The SNES took a several years old, cheap CPU used in early PCs, and added some good 2d graphics capabilities. I wouldn't call it a powerhouse, but it was powerful for specific use cases/types of games.
Comparing to PCE and MD is interesting, the differences in capability seem roughly in line with the different release dates. Being first to market doesn't work in the industry and many consoles were skipped by most consumers. These days MS and Sony are synchronized in terms of release dates, and Nintendo does it's own thing, releasing whenever they feel like it.
GC is kind of interesting, it's kind of halfway between the high performance target of N64 and the philosophy of older hardware + something unique.
Comparing to PCE and MD is interesting, the differences in capability seem roughly in line with the different release dates. Being first to market doesn't work in the industry and many consoles were skipped by most consumers. These days MS and Sony are synchronized in terms of release dates, and Nintendo does it's own thing, releasing whenever they feel like it.
GC is kind of interesting, it's kind of halfway between the high performance target of N64 and the philosophy of older hardware + something unique.
For what it's worth SNES is my all-time favorite.