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But that was expected, right? The word Microsoft isn't exactly synonymous with innovation - more like borrowing and improving, or to be more accurate, cunningly creating an exclusive mass market. Mr Gates has no idea what Nintendo are up to, and this has forced him to have a dig at Gamecube's specifications. On the X-Box official web-site, you can view the X-box's all-important numbers compared directly to Gamecube and PS2. Here is an example of the statistics for you to look at;
X-box
CPU – 733MHz
Graphics Processor – 250MHz
Total Memory – 64MB
Memory Bandwidth – 6.4GB/sec
Polygon Performance – 125M/sec
PS2
CPU – 294.912MHz
Graphics Processor – 147.465MHz
Total Memory – 32MB
Memory Bandwidth – 3.2GB/sec
Polygon Performance – 66M/sec
Gamecube
CPU – 405 MHz Power PC
Graphics Processor – 202.5MHz
Total Memory – 40MB
Memory Bandwidth – 3.2GB/sec
Polygon Performance – 6-12M/sec
As you can see, it doesn't look good for Nintendo, but it wouldn't if any of it was based on in-game comparisons. Every machine works differently, so the fact that one console has a larger number than the other means nothing. As it happens, the Gamecube's CPU is based on the Power PC architecture, which works in a totally different way to a standard PC CPU. Putting the two numbers next to each other is just plain ignorance. Maybe they think that nobody will notice? In actual fact, one major developer has said, that Gamecube's CPU is easily equivalent to a 733MHz CPU. One down, several other misleading facts to go!
X-box supposedly has 21MB more memory than Gamecube. This is actually true, but Gamecube uses highly advanced texture-compression techniques. It doesn't need all that memory, and if you take into account all that extra space available after compression, Gamecube has tons more virtual memory than X-Box.
The most misleading and downright stupid looking comparison of all is in the polygon performance. What's that? X-Box is 11 times more powerful than Gamecube? Nintendo doesn't stand a chance. On the contrary, Nintendo has learned a valuable lesson - this time round, it's being realistic with its figures. The N64 had some awe-inspiring, polygon-pushing numbers when it was first announced, but it never came close. According to this data, the PS2 can push 66 million polygons per. second. So why is it that Ridge Racer V never goes above three million/sec? The cold light of day is that these figures are only true if there are no effects. Once you have a bunch of light sources, textures, and a decent framerate, that number immediately goes down to under 1/10th! This puts Microsoft's machine at around 12 million/sec. With EA Canada announcing that in benchmark tests (on Gamecube) they were achieving in the region of 15 million/sec with multiple effects and light sources, everything suddenly looks rosy again. 125 million polygons/second indeed!
Ok, so I’ve pretty much proven that technically, the Gamecube can more than hold its own in the coming console wars, but that’s only part of the battle. The console market is now full of huge publishers, whose games will more than likely be of the multi-format variety. So what is to stop Joe Bloggs buying an X-Box instead of a Gamecube? That’s where the exclusive software comes in. Nintendo is without doubt home to some of the most talented designers and programmers in the world. Its two main in-house teams, EAD and HAL Laboratory are responsible for franchises such as Pokémon, Mario, Zelda and Metroid, and that’s only to mention a few. Rest assured, there won’t be a shortage of awesome titles available from Nintendo themselves.
Then there’s the 2nd Parties, the developers in which Nintendo has a financial stake. Due to the financial tie, these developers will develop only for Nintendo’s consoles. At the moment, the list includes Rare, Silicon Knights, Left Field, NSTC and Retro Studios.
Last of all are the 3rd-Party developers. Microsoft recently released a list of 150 3rd-Party developers who it claimed were developing for its console. Many of these are also developing for Gamecube, Activision, Infogrames, Namco, Acclaim, 3DO, Konami and Capcom to name just a few.
As you can see, there are more than enough quality development studios working on Gamecube software, but whereas Microsoft is actively showing off what its machine can do, Nintendo has slammed Non Disclosure Agreements on everyone so that they can’t say a word until May. Roll on E3!
> Xbox
> 140.01GFLOPS
>
> Gamecube
> 13 GFLOPS
>
> PS2
> 6.2 GFLOPS
>
> http://www.impactsites2000.com/gamereviews/hardware_main.htm
>
> That's the site it's taken from and it explains the differences.
>
> It also says that the PS2 is more powerful than the Gamecube, read it
> and see.
Maybe so....but Xbox has poor games, that are mostly unimaginative, or just sport & fighing. Gamecube has games for the whole family and for all age groups. Xbox is a good machine gone to waste by poor games.
140.01GFLOPS
Gamecube
13 GFLOPS
PS2
6.2 GFLOPS
Is that so?
Surely then X box should be reaching photo quality at lighting quick speeds. it would be wiping the floor wiv the GC.
If so, then why doesnt it?!?!?!? If it claims to be that good, theyre not exactly making use of it. its like someone buying a F50 and using it to go do the shopping in.
As far as im concerned far, GC equals X box.
And PS2 better than GC?
Ha, yeah. Who ever said that should go in to the entertainment business. They would be a bitchin comedian.
p.s and as far as i know there are NO FISHING GAMES ON THE XBOX(the untouchables)
> as an xbox owner who will also shortly become a cube owner as well, i
> can certainly say the xbox has many EXELLANT games..HALO/PGR/DOA3/GUN
> VALKYRIE/JET SET RADIO/MAX PAYNE/WRECKLESS/RALLISPORT
> CHALLENGE/ODDWORLD/BURNOUT/ and it has some crackers on the horrizon
> QUANTUM REDSHIFT/MM3/CRIMSON SKIES/SPLASHDOWN/MOTO GP/CRAZY TAXI 3/SPY
> HUNTER/ not to mention the whispers about HALO 2 and poss MGS2. BUT
> like EVERY console it's also got it's NAIL'S...ARTIC THUNDER/TEST
> DRIVE OFF ROAD/OBI-WAN/DARK SUMMIT/FUZION FRENZY to name a few.So you
> see you should not diss the mechine and it's games JUST because you
> dislike the guy who's £ built it. It should all be about your
> type of game.
>
>
> p.s and as far as i know there are NO FISHING GAMES ON THE XBOX(the
> untouchables)
???????What the HELL is that supposed to mean??????????
> Xbox
> 140.01GFLOPS
>
> Gamecube
> 13 GFLOPS
>
> PS2
> 6.2 GFLOPS
>
> http://www.impactsites2000.com/gamereviews/hardware_main.htm
>
> That's the site it's taken from and it explains the differences.
>
> It also says that the PS2 is more powerful than the Gamecube, read it
> and see.
I'm sorry mate but i don't believe that this site is very correct, look they have made exatly the same mistake their as other places. their so called bench marks are not all that correct
Benchmarks
FPU 6.2 GFLOPS 140.01GFLOP 1.4 GFLOPS 13.0GFLOPS
Full PPS 66-38 million Polygons Per Second 100+ million Polygons Per Second 6-7 million Polygons Per Second 13 million
for 2 consoles they are providing raw poligon spects and for the other 2 in game specs, not very good benchmarks are they.
i will be buying a gamecube simply because i have allways loved nintys games but all three next-gen consoles are the buisness if we are all honest.
i think that in the end it's just a matter of personal choice
people will buy what they like regardless of what any-one says