I am probably going to get hate for this, but I don’t think too highly of this console.
Sure, some of the games at the time were astonishing and well regarded classics, but man oh man do I dislike the controller, it just feels so… alien to hold you know?
Another thing too, the cartridge format whilst snappy, suffered from making too many cutbacks compared to the disc format of PS1 and Saturn which gave you pretty much the full scoop.
I am sure Nintnedo had their reasons at the time, but to me it was almost like it was a death by a thousand cuts scenario, a really powerful machine let down by not using what is literally the next gen medium at the time.
Let me know your thoughts, it is fine to disagree as the console is well respected with both nostalgia and entertainment, I’m just an outlier here.
The controller had a weird and unfortunate shape. It’s still miles better than any PS controller due to Sony’s refusal to put the stick on a natural position for the the thumb.
Sega and then Microsoft (after the first huge iteration) got both general shape and analog positions right.
Cartridge is an indefensible choice, it was perhaps borne of Nintendo’s falling out with Sony that prejudiced them against CD. Nintendo probably liked that they were more difficult to pirate as well, gamers not as much evidently. The Gamecube going optical but with a bizarre reversed mini-dvd is even worse.
There’s also a complete absence of software from your post, whatever it’s shortcomings Nintendo and Rare pushed some amazing games on it which people remember fondly.