The first game console I ever owned was an Atari 2600, but it came from a yard sale and didn't have the box. The first console I ever purchased new and opened myself was a Super Nintendo, and let me tell you, that was the best choice of my gaming life. One could go wrong with Super Mario All-Stars and Wanderers From Ys III. :)
Sounds about like me, I couldn't afford a new Atari 2600, so we picked one up used. Mother bought my a NES new and a Saga Genesis later on as they came out. I enjoyed them both. I never bought a gaming system for myself, I got into computer gaming instead. I bought a loaded Alien and then later started building my own PCs. Well, I did end up buying a PS3 but only because it was slightly cheaper than a Bluray player.
Sega genesis on its time rocked! The Sega CD was something different and fell in love with Phantasy Star RPG. Gaming PCs are a whole other level though ;-) thanks for sharing.
I had a similar experience. My Atari was a hand me down from a family member. Several years later I got the original NES for xmas. I remember vividly how cool it was to open that box and play Mario Bros for the first time. Thanks for sharing!