When I teach history in my classes, I find that many students will ask me “which was better,” when in reality they really want to know why different people would prefer different options. In other words, the question “what was the better option” usually misses the interesting part of the story — which is “why did the various groups of people prefer their respective options differently.” The debate over whether the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) or the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) was “the better console” is an excellent illustration of this phenomenon. Students spent literally decades debating the issue and despite the passion in their debates, the vast majority of the time, the debate was not over which console was “objectively better“. Rather, the debate was over what each of the two consoles represented, and which type of person each console best served.
The SNES and the Mega Drive launched during the late 1980s. The SNES launched in Japan in 1990 and in North America in 1991. The Mega Drive launched in Japan in 1988 and in North America in 1989. Thus, Sega had a three-year head start on Nintendo, but ultimately, Nintendo’s “marketing machine” and its “library of games” dominated in terms of sales. However, that does not mean that the Mega Drive was inferior to the SNES; rather, it simply means that Nintendo was able to win the battle for marketing dollars and the battle for retail shelf space, which are different questions from “which console had better games”.
It was not until years later that people finally admitted the truth, namely that both consoles were truly superior. The Mega Drive was different from the SNES. The Mega Drive had strengths in different areas. Each console appealed to different gamers. Each console had a different library of games. Ultimately, neither console was objectively superior to the other — each console was simply different and a gamer’s preference was reflective of the type of gaming experience that he or she desired to enjoy.
The Super Nintendo Had Genuine Advantages
There were several genuine advantages that the Super Nintendo had over the Mega Drive. First, the processor of the SNES was more powerful in certain respects. Second, the graphics capabilities of the SNES, especially Mode 7 (which allowed for the creation of the illusion of 3-D rotation and scaling), were visually impressive and technically brilliant. Third, games such as Star Fox and F-Zero showcased capabilities of the SNES that the Mega Drive could not match. Fourth, the SNES had a broader color palette than the Mega Drive. Fifth, the sound chip of the SNES was more sophisticated than that of the Mega Drive. Sixth, and perhaps most importantly, Nintendo had a significant amount of third party support for its console. As such, Square, Enix, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy — the largest Japanese RPG franchises — belonged to Nintendo. Capcom’s flagship titles were released primarily on the SNES. Overall, the library of the SNES was truly impressive across all genres. Finally, Nintendo’s own first party titles were exceptional. Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, and Donkey Kong Country were all exemplary titles that demonstrated the capabilities of the SNES.
The SNES controller became iconic. The SNES controller was designed to be used by gamers. The button layout of the SNES controller was designed specifically for fighting games and to accommodate the input of arcade to console conversions. Street Fighter II on the SNES became the standard by which all subsequent versions of Street Fighter II were judged for years to come.
Additionally, Nintendo’s marketing efforts were among the most successful of any company. They had the cultural momentum. They had the retail relationships. They had the perception of dominance that made developers want to develop for their platform. This created a self-reinforcing cycle of success where the third party support for the SNES helped create more sales, which created even more third party support.
The Mega Drive Had Strengths That Get Overlooked in Retrospectives
While the SNES had several genuine advantages, the Mega Drive had strengths that get overlooked in many retrospectives. For example, the Mega Drive’s processor was faster at performing certain tasks. Additionally, the Mega Drive had superior sprite handling. The sound chip of the Mega Drive, a Yamaha FM synthesis engine, produced a distinct sound that many arcade conversion focused developers appreciated. Compare Sonic the Hedgehog’s soundtrack to Super Mario Bros 3’s soundtrack and you can hear the difference. The Mega Drive produced a sound that was more brash and energetic than the sound of the SNES. The sound of the SNES was more polished and orchestral than the sound of the Mega Drive. Ultimately, neither console produced a sound that was inherently better, they simply approached the problem of producing a sound in different ways.
Additionally, Sega’s dominance in the late 1980s in the arcade market meant that many arcade-perfect ports were released on the Mega Drive. Fighting games, shooters, and other action games that originated in arcades typically played better on the Mega Drive due to the similarities between the hardware of the Mega Drive and arcade hardware. Golden Axe, Shinobi, Gunstar Heroes, and Thunder Force IV were examples of games that provided an authentic arcade experience on the Mega Drive.
Finally, Sonic the Hedgehog became Sega’s Mario. While it is true that Mario-based games may be superior overall, Sonic created a distinct design philosophy. The games of Sonic rewarded speed and momentum in ways that other platformers did not. The games of Sonic looked and felt distinct. The games of Sonic were marketed with a distinct attitude. Sega positioned itself as the “cool, edgy alternative” to Nintendo’s “family-friendly” approach. While this was a marketing position, it also reflected the design philosophies of the games being developed.
Sega’s sports games were also superior. Sega Sports titles eventually became competitive with and then surpassed Nintendo’s sports titles. Joe Montana Football, Madden on Genesis, and NBA Live were all serious gaming experiences for sports fans. The Mega Drive became the primary console of choice for serious sports gamers.
The Libraries Were Different, Not Objectively Inferior
Nowhere is the subjective nature of this debate more evident than in the comparison of the libraries of the two consoles. The libraries of the two consoles were different. The SNES had more exclusive games overall. The Mega Drive had better arcade translations. The SNES had the dominant RPG franchise titles of Square, Enix, etc., and thus engaged RPG fans. The Mega Drive had the sports titles and the action titles that engaged sports and action gamers respectively.
The parallax scrolling and pre-rendered sprites of the Donkey Kong Country series of games on the SNES showcased the graphics capabilities of the SNES. The Mega Drive had no equivalent. However, games such as Rocket Knight Adventures and other action titles on the Mega Drive showcased what the Mega Drive was capable of doing graphically. Both consoles had impressive graphics in different ways.
The SNES had clear first-party dominance. The games of Nintendo were exceptional and consistently well-developed. Kirby Super Star, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, F-Zero, and Star Fox were all examples of exceptionally well-designed games that were unique to the SNES. The Mega Drive’s first-party titles were not as strong. However, Sega developed many excellent games for the Mega Drive and there were many excellent third-party titles developed for the Mega Drive. Treasure’s games, including Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, and Light Crusader, were virtually all Mega Drive exclusives. These games showcased design sophistication that was distinct from the designs of games developed for the SNES. Electronic Arts also developed many major titles for the Mega Drive.
Ultimately, the real question is “what type of games did you want to play?”. If you wanted to play RPGs, the SNES was obviously superior. If you wanted to play sports games, the Mega Drive had the better library. If you wanted to play arcade-style games, the Mega Drive played them better. If you wanted to play Nintendo’s exceptional first-party titles, the SNES was obviously superior. If you wanted to play fast-paced, aggressive, action-oriented games, the Mega Drive offered something unique.
The Console Wars Created Tribal Loyalty
The console wars created tribal loyalty among gamers. Gamers spent years defending their console choices, in part, because they had invested money in their console and in part because choosing a console was akin to choosing a philosophy of gaming. SNES gamers valued Nintendo’s commitment to creating polished, well-designed games. Mega Drive gamers valued Sega’s commitment to creating arcade-style games and its bold, edgy attitude.
Nintendo ultimately won the console wars commercially and culturally. The SNES is remembered more fondly in retrospectives. Nintendo’s games are more celebrated. However, much of this can be attributed to Nintendo’s ability to convince gamers that their console was the only one that mattered.
Periodically, gamers will rediscover the library of the Mega Drive and be surprised by how good the games are, because the commercial failure of the Mega Drive led gamers to assume that the games must have been inferior.
Is This Debate Still Relevant Today?
Looking back, both consoles were truly excellent. The technical differences between the two consoles were less relevant than gamers claimed. Both consoles were capable of impressive things and both consoles produced many great games. Ultimately, the debate over which console was “better” was always a debate over personal preference and taste, not over which console was objectively superior.
More importantly, both consoles made important contributions to gaming history. The SNES solidified Nintendo’s position as the dominant force in the industry for generations to come. The Mega Drive proved that Sega was a force to be reckoned with in the gaming industry and that it could compete with Nintendo in terms of software quality. This competition drove the production of better games on both consoles because developers were forced to justify their console choice to consumers.
If you bought a retro console recently, buy based on which library of games you are more interested in playing and not on some abstract notion of which console is objectively superior. The SNES has more games overall and more diversity. The Mega Drive offers unique gaming experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Both consoles are worth owning if you are a serious retro gamer.
Ultimately, the greatest lesson that can be learned from the debate over the SNES and Mega Drive is that console wars are marketing battles and taste battles, not objective battles. Both consoles were superior in different ways and both consoles produced legendary games. Both consoles deserve to be celebrated and the years that were spent arguing over which was “better” miss the fact that gamers were given the opportunity to play amazing games on whatever console they chose.
Joe’s a history teacher who treats the console wars like actual history. A lifelong Sega devotee from Phoenix, he writes with passion, humor, and lingering heartbreak over the Dreamcast. Expect strong opinions, bad puns, and plenty of “blast processing.”
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