Atari or Nintendo?

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

Which company do you think had a bigger impact on the video game industry Atari or Nintendo? I think Nintendo had a bigger impact on video gaming because they saved the video game industry from the crash in 1983.

They also shattered the concept that video gaming is just fad that's never to come back and I'm kind of partial to Nintendo since the first console I've played with was the N.E.S.

Another fact that I think is worth mentioning is that Mario a soulless character who started out as a 2D sprite in the Donkey Kong arcade game became more recognizable than Mickey Mouse.

[Malboro_Menace]

Nintendo. I think that not only has their icon, Mario, has had much more of an impact on not only gamers, but popular culture too. I mean come on everyone knows him.

[RiseToFall]

If Nintendo didn't exist, I wouldn't be typing this right now.

[Nominus Experse]

Nintendo is, in many ways, what we call God or Savior

[Araciel]

atari did make video games mainstream and popular, but nintendo made them so much more, made them better marketed, more interesting and more recognizable as a form of entertainment

[KentaRawr!]

While Atari didn't MAKE the video game industry, they are one of the early birds. However, during that time, video gaming was playing a game. The industry we have now respects video games in a very different way, so I'll go ahead and say Nintendo.

[Larahl]

Because of Nintendo we play video-games today.

[Timerk]

Atari brought video games into the home, but Nintendo had a bigger impact on hardware and software going into the future.

You have to say Nintendo, just because they gave the world Mario.

[ishashobar]

Nintendo.what really annoys me though is that most people never heard of the crash and as some people is my school used to say in the gamecube era "Nintendo is crap and has never done anything useful"

[JKTrix]

Atari did pioneer the home gaming era, but Nintendo is the one who really brought it onto the map. Oh, and Nintendo is still here. (The name 'Atari' has been owned by at least 2 different companies)

[Odaisé Gaelach]

No doubt that Nintendo had the better influence on video games, but Atari had the bigger influence, both positive and negative. They helped expand the video games market to the point where a market crash would be serious.

And then they caused it. Thanks, ET.


Another fact that I think is worth mentioning is that Mario a soulless character who started out as a 2D sprite in the Donkey Kong arcade game became more recognizable than Mickey Mouse.

Jumpman. His name back then was Jumpman.

[steve the pirate]

nintendo has had games like zelda, mario samus, chrono trigger, donkey kong, and of course final fantasy

[Bunny]

But guys Atari brought us E.T. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_%28Atari_2600%29)!

How could you forget?

[XxSephirothxX]

I think Atari had the more important impact on the industry, really bringing games into the home for the first time. Nintendo has probably done more since then, but if it weren't for Atari back in the 70s and early 80s, Nintendo would not have had the opportunities to spread their own unique brand of innovation.

[Dreddz]

Atari, for the reasons Azar pointed out.

[JKTrix]

Could you imagine if Nintendo and Atari actually did partner up all those years ago? How different things would be now?
I'd imagine the Nintendo Playstation would have actually happened. Even though Japan is still making all the decisions, I'd imagine the american influence from the Atari folks might have gone in favour of the Sony deal. The history of home video gaming would have likely been very different than what it is now.

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

But guys Atari brought us E.T. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_%28Atari_2600%29)!

How could you forget?

Yeah but E.T. sucks that game became the icon of the crash.