Console Questions (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Reckelhoff]

One minor point--if you have a programmable remote, then there is a good chance you can get the Xbox dvd codes from http://www.remotecentral.com/ and avoid buying a new xbox only remote.

 

[Ron Eastman]

Good point, Kevin. But wouldn't I still need the receiver end that goes into one of the game inputs to receive the remote signal?

 

[Scott L]

My Kenwood Universal remote that came with my cheap ass receiver controls the Xbox just fine. It uses the same code as a Philips or RCA remote.

 

[BrianB]

Yup.

 

[Ron Eastman]

Just wanted to be clear. So I would still need to buy the X-box remote so I could use other remotes.

 

[Kevin Reckelhoff]

Oops, sorry for the misinformation. I don't actually use the xbox as a dvd player, I just noticed that there many codes available when I was programming my MX-700. Didn't realize the IR receiver wasn't built-in.

 

[Mark Shannon]

As others have said, Halo is a must on that list. There are many other games however that you may be interested in. Also, when games are released on multiple platforms, it's usually the best on the Xbox.

 

[Gary Seven]

The Xbox is superior as a DVD player in picture and sound. Also, it is more compatible with DVDs than PS2. There are a variety of web sites that have incompatible lists and the PS2 is a much longer list. If movies are a consideration, the Xbox is the way to go.

If there are specific games you wish to play and they are on the PS2, then you will have to accept the inferiority of the PS2 in DVD playback and get that.

If you are a casual gamer and want the best, most immersive gaming, I would suggest the XBox. I find PC gaming to have the most depth, and since the Xbox is quite similar, the depth of gaming is also similar. The hard drive is often understated in its use. Not only can you save games without a memory card, it also provides download storage for roster updates, maps and the like. It also provides caching for large games with little load times. And it also provides enhancements to games like ESPN 2K5 where halftime and post game highlights are shown with actual footage from your game as opposed to mere snapshots. While the PS2 does have more games, how many of those will you play and how good are they? You'll find you will have the same number of core games you wish to play on either system.

Fidelity. This is something the stores never show. The Xbox is superior to the PS2 in terms of melding with your home theater. The Xbox supports high defintion (for games that are in HD) and in game DD 5.1. The latter is another often understated in terms of relevance to gaming but a 5.1 gaming experience is very immersive no matter the game. Riddick is a good example of such an experience.

If you can rent both systems, perhaps you should. This would give you a taste of each. Unfortunately in doing so, you do not get the optical and component cables needed for high end theater implementation so that sampling will probably not be available to you.

Good luck.

 

[Blkout]

Couldn't agree more Gary, you covered it all. The Xbox is so superior to the PS2 in video and sound its not even close.

 

[Richard Paul]

If you really want good DVD performance I would recommend buying a DVD player. None of the consoles come close to the quality of a good $100 DVD player. A good DVD player will load faster, have a better remote, have features such as resume play and super fast rewind/fastforward, DVD-Audio or SACD playback, and have a far better picture quality then either the PS2 or X-box. Also the cost of the remote for either console is $20 so if your interested in both DVDs and gaming it is just $80 more to get both a DVD player and a console.