XBox vs PS2 for HT (1 Viewer)

[Tom*T]

I just got my HT setup and I'm looking to buy one of these two systems. I was wondering what people thought was a better gaming system for HT? By this I mean more games with DD5.1 sound and 16:9 widescreen. I will be playing mostly first-person shooters and sports games.

 

[BrionL]

Well, Xbox has in-game Dolby Digital for your surround sound setup. Most games are released in 480p for the Xbox, also.

Brion

 

[DanHal]

Tom, if you are willing to wait a few months, both manufactors will be coming out with new systems. Expect prices to start right around $300.00. But, Xbox has superior graphics, faster loading times, a built in hard drive, to mention a few over the PS2.

Search around for PS3, Xbox 2 for more information!

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Agreed with above re: Xbox suitability for an HT environment. Technically at least. The primary argument will always come down to games exclusive to either system so if you have must haves one way or another keep that in mind. Ex. Gran Turismo or Final Fantasy on PS2, Halo on Xbox, etc. Seems that there are fewer and fewer system-only killer apps these days, though.

Worst case is you pick up an Xbox relatively cheap and then upgrade or supplement with Xbox Next down the road. You can own and play now instead of waiting. It is expected that X Next will not be backwards compatible (a good thing in my opinion) so there will be value in both systems.

 

[Martin Rendall]

Both have component video, and both have digital audio connection. The xbox excels in an HT environment, while the PS2 frankly leave you wanting. However, HT suitability is really low on my list of reasons to pick one over the other. The games are paramount.

Martin.

 

[PerryD]

For First Person Shooters and Sports games, the Xbox is perfect for you. Many many FPS (Halo 2 the most highly regarded), and with the sports titles, you can get the entire Sega 2K5 collection at $20 each. And whether you consider them sports titles or not, the Xbox has a slew of AAA racing games to choose from also. And nearly every title has 480p widescreen and 5.1 sound support which you wanted.

As mentioned the only drawback is that the Xbox will become a dead system when the new Xbox 360 comes out this fall. Perhaps there will be a price drop around E3 that will help offset this.

 

[Tom*T]

Thanks for all the great info! I'm going to do some research on the Xbox 2 and then decide if it's worth waiting till fall. With all the $$$ I spent on my HT I might wait for a price drop in the Xbox (and games) and try that for awhile

 

[BrionL]

All I know is that I'm going to enjoy my Xbox up until I trade it in for the Xbox 360 the day it comes out.

Brion

 

[DeanWalsh]

Not to mention the attraction of modding an xbox to run Xbox Media Center. I use mine as my mp3/aac library, and I convert all my HD recordings to DivX 720p format which the xbox handles beautifully! It upscales dvd to 720p and 1080i nicely as well, dvd support isn't perfect but is almost complete as the xbmc devs are constantly updating the project. Highly recommended.