For me is was all about the Atari 2600. A joystick and a red button was all that was needed to fly, drive and battle my way to happiness. We didn't have a lot of money so I got the games after they had been out for a while and had been discounted or bought used. My Mother would sit on the floor with me in front of our big, heavy console tv and play Space Invaders for hours a week. She actually liked it and enjoyed having something we could do together as did I.
So what about you guys?