Regarding the SNES as PSX's Father, the reason I loved it is because it is my personal belief that without the SNES' influence, playstation never would have become what it was. SNES was, in my opinion, a magnificent platform - an 'esper' if there ever was one in consoles. We lost a lot in the transition to 3D, but the playstation was brilliant in that it still carried some of the magic that the SNES was so well known for. Realistically, some the different aspects of their relationship that I'm referring to might be purely incidental of the times, and have nothing to do with the original design purpose of the playstation (or Snes CD)... but a piece of my heart leaps when I think back to the old snes days, and is comforted when I remember all the good times I had with my playstation. I just can't get into the new-age swing of things.
Such is life, I suppose.