Comparisons of X-Box and PS2 (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Peter]

No game is worth $350, and it seems like Halo is the closest thing on the X-Box to being worth that much (but its not). I find it funny that all the people who only have X-Boxes have so few titles to enjoy while the people who have PS2s have a huge number of games to enjoy.

Halo takes over 40 hours to complete. Amped takes way more than that. I couldn't handle more than that and live a regular life. Besides, the good XBox titles are rolling in at this point. If Halo wasn't worth $350, then SSX last year surely wasn't worth $350 last year. It's hard to put a price on a launch console because its a work in progress. In every case it is. Last year the PS2 had nothing going for it yet it sold like hot cakes. This year the XBox has less going for it than the PS2, but that's changing quickly. I love my XBox, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Halo and Amped are both excellent games that get a ton of my attention. I'm happy with my system and that's all that matters. I probably would have been just as happy with a PS2 and GTA3 and well I'm not sure what else, since none of the other games interest me. Maybe SSX Tricky or something.

 

[Kip]

If Halo wasn't worth $350, then SSX last year surely wasn't worth $350 last year.

I guess the real question is weather any one game is worth $350. Probably not. Halo comes damn close though!
Kip

 

[Bing Fung]

Adding Project Gotham Racing in with Halo makes the $ price bearable.
I love PGR, and really love the integrated tunes I have ripped. All Cruising tunes from a mis-spent TeenAge youth, ahh the memories!
Then there are these tiles, I'm waiting for, while some are not exclusive, others will be. Check out Strident and Internal Pain, those are great graphics for the Xbox. No argument, the PS2 is king of game libraries, That dosen't mean those of us with Xbox's are left out (yet )
-Unreal Championship
-Sega GT 2002
-Sega NFL 2K2
-Bruce Lee Quest for the Dragon
-Soul Caliber 2
-Shenmue II
-Metal Gear X
-Maximum Chase
-Ralli Sport Challenge
-Colin McRae Rally 3
-Strident
-Internal Pain
Internal Pain (man I hope this comes to X)

Strident

 

[Clinton McClure]

Here's my take on the whole thing:

I bought a PS2 because I am a big fan of Tekken and Gran Turismo. I bought the platform which delivers the games I like.

I will not bother with the X-Box nor the Gamecube.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

When I got a PS2, I got TimeSplitters, TTT, and Orphen. Orphen sucked, but was a nice little demo of the PS2's early powers, TS was pretty good and a fun game, and TTT is a great game since I love Tekken.

The X-Box has Halo, Munch, and DoA3 as its big games, and if I had bought one with those games, then I would probably have enjoyed it more than I did with my PS2 at launch.

 

[Brad Grenz]

You both keep talking about the better resolution of PC games and I'm curious what size TV and PC monitors you guys have?

I'm not just talking about display resolution. But since you asked, I've got a 19 in. monitor and a 27 in. TV. That said, 480i throuhg s-video from across the room isn't going to look anywhere as good as 1280x1024 from 12 in. away on my computer, even better with the mouse and keyboard for control.

-Unreal Championship -- Unreal Tournament 2, same engine, on PC

-Sega GT 2002

-Sega NFL 2K2 -- multi-platform

-Bruce Lee Quest for the Dragon

-Soul Caliber 2 -- multi-platform

-Shenmue II

-Metal Gear X -- MGS2 already out on PS2

-Maximum Chase

-Ralli Sport Challenge

-Colin McRae Rally 3 -- multi-platform

-Strident

-Internal Pain

All I'm saying is that the Xbox's case, from a software perspective, isn't too compelling yet. But look at the games and follow your pleasure.

 

[David Head]

Brad,

All I'm saying is that the Xbox's case, from a software perspective, isn't too compelling yet.

That's your opinion. I happen to have a different opinion and apparently so do many others.

David

 

[Gary King]

After playing Halo, DoA3, and Oddworld for a significant amount of time, they really do make load times on the PS2 seem antiquated and aggravating. Waiting 3-5 seconds for a battle screen in Final Fantasy X or 5-10 seconds for the next fight in DoA2 is just annoying once you get used to near-instantaneous load times.

Up-converted 480i is nothing like 480p. 480i still only has half the vertical resolution of 480p every frame - no upconversion algorithm is going to correct that.

And with all this talk about game libraries -- it's all I can do to enjoy my 3 meager Xbox launch games. PGR and Amped both look excellent; however, I still have over 50 hours of single-player Halo left (just finished Pillar of Autumn on Legendary), not to mention countless hours of multiplayer. I don't need any other addictions adding to that.

A final point - if you haven't played the first 15 minutes of The Silent Cartographer and the last 15 minutes of The Maw co-op in 5.1 and 480p, you don't know what you're missing. I think my PS2s started whimpering after I landed on the beach.

 

[Kip]

Man peoples, I guess I just don't get all this.
Halo is a great game.
MGS2 is a great game.
Rogue Leader is a great game.
What's all the fuss? All the current consoles are more than powerful enough to offer fantastic gaming experiences. Of course the PS2 has the best library right now, its been out longer. By this time next year though, no doubt all three will offer quality lineups with plenty of depth.
If you can afford all three consoles, I say that's the way to go. If you can't, you'll find plenty to keep you happy with whatever you choose. There is not one right choice here peeps. Let it go!
Kip

 

[wayne]

The only thing I see wrong with many replys on this subject is that folks are quick to compair a system that has been out 1 month (VS) a system that has been out 1 year. PS2 fanboys brag about the # of games, X-Box fanboys brag about the hardware. IMHO the gamecube is not in the mix. I own both systems, I have a HDTV, DD/DTS Pre/Pro sys. The X-Box is all that they say and more, and in the 1st month of the X-Box I am more pleased with it than the PS2. The reality is in the 1st month of the PS2 launch I had SSX and Madden. That was it for 6 months. Or @ least that was all I saw that was worth getting. Then game release dates kept getting pushed back. With XBox I picked up Halo, NFLFever and PGR today I am picking up UFC Tap-Out, NFL2k2, and SSX. One thing that is cool is that XBox is jumping on titles as they come out for all systems. That may have been an advantage of releasing when they did, but in my opinion the XBox is doing a better job in the 1st month than the PS2 did in the 1st 3 months in terms of quality and quantity.

I enjoy both systems, the XBOX is getting more play now, & games will come out on both systems that will be off the hook. All the fanboys should step back and realize that hardware, games, and individual taste play a role. In a 3 system world no 1 system may be the stand out, but don't down a system if you don't have them both in your possesion to compare. The great day for me will be when the PS2 fanboy can meet with me on a broadband network & get his can kicked in NFL2k3, Halo2, NASCAR2k3 you name it. At that point in the game the fanboy crap can stop and the games can begin.

Wayne

 

[Morgan Jolley]

What I keep saying is that if you are buying one of the three consoles for your first time right now, you should pick the PS2 if you have the money to buy all the great games and want instant satisfaction that will last for a while. The X-Box can satisfy quite well, but doesn't have as many great games to play. The GameCube has a pretty good library thus far, but its technical underachievements would place it in third.

Even so, the two new consoles are investments rather than instant payoffs, so you get a benefit no matter which console you buy.

 

[BenS]

Sorry folks, but I have to jump in here for a second. First, a question: how many of you out there have the ability to display 480p and decode DD5.1? If you can't do both and do not have plans to upgrade your set-up, then the differences between PS2, GCN, and Xbox are ENTIRELY based on the games.

So does this mean that if I am able to decode 5.1 but unable to display 480p I can not take advantage of 5.1 no way no how. The reason I ask is that I have a DD 5.1 setup but no HDTV just a WEGA and if I can't take advantage of the surround sound without bying a new tv then it's not worth the price.

 

[Joseph Young]

BenS,

I have a regular (albeit FV series) WEGA with a very capable DD5.1/DTS receiver. If I were lucky enough to own an Xbox, I would still enjoy the in-game audio, without the benefits of 480p/et al.

There is a bit of motion blur on the WEGAs unless you own an XBR (HDTV resolution and progressive scan support) series. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the case.

The motion blur can be very distracting, especially with bright animated sprites and polygons against dark backgrounds.. you get the 'comet tail' effect.

"Regular" television sets, even though the resolution, color, and clarity is inferior, do not demonstrate such 'comet streak' effects and can look superior to the untrained eye.

Just my opinion at least.

Cheers,

Joseph

 

[Gary King]

Ben S,

If your TV has component inputs, buy the HD A/V pack, and leave "480P/720P/1080i" set to "No" in the dashboard, but enable Dolby Digital 5.1 output.

If your TV has S-Video inputs, buy the Advanced A/V pack, and enable Dolby Digital 5.1 output in the dashboard.

 

[BenS]

Thanks for the info. I was getting worried I wouldn't be able to take part in the joy of 5.1 in game surround.

 

[Jason Handy]

Ben,

Sorry for the poor wording in my post - I was trying to illustrate that the technological differences between consoles are much less important if you do not have the capability to do DD5.1 or progressive scan. The posts just above say it perfectly.

Jason