Should I purchase an X-Box or PS2????

[Ben E Lou]

I'm quite sure seeing me post a thread with this title shocked and amazed many of you, but read on and you'll understand.

As most of you know, I lead a rather large youth program in my community. Over the holidays, we were able to take advantage of a fantastic opportunity. There is a church about 3/4 mile from one of the high schools I work with that is really struggling. In fact, they have no youth program whatsoever. When I say no youth program, I mean literally nothing--no high school or middle school Sunday School classes, no Sunday or Wednesday night youth program. Zilch. There are only two people in the entire age range of 6 to 23 who attend the church on even a semi-regular basis, and both are seniors in high school and will be going off to school in May.

However, this is a church that once had a thriving youth program, and there was lots of physical space and money put into the program. As a result, they have some significant youth ministry assets, such as a gymnasium with setup for volleyball and/or basketball, and a killer youth lounge that contains a pool table, ping-pong table, 52-inch color TV with stereo surround sound (speakers mounted in the ceiling front and back), comfortable couches and chairs, another 25-inch TV, etc.

At any rate, there are several people in the church familiar with my ministry (several grandmothers of kids I work with or have worked with), and they decided three things:

1. Having virtually no young families, they're in no position to rebuild the youth program themselves any time in the next 5 years, and probably even the next 10.
2. Having all this stuff and space sitting there unused was poor stewardship.
3. This stuff and space would be a perfect fit for what I'm doing.

So, they've basically "turned over the keys" to us. I moved my office in over the holidays. (I now have 500 square feet of office space just for me, plus more available for the future person or two that I'm likely to hire.) I'm going to be opening up the youth lounge after school at least 2 days a week for kids to come hang out. It should be a great connecting point with kids. (It is only 3/4 mile from one of the high schools, about 4 miles from the other, and about 2 miles from the middle school.) Also, two of our schools will be meeting there on a regular basis, so it'll be great for hang-out time before and afterward. The "Grand Opening" of the place will be a Super Bowl party.

They have an old Nintendo hooked up to the 25" TV from back when they had a thriving youth program. (There are probably 30 or 40 cartridges in there.) I figure with everything else in there, I need to get ahold of three things to make this the "perfect" youth hangout: a foosball table, an air hockey table, and a console game to hook up to that monster 52-incher...

...and that brings me to the title question of this thread: Should I purchase an X-Box or PS2???

I'll buy a small handful of games to start with as well, but I can rely on the kids to help me make those calls. I've asked some of my high school guys about which system to purchase, and the responses seem split evenly, pretty much along the lines of "Buy the system I have, so I can beat up on people, show my mad skillz, and impress some chicks." ;)

Here are a few questions I probably need to consider, and I have no clue as to the answers. Which system has more games made for it?
Does it appear that either one will greatly surpass the other any time soon?
Will either one or both be upgradeable to PS3/X-Box 2 at some point?
Is either one a better "value" than the other, and if so why?
Doesn't one of them have the ability to hook up multiple systems to one another and play?
Is either one more durable than the other? (I don't want to invest a lot of money in this and then in 18 months have several games and no working system.)
Does either have "hidden" costs (such as extra memory that you pretty much HAVE to have to run the good games) that I need to know about?

Anything else I should consider?

A little help?

Thanks in advance!

--Ben


(Oh, and fear not, Ol' SkyDog isn't fully selling out. I have two extra PC's apart from my "business" one that will be available for PC gaming as well. :D)

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by SkyDog

They have an old Nintendo hooked up to the 25" TV from back when they had a thriving youth program. (There are probably 30 or 40 cartridges in there.) I figure with everything else in there, I need to get ahold of three things to make this the "perfect" youth hangout: a foosball table, an air hockey table, and a console game to hook up to that monster 52-incher...


FOF spreadsheets would look PHENOMENAL on a 52" TV :D

(actually, we hooked a C64 up to a projection tv years ago and played MicroLeague on it....)

[Noop]

Well both systems are great. But at this point I'm leaning toward the PS2 because most people are filmilar(sp?) with it. But the X-Box come with for controller slots and is fun when you have a multi player game. Hmm I'm split down the middle ask Sack Attack thats his thing.

[Deattribution]

Both are good systems

PS2 overall has the larger amount of games, you've got all the PS2 games and you can also play PS1 games on the system.

Xbox, you're looking at buying 3 controllers along with the system for 4 player play. But the system has 4 controller slots on the system.

PS2, you're looking at buying 3 additional controllers also, along with a multitap so you can connect them all.

Xbox has the superior specs as far as the system is concerned. So the graphics on games tend to be better, including games ported to each system.

Xbox has a internal harddrive so the need for a memory card (to save games) isn't as necessary.

PS2 has a harddrive also, but it's a seperate purchase unlike the Xbox. So without it, a memory card is necessary to save any games.

PS2 tends to have the more polished games, you're more likely to run into issues with your Xbox game then you are your PS2 game.

Xbox won't be moving onto Xbox 2 anytime soon (that i'm aware of), while PS3 is looking at a release next year *possibly, with the PSX (expanded ps2) already on the verge of north american release. Neither system will 'upgradable'.

Online play with the PS2 is relatively free, most games do not charge seperately to play online, so all you need is the online adapter and a internet connection of some sort.

Xbox Live is a charged service, no games charge seperately to play online but you have to pay a monthly/yearly fee to use the Xbox service as a whole, this fee doesn't cover the internet connection you also need to play.

Both also play DVDs but to use the Xbox as a DVD player you need a seperate DVD remote, while the PS2 you can use the PS2 controller.

As far as the more reliable system, I've heard of more people having issues with there PS2 dying then I have Xbox, but I've never had trouble with either system. If you take decent care of it (ie no dropping/kicking/whatever) you should be fine.



Overall though, both are really solid systems, you can't go wrong with either system but they both have perks and quirks.

[korme]

Welll yes after what, 2 years my PS2 died but I went to Best Buy and replaced it for free..

[Kodos]

PS2 has a great library of games, and a lot of greatest hits game you can pick up for $20 or less. Neither system can be upgraded to the next generation (that's not how consoles work, although sometimes consoles will be made backwards compatible - for instance, you can still play PS1 games on PS2). I think durability was a question earlier in the life cycle of the PS2, but probably not anymore. For what it's worth, I still have my launch PS2, and it works just fine, despite the fact that I spend a good deal of time playing it each week.

Honestly, either console would be fine, but I'd lean toward the PS2.

[Pacersfan46]

Which system has more games made for it?

PS2. It probably helps that it's been out a bit longer, but it's also the matter that most small developers will choose PS2, because it's 50 million user base is a big draw. Not to mention PS2's much larger Japanese developer base, which is larger than the North American/European PC developer base which has changed to PC/Xbox developers.

Does it appear that either one will greatly surpass the other any time soon?

Games wise? No. Sales wise, PS2 is already in the lead by far (Xbox + GC still doesn't come near PS2) but I'll just say my personal opinion is that a big part of that is because of PS2's faulty rate. Which is higher than GC/Xbox.

This point is made particularly clear by a Capcom producer blasting Sony for making PS2's awfully fragile. Claiming it was for boosting console system sales.

Will either one or both be upgradeable to PS3/X-Box 2 at some point?

Nope. Neither. I think we can tell someone isn't a console gamer. :D

Is either one a better "value" than the other, and if so why?

Xbox is CLEARLY a better value. PS2 requires memory cards, and an add on to play online. Xbox has an 8 GB hard drive, which is kinda nice. As you can save songs and play them during games instead of listening to game music (on games that enable you to do so only, not all games). Not to mention the faulty rate I've already mentioned, and the Xbox's surperior hardware.

The Xbox's superiroity goes all the way down to the break away cords for controllers. So that when someone trips over the controller cord that it won't pull the system off of the table/entertainment center, or whatever else it could be setting on. All that happens with Xbox, is the cord disconnects a couple inches before the system, and the game pauses asking you to reconnect the cord and press start.

Doesn't one of them have the ability to hook up multiple systems to one another and play?

Yes, the Xbox has the ability to connect up to 4 Xbox's, and play 16 player games on 4 TV's.

Is either one more durable than the other? (I don't want to invest a lot of money in this and then in 18 months have several games and no working system.)

Already talked about that. I'm sure if you'd like to see proof, I can find the link to where a Capcom producer blasted them.

Does either have "hidden" costs (such as extra memory that you pretty much HAVE to have to run the good games) that I need to know about?

Memory cards for PS2. I know I have to have 1 memory card for Madden, 1 memory card for NCAA Football, and another one for all other games.

While Xbox you CAN use memory cards to transfer save games, but they are in no way necissary.

=====

Edit: While Deattribution's assessment that both systems are great is dead on, there are mistakes in his evaluation. Let me clarify as someone who is probably one of the most obsessive console gamers since I was 5 years old.

PS2 having more polished games is just .. eh .. a mess. As is the situation with PC developers, it's all dependant upon who's doing the work. There is also the issue that PS2 is more difficult to develop for.

Xbox 2 is scheduled for release in 2006, by Microsoft's comments. Including Ed Fries, head of the Xbox division.

Yes, Xbox Live is a charged service, but there is a game with seperate charges. Phantasy Star Online.

[illinifan999]

If I had to choose I would pick PS2. I'm a little biased as I have one, but I have played X-BOX a lot. The graphics are better, and it would be nice to have a hardrive, but I still like the overall feel of the PS2. Plus it has a ton of games, although I think X-BOX has maybe more exclusives. Not sure on that. I also like the PS2 controllers more for sports games, but then again I've been playing it a lot longer.

Now for durability. I guess it depends on your luck, and how you act. I got a first gen PS2, and so far it's worked fine. My friend's X-BOX died three days after he got it. But I'm sure there are vice versas.

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Deattribution
Both also play DVDs but to use the Xbox as a DVD player you need a seperate DVD remote, while the PS2 you can use the PS2 controller.

I've heard that PS2's tend to die if you watch DVD's on them too often. I haven't heard any such thing in regard to X-Box...

[Deattribution]

Originally posted by JeeberD
I've heard that PS2's tend to die if you watch DVD's on them too often. I haven't heard any such thing in regard to X-Box...

You'll hear alot of things about each system from die hard Xbox fans who think EVERYONE has to like the xbox.

And you'll hear alot about the Xbox by die hard PS2 fans..

All I know is I got my PS2 the first week of launch (which wasn't easy), I've never had to replace it, never had to get it fixed, and I don't own a DVD player. I've always used my PS2.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by JeeberD
I've heard that PS2's tend to die if you watch DVD's on them too often. I haven't heard any such thing in regard to X-Box... Just walked across the hall to check. There's a DVD player already in there. No need to use either for that purpose.


All:

Thanks for the feedback so far. Keep it comin'!


cuervo:

Good call. I need to figure out how to hook the PC up to the 52" TV for some FOF spreadsheet bliss... ;)

[Kodos]

I think the whole PS2s break down more frequently thing is a crock. If you take care of it (keep it in a clean environment, don't sit it on the rug, etc.), it will last a long time. And the whole PS2 sells more units because they all break theory is ludicrous. I'm sure it explains the how the PS2 easily outsells all other consoles combined. :rolleyes:

[Pacersfan46]

Oh, back again.

A - Check my first post, for edits.

B - Xbox is also a better value because it comes with 2 games (not great games, but games), and you get 2 months of free Xbox Live. Which is broadband only. I don't know if the place has cable internet, but if it does ... then you can see how they react to being able to play Xbox Live for a couple months.

Just a thought.

Edit:

As for the PS2 faulty rate situation, I keep my systems in IMMACULATE condition. I have just about every system (minus Jaguar, and N-Gage, and Panasonic 3DO) dating back to the Atari 2600 (including handhelds).

The only one I've ever had break? My Playstation 2.

I know at LEAST 5 people who have bought 2 PS2's because of the same issues. I only know 2 people who've had faulty Xbox's. This doesn't make it fact, but I'm sure if I went to look I could find the faulty rates as given by the companies themselves. I saw a comparison in early 2003 that was clearly showing that PS2's were much more easily broken.

[albionmoonlight]

I have an X-Box and really like it. I can't speak to the PS2.

Couple of thoughts:

I don't think that you will need to use the X-Box hard drive that much--saving careers is not what the machine will be used for. It will be much more of a 4 way football fest, I imagine.

However, I think that you can't overestimate the importance of durability, either.

[Butter]

Oh, goody, another PS2 vs. XBox bitch-fest. :rolleyes:

The XBox is overall a cheaper system to buy and play right out of the box.

The PS2 has more games.

Although I don't know how many of those games you'll be wanting your kids to play... I imagine Grand Theft Auto won't be a big hit at the ol' church youth center. :)

[SlapBone]

SkyDog:

If the unit will see considerable playtime then I would reccommend an X-Box.

I know I will get flamed for saying this but the PS2 is just not a very sturdy unit in terms of manufactiring quality. PS2 probably has the most games and a lot of them are very high quality, but I have had 2 PS2s break down on me in a relatively short period of time. The issues are mainly with the quality of the DVD-ROM that is used in them. I have heard rumors that this was fixed so if I'm wrong someone let me know.

The X-BOX also had some manufacturing problems with their first generation units that were similiar but I know for a fact that these problems have been fixed.

For the type of games that you will be providing in a youth program, I believe that either unit will prove to be useful.

[NOISE]

Originally posted by SkyDog
I need to figure out how to hook the PC up to the 52" TV for some FOF spreadsheet bliss... ;)

At CompUSA, there are products you can buy that do this...such as the following http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?sid=3FF8A90020B9E17F&product_code=50196841&pfp=cat3

[scooper]

I have an X-Box. Basically, the only games that interest me are sports games. I'm not into first person shooters or role playing games, so X-Box suits me fine.

I'm not sure if this is much of an option, but if arcade-style gameplay is what you desire as opposed to career/saved game type play, perhaps Gamecube would be an option. It's cheaper and probably has more games suitable for a church youth group.

I'm not offended by violent games, it's just that they are not fun to me, but it seems much of the console genre lately has become a bit bloody. I wonder if Gamecube might offer more options.

If you think sports games will dominate their gaming time, though, go with the X-Box. My buddies and I just wasted a New Years day full of bad bowl match-ups ignoring the games on the big screen. We plugged four controllers in the X-box on the small screen in the corner and had an NCAA 2004 slugfest.

[stevew]

Not to interject, but a Gamecube is cheaper. Plays basically the same games. And has cheaper accessories.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
I imagine Grand Theft Auto won't be a big hit at the ol' church youth center. :) Actually the largest church youth program in our community has Grand Theft Auto in their youth center--and I'm not running a church youth group here by any means, and the folks at the church understand that. My kids are definitely a good bit wilder.

Believe me, they're going to be dealing with kids driving up smoking and blasting the latest filthy raps on their car stereos. A little Grand Theft Auto on the video game system won't be an issue at all. ;)

I don't have a good guage for "considerable" playtime, but as someone mentioned, I don't see it being a "save game" kind of place, but more of a "4-man football fest", as someone put it. There will be at most two days per week (probably only one) when it will get played for more than 30-45 minutes.

[Butter]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Believe me, they're going to be dealing with kids driving up smoking and blasting the latest filthy raps on their car stereos. A little Grand Theft Auto on the video game system won't be an issue at all. ;)

At least you're being realistic. I'm sure that's part of what helps you relate so well to the kids in your community.

[stevew]

Oh, and I only mentioned Gamecube cause I thought you might be wanting to keep it "clean."

[Cringer]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Just walked across the hall to check. There's a DVD player already in there. No need to use either for that purpose.


All:

Thanks for the feedback so far. Keep it comin'!


cuervo:

Good call. I need to figure out how to hook the PC up to the 52" TV for some FOF spreadsheet bliss... ;)

I know i'm 26 and not in GA, but can i come over and play? :D

People have mentioned that neither system will be "upgradeable" to the net gen system, but i would think that PS2 games would play on the PS3, just like origina Playstation games play on the PS2. I am not sure if X-Box ould do this, not knowing much about the system.

[Kodos]

Yeah, PS3 will be backwards-compatible with PS2.

[SlapBone]

Originally posted by Kodos
Yeah, PS3 will be backwards-compatible with PS2.

And the X-BOX 2 will be backwards compatible with X-BOX even though their changeover to the new IBM processor will force them to emulate.

[tucker342]

They're both very good systems.

PS2 has more games at the moment. XBox is catching up fast though with a very good set of games coming out this year (Halo 2, Fable etc....) plus XBox games have bettter overall graphics. The HD that comes with the XBox is probably the greatest thing about it though. In the 2 years that I've had the XBox I've never had any problems with it.

[TargetPractice6]

I'm in no way and X-box fan, but you should know the PS2 only has two controller slots. That could be a bit of a draqw back in this situation. I think you can buy a peripheral that lets more people play though.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by TargetPractice6
I'm in no way and X-box fan, but you should know the PS2 only has two controller slots. That could be a bit of a draqw back in this situation. I think you can buy a peripheral that lets more people play though. So...do I take this to mean that the X-Box comes with 4 controllers for the purchase price? If so, then this may be the difference-maker for my purposes. This will very rarely be a solo-played game, and I'd love it to be easily available to four or more players.

[TargetPractice6]

No, I think both only come with 1 controller. However, the PS2 only has two slots to plug controllers in, so only two people can play at a time.

[The Afoci]

nevermind, everything was mentioned above...

[Vince]

X-Box doesn't come with 4 controllers, but you don't need to buy an accessory along with the 4 controllers to make it work.

I'd have to agree with steve-something or other...seems for your purposes a GameCube might be a better value. Games like Mario Party (shudder), Mario Kart Double Dash and Monkey Ball make for great multi-player games (4 at a time), and it sounds like you'll have a bunch of kids wanting to play at once.

[Kodos]

The Xbox comes with 4 controller ports, and comes with one controller in the box.

The PS2 comes with 2 controllers ports, and comes with one controller in the box. For 4 people to play the PS2 at once, you would need to buy a multitap ($35) in addition to the three controllers. So basically, you save $35 from the Xbox not needing a multitap. However, Xbox controllers cost more than PS2 controllers. ($30 for controller S (Xbox) on Amazon, $25 for DualShock 2 (PS2)). So, after buying all the controllers, it comes out like this:

3 DualShock 2's for $75 + $35 for the multitap = $110 for PS2.

3 controller S's for $90. So you'd save $20 by going with the Xbox if you wanted to be able to have 4 people play at once.

[Eaglesfan27]

I got my PS2 the night of launch and have never had any problems with it except for ESPN College Hoops which I'm convinced is the game's fault not the system's fault. I or my wife play it an average of 8-12 hours/week since it came out. I think it is plenty sturdy. I also like the fact that we can still play our PS1 games on it. I believe the PS3 will be backwards compatible as well. Therefore, I will stick with PS. However, I think the X-Box is a very nice system as well.

[WussGawd]

SkyDog.

I can't speak for the PS2, but I took a long time to think about which console I wanted. I took my first console plunge in about a decade for Christmas of 2002. I bought an XBox for a few reasons:

1. Better hardware. The graphics chip, processor are faster and better than on the PS2.

2. Hard drive. First, and foremost, I'm a PC Gamer. I'd watched my kids struggle for years with memory cards and the old Nintendo 64 (losing them, the things failing, etc). I knew I'd get an XBox over a PS2 as soon as I learned I wouldn't have to go through that. The XBox is as close to a PC gaming experience as you will ever have with a console.

3. Ability to take 4 controllers out of the box. I have two kids. We like to play some shoot 'em ups, and the occasional football or hockey game together.

4. The market power of Microsoft. I had this strong feeling, simply due to the clout Microsoft has, that the PS2's larger user base would not prevent Microsoft from building a good array of titles. If nothing else, since the thing basically has an Nvidia chip, an Intel processor, a stripped down version of Windows as an OS, and a hard drive, I figured there'd be a number of PC game developers who would love to do ports to the XBox. So far, I think I'm right.

5. Did I mention the fact that it has a hard drive?

Which system has more games made for it?

PS2, hands down. But...there aren't that many more new titles being released for it than the XBox at this time. Each platform has it's set of exclusives, but by and large, most new games can be found on both.

Does it appear that either one will greatly surpass the other any time soon?

The PS2 clearly has the lions share of systems sold.

However, the XBox is the only one of the latest generation of gaming consoles that is still enjoying an increase in sales (mainly due to the success of XBox Live). A couple of the local gaming shops (EB Games, GameStop) here can sell you a used/refurbished PS2 any time you want one. XBoxes are a lot harder to come by because they seem to fly out as fast as they take them in.


Will either one or both be upgradeable to PS3/X-Box 2 at some point?

I would imagine that Sony and Microsoft are bright enough to make sure their machines are backwards compatible, at least enough to run PS2 or XBox1 games.

The hardware itself is not upgradeable, since this is a console.

Is either one a better "value" than the other, and if so why?

In terms of the actual game hardware? XBox hands down:

Hard drive vs. No Hard Drive (XBox)
Better processor, better graphics chip. (XBox)
4 controller slots vs. 2 slots (XBox)
Ethernet connection vs. none (XBox)

Doesn't one of them have the ability to hook up multiple systems to one another and play?

The Xbox. You can link up to four of them for games involving up to 16 players. Halo LAN parties were all the rage a few months ago, and probably had a lot to do with the success of the console.

Is either one more durable than the other? (I don't want to invest a lot of money in this and then in 18 months have several games and no working system.)

My first Xbox was a first generation machine, and it was a pain in the a** that I finally had replaced by Microsoft a few months after I bought it. I've got three of the things now, all are running fine, the oldest one of them has been that way for a year (and we play the h-e-double hockeysticks out of them). I have heard from a lot of PS2 owners about problems, more than the folks I know who've had Xboxes. This evidence is anecdotal, however, since I do not, and will never own a PS2.

Does either have "hidden" costs (such as extra memory that you pretty much HAVE to have to run the good games) that I need to know about?

For PS2:
Memory cards or the kids can kiss goodbye the hope for game saves. The Multitap if you want them to be able to play more than 2 player games. Hard drive (and most PS2 games don't support it from what I understand). Network adapter for online play.

For XBox:

XBox Live---> Subscription service ($49 per year).

Finally, my $.02 on the Gamecube, which I got for the kids for Christmas

Re. The Gamecube. It's a nice little console, but outside of the Nintendo stable of characters (Mario/Luigi et al, Zelda, Pokemon) there aren't much in the exclusive titles category. Like the PS2, it's hobbled by the need for memory cards for saves, and the cards are smallish in terms of size.

Additionally, no online play with the Gamecube. It has the worst selection of titles of any of the three consoles, and a large part of the exclusive titles probably have little appeal to those beyond age 12.

To make matters worse, a lot of vendors never developed for Gamecube, a lot more dropped support not long after it came out, and I've heard rumblings of a few more thinking about it.

To me, Nintendo frankly looks like Sega did after the Saturn and Dreamcast flopped, like they're about to get out of the hardware business and stick to game development. Nintendo sold only 58,000 Gamecubes in the entire second quarter of 2003 (compared to several million for both Sony's PS2 and Microsoft's XBox), and indeed stopped producing them for about 4-6 months to reduce inventories, then slashed the price.

[WussGawd]

dola. One other Xbox plus (which might or might not make a difference to you). Many Xbox games are HDTV compatible and can be run at screen resolutions higher than 640 x 480 on such televisions.

[Deattribution]

Originally posted by WussGawd
Finally, my $.02 on the Gamecube, which I got for the kids for Christmas

Re. The Gamecube. It's a nice little console, but outside of the Nintendo stable of characters (Mario/Luigi et al, Zelda, Pokemon) there aren't much in the exclusive titles category. Like the PS2, it's hobbled by the need for memory cards for saves, and the cards are smallish in terms of size.

Additionally, no online play with the Gamecube. It has the worst selection of titles of any of the three consoles, and a large part of the exclusive titles probably have little appeal to those beyond age 12.

To make matters worse, a lot of vendors never developed for Gamecube, a lot more dropped support not long after it came out, and I've heard rumblings of a few more thinking about it.

To me, Nintendo frankly looks like Sega did after the Saturn and Dreamcast flopped, like they're about to get out of the hardware business and stick to game development. Nintendo sold only 58,000 Gamecubes in the entire second quarter of 2003 (compared to several million for both Sony's PS2 and Microsoft's XBox), and indeed stopped producing them for about 4-6 months to reduce inventories, then slashed the price.

Actually Ninetendo is no where near where Sega was, that statement alone is insane. They could give away gamecubes and they still out sell xbox/ps2 5 to 1 with there game boys/GB advanced.

Gamecube has also outsold xbox for the last 6 months and outsold xbox 2 to 1 on launch, even before the huge price slash. Not to mention Ninetendo is even larger in Japan.

It's still a limited system.. and should have little impact on what system you pick. although it DOES have online play but select titles for it (like 3 right now).

Anyway, wanted to clear that up.

[stevew]

I'm beyond 12, and the nintendo titles still appeal to me.
The whole XBOX fanboy banter is tiresome.

[Sloan]

I have all three systems, and I would choose the Xbox over the PS2. PS2 has more games, but it isn't like you'll have trouble finding games for the Xbox.

The Gamecube isn't a bad idea. It has a nice selection of good clean multiplayer games and has the Mario series that everyone is familiar with.

[stevew]

And to also add,
Sega was in huge debt around the time of the DC dying.

Nintendo is not in debt.

[gstelmack]

Originally posted by Pacersfan46
[B]Doesn't one of them have the ability to hook up multiple systems to one another and play?

Yes, the Xbox has the ability to connect up to 4 Xbox's, and play 16 player games on 4 TV's.


This is incorrect. Xbox has the ability to network up to 16 boxes on the same subnet. Technically you could get 64 players on 16 TVs :D

[cuervo72]

Funny though, I saw a blurb on the news that hinted at Nintendo moving away from the console business, so that rumor is out there.

SD, you should like this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000E32YL/qid=1073358741//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl63/002-9650479-0108010?v=glance&s=videogames&n=507846

Looks like there also is/will be an XBOX version.

[gstelmack]

Some general thoughts from a satisfied Xbox owner:

HDTV support is really cool for games that support it. Side-by-side Project Gotham Racing 2 on an HDTV is a fantastic experience, much better than top/bottom.

Anything you are reading about PS3/XB2 is pure speculation, rampant rumor, or FUD from various marketing departments. People on the net love to spread rumors, so if I were you I'd ignore any PS3/XB2 info and buy the console you want right now.

The break-away controllers on the XBOX are a GOOD THING. They will save your bacon at least once.

Lots of good games for both consoles. I don't think there is a reason to pick one or the other based on games.

[SackAttack]

Originally posted by SlapBone
And the X-BOX 2 will be backwards compatible with X-BOX even though their changeover to the new IBM processor will force them to emulate.

Which is what the PlayStation 2 already does with PSone titles - this is why there are a handful (not many, but a few) PSone games that simply will not play on the PlayStation 2.

It's just not practical to include the hardware for the PSone AND the PS2 AND, when the time comes, the PS3, inside the same box. Emulation is likely going to be the watchword for backwards compatibility from here on out.

[stevew]

I did read the other day that SONY had basically finalized the plans for the new central chip for the PS3(and other things) the other day and was hoping to be beginning producing the chips in massive quantity in 2005.

Chips (http://www.arstechnica.com/archive/news/1065723217.html)

Although of course nothing is certain.

Oh, as far as durability goes, the XBOX is bulletproof. (http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6084935.html)


*Edited to fix HTML

[NoMyths]

I just read that the PSX has shipped in Japan.

[MikeVic]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Funny though, I saw a blurb on the news that hinted at Nintendo moving away from the console business, so that rumor is out there.

I can write shit on a website too, and it would be considered a rumour. :P I also saw an article saying that the Nintendo CEO or President, or someone like that has confirmed that they are working on their next console...

As for which console, I think it's already been said here a few times.. there is no best console, just which console has the type of games you want. For me, the X-Box has nothing that I can't get on either of the other systems, or on computer (that I'd want to play)... so it was between a PS2 and a Cube.. I can safely say the Cube was the right choice for me. I really have no idea what console would be good for a youth group, and I don't know what these people would like to play.

[Kodos]

Maybe you should ask the kids in the youth group which one they'd like the best?

Really, all three consoles have their strengths, and all of them have weaknesses. It just comes down to personal preference. I happen to prefer the PS2. Lots of guys here prefer Xbox. GameCube has its fans too. Seems like the easiest thing is to just ask them which one they'd like.

[daedalus]

One thing to consider would be the titles you . . . er, the kids might want to play. You should be able to find most of the big name titles on multiple platforms but some of the less obvious ones may not be on all. One of my big dilemma is that I really prefer Xbox as a platform but may end up having to buy a PS2 since so many of the games I want to play are on that (Gallop Racer, various Koei games).

Edit to say that I had to ask Josh about this to be sure but Knights of the Old Republid was an Xbox game. So that's one to consider.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Kodos
Maybe you should ask the kids in the youth group which one they'd like the best?
Originally posted by SkyDog
I've asked some of my high school guys about which system to purchase, and the responses seem split evenly, pretty much along the lines of "Buy the system I have, so I can beat up on people, show my mad skillz, and impress some chicks."

Unfortunately, they aren't very much help. ;)

[WussGawd]

Originally posted by MikeVic
I can write shit on a website too, and it would be considered a rumour. :P I also saw an article saying that the Nintendo CEO or President, or someone like that has confirmed that they are working on their next console...

As for which console, I think it's already been said here a few times.. there is no best console, just which console has the type of games you want. For me, the X-Box has nothing that I can't get on either of the other systems, or on computer (that I'd want to play)... so it was between a PS2 and a Cube.. I can safely say the Cube was the right choice for me. I really have no idea what console would be good for a youth group, and I don't know what these people would like to play.

FYI. The Nintendo may stop making consoles rumor isn't just somebody "writing sh**" on a message board. Hunt down Fortune from a couple of weeks ago. They had a fairly lengthy article on some of the Gamecube's woes and the dragging effect it's having on the company (not the Game Boy Advance, which owns the handheld market very convincingly).

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by MikeVic
I can write shit on a website too, and it would be considered a rumour. :P I also saw an article saying that the Nintendo CEO or President, or someone like that has confirmed that they are working on their next console...

Ok, I don't have a specific link to an article. It was a short news item either on Washington's local ABC news broadcast or on ABC's WNT, I forget which. Just mentioning that I saw a report where it was suggested. If you don't wish to believe that, oh well. I can't speak to the validity of the report, but it was shown.

[Pacersfan46]

Originally posted by stevew
And to also add,
Sega was in huge debt around the time of the DC dying.

Nintendo is not in debt.

No, they aren't, but they're getting closer and closer.

Nintendo posted their first loss ever in September. They posted a 3 billion yen loss (about 27 million dollars), after having projected a profit in the range of 15 billion yen. That's quite a disturbing turn around.

They haven't hit their financial projections for years, and the gap is getting larger, and larger.

[Kodos]

Hmmm. There's a lot of squawking going on over at the IGN boards because of an article that said Xbox 2 would not be backwards compatible. Anybody know much about this?

Squawking thread. (http://boards.ign.com/Xbox_General_Board/b5076/50933577/p1)

IGN article about Xbox2 (http://xbox.ign.com/articles/449/449146p1.html)

[dawgfan]

I've heard no official word either way. As someone else pointed out, if the next Xbox is backward compatible, it'll have to be through software emulation since the hardware will be different (AMD processer, ATI graphics chip). This isn't unprecedented, as this was the case with the PS2.

This will be an interesting choice for Microsoft - build on the existing game library for Xbox to give the next Xbox an instant established library of games from the start or force buyers to purchase a whole new set of games?

Consider that the hardware is a loss-leader for console makers, at least initially (and was especially true for Xbox) and that the licensing fee on software is where the money is earned back - there's some financial incentive for Microsoft to not make the new console backwards compatible so as to try and boost sales of the new games. They'll have to weigh this side vs. the idea that they may sell more next Xboxes if it is backwards-compatible, and potentially generate more software sales long-term as a result.

As much as this is discussed, I've heard talk that backwards compatibility for the PS2 was overrated - most gamers didn't play many of their old games on the PS2 and bought a lot of new games anyway. That said, it may be best simply from a PR perspective for Microsoft to include emulation to make backwards-compatibility possible, especially considering many gamers will still be playing the h-e-double hockey sticks out of Halo2 and possibly Half Life 2 when the next Xbox is released.

[samifan24]

**bump**

Since someone linked to this thread, I'll resurrect it and ask: which one did you ultimately go with, Skydog?

[Ben E Lou]

Strangely enough, after all of this in this thread, it became a non-issue. Several of the guys are very portable with their systems, and have no problem bringing them. When they hang out here, they organize themselves as to who is going to bring the X-Box or PS-2. Because of that, I just haven't been able to justify in my mind spending money on one.

[HornedFrog Purple]

Strangely enough, after all of this in this thread, it became a non-issue. Several of the guys are very portable with their systems, and have no problem bringing them. When they hang out here, they organize themselves as to who is going to bring the X-Box or PS-2. Because of that, I just haven't been able to justify in my mind spending money on one.

Translation: I couldn't decide so I bought them both. I am now a bonafide joystick jockey. Fear me.

[SackAttack]

No, they aren't, but they're getting closer and closer.

Nintendo posted their first loss ever in September. They posted a 3 billion yen loss (about 27 million dollars), after having projected a profit in the range of 15 billion yen. That's quite a disturbing turn around.

They haven't hit their financial projections for years, and the gap is getting larger, and larger.

They've produced exactly one losing quarter in twenty years. That's not exactly Chicken Little territory.

For what it's worth, I'm sure the drop in their revenue over the years has nothing at all to do with the transition from a monopoly to owning just a portion of the market. You gotta understand, Sega took 45% of Nintendo's market share between 1989-1995. That was unheard of prior to 1989, and they're one of the few companies that ever had any success directly challenging Nintendo. SNK couldn't do it, NEC couldn't do it, Atari tried and failed, even after Nintendo had competition, 3DO couldn't establish itself.

Sega did what nobody else had done to Nintendo, and directly made it easier for Sony and Microsoft to compete with Nintendo (although one could argue that Nintendo's ill-considered partnership attempts over the years with Atari, Phillips, and later Sony just paved the way for them to fall from #1).

But all of that said...Nintendo's financial health is fine. They're in trouble if they lose their stranglehold on the handheld market, but that just means they need to diversify some - which is likely what their recent movie studio venture is aimed at.