Gamecube: Worst Graphics of the Big Three?
 

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the Gamecube, graphically, is becoming the worst of the big three systems these days. I just picked up NFL2K3 for the GC and found that while it has some nice effects, graphically it is somewhat sloppy and ugly. I know the XBOX has a lot more graphical power, but it seems even that the PS2 these days has better graphics.

Graphics don't mean everything of course (I've been playing a ton of Tecmo Superbowl lately for instance) but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was dissapointed graphically with the GC.

Hopefully when I pick up Mario tomorrow, Nintendo can wow me again like they did with Melee.

I know this debate goes on all the time but I just want to say, Don't blame the hardware, blame the game developers!

I'd rank them:

1. X-box
2. Gamecube
3. PS2

I haven't seen anything on the PS2 that is as good as the best looking GC games, and most ports look better on the GCN than on the PS2, but not as good as the X-box version.

Yeah, I'm thinking the developers spend a majority of the time with the PS2 version, thus hurting the GC and XBOX versions.

I'm almost tempted to buy a PS2 just because of this. The ports to the GC (NBA 2K2, NFL 2K3, NBA Street etc.) have been terrible graphically. From what I've seen of ED and RE, the Gamecube can do MUCH better.

Unfortunately, the PS2 is like a big weight around the necks of both the Gamecube and Xbox when it comes to multi-platform games. Most often, the developers code to the lowest common denominator which in this case, is the PS2. That means that the GC and Xbox ports rarely reach their full potential. If the PS2 didn't have such a huge install base, developers would be more free to make the GC or Xbox the lead platform for development and worry about how to get the game to run on the PS2 at a later date. Until then, you'll have to stick to console exclusives if you want to see what each system is truly capable of.

Is the PS2 like absolutely blowing away Nintendo and Microsoft? Anyone got any recent figures on total consoles sold, as well as each console amount sold like last month? Just curious.

Through May, the NPD worldwide sales numbers were:

30 million PS2s
4.5 million GCs
3.5 millioin X-boxes.

I've seen some more recent numbers, but they weren't totals. I've only seen sales over periods of time. But it was basically more of the same, with the PS2 still outselling both competitors by a large margin. The X-box was gaining some ground on the GC, but not a ton. I believe it had sold 110,000 more in may or june than the GC. Anyway, I'm sure there's more recent number that someone can provide. I don't really keep up on the stuff that much.

Pretty much... Last I heard, the PS2 had sold something like 30 million worldwide. That compares to a little over 4 million for Xbox and Gamecube. Bottom line, nobody is going to catch Sony in the current generation of hardware. I just hope Xbox and Gamecube provide enough competition to force Sony to produce a better product next time.

i'm pretty sure there are about 10 times more ps2's out there than gc and xbox combined

By your reckoning, that would put the PS2 at 80 million units sold. It's doing well, but not that well! :)

As has been posted several times in this very thread Box/Cube are at around 4 mil apiece and the PS2 is around 30.
Deleted. jolt, you should know comments like that only get people pissed off, and don't help. - Static

I noticed the graphic problems on the Gamecube version of NFL 2K3 as well. I think the problem is in the port done by Sega and not a problem with the Cube.

If you look at something like Dave Mirra 2 that had a separate version made for the Cube and Xbox it looks much better than the PS2 version.

The Cube won't look as good as Xbox, but NFL 2K3 should look better than it does.

BTW, the game looks much better with the S-video connection. I noticed a big improvement with NFL 2K3 when I hooked it up in the living room on my big TV.

I thought Eternal Darkness graphics looked as good as Shenmue graphics on the Dreamcast... most of the games on the GCN though will be the Mario platformer type, so good graphics doesn't really matter. I think the GC is about as powerful as the PS2, but it is easier to develop for and games can look better on a GC potentially because of their anti-aliasing features being more accessable to developers. Xbox smears them both of course in that department and developers are just starting to scratch the surface. I think they're all great systems and I'd even put Dreamcast up there as well since it's also just about as powerful as the PS2. Unless MS gets creative on the next generation, the PS3 will destroy it in the power department from what I hear. If Nintendo stays true to form, they'll probably just keep the GC in service up against PS3 and Xbox2.

Xbox has a lot more graphic potential than the GCN. GCN has a lot more graphic potential than the PS2. Keep in mind that developers have had a more time to tweak the PS2 as it's been out longer. By the end of this generation, the lines between the three will be much clearly, as developers push all three consoles to their limit.

No way Gamecube has the worst graphics. The place to look is at exclusives, not at ports.

But by then I will have a PS3 and it wont matter! I wish developers would tap into the consoles' potential now and not later.

:hscratch:

Yeah, so when is this PS3 coming out? ;)

Oh, so I switched from the bigscreen to the smaller 35" or so screen downstairs. And now the game looks MUCH better. Players/replays are crisper, the game seems much prettier. Can someone explain this?

Playing on the big-screen should look better, but on the 35" I'm seeing much better results. Very strange.

The cube definitely does not have the worst graphical ability of the three. Look at games like Rogue Leader and Resident Evil. A PS2 definitely could not do that(though perhaps and XBox could). Those games are amazing to look at.The graphical issues with NFL 2k3 are probably do to it being a shoddy port.

This is the age old arguement again... Dreamcast rivaled PS2 (and dominated PS1 which it was supposed to do during that time).

But it didn't have the market shared and had to fold...

Hello! Dreamcast had internet ability well over a year ago... It's not about the graphics, it's about the market share (too bad Dreamcast didn't catch on, it was a damn_fine console!!)

PS2 could easily handle Resident Evil... It's not all that impressive. Eternal Darkness is graphically on par if not better than RE and the Dreamcast could probably handle it without a problem. The PS2 is plenty powerful - it's just that it has complicated design parameters for developers to take advantage of their hardware. The other systems all have anti-aliasing functions that are easy to program for.

rotflYou have to give ED props over RE for being 16:9 and 480p, but other than that RE wins hands down in categories like character models, polygon count, particle effects, lighting, production design, etc.

Anyone that knows more then a fair share about hardware can tell you that the PS2 is the weakest of the three. There is no need to kid yourself into thinking that the true "potential" is held back by poor hardware design. Sure, it will get better, but by that measure the GC and Xbox can also get better. Eventually the PS2 will be at it's height while the xbox and gc have room to go beyond.

I also thought that RE for GC was not only an "OK" looking game, but it still played like crap. Eternal Darkness was much better in all aspects, but Silent Hill still wins over them all :)

Trigger do you come into every single Gamecube thread just to piss people off? I've been watching your posts for months now, and it seems like you HAVE to say something in every gamecube thread, and i'd say 95% of the time it's something negative that seems to make a lot of people mad.

Do you just enjoy making statements that get people rilled up? Why even post in Gamecube threads when it's clear you don't like the GC at all.

Resident Evil was absolutely beautiful....I would say blame the developers!!! :)