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The Look
Whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun! By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's possible that designing a console that resembles its name looked good on paper, but the final product comes off amateurish and clumsy.
Control
If there's one place nobody's going to be singing Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad, there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox logo, just to make sure that gamers don't forget for even an instant that they've sold their soul to the big M. Place that against the stylized and incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much of a comparison.
Power
Although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000, of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of it is readily available, and the ability to write directly to the metal means more creativity and new approaches to design being discovered all the time.
The Hardware
Already there are questions about overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning to use, however, is not even done and won't be in production until right before the release of the system. Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a launch with chip shortages can be.
Expandability
While Microsoft has kindly decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else. One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA and anything else you might need. There's no standard USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard, S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked away when you buy the console, and if you actually want to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support here. Prepare to get screwed.
The Games
Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a battle of original titles and creative gameplay development.
The Price
While Microsoft seemed to be for some time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of power. Because the developers don't actually have the final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the clock speed has already been lowered since the system was originally announced. What else will change for the worse before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use marketing and money to move a system that is steadily scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming history.
Whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun! By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's possible that designing a console that resembles its name looked good on paper, but the final product comes off amateurish and clumsy.
Control
If there's one place nobody's going to be singing Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad, there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox logo, just to make sure that gamers don't forget for even an instant that they've sold their soul to the big M. Place that against the stylized and incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much of a comparison.
Power
Although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000, of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of it is readily available, and the ability to write directly to the metal means more creativity and new approaches to design being discovered all the time.
The Hardware
Already there are questions about overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning to use, however, is not even done and won't be in production until right before the release of the system. Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a launch with chip shortages can be.
Expandability
While Microsoft has kindly decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else. One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA and anything else you might need. There's no standard USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard, S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked away when you buy the console, and if you actually want to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support here. Prepare to get screwed.
The Games
Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a battle of original titles and creative gameplay development.
The Price
While Microsoft seemed to be for some time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of power. Because the developers don't actually have the final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the clock speed has already been lowered since the system was originally announced. What else will change for the worse before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use marketing and money to move a system that is steadily scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming history.
Page:
Equally... if your looking
> for originality, the the Dual Shock is the last place to look... the
> original PS1 controller held only basiccontrolls... the analoge
> sticks stolen from the N64...
Analogue sticks were not stolen from the N64, they have been around for many, many years; I had a game system in the 80's which had analogue sticks and 2 fire buttons.
All the extras are already provided... PS2 owners will
> have to pay extra for hard drives et al. but X-Box owners will have
> the hardware pre-installed...
Which is either a bonus or hindrance, depending on your viewpoint. Do you pay extra for somethin you don't really want or need, or have to buy an add-on, making the the initial unit cheaper. No company will ever please everyone in this area.
> PS2 owners will themselves not be able to plug non
> Sony USB products into the PS2, since the softwre drivers required
> to run the software will only be avlilbe with Sony
> products...
Nonsense. For a start, you can plug any USB keyboard into the PS2 to use the YABASIC that comes with the machine; and any USB mouse/keyboard will work with Unreal Tournament.
> There are mosre
> developers currently making games for the X-Box than there are for
> any other system
Last counts I read (and I admit that I don't keep constantly updated on this issue) was around 150 developers for X-Box, with over 300 for PS2. That was some time ago, and has probably changed. However, I personally don't see this as an issue.
> The main concern for the PS2 should be its
> current steadily dropping sales... sales for all countrys though
> initally great have over the course failed spectactuarly to meet
> expectations...
Production problems will no doubt account for much of that. After the initial glut of launch sales, production problems meant that none were available for a few months; obviously this will be reflected as falling sales - you can't sell what you don't have. With Sony increasing production, I expect these figures to change fairly soon.
> for originality, the the Dual Shock is the last place to look... the
> original PS1 controller held only basiccontrolls... the analoge
> sticks stolen from the N64...
Analogue sticks were not stolen from the N64, they have been around for many, many years; I had a game system in the 80's which had analogue sticks and 2 fire buttons.
All the extras are already provided... PS2 owners will
> have to pay extra for hard drives et al. but X-Box owners will have
> the hardware pre-installed...
Which is either a bonus or hindrance, depending on your viewpoint. Do you pay extra for somethin you don't really want or need, or have to buy an add-on, making the the initial unit cheaper. No company will ever please everyone in this area.
> PS2 owners will themselves not be able to plug non
> Sony USB products into the PS2, since the softwre drivers required
> to run the software will only be avlilbe with Sony
> products...
Nonsense. For a start, you can plug any USB keyboard into the PS2 to use the YABASIC that comes with the machine; and any USB mouse/keyboard will work with Unreal Tournament.
> There are mosre
> developers currently making games for the X-Box than there are for
> any other system
Last counts I read (and I admit that I don't keep constantly updated on this issue) was around 150 developers for X-Box, with over 300 for PS2. That was some time ago, and has probably changed. However, I personally don't see this as an issue.
> The main concern for the PS2 should be its
> current steadily dropping sales... sales for all countrys though
> initally great have over the course failed spectactuarly to meet
> expectations...
Production problems will no doubt account for much of that. After the initial glut of launch sales, production problems meant that none were available for a few months; obviously this will be reflected as falling sales - you can't sell what you don't have. With Sony increasing production, I expect these figures to change fairly soon.
XBox vs PS2
It started with an accidental bumping in the street.
Xbox refused to accept responsibility, "Why don't you look where the hell you're going!"
"Me?" Replied PS2 "You're the one walking around completely oblivious to what's going on around you!"
By now a small crowd had gathered around the consoles, but they decided not to interfere and see what would happen.
XBox leaped at ps2, wrapping its extra long controller leads around the body of the PS2, attempting to squeeze it to death.
PS2 felt trapped, but had an idea, a quick release of the DVD Tray, right into the mid-section of the XBox.
XBox recoiled its controllers and took a step back, stunned.
PS2 worked on it's advantage, and lunged at the XBox.
The XBow was weakening, so called in it's big mate, The Rock! The Rock gave one of his daft speeches before running at the PS2.
Clothesline!
PS2 stayed standing.
Drop kick!
PS2 stayed standing.
Another clothesline!
PS2 stayed standing.
The Rock was exhausted. "How does he do it?" He asked.
"It's the vertical stand" Said one of the onlookers.
That's how seriously I take any topic comparing an available console with games, to a console that won't be released here for another year.
It started with an accidental bumping in the street.
Xbox refused to accept responsibility, "Why don't you look where the hell you're going!"
"Me?" Replied PS2 "You're the one walking around completely oblivious to what's going on around you!"
By now a small crowd had gathered around the consoles, but they decided not to interfere and see what would happen.
XBox leaped at ps2, wrapping its extra long controller leads around the body of the PS2, attempting to squeeze it to death.
PS2 felt trapped, but had an idea, a quick release of the DVD Tray, right into the mid-section of the XBox.
XBox recoiled its controllers and took a step back, stunned.
PS2 worked on it's advantage, and lunged at the XBox.
The XBow was weakening, so called in it's big mate, The Rock! The Rock gave one of his daft speeches before running at the PS2.
Clothesline!
PS2 stayed standing.
Drop kick!
PS2 stayed standing.
Another clothesline!
PS2 stayed standing.
The Rock was exhausted. "How does he do it?" He asked.
"It's the vertical stand" Said one of the onlookers.
That's how seriously I take any topic comparing an available console with games, to a console that won't be released here for another year.
TOM1232 wrote:
> The Look whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque
> black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's
> over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and
> component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun!
> By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that
> Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's
> possible that designing a console that resembles its name
> looked good on paper, but the final product comes off
> amateurish and clumsy.
You say this... even though most people think the PS2 look terrible? ...
The GC is a very small cube, and, I understand looks quite cute in reality... besides, and PS2 games so bad you spend more time compairing the look of the console to the games?
> Control If there's one place nobody's going to be singing
> Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross
> between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad,
> there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in
> the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the
> console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox
> logo, just to make sure that> gamers don't forget for
> forgiven an instant that they've sold their soul
> to the big M. Place that against the stylized and
> incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much
> of a comparison.
Again, form the information given, the X-Box controller, despite its lack of originality, is the most comfortable controller around... for any system...
Equally... if your looking for originality, the the Dual Shock is the last place to look... the original PS1 controller held only basiccontrolls... the analoge sticks stolen from the N64...
> Power although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not
> going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be
> strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000,
> of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a
> legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't
> have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and
> let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of
> it is readily available, and the ability to write
> directly to the metal means more creativity and new
> approaches to design being discovered
> all the time.
Well... to be frank... no... the PS2 will be several years behind the X-Box's spec. Ditrect X titles mean the system will be immeadiatly easier to program for, allowing developers to spend time designing games, and not fighting the system, as with the very diffivult to develop PS2, and since the Dreamcast had NO problems with its Windiws OS, why should the X-Box?
> The Hardware already there are questions about
> overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat
> goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The
> hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and
> good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no
> way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right
> out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning
> to use, however, is not even done and won't be in
> production until right before the release of the system.
> Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a
> launch with chip shortages can be.
I doubt there are any overheating problems given the Intel chip has been running on PC's for a year or so now with no problems... The NVida chip production cause no problems since NVida pretty much owns the consumer 3D card market, its expectations about chip production should, due to vast past expience be pretty much spot on...
> Expandability while Microsoft has kindly
> decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with
> the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else.
> One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA
> and anything else you might need. There's no standard
> USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a
> next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard,
> S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is
> going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty
> penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked
> away when you buy the console, and if you actually want
> to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to
> buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support
> here. Prepare to get screwed.
All the extras are already provided... PS2 owners will have to pay extra for hard drives et al. but X-Box owners will have the hardware pre-installed...
There are USB ports installed onto the system...
PS2 owners will themselves not be able to plug non Sony USB products into the PS2, since the softwre drivers required to run the software will only be avlilbe with Sony products...
The livcences remote controll will cost around 12 pounts (strangle enough the same price as the PS2 remote). Although its expeted to mainly be given away as part of the sold product... besides the X-Box is developed as a games mach... not a DVD player with software potential (see PS2 for details)
> The Games Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X,
> Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports
> and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly
> established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily
> thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app
> this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is
> gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to
> be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take
> the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a
> battle of original titles and creative gameplay
> development.
There are mosre developers currently making games for the X-Box than there are for any other system... including some of the best developers in the business... Peter Molyneux has after develping for the X-Box decided to go soley for console titles...
In competition... nearly 6 months on and the number of quality PS2 titles can still be counted on one hand?
> The Price while Microsoft seemed to be for some
> time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or
> at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less
> sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team
> leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he
> responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard
> drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the
> beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
> So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of
> power. Because the developers don't actually have the
> final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at
> one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's
> no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the
> clock speed has already been lowered since the system was
> originally announced. What else will change for the worse
> before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use
> marketing and money to move a system that is steadily
> scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These
> are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will
> decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or
> just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming
> history.
The X-Box isnt here yet... 'suposed final power'?... There is greater expandability on the X-Box than there is on the PS2... no DVD playback out of the box, because its not a DVD player, its a games console... by the way, how is the PS2's playbck quality?... clock speed hasnt been lowered, that was an industry rumor that has since been denyed... The main concern for the PS2 should be its current steadily dropping sales... sales for all countrys though initally great have over the course failed spectactuarly to meet expectations... the X-Box and GC present a serious threat, despite no even being released... could Sony end up killing themselves?
> The Look whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque
> black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's
> over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and
> component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun!
> By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that
> Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's
> possible that designing a console that resembles its name
> looked good on paper, but the final product comes off
> amateurish and clumsy.
You say this... even though most people think the PS2 look terrible? ...
The GC is a very small cube, and, I understand looks quite cute in reality... besides, and PS2 games so bad you spend more time compairing the look of the console to the games?
> Control If there's one place nobody's going to be singing
> Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross
> between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad,
> there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in
> the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the
> console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox
> logo, just to make sure that> gamers don't forget for
> forgiven an instant that they've sold their soul
> to the big M. Place that against the stylized and
> incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much
> of a comparison.
Again, form the information given, the X-Box controller, despite its lack of originality, is the most comfortable controller around... for any system...
Equally... if your looking for originality, the the Dual Shock is the last place to look... the original PS1 controller held only basiccontrolls... the analoge sticks stolen from the N64...
> Power although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not
> going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be
> strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000,
> of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a
> legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't
> have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and
> let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of
> it is readily available, and the ability to write
> directly to the metal means more creativity and new
> approaches to design being discovered
> all the time.
Well... to be frank... no... the PS2 will be several years behind the X-Box's spec. Ditrect X titles mean the system will be immeadiatly easier to program for, allowing developers to spend time designing games, and not fighting the system, as with the very diffivult to develop PS2, and since the Dreamcast had NO problems with its Windiws OS, why should the X-Box?
> The Hardware already there are questions about
> overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat
> goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The
> hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and
> good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no
> way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right
> out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning
> to use, however, is not even done and won't be in
> production until right before the release of the system.
> Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a
> launch with chip shortages can be.
I doubt there are any overheating problems given the Intel chip has been running on PC's for a year or so now with no problems... The NVida chip production cause no problems since NVida pretty much owns the consumer 3D card market, its expectations about chip production should, due to vast past expience be pretty much spot on...
> Expandability while Microsoft has kindly
> decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with
> the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else.
> One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA
> and anything else you might need. There's no standard
> USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a
> next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard,
> S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is
> going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty
> penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked
> away when you buy the console, and if you actually want
> to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to
> buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support
> here. Prepare to get screwed.
All the extras are already provided... PS2 owners will have to pay extra for hard drives et al. but X-Box owners will have the hardware pre-installed...
There are USB ports installed onto the system...
PS2 owners will themselves not be able to plug non Sony USB products into the PS2, since the softwre drivers required to run the software will only be avlilbe with Sony products...
The livcences remote controll will cost around 12 pounts (strangle enough the same price as the PS2 remote). Although its expeted to mainly be given away as part of the sold product... besides the X-Box is developed as a games mach... not a DVD player with software potential (see PS2 for details)
> The Games Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X,
> Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports
> and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly
> established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily
> thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app
> this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is
> gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to
> be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take
> the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a
> battle of original titles and creative gameplay
> development.
There are mosre developers currently making games for the X-Box than there are for any other system... including some of the best developers in the business... Peter Molyneux has after develping for the X-Box decided to go soley for console titles...
In competition... nearly 6 months on and the number of quality PS2 titles can still be counted on one hand?
> The Price while Microsoft seemed to be for some
> time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or
> at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less
> sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team
> leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he
> responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard
> drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the
> beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
> So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of
> power. Because the developers don't actually have the
> final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at
> one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's
> no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the
> clock speed has already been lowered since the system was
> originally announced. What else will change for the worse
> before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use
> marketing and money to move a system that is steadily
> scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These
> are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will
> decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or
> just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming
> history.
The X-Box isnt here yet... 'suposed final power'?... There is greater expandability on the X-Box than there is on the PS2... no DVD playback out of the box, because its not a DVD player, its a games console... by the way, how is the PS2's playbck quality?... clock speed hasnt been lowered, that was an industry rumor that has since been denyed... The main concern for the PS2 should be its current steadily dropping sales... sales for all countrys though initally great have over the course failed spectactuarly to meet expectations... the X-Box and GC present a serious threat, despite no even being released... could Sony end up killing themselves?
If anyone is trying to win gameaday tonight, I suggest you give up. The post below this has got it!
The Look
Whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun! By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's possible that designing a console that resembles its name looked good on paper, but the final product comes off amateurish and clumsy.
Control
If there's one place nobody's going to be singing Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad, there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox logo, just to make sure that gamers don't forget for even an instant that they've sold their soul to the big M. Place that against the stylized and incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much of a comparison.
Power
Although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000, of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of it is readily available, and the ability to write directly to the metal means more creativity and new approaches to design being discovered all the time.
The Hardware
Already there are questions about overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning to use, however, is not even done and won't be in production until right before the release of the system. Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a launch with chip shortages can be.
Expandability
While Microsoft has kindly decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else. One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA and anything else you might need. There's no standard USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard, S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked away when you buy the console, and if you actually want to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support here. Prepare to get screwed.
The Games
Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a battle of original titles and creative gameplay development.
The Price
While Microsoft seemed to be for some time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of power. Because the developers don't actually have the final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the clock speed has already been lowered since the system was originally announced. What else will change for the worse before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use marketing and money to move a system that is steadily scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming history.
Whatever you want to say about Sony's 2001-esque black monolith, it sure looks better than Microsoft's over-the-top cheese machine. While the PS2 is sleek and component styled, the Xbox screams, "Look at me, I'm fun! By the way, did you notice I'm an X?" so obnoxiously that Gamecube developers are probably making fun of it. It's possible that designing a console that resembles its name looked good on paper, but the final product comes off amateurish and clumsy.
Control
If there's one place nobody's going to be singing Microsoft's praises, it's controller design. A cross between a Sidewinder and the Genesis Six-Button Pad, there's no style or originality to be found anywhere in the Xbox's frightening boomerang of death. Like the console design, the controller sports a huge green Xbox logo, just to make sure that gamers don't forget for even an instant that they've sold their soul to the big M. Place that against the stylized and incredibly comfortable Dual Shock 2 and there's not much of a comparison.
Power
Although the Xbox has a ton of raw power, it's not going to get used. Everything on the Xbox is going to be strained and distilled through a version of Windows 2000, of all things. Prepare for watered-down power and a legion of DirectX titles. Why innovate when you don't have to? While the PS2 has much less raw power -- and let's not dodge the question, it clearly does -- all of it is readily available, and the ability to write directly to the metal means more creativity and new approaches to design being discovered all the time.
The Hardware
Already there are questions about overheating with the Xbox, a big box crammed full of neat goodies, but that's about all you can knock it for. The hard drive and built-in Ethernet adapter are well and good but... wait, they're just good. There's really no way to not be happy about broadband and LAN support right out of the box. The nVidia 25 chip Microsoft's planning to use, however, is not even done and won't be in production until right before the release of the system. Perhaps Microsoft should call Sony and ask how fun a launch with chip shortages can be.
Expandability
While Microsoft has kindly decided to pack a hard drive and Ethernet adapter in with the Xbox, it's not leaving much room for anything else. One output in the box will be used for RCA, S-video, VGA and anything else you might need. There's no standard USB, optical outs or anything else you'd expect from a next-gen console. What that means is that every keyboard, S-video connector or anything else you want to buy is going to have to be licensed and will cost a pretty penny. On the same note, the DVD capabilities are locked away when you buy the console, and if you actually want to use the DVD player you paid for you will be forced to buy a licensed remote control -- no controller support here. Prepare to get screwed.
The Games
Metal Gear Solid X, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, Crash Bandicoot, Dragon's Lair 3D -- the list of ports and "me too" games goes on and on. With no solidly established franchises of its own and a slew of hastily thrown together ports, Xbox may be missing its killer app this fall when it launches. What's there, however, is gorgeous, and once the system gets underway it's going to be anyone's guess as to whether the PS2 or Xbox will take the lead. Hopefully, it will, in the end, come down to a battle of original titles and creative gameplay development.
The Price
While Microsoft seemed to be for some time holding the line that the Xbox would be cheaper or at least competitively priced with the PS2, it seems less sure now. When Daily Radar asked J. Allard, the Xbox team leader, whether Xbox would cost less than the PS2, he responded simply, "Does the PS2 come with a massive hard drive and broadband adapter?" That sounds like the beginnings of an excuse for the final price to us.
Conclusion
So, the Xbox is here. It's ugly and boxy but has a ton of power. Because the developers don't actually have the final chipsets, however, games are being shown running at one-fifth of the console's supposed final power. There's no expandability, no DVD playback out of the box and the clock speed has already been lowered since the system was originally announced. What else will change for the worse before the actual launch date? Will Microsoft try to use marketing and money to move a system that is steadily scaled back from its original promising spec sheet? These are many questions, and it is these unknowns that will decide whether Xbox becomes PS2's biggest competitor or just another TurboGraphix-style footnote in gaming history.
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