Xbox or PS2?

[Archon_Wing]

*Imagines crazed cheese lovers running around at mind numbing speed tearing down all other cheese that dare oppose them.* :ph34r:

[AtomicKitKat]

1.70m is SMALL? Maybe among Caucasians... If by handspan you mean tip of thumb to tip of little finger, my left hand is smaller, and it's 21cm. I'd go with the PS2, partly because the controllers will be relatively familiar, and less clunky. The X-Box and Gamecube controllers are rather..."unusually shaped", I would say. Plus more-buttons=more annoying. If you have to jump from one control on the left, to another control on the right, and the controller is already pushing your limits vis a vis hand size, you're going to suffer from a severe case of gamer's wrist. Of course, for me, the PS2 is beginning to outweigh X-Box in terms of titles(B&P matches in the upcoming WWE game, versus Xtreme Beach Volleyball :P) I've got a trout ready to smack anyone who tries to "correct" my spelling of the word "titles" :P

[Artega]

No, 70m is very, very BIG. 70cm, on the other hand, is a little under two feet or so. :P

You might get all of your fancy-pants RPGs (frankly, I haven't seen a good RPG from Square-Enix/Squaresoft in quite some time) and miscellaneous crap with your PS2, but you won't get access to the lovely Nintendo mascot series. No F-Zero, Metroid, Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, or Star Fox for you! :P

[JustAGuy]

I have to chime in on this (go to the bottom for a quick summary!)...

I am warning you that I am biased against the PS2, but only because I did my research and settled on the Xbox long, long ago. You see, my brother owned a PS2 and he and I played many a game. We had fun and all, but something was lacking, something integral was missing; I never felt compelled to own one myself, nor did I want to keep playing the games on said PS2. It's kind of like how I didn't really care to play Golden Eye 007 on the N64 -- the controls weren't right and the graphics were down right poor.

Then the Xbox came along.

Once I played Halo, I said goodbye to the PS2, the Gamecube, and the PC (for a while at least). The Xbox showed me what was missing. Once the S-Type controller came out for the Xbox, it got even better; there would be no other games in my life except for Xbox titles. Graphics and gameplay are what the Xbox brings (and sound!) that the PS2 (and Gamecube) can't match. Technically, it's the fastest console out there. As far as usefulness goes, it's also a DVD player (although you have to pay extra, and the PS2 gives it for free), and a media player (there's some retail MS software that allows you to use it as a media player, methinks).

The real beauty of the Xbox is Xbox Live. Sure, PS2 has online capability, but it's not a centralized service. The whole matchmaking, quick game finding, online identity, friends list, downloadable content -- that's a beautiful extension of the Xbox. Currently, there are only two developers that don't (refuse to) understand how great Xbox live is, those two being Activision and EA Sports. That's a different story, both for different reasons (in short, Activision is locked in a contract and EA is just being one huge fat stinking moron that has allowed Sega Sports to supersede EA Sports as the authority in many of the major sports franchises).

I own two Xboxes, one modded and one not modded. I own many games, most of them for play on Xbox Live. The modded Xbox is fantastic -- sure, you're not supposed to do it, but I could give a rat's a$$ about what Microsoft says I should or shouldn't be doing with hardware that I *own*. I have Gentoox Linux running on it, and that makes that little (big) computer a valuable file server/media player for cheap. I downloaded and installed some software called the "Xbox Media Player" a.k.a. "XBMP", which is really a fantastic piece of software. It can play movies, music, and display pictures, all off of the built-in hard-drive or over the network using a variety of methods. This things is super versitile. I've got the modded box plugged into my home-theatre receiver, and using the high-definition pack for the Xbox, I get Dolby Digital 5.1 sound out of it.

Speaking of Dolby Digital ... Xbox is the only console out there that supports it, if I recall correctly. I bought this: GameLink? 400 X Component Video with Analog Audio. It's incredibly over-priced (I'm talking INCREDIBLY OVER PRICED), but the picture quality with this thing is just as incredible. Those Monster boys really go all-out. There's a digital audio add-on that is just as over-priced, but necessary if you want Dolby Digital...

So, Xbox offers outstanding picture quality, superb sound, and great versatility. The PS2 is just starting to catch up with the release of the hard-drive, but Sony is still way-off in the graphics and sound departments. They can't match Dolby Digital, they can't match the 480p and 1080i support, and the graphics just aren't as crisp. That's what happens when you compare consoles that are a year apart. The only thing that Sony's PS2 can offer is more quality titles -- but that's something that's slowly becoming negligible, considering that there are lots of quality Xbox titles with some very good ones on the way (most notably Halo 2). Also, ,most games now-a-days are for both PS2 and Xbox. The only developer that does PS2 exclusives these days is Activision...

Wow, with all that talk, you'd think I was selling Xboxes or something.

Anyway, here's a quick summary:

____________________________________________________________Xbox_____PS2
480p and 1080i support:_____________________________________Yes______No
Dolby Digital Surround Sound:_______________________________Yes______No
Choice of different controllers (one big, one small)*:______Yes______No
Has easy to use centralized online service:_________________Yes______No
Has the most quality titles:________________________________No_______Yes
Has the most quality online titles**:_______________________Yes______No
Has downloadable content via online service:________________Yes______No
Has built-in hard drive and LAN***:_________________________Yes______No
Has fastest technical specifications (speed, graphics):_____Yes______No
Uses memory cards****:______________________________________Yes______Yes
Is backwards compatible with PSOne/PSX:_____________________No_______Yes
Supports voice chat during online gaming*****:______________Yes______Yes
Plays DVDs******:___________________________________________Yes______Yes
Has USB support*******:_____________________________________Yes______Yes
Has special controller cables that disconnect easily:_______Yes______No

*Controller preference is a completely personal choice. Some people think the Dual-Shock controller is the best ever designed, whereas the S-Type is my favourite. Some people actually like the Big "Loaf-Of-Bread" original Xbox Controller best.
**This one is hard to call, but I'd say Xbox has more quality online titles; MechAssault, Crimson Skies, Ghost Recon, Project Gotham Racing 2, Madden, Splinter Cell, to name a few.
*** Hard drive and LAN are available seperately for the PS2.
**** Memory card is available for Xbox, particularly useful for storing an Xbox live account.
***** Few PS2 games use voice chat -- SOCOM was the first, and few afterward have used it, whereas all Xbox Live enabled games support it.
****** DVD Remote required for DVD playback on Xbox, whereas PS2 allows playback without remote.
******* USB ports are on the front of the PS2, whereas a special adapter is required for the Xbox which plugs into the controller's port (the ports on the controller, not where the controller plugs into).

[Ondo]

The D-Pad is positively TINY, which makes games that use the D-Pad extensively (such as Soul Calibur II) difficult to control perfectly.

I don't use the D-Pad for Soul Calibur II. The analog sticks on the Dreamcast and Playstation controllers were unusable for fighting games, but I find the GameCube's to be better than any D-Pad. Not entirely sure why the difference, but being set into an octagon instead of a circle certaintly contributes (and was pure genius on Nintendo's part).

[Artega]

I didn't like the D-stick. It felt too loose; it didn't respond fast enough for me. Of course, while my skills with Nightmare, Link, and Raphael, my skills with Fox and Marth (in SSBM) have been declining.

Recently I've been hooked on F-Zero GX all over again, and I've almost got the damn game beaten; I've completed the four primary circuits on all four difficulties (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and Diamond; Novice, Standard, Expert, Master), and am working on unlocking the AX Cup (I've still got three more tracks to purchase before I can unlock it.) I have most of the machine parts, and I've unlocked three of the AX Racers (Fat Shark, Cosmic Dolphin, and Silver Rat.) All of this has been done without ever having seen an AX arcade machine.

For fellow F-Zero GX racers out there, try making the Heat Horse - Z machine (Sky Horse body, Heat Snake cockpit, Triple-Z booster) and giving it a shot. It's rated at about 1780kg, with a C-class body, A-class booster, and B-class grip. I can easily top 1700 km/h on straightaways, and it hits about 1135 km/h when set for Top Speed. I have never placed under 3rd place in any Master difficulty cup using this machine.

As an aside, completing (i.e. placing First overall) Master difficulty with a stock racer (which is VERY difficult), gets you a special F-Zero TV spot (Mr. Zero has yet another suit, and your responses are a bit more verbose), as well as the credits. During the credits, you get to watch a little FMV sequence showing your driver going all disco at a party. Thus far, I've been able to beat the Ruby Cup on Master with the Little Wyvern (James McCloud; my personal favorite stock racer, because of his obvious nod to Star Fox), the Red Gazelle (Mighty Gazelle) and the Dark Schneider (Deathborn.) Deathborn's F-Zero TV spots are hiliarious, and seeing him dance is just priceless.

[NiteFox]

James McCloud; my personal favorite stock racer, because of his obvious nod to Star Fox

Obvious isn't the word.




Truth be told, I was looking for an "original" (i.e. SNES Star Fox) Fox image. The similarities are even more blatant.

And I'd like to say this: Cosplayers scare me :blink:

[Artega]

Heh, I'll try to get a picture of the GCN James McCloud; the boots look even worse on the model. Everything else actually looks pretty cool, but the boots just look... weird.

I don't have a digital camera, but I have a flatbed scanner and a throwaway Kodak camera with a few exposures left :P

I didn't think that the Little Wyvern was in the F-Zero X lineup ^_^

[Brimstone]

Currently, there are only two developers that don't (refuse to) understand how great Xbox live is, those two being Activision and EA Sports.

EA Sports + Xbox Live?

I believe the term currently in use is "woot." :P