Photo: simonkr (Getty Images)
Every video game system had bright spots in 2018, but a couple shone more than most. Not every system saw the release of multiple killer exclusives, and fans demanding that publishers put every new game on the platform didn’t happen for every company.
This year had a couple of standouts in terms of hardware, and each platform has its own upside. Whether that’s the go-anywhere nature of the Nintendo Switch or the millions of customization options found on PC, there’s something for everyone.
It was a good year for some systems, not so great for others. Here’s a ranking of the video game systems in 2018 from the least interesting to gotta have it:
Try these, if you dare: The 15 Most Addictive Video Games of 2018
Plug in your headphones for these: The 9 Best Music Video Games You’ll Ever Play
Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Best Gaming Systems 2018
-
Mobile Phones
Pokemon Go showed how the right series of events can turn people into mobile phone gamers in droves. Unfortunately, that was two years ago and besides Fortnite, there's not a lot of reasons to use a phone as your main gaming setup.
Photo: Zhang Peng/LightRocket (Getty Images)
-
Xbox One
The Xbox One tried to turn gamers' heads by releasing the Xbox One X and creating Game Pass. The reaction to both shows that without good exclusive games, all that horsepower amounts to nothing.
Photo: Mat Hayward (Getty Images)
-
Nintendo Switch
A revelation in its first year with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, the second year hasn't had nearly as big of a splash for Nintendo. A new Smash Bros should help, and being able to play games on-the-go is still a game-changer.
Photo: Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
-
PC Gaming
The rise of Bitcoin made getting into PC gaming more expensive, but having two Virtual Reality options and Steam more than made up for it.
Photo: Thierry Le Fouille/SOPA Images/LightRocket (Getty Images)
-
Playstation 4
Playstation showed again in 2018 that when you have amazing games, nothing else really matters. Spiderman and God of War left non-PS4 owners feeling more than left out. As the only console with a VR option and killer exclusives, Playstation had a stellar 2018.
Photo: Christian Petersen (Getty Images)