XBOX or PS2?
 

Now that there has been a price drop, I am torn between two consoles...I just know Game Cube is NOT an option...most of the game titles I want seem to be pretty much availible on both consoles.

1) I have heard some serious reliability issues about PS2...I know somebody who works at WalMart service desk...they say they get TONS of PS2's returned as defective....is this true??? or is "It's broken" Latin for "I can't afford a $300 video game"?

2) Does the XBOX have an internal HD to store saved games? and the PS2 uses Memory Cards?

3) Does either have an optical or coaxial digital output for sound?

4) Is the XBOX going to die? that would suck to buy a console only to have it discontinued shortly afterwards.

The Xbox does have a HD to save your games. You can also put your on songs on it and play it during your game. It also has a built in broadband adapter. The Xbox supports S video and HDTV. It also has 286 sound channels.

I have only experienced one problem with my PS2 - a circular scratch was placed on one of my games. This scratch was removed with one of those gadgets you can buy at any game/electronics store. One of my nephews did have his PS2 failed though.

You can buy a memory card for the XBox as well as save on the internal HD (for portability sake, I guess).

The PS2 has an optical port builtin, but not a lot of games support Dolby Digital from what I have heard. You need to buy the HD pack for the XBox for the optical port, and it seems a lot of games for XBox supports DD.

Who knows if XBox will die? However, I wouldn't bet on it due to Microsoft's deep pockets.

You may also want to know that more XBox games supports 480 progressive scan. Right now, it seems that only Tekken 4 supports 480p. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

I wouldn't trust anyone from Wal Marts opinion. Especially when it comes to video games, he's probably a fanboy for a system other than PS2.

Some PS2s in the beginning had problems, but then again, didn't X-Box?

It's tough to choose 1, I have all 3 now, but I say PS2 just for the huge library.

Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

1) I have had my PS2 for over a year, and have had no problems with it. I have many, many friends who have PS2s and have had no problems. I would say the failure rate is pretty much the same for both consoles.

2)The X-box has a internal HD where you can store games, but you can also get memory cards for the X-box. PS2 uses memory cards only, unless you upgrade to the HD this fall.

3)PS2 has optical. More and more games are using this feature, even though they said it couldn't be done. X-box, you have to upgrade to the HD pack. Alot of games on X-box use DD.

4)X-box isn't going to die, because of Microsoft's huge pockets, but they are having a hard time right now. Bill definitely isn't making money he wants right now, and I don't know how long he will continue to support it.

I would still go with PS2 because of its huge library and huge user base. If you are an online gamer, Sony's online plans look better than Microsoft's. Its really a gut choice.

Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

I dunno. Perhaps for more die-hard gamers. From a more casual perspective, Microsoft's flat-fee plans and more central design look much more attractive. Of course, if Microsoft dumps Xbox Live at some point down the road, then the games are worthless, whereas PS2 games may or may not be viable, depending on the publisher...

Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

I know this probably doesn't matter but you never know.... Over at IGN and a few other PS2 boards the answer to "How do I fix my PS2?" is always "Buy a new one at Wal-Mart, stick the old one in the box and return it". I don't know if it's really done all that often but I do know that it's always Wal-Mart because they have (or had, they're supposedly now recording serial numbers) the most lenient return policy. If people really have been doing this then someone working at Wal-Mart would see a huge number of PS2s returned as defective but other stores would see hardly any.

I don't buy into this PS2 breaking crap at all. I'm not going to knock the xbox either since I do not have one. A buddy from work bought the xbox last week and returned it on Monday. His reason was that he didn't really have the money to begin with but he loved the xbox, mostly because of graphics. When he returned it the guy told him that the xbox heats up and they get a lot of returns from that. Not sure if this is true or not, but I do know that I never see the xbox working when I go to a wal-mart or Target to buy games. They are usually just frozen on a screen. Now this doesn't mean it is broken, just frozen for one reason or another. I have heard that when you stand the PS2 vertical it scratches the disc's but I do not stand mine up so I can't really say if this is true or not.

Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

1. I doubt it. With everything, there will be some rejects, just put it back and replace it. Both come with warrantees as well.

2. Yes and Yes

3. No idea

4. Yes, eventually. Eventually ps3 and ps4 will die as well. As far as I'm concerned xbox isn't dying soon. Microsoft just invested 2 billion into it, so they're not gonna pull a Sega.



As for the guy saying return it to wal-mart: -rolleyes- . Good thinking, make wal-mart pay for your inability to maintain a machine. If it breaks within the warranty time, return it normally, but switching for another one is suck. And wal-mart has always recorded the serial anyway.....i mean, uh, yeah , they don't record the serial, so go ahead and return it yeah, yeah ;)

Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

That's an opinion not all people on this board share, I assure you. (Read:Hard drive and ethernet adapter built in). Xbox live is gonna come with some voice recognition software (I believe), a yearly subscription and a game for $50.

Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Did you actually read what I wrote? I said that I've seen on other boards that people often return defective PS2s to Wal-Mart (which could lead to more defective PS2s brought back to Wal-Mart vs. other stores), not that if your PS2 breaks you should return it to Wal-mart. I've had my PS2 for months and have never had a problem so I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say -rolleyes-.

Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

I wasn't talking to you. The aforementioned post must have been deleted. I apologize.

Actually, on second (err...3rd actually) I was replying to you and yes, I am an asshead.

Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Sony has said that they will not charge for first party games. That means that any game published by Sony will be played for free online. That means after 5 months of playing a Sony game online, it is cheaper than the X-box equivalent ($10/month flat fee). They also specified that they are allowing the developers to run their own servers, which is better cause then the servers can be optimized for the game. By Microsoft running all the servers, if one thing goes wrong, the whole network is shut down. To give an example, when people started playing FFXI, the Authorization Server went down because of too much traffic. That is fine for the online Sony player, because they can just pop in another game. If that happened at Microsoft, the whole system would be down (I doubt they would use different Authorization Servers for every game). Overall, Sony has the best online plans.

Now = PS2. Backwards compatibility with all PSOne (or whatever the hell they call it now) games + a ton of titles for the PS2 = HUGE game library. I've had no problems with mine at all.

Later = XBox. They need more games. Period. And I'm not sold that they can hang with Sony over the next few years...

Personally, I'd buy a Cube before a box, but that could be because I'm itching to play their version of Resident Evil.

1.) In my experience, the launch PS2s were/are a hell of a lot buggier than the launch Xbox's. A lot of it is the DVD software, but there are also apparently a few really out-there production runs (ie, I know one guy with a launch PS2 who could not get the system to read blue discs). That's not to say Xbox was/is bugless. There were meltdown issues with an early batch (after it was on for more than four hours, it'd go insane), a run from Hungary which may eventually refuse to read any discs, and some instances of Xbox in Japan scratching discs. At this point, you should be safe with either system, since the initial production runs are pretty much sold, and the bugs worked out.

And, skipping to 4:

4.) Not likely. The system seems to be selling pretty well domestically, and provided the price drop isn't costiing Microsoft serious money, should be fairly stable for the next few years. I doubt it'll ever beat or equal the PS2 in Japan (and, therefor, will probably never get much support from Japanese developers), but in the US, things should be okay.

That said, if the systems both really have all the games you want, I'd say go with the Xbox. It's got marginally better hardware, and winds up being cheaper overall once you factor in the stuff it has that the PS2 doesn't. However, the PS2 definitely has a better line of overall software.

No problem, asshead :D

Like some others here, I own all 3 systems. My recommendation for right now is to get a PS2. Main reason: game library and prices. You can get Gran Turismo 3 for $20, and alot of other very good games for < $30. On the other consoles, the only games you'll find for < $30 are the mostly stinkers (Fusion Frenzy, Cel Damage, Kabuki Warriors, etc).

Thanks to a free (which is what it's worth) subscription to Gamepro, I know that the PS2's durability has been a popular subject in their Buyers Beware column. They've just written [July issue] that they've received an "avalanche of letters" of complaints from consumers, and then printed a letter from an employee for a "major video game retailer". Here's some highlights:

- The blue-bottom disc problem with PS2s not only exists, but is rampant. When Madden and NCAA Football 2002 came out, they were defecting out copies left and right due to scratching.

- At his annual manager conference, Sony reps denied everything, claiming no known defects or problems. "At that point I asked for a show of hands from the 100 or so managers who were in the room and who were experiencing this problem in their stores. As far as I could tell, all raised their hands. The Sony guy quickly dismissed our concerns and changed the subject."

- "Sony will accept a rate of 2 percent of defective systems from retailers. I can tell you for a fact that the actual figure for our company is around 11 percent to 13 percent. It is not just the blue-bottom disc problem, either. Some units stop playing DVD movies and DVD-format PS2 games." Etc, etc.

*******

If you've gone to enough forums and read enough game mags, it's clear that PS2 is in the top 3 of all-time defective hardware. But it's too early to tell exactly where it places compared to DC and PSX.

The amount of PS2's that come back damaged is ridiculous, I'd have to say it's 15 % in the first 3 months. In the next 9 months it gets closer to 30 %. I seriously recommend the extended warranty to people who buy a PS2.

Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

1) PS2 and XBox both have had some reliability issues. Gamecube is the only one of the three that hasn't generated very many complaints. I think the new PS2s are more reliable than the old ones, and the XBox rumors may have been overstated. Any console you get, you might want to consider an extended warranty.

2) XBox has an HD. That's why it's so big. PS2's memory cards are 8MB, which holds a ton of saves. The bad news is that you need a memory card. The good news is you'll probably only need one. I'm not too big on hard drives for consoles, and I probably won't buy the PS2 HD add on. I hope future consoles will be less like XBox and more like Gamecube, but I prefer the gadget aesthetic to the VCR aesthetic of the XBox, so that's just my opinion.

3) I know PS2 has optical. XBox probably does. Gamecube does not.

4) Nobody knows whether XBox will die. I think it's unlikely it will be discontinued like the Dreamcast, but the exclusive titles may slow to a trickle. PS2 has a user base of around 7 times that of the XBox. Most of the good exclusives go where the users are. But XBox and Gamecube will likely get plenty of multiplatform support. The XBox and Gamecube versions will look better, but the PS2 versions will often have better control, because the game would have originally been designed for play on the Dual Shock.

As far as exclusives, Grand Theft Auto is now PS2 exclusive. So is Tekken 4 and all the Square games. XBox has whatever Microsoft publishes, a couple of neat looking Sega games like Panzer Dragoon.

Nobody knows the status of Soul Calibur 2. Sony claimed it was now PS2 exclusive. Nintendo said they were still getting it. Some of the speculation is that Sony got Namco to not put it on the XBox, but it's still coming to PS2 and Gamecube.

Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Are you sure about that? I read an article that made it sound like the PS2 version of Everquest would be free, but I wasn't sure. If this is true, that's a huge deal.

Otherwise, XBox Live is better than paying $10 per game, but I'll probably still only play online games that are free.

Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Wrong, Xbox Live is $50 for one WHOLE year. The $50 also includes a voice communicator, and a free game.

Wrong again. Microsoft will be running the server but whom do you think will provide the code to run? Microsoft? I don't think so! That would mean that Microsoft would have to know exactly how every game works and create code for it. The game developer will create optimized code for Microsoft and Microsoft will just run it on its server providing authorization, backup and support services to the game developers. With Microsoft's fat pockets they will be able to afford some really fat pipes so gaming should be great.

Do you really think that Microsoft would only run one server? As I remember correctly Microsoft is planning THREE massive data centers and I am sure that they will be able to do load balancing and recover if one server goes down. The problem with FFXI is that Square is running the servers. They know nothing about servers and the Internet. I don't know about you but if I buy a game I want to play it now. I don't want to play another game because the servers are down. Now whom do you think would have a better time keeping their servers up? Microsoft with $2 billon dollars or 15 developers all running different protocols?

No to mention having a different password and login for each developer. For ease of use and reliability I would defiantly go with Microsoft. Plus don't you have to spend $40 + $80 for the network adapter and hard drive? Oh and how do you plan on talking to your friends over 56K? Last time I checked Play station controllers did no come standard with a keyboard.

Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Where can I read about the possibility of such nonsense? I can't find it at ign :confused:

Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Look harder.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/360/360266p1.html

The part about them killing the XBox version was an idea people were talking about on a message board. It's speculation, like I said. But that's what Sony did to GTA3 XBox.

I don't buy that SC2 won't be on Gamecube. It's being developed on Gamecube hardware. But I do believe that Namco can be cajoled or coerced off of the XBox.

Nintendo does its own thing, so it can co-exist with either of the other consoles. But Sony and Microsoft are in direct competition, not just for consumers but for developers

Having all 3 available, I play the XBOX much more than either PS2 or Gamecube.. Games released for all 3 systems are always better for XBOX (graphics, extras, load times.. gameplay is the same.. look at NHL2002 or Spiderman) Also, I'm looking forward more to the XBOX games coming out soon than for other consoles (Knights of the Old Republic, Dead to Rights, Ninja Gaiden, and Project Ego)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

Source? Last time I saw, they were talking about $10/month.

I can see the problems building up right now. If you think it will be easy for developers to deal with Microsoft, you are wrong. And here is a question: Who is going to be paying for this optimized code? $50/year from 1 million (that is being realistic) users doesn't pay game developers to optimize code and run dedicated servers with support and backup.

I hope they are more reliable then the servers they distributing new software. Just remember, if the the identification servers go down, you aren't playing anything.

I don't have to buy a Hard Drive, but probably will. As for talking to my friends over my ADSL, I'll probably just use the free headset that comes with S.O.C.O.M. Or maybe I'll pick up one of those keyboards that isn't even offered for X-box.

Tony Hawk 3 has been online for months, and I have heard of no major problems (or any problems for that matter). I don't see why you think it would be a problem for other companies to follow suit.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

'Twas announced at E3.

From the BBC:A number of sites have reported the same. AFAIK, it's $10 a month after the first year.

Don't forget that you can rip your own music onto the XBOX HD. You can play this music in games that support it.
Also, the PS2 has a bigger library of games because its been out longer than the XBOX. Most of those games are worthless anyway and who really wants to play PS1 games??? No thanks. There will be 200 games out by the holiday season for the XBOX so don't worry about not having any games.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

At launch, U.S. consumers can purchase a starter kit for $49.95. For the estimated retail price of a single game, the consumer receives a year's subscription to Xbox Live, an Xbox Communicator that plugs into the Xbox controller and facilitates all voice communication with other players, and "ReVolt," a fun, online racing game from Acclaim Entertainment.

Source: http://www.xbox.com/e3-02/e3pressbriefingpr.htm

As for reliable servers, I'm sure MS will build plenty of redundancy into Xbox Live.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: XBOX or PS2?
 

http://www.xbox.com/e3-02/e3pressbriefingpr.htm

Here is a snippet from the press release found at the bottom:
At launch, U.S. consumers can purchase a starter kit for $49.95. For the estimated retail price of a single game, the consumer receives a year's subscription to Xbox Live, an Xbox Communicator that plugs into the Xbox controller and facilitates all voice communication with other players, and "ReVolt," a fun, online racing game from Acclaim Entertainment. Pricing and specific offers in regions outside of North America will be announced locally at a later date.


My question is why wouldn’t the developers make optimized code? If the developers already optimized code for PS2 they could just ask Microsoft to run that code on Microsoft’s servers.


Yes I agree, but with three data centers that are capable of authorization the likely hood of them all going down is very small.


Yes you can do that but like you said you have DSL and voice is an option for you. Can you use voice over 56K? Also would you then play with the keyboard? I can't see somebody playing with a pad and then having to go type something on the keyboard. Personally I bought a console to play with a pad. I find it more effective and why play with a keyboard on you PS2 when you could use your PC?

Also with Xbox Live all games support the voice communicator so there isn’t the hassle of “oh let me hook up the keyboard for this game.” And the keyboard/headset for ps2 hooks up to the USB slots correct? Imagine the mess of wires to get that working properly. The communicator plugs into the controller on xbox and the only wire you have is the same only one you had all along for the controller.

I am not familiar with how THPS3 works. Can you give me the internet use model for this game and details on how it works? Is it peer to peer? How do you trash talk each other?

PS2 has more games because there have been more people developing for it. Most of the games are worthless, I admit, but the same is true for X-box. There are more AAA games on PS2 than on X-box. Playing PSX games is great, there are some games that are must play which aren't on the PS2. This holiday season, there will be more games out for the PS2 than the X-box. It is in general agreement that the PS2 has a better and larger library right now.

Also, as has been mentioned before, if you do have a problem with your console, Sony has been known to repair consoles after the warentee has expired, while Microsoft charges you over $100.

I'm pretty sure that's false, at least if you have the infamous problem everyone talks about.

Sega had more AAA games than PS2 last year, but you and many others chose to buy the PS2. Was that a dumb choice? No because lots of good games popped up the following year. The same will be true of the Xbox. Why can't you and all the other PS2 funboys get that into your head?

Well, I'm not entirely sure that's true. Sega never installed a big userbase, and never got much support from third parties.

I'm not sure how many of the titles fondly remembered by Dreamcast fans are really AAA games. Games like Jet Grind and Shenmue are a little too quirky to really sell any systems. For the XBox, the clear AAA title is Halo.

I'm skeptical of whether Halo 2 will really be much of a step forward. Halo was in development for over 3 years. The timeframe on Halo 2 is about a year. As for Counterstrike, if they rebuild the game, that will be cool, but if they just port it over, I don't really see anything exciting there.

I will say that shooters and such aren't really worth paying the XBox Live fee. I'm still not clear on whether massively multiplayer games will incur seperate charges or not. I'm pretty used to playing online for free, so I'm not that eager to pay for it.

As for Tony Hawk, I know there's no central server for it, so I assume a player's console acts as the server, which I think is the way it should be done for most games.

No, it's true.

The PS2 had more AAA games last year than anyone (including Sega) and will have more AAA games the rest of this year and into next year. I like the way IGN rates there reviews, so lets just use them as an example. Right now in there reviewed list, they have 33 PS2 games which score 9.0 or higher. Keep in mind this does not include any games which are 8.9 or 8.8. They currently have 10 X-box games which score 9.0 or higher. I would consider a game rated 9.0 or higher a AAA game. Over 3 times as many AAA games on PS2 than X-box, and the gap is only going to widen.

As for being a fan boy, I don't think so. A fanboy is someone who blindly follows a company. I don't blindly follow Sony, I look at the statistics. Over 30 million consoles sold. 33 AAA games. A sucessful console under their belt. If anything, you are a Microsoft Fanboy for trying to down play Sony's sucess.

They have 3 servers on the West Coast and 3 Servers on the East Coast to connect you with other users. Then one of the users host the game. I was just making the point that Online Gaming has been done sucessfully without the help of Sony.

Are you saying the PS2 had a better library at its launch than the DC?

Oh yeah, I said FUNBOY, not FANBOY. There is a difference. :)

I don't know, what did the DC have at launch?

Okay Webster, what's the difference?

There is one major flaw in this argument. Sony does have 3 times as many "AAA" games as Xbox but Sony has been out 3 times as long as Xbox. Noting this it would indicate that when Xbox is 18 moths old it should have about 30 "AAA" titles, the same as PS2 has after 18 months.

It is my opinion, to answer the original posters question. Xbox currently is the better buy. Think about it this way, a console is an investment in fun. With Xbox you pay $200 and you get a gaming platform that is capable of surviving for 3-4 more years. With PS2 you might have to buy a hard drive, network adapter, keyboard, etc. Witch would then defiantly cost you more than $200. With Xbox you are ready for whatever the PS2 can dish out in the future without needing to purchase anything in the future. Oh and no need for a memory card, save those $25 and buy a game or a DVD remote.

With the Xbox developers are free to make original games like Blinx that without a hard drive are impossible.

And any future games that appear on multiple consoles, if done by a reputable developer will take advantage of the advance features the Xbox has and will give you a more enjoyable and rewarding experience. Take Spider-Man for example. The graphics are better and the Xbox version even has additional levels.

Oh and like most people here I am really into DVD’s so I have a 5.1 theatre setup. This allows me to plug my Xbox into this setup and get a truly immersive experience that is not possible on PS2. DD5.1 goes along way to making transferring emotions and ambiance. Imagine being able to detect somebody is behind you to your right by hearing his or her footsteps!

P.S. With the hard drive you can use the Xbox as a jukebox. I copied all of my CD’s to hard drive and now I don’t need to mess with CD’s if I want to hear my favorite song.

Eh, I meant the DC's existing library when the PS2 launched. The DC blew it away.


Don't you watch The Simpons? Hey funboys, get a room! :lol: