That's true, I wasn't paying attention to WHO you were quoting but rather just the quote itself.

If that's the case, then that is lame. The PS2 looks just as crappy as the X-box or GC when thrown in an HT set up.

I'd love someone to make a console that looked just like a DVD player. No controller ports as the controllers are wireless, nice smooth rectangular design, etc. so it would blend seemlessly in my HT.

I tend to agree, none of the consoles this gen really grab my attention, however I'd say the GameCube has the coolest design out of all of them. So simple and unique and it actually relates to the name of the console. Nintendo has always had a flair for good design.

That's why they pay those fancy marketing guys, they have to make the consoles look fancy

Josh, the console you describe reminds me of one of my favorite I owned:




It also reminds me of this one (although I never owned it I did play it a few times at a friends house)

And joshd3232 don't get upset, I'm busting your chops, I know you're a Sony guy, but seriously, electronics these days are becoming more sculpted. IPod is the most popular piece of electronics in years and yet it's very sculpted. Obviously the inspiration for this new console, but different enough to be stylish. If the public likes it, it wouldn't surprise me if the PS3 is similar.

Is that the CD-I. My friend had it. Not the best system I have played.

I owned that model of CD-i and I still have the slim Playstation like version. Terrible game system, but it had great multimedia/educational software. I kept mine just so my kids could play something other than games on a console.

So whatever happened to the Phantom?

Actually the more condsed the optical format the faster the load times will be theoretically.

And speaking of the Phantom please don't mention that in the videogame forum. It's sort of like mentioning Voldemort at Hogwarts!

it went to the opera

or here

Personally, I don't like the way any of the consoles this generation look. The newer PS2 is growing on me though, but mostly because it is so freekin' tiny!

What I really want, like I said before, is for my PS3 to look exactly like a regular Sony DVD player or TiVo machine. I know this is never going to happen though. A great marketing tool that videogame is that "Oh cool! You got a ________!" factor when a person walks in your house and sees something unique sitting infront of your TV.

I like really clean looking electronics, so the GC would probably be my pick for the best looking console this generation. Next generation is scaring me though, and these Xbox pics certainly aren't helping the matter any.

I agree completely. It's amazing that these console makers still view their machines as in the basement products for kids and teens. For the most part these are some of the highest end components you can get and I know that I'm not the only one who uses them on the big screen and puts them in the entertainment rack. Would it be so hard for them to make a brushed silver or anodized black casing so it fits in with the other home theater gear? Hell...go crazy and put a big "X" or "PS3" logo on the top of the case and make it glow green or blue...but don't make it look like some toy.

i think it would be nice to have two versions of the game systems, one that is all the weird looking type and the other that fits the home theater standard and fits in the same size range as a dvd player or receiver etc. that way stacking would kick ass. you could have xbox 2 ps3 and a media center pc looking all sweet along with your receiver and amps and all that.

It was a menace.

Actually the Phantom is in the most recent issue of Maxim(Brittany Murphy on the cover). Looks like it went through a redesign. Actually looks kind of sleek.

Sleek vaporware, who'da thunk it.

I can't imagine this will happen if only because it would confuse the advertising campaign. Having said that, there is the PSX which is a ps2 with a hd recorder that perhaps has a more HT friendly design (although to be honest I can't remember exactly what it looks like off the top of my head).

I guess if you're really keen you can try and jam those xb360 internals in a box of your choice .

I sell Sony products at work (Digital Stills Cameras, Laptops, and Playstations) and I have to say their stuff goes faulty the least. Even when put up against other major brands. It's not a case of us selling small amounts of Sony products either, we sell quite a lot, but you really don't see much of it come back for warranty claims. I'd have to say I get WAYY more Canon cameras, and HEAPS more Toshiba laptops back. I'm not talking 3 years down the track and faulty either, I'm talking out of the box problems (with the Toshibas) and faulty buttons and switches a few months after purchase (with the Canons). I only mention those 2 brands cause I see them as the only real direct competition for Sony in Laptops and Digial Stills Cameras when it comes down to quality parts and worksmanship. In regards to Xbox and Playstation, we really don't get many of either back for repair.
I know some may think it's trivial, but there is much to having a "Made in Japan" sticker on something you buy.

I appreciate your own account, all people opinions are just that, but you contradict yourself.

To begin with, most of Sony's stuff, if not all, is not "made in Japan". It is made overseas in China and a host of other countries. You mention Toshiba and Canon, well, there are both Japanese companies as well, so you can't really argue that it is the engineering either.

Looking at some consumer ranking sites helps to draw the real picture, (sites like JD power and Consumer reports) a review of these sites clearly shows that Sony is far from perfect and falls below or at the 60% rating in several categories. Depending on the product, Sony has very few top rankings by category, as do all makers.

At one time in history, about 15-20 years ago Sony's stuff was that much better, but increased competition and new manufactering processes have lead to a much more competitive market making Sony's stuff just like everyone elses.

From Magic Box.

- UNCONFIRMED: MistWalker / Sakaguchi's first Xbox 360 title is a RPG called Blue Dragon, featuring character designs from Akira Toriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball Z manga.

Other RPGs with character designs from Akira Toriyama:
Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior Series
Chrono Trigger

For all the ragging I hear about Sony, I see just as many "My Xbox is Broke" threads. The only game machine that seemingly won't break is the GameCube.

"THAT'S A FACT, JACK!"

For consoles, Nintendo can't be beat. Both sony and MS have had problems.

I have been a Sony person for some time, and I have only had problem with one product of theirs. My HDTV. It has had two problems. They backed one of them and fixed it at no charge, outside the mf warranty. The other was my responsibility. I still stand behind their products. I am a consumer. Just because my opinion isn't in a magazine, doesn't mean it isn't valid.

I remember all too well, countless times of having to blow air into the cartridges as well as my Nintendo (8-bit) just to get the thing to read the game. This was their 1st gen system as is Sony's (PS1 overheating)and Microsoft's.

Everyone has their fair share of problems and you learn from them.

With the PS3 having a Blu-Ray drive -- is that really just for the HT aspect of it (i.e. playing DVDs)?

Or will there actually be mega-games that are released on Blu-Ray discs? I can't even comprehend how massive a game could be when stuffed on a Blu-Ray disc.

WORD! And forget blowing air -- I remember having to rub the connectors with a cleaning solution to get them to read.

There are a few advantages of Blu-Ray when it comes to games. The first advantage is faster load times. This not only because the data transfer rate is greater, but also because, with such a large area to write data, it can be replicated many times on the disc, so it can seek to the closest area of stored data, instead of going to one single source of data.

With more space, texture complexity and detail will rise. Also, the possibility for more "behind the scenes" stuff.