I use it regularly to this day.

Flimsiest I'd give to the Model 1 US NES and SNES. The reason for this is because the plastic cases do not feel very sturdy to me. Basically the ones I've used I've noticed the plastic tends to give when you push on it. And I hate the power and reset buttons. The Model 2 systems and foreign models seem to be fine from what I've experienced though.

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Originally Posted by doomguy

I don't think its even possible to break a model 2 master system, i dropped mine down a flight of stairs as a kid breaking its casing pretty badly but it still works like a champ to this day

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Must be the combination of through-hole components on a rather thick PCB, No moving components, sturdy connectors, metal casing around the PCB and not too cramped plastic casing :B
Simple, elegant, sturdy. ;)

Flimsiest:
-Xbox 360 (original)
-PS2 Slim
-Wii (the latest model w/o backwards compatibility)

Sturdiest:
-Atari 2600 (The sturdiest of all consoles ever made)
-Sega Genesis (Models 1 and 2)
-SNES (Model 1)
-SMS (Model 1)
-NES (Model 1)

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Originally Posted by gamevet

Except the 5200 controllers are good for a couple of games and then just completely fall apart.

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Umm, have you ever owned a 5200? Refurbed controllers have lasted me for 3 years now and still going strong.

Awesome thread. Obvious machine:

Xbox 360

360s die easily, poor cooling / cheap solder, maybe later ones are good.

Maybe not so obvious:

Pc engine / turbografx 16
pc engine / tg16 cd attachment unit

The pc engine is durable but hucard technology isn't
The cd attachment for the console has a gear which sits on a non rotating pole, eventually that gear breaks from the stress since it can't rotate freely

Famicom cartridge shells
NES cartridge shells

Famicom cartridge cases are held together with tabs. It's a royal pain getting these cases open without damaging the tabs that hold the case together. It's just a terrible design

NES cartridge shells are better built but they're mostly empty. And there's also the issue of the nes pcb pins not sticking out far enough to properly connect with the system

The NES Zero insertion force system

This is the original "wtf is this shit" design flaw. The cause of people bowing on their carts is all thanks to the stupid fauly zif system.

Regarding lack of rf shielding I always remove rf shielding from consoles I work on and they run fine.

Regarding lack of proper av outputs a lot of older machines have these video formats internally just they aren't wired up to any av port. But these consoles were designed for the common idiot to plug into their tv easily so I'll let that one slide.

I'd like guntz to expand more on what's so bad about the model 1 genesis power switch. The switch itself is just as strong as any power switch in other consoles, maybe the plastic piece connecting to the pcb switch is cheap?

Model 1 genesis is a pretty perfectly built console. Old console power bricks can stop working because the wires between the bricks and the consoles are too thin but that's across many different consoles (except for my pc engine cd interface unit that thing has a huge wires mwahahahaha)

Starmist I've seen a dead 3do.

The 32x system has those d@mn stupid ribbon cables. I have two working 32x machines both run fine but I can totally see how easy it would be for those ribbon cables to crap out.

Again, since it seems like you guys only ever had experience with the OLD models, the redesigned slim 360s have been pretty good.

Can't speak for durability as i wasn't about to go subjecting mine to a few 10 foot drops, but as far as operation? My mid 2010 4GB model has run perfect to this day.

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Originally Posted by Ace

-TurboGrafx 16/PC Engine: The only PC Engines I have experience with are the Duo-R and SuperGrafx, and they're quite reliable. The TurboGrafx 16 does have issues with the RF box and the motherboard is a REALLY cheap pile of shit. And that CD-ROM add-on... TOTAL CRAP! Unless you have a Duo console, in which case it's CONSIDERABLY more reliable.

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THIS. The TG16 is quite easily the cheapest piece of crap vintage console I've ever owned. NEC really, REALLY cheaped out on that console. The plastic shell sucks, the PCB is mounted upside down, has only one controller port, no power LED, RF only, the RF shielding is SOLDERED to the PCB and the general quality of the PCB itself is very, VERY poor. That odd plastic expansion slot cover is really tacky too. The whole console just feels like a mess. Sure the games are fun, but the console's build quality is just terrible. The original PC Engine sort of made sense, with it's tiny design, but the TG16 is much larger. It ends up looking like NEC copped out on the features and quality of the console.

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Originally Posted by Drakon

Regarding lack of rf shielding I always remove rf shielding from consoles I work on and they run fine.

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I usually try to keep the RF shielding if at all possible, but sometimes it just as to go (TG16 and Model 2 Genesis for instance).

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Regarding lack of proper av outputs a lot of older machines have these video formats internally just they aren't wired up to any av port. But these consoles were designed for the common idiot to plug into their tv easily so I'll let that one slide.

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No, my problem was with the Neo Geo, a supposedly high end video game system. There's no excuse why SNK couldn't have offered S-Video. Composite isn't what I call "arcade quality". They just cheaped out like the bastards they usually were.

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I'd like guntz to expand more on what's so bad about the model 1 genesis power switch. The switch itself is just as strong as any power switch in other consoles, maybe the plastic piece connecting to the pcb switch is cheap?

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Yes, it's the plastic cap that resides in the console shell that is flimsy. What happens is the melted plastic/glue holding the switch cap in place weakens, which then makes it difficult to move the actual power switch. Some of my Model 1s are still good, but others need fixed switch caps.

Good point, if a snes can come with all the nice av outs then the AES certainly should have. I'm so glad I havn't encountered the genesis 1 power switch problem.

As for the original gameboy rows of pixels on the lcd tend to die. I even found a demonstration on how to fix the problem it's such a common issue. I even found a gba sp once with that problem and the gba sp is one solid machine.

CD systems that're tray style are asking for being broken, flip top fo life.

As for the ps2 slim mine seems to be indestructable for some bizarre reason, but I can certainly see how easily the ps2 slim could break.

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

Flimsiest:
-Xbox 360 (original)
-PS2 Slim
-Wii (the latest model w/o backwards compatibility)

Sturdiest:
-Atari 2600 (The sturdiest of all consoles ever made)
-Sega Genesis (Models 1 and 2)
-SNES (Model 1)
-SMS (Model 1)
-NES (Model 1)

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Uhm, nes model 1, excluding the zif system right?

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Originally Posted by TrekkiesUnite118

Sturdiest I'd say goes to the Model 2 Saturn. I dropped mine down the stairs as a kid

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Accidently, I hope?