so that I am not left out this year. Some questions. Which one is made by microsoft? When and where should I sign up for one of these machines? How much is it going to cost me? Will Madden 2002 be on these systems? What will be the best system to buy? Any other advice....for a fellow rocket.
A) The x-box B) pretty much anywhere that sells consoles C) $300 for x-box, $200 for gamecube D) no clude E) in my opinion, the gamecube, this is x-box 1.0 basically, and as ms has proven in the past, anything by them that is earlier than 3.0 is crap F) I'll most definitely be going for the GC, though I'll probably be importing the matsu****a one that plays dvd's ---- heh, that's m-a-t-s-u-s-h-i-t-a
if they get he xbox right it will be much more powerful than the gamecube and ps2. more powerful doesnt always mean better but in this case i think it does. nintendo does have a good record of producing good games but the screen shots ive seen for the xbox look damn fine. i doubt ill buy a gamecube until they produce a musthave game. i think the xbox will have more of those types of games and sooner. but unitl than ill be playing my ps2 and dreamcast (which i love), blah blah blah i am the GREATEST VIDEO GAME PLAYER TO EVER WALK THIS EARTH...
Id go with the PS2, its not going to sink for sure. Neither is the Gamecube but the GC is geared towards a younger audience and has poor 3rd party support. X-Box is the most powerful system but you can never be sure with new companies. The Box has nice potential but the fact that its USA based and Japan companies might not support it could really hurt. In the end its the games that make the system, PS2 will have the hugest library but if its Pokemon, Mario, Zelda you wan't then the Nintendo would be for you.
I should get paid for this... I will tell you guys what I know. I have been doing some digging and went to a Microsoft Event on XBOX. www.gamespot.com has great info also. Good Comparison XBOX VS GAMECUBE at http://209.73.202.83/leslie/2.htm Microsoft - XBOX (November 8th, 2001) Price will start at 299$ and this system will have the best processor and hardware of all systems. It is the front runner for my Christmas gift to myself. I also watched an online video demo from the E3 gaming convention and they had some sweet previews on the XBOX. The best graphics I have seen period. Halo is one game that is just awesome. DVD Format on all games. I believe it will be a DVD viewer just like PS2. Two other good things. This box will come WITH an ethernet port. This means broadband DSL/CABLE!!! Plus there will be 600,000 units in the store on release day. I dont think Sony had more than 200,000 in stores for PS2. Also Microsoft is putting 500 Million into marketing for this product. Taco Bell is already signed up as a product sponsor, so I am sure you can score some cool stuff at the Bell. I havent seen any known sports games yet. They have NFL Fever 2002. All games and specs are listed at www.xbox.com The Dreamcast sports games will rollover to XBOX in the 2k3 versions. http://www.xbox.com/News/0105/1607.htm This will be awesome. DC is gonna be rolling over at least 11 titles for XBOX. *********Features********** A front-loading DVD tray A multisignal audio-video connector that allows for easy hookup to televisions and home theater systems An Ethernet port for rich, fast-action online gaming via a broadband connection An NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU), delivering more than three times the graphics performance of other consoles An Intel 733MHz processor, the most powerful CPU of any console An internal hard drive, for massive storage of game information - a first in the console gaming industry Nintendo - Gamecube (November 5th, 2001) Has a very young market share. Also the 199$ price tag will lure in many parents. Games seem like typical Nintendo games. Madden will be on Gamecube. I found a pretty decent site on gamecube. www.gamecubexl.com No official site yet. I am looking forward to the new Zelda, Metroid, and Starfox sequels. The graphics for NBA Courtside 2002 look good. Nintendo will be second on my list though. Their games always seem to be geared towards the younger crowd. I believe it will be a DVD viewer just like PS2. I know the games will be in DVD format , first time for nintendo on disc. Ethernet adapter should be available after launch according to the www.gamecubexl.com website. Sony - Playstation2 Already out DVD format. All the titles you know and love plus awesome graphics. (Including Madden and Gameday) Plus they are already saturating the market. (Mommy, Mommy- Bobby down the street has a PS2 and I want one!) Plus you can get the games at Blockbuster a lot easier than the Gamecube and XBOX titles I bet. Ethernet adapter is going to be an option soon I believe or it may already be out. I know the XBOX has it beat in graphics plus the ethernet port is built in. I have a PS1 and I do like the fact that PS2 will play old PS1 games. Big Plus. Sony has the muscle to compete with Microsoft's wallet so you dont have to get worried about getting stuck like the Dreamcast or Saturn. Sega - DreamCast Already Out First to take advantage of multi-player gaming. Mainly sports. System is going out of production soon but the games will be produced on other platforms. PS2/XBOX will be the first to get Sega titles. I have heard great things about Dreamcast, it is also pretty cheap now. I think I saw it for 99$ in Wal Mart. Might be an option if you dont got the $$$ for the other guys. If I had to rank them I would go with 1. XBOX - Graphics, Game titles, big wallet(longevity) More for the techy guys who want bigger,badder, faster. The graphics make my eyes hurt. Halo is just a sweet looking game. 2. PS2 - Games and longevity. Graphics are good but 2nd to the X. Could rule the market for a long time. PS3 is already in development. Working on super chip to power it. 3. Gamecube - Younger audience, some cool games, may be a sleeper and beat out the other two just because of its younger base and cheaper price. I am still a little iffy on Nintendo's backing. If this fails I dont know if they can hang around... 4. Dreamcast - A little ahead of its time with not enough money behind it. Cool sports games as usual from Sega. Electronic Gaming Monthly is a great magazine with cool previews and reviews. Best info for gaming. Sorry if I got long winded. I can probably get more specific info on the console hardware if needed. (processor speed, graphics, etc.)
PhiSlammaJamma: Madden NFL 2002 will be on all of the next generation consoles. So the game will appear on the GameCube, Xbox and PS2. Graphically, I would expect all three versions to look roughly the same. Any and all visual differences between the versions should be minor. Some more information... I'm not sure about the Xbox, but the GameCube's official preorder campaign should begin very soon (although there are places where you can preorder either system now I think). Late August/Early September probably. The GameCube will be released in the US on November 5th, while the Xbox will be released three days later on November 8th. However, the Nov. 8th date is not set in stone...there is a chance that the Xbox may launch a week earlier (Nov. 1st). The GameCube launch list (I'm talking US launch here) has not yet been finalized....expect 5 games from Nintendo, including Wave Race: Blue Storm and Luigi's Mansion, and 8-12 third party games, including the highly anticipated Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II. Also, Madden NFL 2002 should be available at both the GC and Xbox launches. GameCube and Xbox demo kiosks should be showing up in stores in about a month. Then you'll be able to play demos of certain games, try out the controllers, etc. The games that will be shown will probably be those that Nintendo and Microsoft deem as potential "system sellers". And once October hits Nintendo and Microsoft will go all out with their marketing blitzes....so if you haven't heard of the Xbox or GameCube yet, you will by then. And in case you're wondering, the Matsushita DVD/GameCube hybrid unit that Wasabi mentioned is called the "Fusion" machine. It's Japanese release date is tentatively scheduled for "early November", and it will retail for about 40,000 yen (which is slightly less than $325 US dollars). The hybrid unit is also coming here to the States....sometime between March 2002 and March 2003. The hybrid unit has a metallic silver appearance and looks like an EZ Bake oven. There's still a lot of details about the "Fusion" machine that are still unknown though. The Xbox is indeed more powerful than the GameCube, and on paper it appears to be a LOT more powerful. But the truth is that the GameCube and Xbox are pretty close in terms of power...Xbox is only a little more powerful. I'll point out that spec sheets do not tell the whole story, so you can't just rely on them when comparing consoles. Also, Microsoft has spewed some PR BS from their mouths regarding the Xbox, so don't be so quick to believe what they say. Of course, the same applies to Nintendo and Sony (but to a lesser extent). Anyway, in some aspects the GameCube has the advantage; in other aspects Xbox is superior. And I've seen plenty of screenshots and videos of both GameCube and Xbox games....there's really no clear-cut advantage graphically for either system so far. Both have some great-looking games. Halo and Dead or Alive 3 on Xbox. Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II on the GameCube (the Hoth level sports the most impressive visuals I've ever seen on a console from a technical standpoint...I mean wow.) However, both systems are definitely more powerful than the PS2...but nevertheless the PS2 has some great-looking games, such as Devil May Cry. In the end, though....it really doesn't matter which console is more powerful. The PS2 (due to its one-year head start and its name recognition stemming from the immense success of the original PlayStation) will likely be the most successful console this generation in terms of worldwide consumer userbase. The Nintendo GameCube should do very well also both in Japan and here in the States. The Xbox is the new kid on the block; Microsoft has an uphill battle and they have a lot to prove. I predict that the Xbox will do poorly in Japan and pretty good here in the US. I'll be getting my GameCube on launch day. Microsoft's E³ showing of the Xbox was quite disappointing in my opinion...so right now I have no intention of getting an Xbox....there just isn't anything about the system that interests me. Plus the Xbox controller looks like it will be pretty uncomfortable (indeed, impressions of the Xbox controller have been mixed). Oh yeah, and yet another price drop has occurred to the Dreamcast just a few days ago. Now its retail price is $79.95.
OK Which one will play DVDs? [right out the box. . . no upgrades] How will the Quality be? I want a DVD player I want a Game system I figure might as well combined them . .. but a friend said i'd do better getting a regular DVD because it has better quality . .. is that True? Rocket River
Right out of the box huh? XBOX - dvd player and has built in ethernet port. Gamecube - not out of the box, add-on feature later on. PS2 - Yep, right out of the box. Need to buy a remote though. I dont know about the features you get as far as slow-mo,zoom-in, dts surround, etc. I know the PS2 has a special remote you need to buy. I think these systems will just be basic players, but you wont be missing anything on the DVD. You can still watch the bonus features and what not. Like I said though the high-tech sound and special video options may not be included. I dont use them that much on my DVD player, but when I need to they are sweet. I doubt that the quality will be any different. DVD is DVD.
actually it's a completely seperate version of the gamecube that can play DVD's unfortunately the PS2's DVD playback is pretty crappy, it's just like something they threw in as an afterthought. If you want a dvd player, buy a real one. Just my 2 cents.
Just to clarify things here, the Xbox will be able to play DVD movies, but not necessarily "out of the box". Instead, you'll have to purchase a separate "remote control" kit that will basically include a piece of hardware or software (perhaps a DVD decoder card) and a remote control that will allow you to play DVD movies on the Xbox. The kit should be available on launch day and retail in the $20-$30 range. Here's a little more on the Xbox's DVD movie capabilities from IGN Xbox:
You don't literally need to buy a remote to play DVDs on the PS2, the PS2 DVD playback is pretty good but its not top of the line. On a scale of 1-10 a fair rating would be 6.5.
GameCube has been delayed until Nov. 18th. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/games/2001-08-23-gamecube-delay.htm The good part is :
I had a number of friends go to E3 this year and from what they said the XBox had a horrible showing and that the Gamecube had an amazing showing. It appears that the XBox is heading towards a very poor opening. Given that it's Microsoft's toy, I expect ALL of their media hype to be pure BS. I honestly don't think the XBox will do well. The Gamecube, however, I think will do well in the US just as the N64 did. Unfortunately, most of its games will be targeted at a young audience and it will lack good third party support. I'm almost 99% sure I'll get one eventually, but only because Nintendo's must have games. The PS2 I believe will be the best of the bunch for one reason: Best third party support. In the end, the PS2 will have the widest variety of games, allowing it to appeal to a much wider base audience. This is what allowed the PSX to overtake Nintendo and it will allow the PS2 to maintain that dominance. As for the dreamcast, it's sad to see it go so soon. At least Sega is still around doing games. Lord Tree
FYI, ordered my Dreamcast from kbkids.com last week for $80 shipped. This includes console, 2 controlles, and visual memory unit. Include the coupon code "DISCOVERKB" for -$10 to bring the cost from $79.99 to $69.99. You can't beat this price.
An interesting note about Rare. I was putting my RC Pro-Am cart in my NES yesterday (yes, I have a real NES, and I still play it) and I noticed that it was a Rare product. Probably the earliest piece of Rare software I've ever encountered, and dare I say, their best game
ZRB, in case you didn't know, Spaceworld (Nintendo's annual event in Japan) began last night with a pre-show conference. Zelda was shown at that conference. Below is a link to some footage of the game....the appearance of the game might surprise you (i.e. it looks NOTHING like the fantastic-looking Zelda demo from last year). MOVIE (about 8 MB): http://cubemovies.ign.com/media/space2k1/pressmovies/zelda1.mov A lot of Nintendo and Zelda fans are not pleased with this new look at all. But the gameplay should still be intact and the game still lots of fun, so personally I'm still looking forward to it. In other news, Nintendo revealed some new news during their pre-show conference last night: Like Wink3Cat5 said above, the GameCube has been delayed 13 days to November 18th. Nintendo did this so that there will be more units (700,000...versus 500,000 for the previously scheduled Nov. 5th launch) available on launch day. Another reason is that this will make it easier for them to manufacture and ship a steady flow of additional units to stores throughout the Christmas holidays. Therefore, no extreme cases of shortages should occur. The new Mario for GameCube was unveiled, complete with media, and the game will be called Mario Sunshine. The game is scheduled to be released in Summer 2002 (in Japan at least). Additional controllers will cost $35, instead of $20 as previously thought. That sucks. Zelda for GameCube is tentatively scheduled for a Christmas 2002 release. Only two Nintendo games...Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm...will be available at launch. Of course, there will be some third party games available at launch too (such as Madden NFL 2002).
More good news for the XBOX. I had originally read that the Sega Sports games wouldnt be on the XBOX until the 2k3 versions, but I just saw that NFL2K2 was going to be released for XBOX Dec 1st 2001. NFL2K2 XBOX
My PS2 plays DVD's just fine, but the background is blurry on sports games. I think I'm gonna give it to my brother and buy a gamecube. One annoying thing about ps2 is how long it takes to load. Do you guys think X-box and gamecube will be the same?
