Most people don't know this, but you need to have an active sub-woofer to get *true* DD5.1 sound.

Nicely put Hanson. You worded it quite well.

Everyone here knows that (I'm pretty sure). People just use 5.1 as short notation for DD 5.1.

Happy birthday Gamecube!

Here are my top titles:

16. Beach Spikers
15. Super Monkey Ball 2
14. Starfox Adventures
13. Mario Party 4
12. Pikmin
11. Godzilla DAMM
10. Rogue Leader
9. Animal Crossing
8. Super Monkey Ball
7. Resident Evil
6. Wave Race Blue Storm
5. Resident Evil 0
4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
3. Eternal Darkness
2. Super Mario Sunshine
1. Metroid Prime

Nintendo promised Gamecube wouldn't be another N64 and they delivered. Comparing year one N64 vs. GC is no contest. GC blows away N64 in number of titles released from both first and third parties!


Looking forward to 2003, Gamecube looks even more impressive:

Zelda Gamecube
1080 2
Mario Tennis
Final Fantasy
Wario World
Silicon Knights' (Eternal Darkness) next game
Factor Five's (Rogue Leader) next game
F-Zero Gamecube
StarFox Armada
Resident Evil 4
Mario Kart
Virtua Fighter Quest
Gameboy Player (GBA Advance games on TV!)
Viewtiful Joe
P.N. 03
Dead Phoenix
Killer 7

And these are only the games we know about!

5.1 refers to the five channels while the .1 refers to the low frequency effects produced by the subwoofer.

5.1 is neither trademarked nor exclusive to Dolby Digital. There is also DTS 5.1.

I think some folks need to give DPL2 more credit. With a good receiver that works with it (something not a lot of people have unless their receiver is less than a year old), it's pretty damn amazing...especially considering it's matrixed from a 2 channel source.

Is it as good as DD5.1 or DTS? No. But some of you are acting like it's so bad that might as well be mono.

Take something like Starfox Adventures and it can go head-to-head with good Xbox titles in terms of graphics and sound. 16:9, progressive scan, six-channel sound. Too bad it plays like ass.

People are comparing the Gamecube's presentation to the Xbox's presentation as if it's stick figures versus the Mona Lisa. The two consoles are a lot closer than that. Is the Xbox more powerful? Yes. But not by that large of a margin.

I do think that the graphics and sound between the three consoles are comparable enough that it really doesn't matter that much. Yeah, if all things are equal I'll buy the prettiest of the three versions on a multi-console title (most likely Xbox). But in terms of exclusives, the only real factor is gameplay since just about every title out there looks and sounds pretty damn good.

We're spoiled people...three great consoles out there, all with great games to play.

Groucho-

Hey man, I had to make some pretty idiotic analogies just to show my point that graphics and sound DO matter. From the beginning I said I wanted the best graphics and sound and that they mattered but then some of the posters here went off on a rampage as if I said gameplay does NOT matter. I did not say this but what I did see them saying was that graphics and sound DID NOT matter at all because it was all about the gameplay. This is where I had to pull out the idiotic stick man football analogy to show them just how ludicrous their claim of "graphics and sound don't matter" was. No, the systems are not night and day in graphics and sound but that was never my point.

Finally! Someone other than me said it.

Kainan, the "stick figure" analogy I used was a poor choice because you used it earlier. I didn't mean it as a dig at you, I just liked it so I plagiarized.

I do think that the analogy is good when you look at the Gamecube memory cards vs the Xbox hard drive.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Groucho
We're spoiled people...three great consoles out there, all with great games to play.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Finally! Someone other than me said it.

----------------


I totally agree with this and I think everyone should. All 3 systems have great games. All of us like one system better than the others (typically anyway) but I have a hard time taking someone serious who says, "XYZ console has NO good games on it!" If I only had one of the consoles then I would find some great games and be happy if I didn't know about the AAA titles on the other consoles too! I'm a game fanatic and want all the great games. This is why I have like 5 new games in the last 2 weeks. I don't really have time to play 2 or 3 new games, much less 5!!

I know.

I said that people are using 5.1 for shorthand to mean DD 5.1. My point to you was that people know what DPLII is and are fully aware of how many channels it provides.

That's not the impression I got from this thread.

BTW, I've never heard of "5.1" being shorthand for DD 5.1. Like I said, DPL2 is 5.1 and so is DTS.

I didn't say it was an accepted practice, as it isn't. I said that people in this thread are doing it. I guarantee you the same people know how many channels DPLII is.

First let me say, I've got a GameCube and I think DPL II is great, but it's only got 5 channels. There's not a specific LFE channel.

Here's a link to a FAQ on Dolby's website comparing DPL, DPL II, and DD 5.1

Edited to add: You're right, a lot of people don't understand DPL II

Just so everyone knows there's one out there, I like all three of my spiffy next generation consoles the same. Each is strong in some ways and weak in some ways. Weakest of all are my wallet and time schedule. Neither can keep up. That's what is important to me.

stoolie

Just hooked up my Platinum GC after picking it up with Metroid Prime at Circuit City(along with $25 gift card and Metroid Animation Cel) - this year just got even better. Only problem is, I don't even want to play on it now that it's hooked up...
Anyway, now I just need to sell off my Jet GC so I can get some money back from buying the bundle today....

I looked up the DPL2 specs here and here. They both use diagrams that imply an independent subwoofer track that doesn't appear to exist. One site refers to it as "pseudo .1 LFE". Looking back, I do not see any explicit reference to a .1 LFE track. Obviously, it doesn't exist. Thanks for muddying the waters, marketing guys.

OTOH, it appears that not "everyone knows how many channels DPLII has" -- and I'm the idiot to prove it.

I got a PS2 on its second year, and the Xbox a month after it came out. I passed on the Gamecube. I didn't get N64 because none of the games interested me at all. Gamecube's first year was pretty much the same. Nothing I really cared for. When I saw the games worth mentioning in magazines and such, I took a quick interest, but always decided it wasn't worth getting the console for that game. It wasn't until Resident Evil came out I started wanting a Gamecube, but still it was easy to dismiss one must have game for me, especially one that is a remake. I don't have the passion for Mario as most people, so that passed by too. And then I saw Resident Evil 0 on the horizon and Metroid Prime, and then the Platinum Gamecube came out, along with some good deals and I finally bit the bait a few weeks ago. Now I'm slowly getting all the games I took interest in and passed by.

But as for the future, I'm not yet convinced by Zelda, I just don't like the graphics. I'm very interested to see how FF Crystal Chronicles turns out, and F-zero, and the new Star Fox game. Resident Evil 4 will be a must have for me. So for now, I'm pretty happy with Gamecube but it wasn't until the 2nd year. Much the same as it was with PS2.

But all the games you are playing are from the first year, not the second. the second year just started a few days ago. Right?

I'll say it before, and I'll say it again...

Nintendo and Sega both have the same problem. They are niche companies.

Mario and Sonic dont' appeal to every gamer.
Zelda and Phantasy Star don't appeal toe every gamer
Metroid and Space Channel 5 don't appeal to every gamer

The games are great however.

Nintendo used to be #1, and then Electronic Giants started working on the same business.

THey may be #3, but I'll always buy a Nintendo console.

Nintendo is number 2.

Worldwide, but they are number 3 here in the US.

I will still buy a Nintendo console as long as they keep making them, but I think Thunderball nailed it.