Relive the Console Wars throughout the years as told through the commercials that fired each shot.

The term “Console Wars” has been thrown around a lot recently since the end of the 7th generation and beginning of the 8th generation of gaming systems. Lately, it seems like the battles between fan-boys have been more vicious than they have been in years. But this is certainly not a new thing. Video game companies have been taking shots at each other, both subtle and blatant, for years. What do you think? Who threw the best punches? Let us know in the comments below!

Atari XE system (Atari vs. Nintendo)

When the NES hit the market, Atari previously had a tight grip on the gaming industry despite the gaming crash of 1983. The NES was selling very well and revived the world of gaming. Atari was determined to stay in the lead and turned to advertising in hopes of promoting the Atari XE system over the NES.

“Are you gonna buy the same old Gameboy?” (Atari vs. Nintendo)

And let the trash talking begin! Not content with just asserting that the Atari Lynx boasted a larger screen, color graphics, stereo speakers and reversible controls, Atari hoped to squash the GameBoy and take over the handheld market.

“Blast Processing”/ “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” (Sega vs. Nintendo)

When Sega broke into the gaming market, they branded the next generation of gaming as the 16-Bit era with their 16-Bit console – the Sega Genesis. Genesis got out ahead of the SNES and were equal contenders for a long time. Sega put a lot of effort into slinging mud at Nintendo, and they even went as far as to create a catchy jingle to go with their slogan “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.” From their action-pack ads to their “cool-guy” announcers, Sega showed no mercy in trashing Nintendo.

Game Gear vs. GameBoy (Sega vs. Nintendo)

Sega also took a shot at the GameBoy when they released their Game Gear portable game system. This handheld was much bigger than the GameBoy and featured full color gaming. Too bad powering it with 6 AA batteries never caught on.

Star Fox 64 Commercial (Nintendo vs. Sega & Sony)

Enter the PSOne. For the first time in gaming, there were three large consoles battling it out for dominance. This feature length TV spot (and Nintendo Power gift to subscribers) had Nintendo dishing out a little retaliation of its own.

Crash Bandicoot Commercial (Sony vs. Nintendo)

It’s Mascot vs. Mascot in this commercial. I’ll let it speak for itself.

Sega Saturn vs. PlayStation (Sega vs. Sony)

Sega decided to give newcomer Sony a piece of its mind with this one. Seems like there was only room for one disc-based console on this planet.

How to Share Used Games on PS4 (Sony vs. Microsoft) – E3 2013

During the 6th and 7th generation of gaming, corporations seemed to have cooled off with their public acts of humiliation and let the fans do all the “console warring” for them. But when E3 2013 came around, Sony was ready to make Microsoft pay for their initial used game policies.

Who do you side with in the Console Wars?? Let us know in the comments below.