Help me make a purchase: Xbox vs PS2

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  • Reply 61 of 106
    actually, it appears to me that sega has partnered with Nintendo. most of their titles that were sega alone have been moved to gamecube.



    thank god too, they make great games.
  • Reply 62 of 106
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    So, my experiences are like this: One roommate owns a PS2, a good firend owns a gamecube and every good game ever made for that system, and I own an XBox.



    I bought an XBox, four controlers, and the DVD playback kit (remote + ir receiver). I actually don't own that many games because I buy quality , I have picky game tastes, and I don't actually want to spend all my life playing games (I recently decided to go to graduate school for fun).



    Here is how the comparisons go: If the game is cross platform, then it rules on the XBox and stinks most on the PS2. It is difficult to describe how bad Turok looks on the PS2.



    If the game is an internet game, then it rules on the XBox. XBox live is in beta right now and goes live in a bit over a month.



    If the game is a mario game and that is your genre, then buy a gamecube- Nintendo makes some good games and rev's each franchise for each new console game. Maybe XBox can start to compete with Blinx, maybe not. Rogue squadron is a great game and is quite enjoyable. Aside from the Nintendo games, there aren't as many games for the system. Nintendo really likes controlling their system, but at least they produce quality games.



    If you want to play final fantasy X, then get a PS2. Be aware that you can sink 40+ hours into the game, but that there isn't much to do once it has been played (even my roommate who got into Chokobo breeding can't stand to play the game anymore and has given up FFX in favor of Halo).



    If you want to play back DVD's, then the XBox rules. It is far better at decompressing DVD's than the PS2. I don't miss using my roommates PS2 to playback DVD's with poor contrast. The gamecube can't even play back DVD's- something that is quite useful, and something that you get mostly for free with either of the two other systems. My XBox is my primary DVD player and it is great in this role.



    The XBox hard drive rules. In contrast to the person who says that HD's have a 2 year lifespan, the HD will last and provides amazing online options (downloading updates to games). Further, the HD means longer level loads upfront, but no level loads in the middle of a level (it's called caching). Best of all is the option to rip your favorite CD tracks onto the XBox and use them for your own game soundtracks.



    FPS games on a controller are actually pretty good. I was really sceptical until I played Halo for a couple of hours and was amazed at how well you could do a FPS on a console.



    Something to bear in mind is that it isn't about how many games you can get to market (who in the world buy all the games for a given system?), but how many games are made for a system that you would actually go out and buy. For me, there are about seven XBox games that I will buy and will completely master (i.e. spend 40+ hours on each one). Personally, I'm a giant robot simulator kind of guy, so the existence of Tekki for the XBox, and the upcoming release of robotech battlecry are what draws me to the platform.



    Finally, MS isn't going to disappear from this market. They are determined to be in the market, and as a card carrying Apple fanatic, I am Glad that they are in this market because they are working to up the frequency of console updates (no problem as long as they are backwards compatible), and they are working to present a better console game story. People who fear a future MS monopoly are usually blind to the dangers of a future Sony or Nintendo monopoly. MS is no worse than Sony.
  • Reply 63 of 106
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    1080i is not 1080P. Basically those games will run a sort of SLI'ed 540P internally and ouput as 1080i. There's no reason to do more than that as all but one or two extremely expensive HDTV decoders will give you anything better than 1080i. Xbox has just about enough grunt to push HDTV frames internally, but again framerate will suffer on all but the simplest games. PC's running GF4Ti, 3X faster CPU's, twice the VRAM drop to well below 60fps when running such resolutions. The Xbox may be more efficient, but it's still dealing with 64MB of shared memory by comparison, (it's fast yes, but if high-end PC's start struggling at such resolutions, the Xbox won't do much better.)



    As to the three year cycle? It's too fast. Xbox will have recouped none of the money spent in it's launch in only three years. That's a huge problem from a M$ standpoint because they'll have to write of Xbox 1 as buyers and developers shift to Xbox2. Part of the beauty of consoles is their closed architecture, even maintaining backwards compatibility, update cycles of 3 years would essentially tun the buying/developing cycle into a PC cycle. That's just too fast. Consumers and developers can't keep up, and neither can the console makers themselves. While this means that consoles fall behind the top PC's towards the end of their lives, they remain remarkably playable and sophisticated giventhe hardware constraints. Look at the last things done on the SNES, N64 and PS1. If someone told you such things would be possible on the given hardware when the console debuted, you wouldn't have believed it, but great gaming experiences were created nonetheless.



    The next time around there wil probably a merger or a withdrawl, or both, but I can't say who will do what.



    PS: Had Sega released the Dreamcast with even a 1X DVD drive, they'd still be selling dreamcast right now.
  • Reply 64 of 106
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    That CNN article is a very good read. There aren't 'factual errors' as was pointed out above since the Xbox launched last in Europe.



    Yes, Microsoft just bought Rare but they are the ones who aren't talking now. There is a strange problem Nintendo and MS seem to have about that sale.



    First of all, Microsoft puchased Rareware, Ltd. which is the company known as 'Rare'. It was 49% owned by Nintendo. Then there was 'Rare, Ltd.' which all Rare trademarks are under that was 100% owned by Nintendo. If that remains true, then Nintendo technically still owns the franchises Rare made such as Dinosaur Planet, Perfect Dark, Conker, and Kameo. But it is also possible that Nintendo sold those franchises to MS along with it's share in Rare. It hasn't been confirmed by either company yet and Kameo is still listed on Nintendo's site as a future GCN release.



    Now onto misconceptions about Sega.



    Sega did not go bankrupt but they did kill the Dreamcast because if they had kept the DC around, they would have eventually gone bankrupt. One of Sega's biggest problems with the Dreamcast was that Sony stole their thunder with it's advertising of the PS2. People waited to see what the fuss was about and when the PS2 was in short supply around the holidays a few years ago, no one wanted a Dreamcast.



    Sony pushed the fact that it's system had a DVD player and the ability to play PS games while the DC could do neither.



    The other thing was that Sega's business model was targeted on people buying games for the system. Unfortunately, games were all to easy to burn and people were just renting games, burning them, and returning the originals, all without ever giving Sega a cent. With really low software sales, Sega couldn't survive another poor selling console like the Saturn.



    Now, Sega has tons of great games coming out on every system including the GameCube (Soccer Slam, Super Monkey Ball 1&2, PSO 1&2, Sonic Adventure), the Xbox (Gunvalkyrie, Jet Set Radio Future, House of the Dead 3, Panzer Dragoon), the PS2 (Rez, Headhunter, Gungrave), and the Game Boy Advance (Sonic Advance 1&2, Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5, Sega Smash Pack, Phantasy Star Collection). Sega's making out very well on the PS2, GBA, GCN, and Xbox in that order. Well that clears up Sega, so back to MS.



    Microsoft's biggest problem right now is exclusive games. The Xbox might be getting the best version of multiplatform games, but they are multiplatform and you could get them for the GCN or PS2 if you wanted to.



    I like Xbox Live (from what I've played), but the online experience from both the Dreamcast and PS2 have been similar. Yes, the MS system is more 'robust' letting you track friends and play tons of games all on the same network, but the PS2/GCN online plan of letting developers run the servers aren't bad either. I think that the $50 cost of Xbox Live is going to turn some people away from it, at least initially.



    But if Microsoft could get some good exclusive games for Xbox Live, it could really help them. Halo being excluded from the service is really hurting it right now since a lot of people consider it the best game on the system. I think sales of Unreal Championship will be a tell tale sign of how the service will do. If it is successful, I think MS will be okay in the market, but if it tanks, it's really bad news for them.



    As for the PS2, Tekken 4 hits stores tomorrow and GTA: Vice City is just around the corner. I've also heard mixed opinions about Kingdom Hearts, Square's new game. It's apparently a Squaresoft RPG with Disney characters thrown in as well. I'm not sure what's up for the PS2 after these games are out.
  • Reply 65 of 106
    stevesteve Posts: 523member
    Star Fox Adventures is out today: there is neither a reason to get an Xbox nor a PS2.
  • Reply 66 of 106
    [quote]the only reason to go xbox would be halo. which of course is coming to mac/pc. <hr></blockquote>



    I can think of some other reasons:



    Morrowind, and I mean, a version that is actually playable on hardware that costs less than $2500 (the PC version is horrifically demanding, even many high-end PCs play it like the Mac version of SimCity 3000 on a 100Mhz Power PC with 64MB of RAM) Yet it still retains all the depth and beauty of the PC version. The developers would like to port it to the PS2, but they said it was impossible due to the hardware limitations of the console.



    Rallisport Challenge terrbily realistic and fun racing game.



    Toe Jam And Earl III Ever play the origional? Yes? Then this needs no explination. A sequel that apparently keeps the best features of the first game, while updating itself for current hardware.



    Jet Set Radio Future excellent game.



    Unreal Championship As a Unreal Tournament player on the Mac and PC, I can say that this is a most welcome addition to the Xbox library.



    Tom Clancys Ghost Recon + Splinter Cell OMG, yes



    Max Payne The complete PC game with no performance issues running at full detail (unlike the horrid PS2 port). Best part is, you only have to rent it. (the game is short, 'yo)



    Blinx: Time Sweeper



    Shemmue II



    Brute Force



    Doom 3 id seems convinced it will look and perform as well as the PC version.



    Deus Ex 2 Need I say more?





    ..............and DOA: Extreme Beach Volleyball
  • Reply 67 of 106
    Oh, and I almost forgot......



    I don't have to buy Memory Cards. I have literally hundreds of saved games.



    I don't have to buy an Ethernet adapter to go online.



    I have Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound support.



    I can create my own soundtracks for games.



    .........and I can play DOA Extreme Beach Volleyball
  • Reply 68 of 106
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    Regarding the purchase of Rare, Nintendo keeps everything that it had copyrights for (Starfox, etc.), and Rare keeps everything that it developed (perfect darkeness, etc).



    As for the XBox only games, yes that is an issue, but it takes time to create such games. Sony was at market one year beforehand and this gives them a considerable edge. Nintendo has the advantage that they are a software developer who happens to also make hardware (sorry folks, Nintendo's claim to fame isn't their consoles, but Mario). MS is the newcomer and has alot of ground to catch up with. Yes, this is an issue, but I would have to say that MS is doing well in getting out their own games. It is important to remember that all of Nintendo's top selling games are sequels (Pikmin anyone?).



    One real advantage for MS is that it is easy to make XBox exclusive games from PC games, and that it is much easier for PC game developers to make an XBox only (no PC version) game because the underlying code (direct X, etc.) is the same. Speaking as a developer, this is an amazing pro for the XBox.
  • Reply 69 of 106
    [quote]Originally posted by Bodhi:

    <strong>Here is why I am leaning towards Xbox (drop the "because it's MS crap cause it doesn't matter to me).



    It has a hard drive. ( I have heard the memory crap with PS2 can drive you nuts ), on-board ethernet, better graphics, etc.



    Boys - MS is not going anywhere anytime soon. MS has more money to play with then any of us could imagine. Our New Media director has had many meetings with MS about it and they are throwing so much money at Xbox it's not even funny. The way he put it to me: Yeah, there are more games NOW for PS2 but you buy an Xbox, you are investing in the future.



    Don't get me wrong, I am a through and through Sony guy. TV is Sony, Camcorder is Sony, Stereo is Sony. But I am thinking the Xbox is the better of the two.



    Still listening to opposing arguements though...</strong><hr></blockquote>



    It's about the games. I'm a motorhead / wannabe Auto-Xer, so I really like the fact that the racing games for PS 2 are great. (GT3 in particular) I also have been known to play squaresoft games, which are for the PS2.



    Halo is nice, but I don't like it that much. So people think otherwise. Xbox has Halo and sports games. Everything else is pretty lame if you ask me.
  • Reply 70 of 106
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    [quote]Originally posted by Splinemodel:

    <strong>



    It's about the games. I'm a motorhead / wannabe Auto-Xer, so I really like the fact that the racing games for PS 2 are great. (GT3 in particular) I also have been known to play squaresoft games, which are for the PS2.



    Halo is nice, but I don't like it that much. So people think otherwise. Xbox has Halo and sports games. Everything else is pretty lame if you ask me.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Project Gotham racing? Online project Gotham racing in one year? Quantum redshift (sci-fi racing), etc? XBox has racing games, they just aren't the ones you like. It isn't as if it has no racing games.
  • Reply 71 of 106
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    I think that one good thing to bring up is that if you want to play multiplayer games, that the XBox rules. Space for 4 controllers and enough of a graphics processor to handle 4x the polygons is hard to beat. Add networking abilities and it gets even better.



    Halo over the system link with 8-16 players is amazing! If you hae a good TV and 4 controllers, then Halo is like your own LAN party at a fraction of the cost.
  • Reply 72 of 106
    [quote]Originally posted by pyr3:

    <strong>-- xBox has [...] SSX Tricky [...] ( I know that SSX Tricky is on PS2, but I like the XBox version better ... I have played both versions )</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Don't forget that SSX tricky is also on GameCube.



    Also don't forget the GameCube has an awesome controller.
  • Reply 73 of 106
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Sega was bleeding money, and they're only making money now because they basically became a software house, though they do still make some arcade hardware. They're a killer game dev, only Nintendo is up to the same level of originality and diversity. Sega is in the top 3 in enough markets that they can make a pretty penny on software. Someone who is truly worried about their survival will make a play for Sega. But the way their currently positioned they're making a lot of money and won't sell unless they get a very decent offer.



    Fran, yeah, Sony basically out marketed them, but Sega would have made it if they just had a DVD drive. DVD-players really started to take off after the PS2 and were still pretty expensive (even for budget models). Over half of PS2 buyers, in it's first year, said they chose Sony for the DVD player. It was a big miscalculation, and i cost them their hardware business.



    Still, they've done nicely in their transformation to a pure software dev. Nintendo has similar options open to them. Sony has the most to lose: without their hardware and the licensing revenues that go with it, they're dead. They don't have enough (significant) in-house games development to become a software company. They'll fight a bloody battle in the next generation, they have a lot of money and a strong brand, but nothing is guaranteed.



    The next gen will be very interesting.
  • Reply 74 of 106
    One more thing if you like RPG's the Xbox has Morrowind (No Final Fantasy game compares to it so don't try), and they will have the new Starwars RPG, the PS2 will not see either of these titles but if you do own the PC you can run them on that.
  • Reply 75 of 106
    bellebelle Posts: 1,574member
    I know that if I say "buy all three", there'll be a bunch of people say that "we're not all made of money".



    However, given that a GameCube console currently costs the same as just 3 GameCube games, I reckon it makes good sense.



    There are probably about 5 really good titles for each console.



    I'd recommend getting all three and then being very picky about the quality of games you buy.
  • Reply 76 of 106
    [quote]Originally posted by Belle:

    <strong>I know that if I say "buy all three", there'll be a bunch of people say that "we're not all made of money".



    However, given that a GameCube console currently costs the same as just 3 GameCube games, I reckon it makes good sense.



    There are probably about 5 really good titles for each console.



    I'd recommend getting all three and then being very picky about the quality of games you buy.</strong><hr></blockquote>





    Belle that's extremely good Common $ense. I might just do that. I'd rather play the cream of the crop on 3 Consoles than waste hundreds on plain titles because nothing else is out there.
  • Reply 77 of 106
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    I'd buy just one, and get the rest of my gaming fix on the net, or on my computer. That's two platforms right there. Between surfing and gaming on two seperate platforms how much more time can a person waste before it cuts into more serious stuff? Even without sleep, that's only so many hours in a day.



    I prefer puzzel games anyway, so you don't need anything too powerful for that. Like Woz, I play a lot of tetris on my gameboy! Hey, people might laugh at a grown man playing tetris, but studies have shown it actually increases brain activity and memory, one of few games that has any positive brain effects (if not the only one).
  • Reply 78 of 106
    A couple things:



    1) I thought I'd hate fps without a keyboard. Halo's scheme, however, is a very good construct - the dual analogue system works great.



    2) I really like the DVD player. However, I don't have much to compare it to, so maybe the other systems are even better. In my experiences, so far, I've been very pleased with it.



    3) The current game selection for my tastes is pretty bad. There is one and only one game that I've spent a lot of time playing, and that of course is Halo. I intend for this to change, however, with Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball, Halo 2, and Malice.



    4) MS just bought out Rare My girlfriend loved Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong (but Banjo much more). Hopefully Rare will be able to bring some fresh blood to the platforming scene on x-box. Of course, golden-eye / perfect-dark series games wouldn't hurt either.



    neye
  • Reply 79 of 106
    stevesteve Posts: 523member
    Indeed, Rare is great. Conker's Bad Fur Day was a masterpiece. I encourage anyone who hasn't sold their N64 to check it out. I believe EBgames.com was selling new copies for just TEN DOLLARS.
  • Reply 80 of 106
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    neye_eye, Nintendo owns the licenses to Star Fox and Donkey Kong so you won't see those games on the Xbox.



    Microsoft is saying that they own the Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, Kameo, and other Rare licenses as well, but Nintendo is reportedly fighting them over it now.



    That didn't stop MS from announcing these games today in Spain though.
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