X-box vs. PS2-which should I buy? (1 Viewer)

[Iain Lambert]

And indeed 'balancing' all depends on whether or not you think there is even a single PS2 FPS title worth the time and effort, let alone expense. As I said before, Halo is the first console shooter to attract me away from the PC ones since GoldenEye. Most of the PS2 ones are even available on the PC, where they are much more fun to play due to you not having to struggle with the Dualshock2 joypad.

 

[Adam Tyner]

Halo in widescreen, and in 5.1 is incredible.

I'm pretty sure Halo doesn't have a 16x9 mode.

 

[Todd H]

Here's what you do...

1. Go down to your local dealer and take a look at the libraries for each system. See which one has the games you want to play.

2. Rent each system with the games that interest you and try them out. Play them for a few days to get a feel for the system.

3. Go buy the system that you liked the most.

Asking people to recommend a system is a bad idea. Most people have an agenda when it comes to things like this. A lot of them want to recommend the system they own because it helps justify their purchase. Don't fall for it. With a little research you'll find the system that fits you.

 

[Jerry Gracia]

You're right, it doesn't.
Why BUNGIE (or whomever) decided this is beyond me. You'd thought a premire game like HALO on the XBOX would at least be compatible for 16:9

 

[Iain Lambert]

Its true that agendas and biases can be a problem, and actually trying both systems out would be the ideal way to proceed. Mind you, I'm recommending an X-Box when its the one system I don't have, so maybe I'm just being stupid here.

 

[John Royster]

I own xbox (got it on release date) and PS2 (got it on release date).
About 20 games on PS2 and 8 on x-box.
I almost NEVER play my x-box. Probably 95% PS2 and am buying games for both all the time. I keep wanting to spend time with the xbox, but can't because of software. To ME, the x-box simply doesn't have many good games. To ME, Halo is the only good game for xbox. To ME, the x-box controller is simply terrible. To ME, the x-box graphics and sound are great. To ME, Halo alone is worth the price of an xbox.
To ME, the PS2 has incredible graphics and sound as well including too many truly great games to mention.

 

[Conroy Tesa]

Well, depending on the type of person you are, there has been an xbox hack that, bacically allows you to play backups,MAME, Divx players, and with a harddrive it is wide open.

The xbox has the advantage in that it is a very familiar platform to people who want to mod it to do things it wasn't supposed to do.

You can look at the present lineup of games but the games coming down the pipe for xbox look pretty tight.

Look at the exclusives because if a game gets ported across the board, it is a sawoff.

And trust me harddrive over memory cards is a no brainer.

 

[jeff lam]

I was in the same boat a few weeks ago. I decided to go with the PS2 just because it had more games that I wanted to play. The xbox only had a few. Keep in mind that you can use the PS2 for all PS1 games too. I have a killer sound system and would have loved to have the xbox capabilities but when it came down to it, the PS2 just had more games I liked, expecially sony exclusive ones like Gran turismo 3, Twisted Metal Black, GTA3, and more. I also like RPG's like the Final Fantasy series too, so the PS2 was the obvious choice for me.

 

[Brian Ruth]

I'd say get a PS2 now, and get an XBox after the next price drop.

I just don't see enough good games on the XBox right now to warrant a purchase. I try not to buy a system unless there are enough compelling games on it that total more than the price of the system. I don't quite see 4 compelling games on the XBox -- Halo is a computer game, I have no interest in playing a FPS with an analog stick. DOA3 doesn't hold a candle to VF4 or even Tekken, plus I have DOA2 already. Project Gotham is probably worth a purchase, but I don't really see much else. I'm quite happy with my PS2 right now.

 

[Dave Bennett]

Base your choice on games not technology. Sure the XBox has better graphics and sound but that doesn't mean squat if you don't like the games. The XBox and PS2 have a decent amount of overlap, so take a look at what is exclusive and base you choice on that. For the record, I've got a PS2 and a Gamecube.

 

[Abem]

The non-HDTV state of the PS2 has driven me to the point of wanting to sell it. I am looking at the GC & Xbox for their progressive scan output. They all have games that I want to play...

I don't know how much longer I can take the PS2 with the 92" screen if I know that the xbox and GC will provide a night/day difference in picture quality.

Am I stupid? I'm not trying to derail your thread but I'm making a similar decision. And the progressive scan issue is a big one IMHO.

Thanks

 

[ChristopherS]

Base your choice on games not technology. Sure the XBox has better graphics and sound but that doesn't mean squat if you don't like the games.

I have a AVM-20, Bryston 4BST & 6BST, and a Pioneer Elite 720. Better graphics and sound were pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I bought my XBOX. I would be quite surprised if someone could not immediately buy five to seven Triple A XBOX games right now. The XBOX has some outstanding racers, a fantastic RPG (Morrowind), Halo which is the best FPS since GoldenEye (both single and multiplayer), and two or three excellent adventure type games. There are also numerous sports games of which at least two or three are great. This is all available right now. How long will it take someone to get through all those games? Within the next 30 to 60 days (possibly 90 days) you will also get XBOX Live, NFL Fever 2003, and NFL 2K3. Not only will these be great single player games they will also be great multiplayer games all playable on a company's network that has the expertise to run proper servers (does anyone remember the DC server problems and then the cheaters in PSO?). Plus there is still all the games announced at E3 which will debut between now and Christmas.
I certainly agree games are important but too many people seem to be giving the XBOX the short shift when it comes to games. Unless you are fifteen I suspect you do not really require access to over 400 games to get you through the rest of the summer. I presently own an XBOX (plus a N64, PSX, and a Dream Cast). I will be buying a Gamecube as soon as the next Zelda game is released. Although there are certainly some good games available right now for the Gamecube, I want Zelda. I will buy that console for one game (of course I will then immediately buy some more games for it - Nintendo knows what they are doing).
Buy what ever you want but I suggest you take a look at what is available for all the consoles right now and in the next 90 days. I think all three consoles have enough games to warrant anyone's purchase. Plus if you are not happy with what you bought you can always buy one or both of the other consoles soon enough.
After work today stop by your local game store and immediately buy any of the three consoles plus one or two games to go with it (of course if you choose the PS2 you will need to get all the accessories to make it work ) Go home set it up and enjoy yourself. You cannot go wrong. Guaranteed you will have fun!
Chris

 

[Marty Lockstead]

Thank you everyone!
You've certainly raised some interesting points with regards to both systems. I clearly have a tough decision to make.:frowning: To be honest, I wasn't even thinking of taking the plunge right away anyhow. I'm currenly saving some money for my week long vacation in the first week of August, and I'll need to determine how many banked hours I have to put toward that work week. Back to the systems for a moment, someone mentioned that the PS2 doesn't have progressive-scan capability, if that's true, does it at least have a 480i (16:9) function for some games? If so, that would be good enough for me, despite the fact that my 32" Panasonic GAOO tv has a 480P function. In terms of audio, my Yamaha RX-V3200 has a DPLII mode on it which works great for some movies and I'm sure games would sound great on it as well.
Thanks again for all your feedback!
Marty.

 

[jeff lam]

if you look at this thread you will see that all PS2 games listed support 16x9 while only a few XBOX titles do on this list.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...&threadid=8539

 

[Romier S]

Back to the systems for a moment, someone mentioned that the PS2 doesn't have progressive-scan capability, if that's true, does it at least have a 480i (16:9) function for some games? If so, that would be good enough for me, despite the fact that my 32" Panasonic GAOO tv has a 480P function. In terms of audio, my Yamaha RX-V3200 has a DPLII mode on it which works great for some movies and I'm sure games would sound great on it as well.

The PS2 does now support 480p. Tekken 4 is the first to support the function and Socom Navy Seals will also be supporting 480p.
16:9 support is prevelant on some PS2 games but no better or worse than any of the other consoles out there.
Jeff,
The link you listed has a comprehensive list of PS2 games that support 16:9 out of the HUGE amount of titles available. 16:9 support has been equally scarce on all systems. Saying that all the PS2 titles listed support 16:9 in comparison to the X-box or Gamecube is pretty meaningless considering that both have a very small library of titles in comparison.
If you actually take a count of the games listed there that support 16:9 you will see:
PS2=19
X-box=14 (minus Hunter which is not 16:9)
Gamecube=5 (including Eternal Darkness)
Dreamcast=14
Not much of a gap between these systems.
Marty,
Take the advice of those that said to get your butt out there, rent the systems. See which system has the exclusives you want most and go with that. All three systems have their pluses and their minuses but all have somehting to offer. Good luck bud

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Don't worry about the technical issues. Each console has 16:9 and 480p games now (while the X-Box is the only DD5.1 real-time) and the only real thing separating the consoles is the exclusive games. You should concentrate on the quality of the exclusive games instead of the technical aspects.

But, if you would rather have a console to play every once in a while instead of hardcore gaming, then you make your own choice. I'm offerring advice on what I think is the criteria for choosing a good console. Take my advice and do with it what you please.

 

[Josh Lowe]

I went out and bought an XBox back on launch day with very high hopes. Since Sega terminated the Dreamcast (a very underrated and under-apreciated console if there ever was one) and announced some exciting titles for XBox, I bought it on faith. Since then (what I would consider to be) fairly little of interest has been released for XBox in the way of games. Outside of Halo, there's just nothing that really interests me. Shenmue 2 is due to be released for the XBox this fall and I will probably buy another one (I sold mine a few months ago) just for that game.

I also have a PS2 and am content to keep playing Grand Theft Auto 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, Gran Turismo 3, etc until some more top-tier games appear on Xbox..

 

[Rob Lutter]

Buy an XBOX.
To me... PS2 has A LOT of games. But it only has around 5 "A+" games that I might want to play (the others are CRAP in my book ). Let me remind everyone that Metal Gear Solid 2 is coming out for XBOX at the end of the year in "Special Edition" form (Sons of Liberty with extra features), see the latest issue of EGM for a preview. I have been playing GTA3 on my PC for a month and it looks SUPERIOR to the PS2 version.
The biggest factor in me jumping to XBOX (I also have a GameCube) was the SEGA factor. We have the Panzar Dragoon series, the Crazy Taxi series, the Jet Set Radio series, the Shenmue series, Virtual Fighter 4: Evolution and possibly the Sonic series over on XBOX. It seems that every major developer LOVES the XBOX and most of the stuff that is on PS2 is also coming out on XBOX within a couple of months.
I think the biggest thing is the first-party software. I bought a GameCube because I LOVE Nintendo's games. I bought an XBOX to get Microsoft's titles, SEGA games, XBOX Live!, and Dolby 5.1 surround in all my games. Sony has "console-exclusive" on GTA, but you will be able to play them on a decent PC. It seems that the only "real" PS2 exclusives is that CRAP that they know that they can sell to a couple of 12-year-olds (look Mommy! Digimon! Mary Kate and Ashley! Britney Spears! Grand Theft Auto!), the Tekken series, the Grand Turismo series, and Jak and Daxter.
let's review:
XBOX
-5.1 audio
-progressive video
-HALO
-SEGA
-technologically superior
-XBOX Live! (adapter included...broadband only, minimal lag... one flat rate)
-Hard Drive (no memory cards)
-Ability to rip music
PS2
-DTS audio on 2 or 3 titles... otherwise stereo (maybe Prologic if you are lucky)
-progressive video on two games (all XBOX titles are progressive)
-largely padded game library
-technologically obsolete
-Online via $40 adapter, game fees separate
SAME PRICE!
When it comes down to it... get what you like

 

[Duke]

Halo & Xbox what else needs to be said !
You can even rip cd's to the xbox 20 gig hd.
You don't need no stink'n memory card.
Halo in DD 5.1 !

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I've noticed that the PS2 has a lot of pretty good games, a few AMAZING games, and very few bad games. The X-Box pretty much is a few great games, a good game or two, and a bunch of bad games.

The PS2 has delivered good games. The X-Box is still delivering them with high hopes.