Video games have come on leaps and bounds (usually over things like mushrooms) since the early days of Pong, with plenty of unforgettable moments along the way – polygonal Lara Croft in the shower, anyone?

None of which would have been possible if it wasn’t for the consoles that power them. So here we’ve paid tribute to the most game-changing game-boxes with a rundown of the all-time greats. Player 1, press start.

Nintendo Wii

Video games aren’t always family-friendly (Grand Theft Auto with grandma is never going to be anyone’s Sunday activity of choice). Smashed TVs aside, the Wii was an alternative breath of fresh air, and one of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles – shifting 101 million units worldwide.

The motion-sensor console had something for everyone: mum could do Zumba, sister could learn Rihanna’s dance moves and grandpa could accidentally clock a young child in the face whenever he fancied a round of tennis.

PlayStation 1

The godfather of the gaming world. For kids of a certain age, owning the original PlayStation was akin to being part of a religious cult.

The console, first released in 1995, remains one of the most revered machines ever built. Sure, the ‘cutting-edge’ 3D graphics and loading times are headache-inducing and mind-numbingly slow by today’s standards – but at the time, they were revolutionary and marked Sony out as the don of console makers.

Playstation 2

Sheer volume is what made the PlayStation 2 great. Not only did developers continually produce games exclusive to the console, securing its must-own status, but Sony had also sold over 155 million units worldwide by the end of its first decade.

As testament to its above-and-beyond power, the PS2 aged far better than most competitors. In fact, production only ceased in 2013 – a staggering 13 years after its release.