Which one should I get PS2 or Gamecube?

It's dead already outwith the States.

 

Only in Japan, and once some good RPG's show up that could change. But whatever floats yer force boat. Personally I went with the superior system but you keep telling yourself that if it'll let you sleep better.

 

Then why Microsoft's reluctance to reveal European sales figures?

Why have they downgraded their sales targets by almost 1 million?

5000 systems in a fortnight in Japan is bad no matter what way you look at it. Even GameCube managed near 50000 in that time scale and even that isn't seen as being all that sucessful.

Xbox is doing truly apalling and I don't think it's here to stay unfortunately because I do (*shock*) realise it has great potential (if only it wasn't for that price and its Americanisation.)

All this fangle dangle online talk is nonsense. Noone is interested because it's new to the mass market and there are problems with the business model (as highlighted by Nintendo, not all areas have broadband [in other words Europe] and gamers will be put off by monthly fees.)

I don't see Online really taking off till the next gen when it won't be so outrageously expensive to include hard drives, modems, etc in consoles and Europe has caught up with the other big 2 gaming areas in regards to broadband. Roll on PS3, xbox2 and Nintendo err...something!

Also, dvd play back. Are you aware that dvd will be changing soon to a brand new format to tackle problems that exist with incompatibilty? What this means is that in a year or 2 regions will be a thing of the past and ps2 and xbox won't beable to play new dvd titles because they'll be out of date like alot of the older dvd players on the market will be, also. Suddenly Nintendo doesn't look so stupid.

One thing that has arisen that worries me about GC, however, is the Rareware buy out by Activision rumours. If there's any truth in it the results prove critical to Nintendo through losing alot of exclusive franchises (PD, Kameo, *gasp* starfox and Dk albeit for only one game.)

As long as they remain rumours, however.

 

Ofcourse the last poster wins a debate!

It signifies that those who have challenged them have ran out of fight and after 3 days I became prematurely optomistic.

Good to see your return tenorjedi!
All I need now is R_B_E's return and it'll be debatearama once again!

 

Well Europes numbers can't be all that bad unless the US alone is really gung-ho about Halo considering the time record it set for one million copies sold.

I think part of the problem is here the X-box and Playstation are both $300. Over in Japan X-box is about $285 and PS2 is like $200, added with the fact that nationalism is initially set in, that Halo hasn't been released yet, and that Japan digs RPG's I think it's hard to count X-box out just yet. Yes it's a slow start but Morrowind and KOTOR are right up their gamers alley. Given the fact that Microsoft isn't expecting to make a profit till 2004, I think it's safe to assume that they're prepared for some setbacks, but are really committed to getting their foot in the door. What's a few million dollars to the richest man in the US anyway.

Broadband may not be all over yet, but to create a greater demand for it from the general public (besides downloading their porn faster) will help stimiulate expansion. And Gates has always indicated from the get go, that's his major reason for getting in the game. He knows that the future of the web greatly depends on the gaming industry, and a day late (a buck short isn't the problem) is too late to establish yourself after it becomes the norm.

As for the DVD shift; that won't be an easy sell. Just because the electronics industry wants it so doesn't mean consumers will be willing to shift so soon. But what am I saying? We all used Betamax and Laserdisks as kids right? Besides I didn't buy the X-box for the playback feature.

 

I kind of agree with you.

The situation will probably improve but not a great deal. I also think that as soon as Sony announce their plans MS will ditch the xbox and release their new console soon after. They will be prepared and won't hesitate to screw the consumer over as soon as there is any indication of their xbox becoming the redundant system.

Nintendo, however, will be happy with where they are. They know their place in the industry and will be happy to let sony and ms fight whilst doing their best to cater for gc and quietly work away on its sucessor at a slow to steady pace. Nintendo will probably enter the market as a latecomer again but won't mind because it has its diehard fans (me, amongst them) and will probably earn themselves a few more with GC. They're happy where they are and will build their way back up to the snes days of greatness slowly but surely.

Nintendo aren't a hasty company like ms and sony and I think that will work to their advantage in the long run. I say 6 to 7 years and Nintendo will once again be seen as the giant it once was in the industry. Also by that time the gameboy will have near to dreamcast capabilities!

Dare I say it, I think one day, maybe soon maybe a long way off, David will slay the 2 Golliath's!

 

I think Gameboy will be Nintendo's claim to fame. In a few years they can put those mini DVD's in it as well

But Nintendo's not going anywhere "carefully going where everyone else has been before"

If Nintendo was really wise they would have skipped the cube and launched their next console the Christmas before the PS3 was schedueled to be released to get the upper hand in games.

 

The mighty Gamecube. You can't beat Rouge Leader and the upcoming Bounty Hunter.

 

Upcoming games for Gamecube:
Resident Evil
Wrestlemania X8
Mario Sunshine
Eternal Darkness
Perfect Dark 0
Mario Kart
Metroid Prime
Legend of Zelda
Mafia
Star Fox Adventures
Die Hard: Vendetta
Donkey Kong Racing
F-Zero
Kameo: Elements of Power
The Matrix
The Hobbit
1080 Snowboarding 2
Final Fantasy

This is just a sample of things to come. The PS2 and xbox also has good games, but the Gamecube rules all!

 

im not going to read this all, but i bet some people have been complaining about ps2's lack of online capabilities. this is coming in a few months, and its going to rock! do you know how i know? it might be because im beta testing it...


lucky dog,
005

 

Actually doublofive it's been the gamecube that's carried most of the criticism in the online department. This is because nintendo feel the business model is a)unprofitable and b)unfair on gamers at present. They will go online for the sake of any 2nd and 3rd parties planning online games eventually (mostly due to pressure from their new best friend Sega over PSO) but nintendo themselves aren't interested directly.

Also, good idea tenorjedi! (assuming your isn't indicating sarcasm)
I always thought I was the only one that saw mini dvd's going anywhere in the handheld market any time soon. Roll on GameBoy Evolved! (that's what I'd call it anyway. Nintendo's got to run out of new names soon and just start numbering their consoles like sony.)

Do you think Microsoft might venture into the handheld department? I would find that much more interesting than xbox because Nintendo needs some proper competition to speed up the technological advances in handhelds and I think Microsoft are just the company to do it. In the past competitors have been too small in comparison to Nintendo to mount a challenge (Bandai, Linux, NeoGeo, Sega) but I'm hoping that will change soon. Not too much mind you or classics like Super Mario Advance 2 will be lost forever in gamings black hole! [face_shocked]

Finally, what is the objective of MarrowWind? You seem to have high hopes for it and I would like to know what exactly is so good about it. You never know, it may just be the game to change my mind!

The graphics look good(ish) but not quite on par with Halo and some others but I have no idea what the game is about.

As much as it pains me to say it I can't wait to see what Microsoft comes up with at E3. They must, like Nintendo, have a few Ace's up their sleeves to hit back at bashers like myself.

Perfect Dark Zero is demoed!

 

I go with the GC, because they already comfirmed saying sony is thinking of making a PS3 around 2003-2004 so I would get me a GC then later down the road get me a PS3 later

 

The objective for Morrowind? Well it has a linear story you can follow, but it's open ended. I guess you'd have to play something like Daggerfall to understand, but there's alot of things to advance in. Besides leveling up, you can work your way into the good graces of nobels, or become the head of a guild. You remember Mechwarrior for the PC (assuming you've played it)? It's kinda like that; you can work towards the ending, but the real fun is is advancing and getting better stuff and exploring. Who cares that an unkillable ghost is haunting the streets at night, when there's a necromage's lair to raid.

From what I've read, the AI is the biggest improvement over Daggerfall. I was reading up on it, and both in strategy and in believability, the AI will keep me playing much longer than Daggerfall did. (which is still really long, but it's AI was too predictable and got old, plus the bugs were frustrating)

 

You may find this hard to believe tenorjedi but ocassionaly I do understand complicated concepts like open ended linear story lines!

Eternal Darkness apparently follows a similar idea with its multiple roots, options which directly affect the story, multiple endings, etc.

I must admit Marrowind does sound quite intriguing. A more challenging age of empires or civilization with an actual story.

I'll get my friend to buy it for his xbox (yes, his, I've only borrowed it and it isn't mine like I accidentally stated earlier.)

Also, it would appear you were correct.FMV sequences are being down graded to fit games on 1 disc (ED ) but thankfully this will only be the case with games on the border line of having to be set across two disks and is only noticable on large projection tv's. The sequences still apparently rival Final Fantasy's (awaits onslaught of infuriated FF addicts.)

 

Are there going to be any action based games coming out based on AOTC? Like the old Super Star Wars games for SNES???

 

There is going to be StarWars: Bounty Hunter on ps2 and gcn where you play as Jango Fett in the events leading uo to AOTC.

 

I don't know the ins and outs of the nintendo-rareware scenario. If Nintendo has simply entrusted the characters to rare in good faith then that's ok BUT if they have been CONTRACTED to rare then that would mean they have temporarily lost the rights to the franchises (I think).

Also the 2 of you are probably right. M$ will stick by xbox as long as needed BUT only as long as needed. If Sony were to announce PS3 tomorrow (Tuesday) then I think M$ would announce xbox2 by Wednesday.

That's just my gut feeling.

I really hope Rare haven't been snapped up on the sly because Nintendo wouldn't pack 3/4 of the punch they do at present. I also would be disappointed in Rare because it's the big N that's got them where they are today. If it weren't for Nintendo funding, Rare would be the say... LemonHead Studios of Twycross. Not a bad thing but a very, very small thing.

 

I think it's safe to say that X-Box is here for awhile. Gates/Microsoft wants to be a leader in the market but they're not a fool to the bottom line. At the current technology level, Microsoft loses $150 on every X-Box sold. Sony loses $50 from what I've read. I haven't heard on Nintendo offically but at $200 a machine I find it hard to believe that they're selling it to retailers and distributors at cost as some have asserted (Just a rough estimate, but that would mean the cube only costs $50-$75 to make for parts, contracts, tech and labor, which doesn't add up).

Microsoft doesn't plan to make a profit on the X-Box till 2004. Seeing that; they obviously have some serious plans to keep the X-Box around for awhile. Also noting that the PS2, which I think all would agree is a fairly inferior model to both the X-Box and the Cube (aside from the storage issue) is sold at a loss; for them to surpass either machines level by much would mean a considerable loss to them, while still being quite high in price. From what I've read, their best bet is dual processors, which is expensive, difficult to program for and possibly unstable. Of course as technology gets smaller and faster, things can change and they're still in the earlier stages of development for the PS3, but what this seems to mean to me is that if they proceed to get the PS3 on the market too soon they're not going to have a real leg up on the competition. If this stays true then the X-Box has little to fear from the PS3 if it comes around too soon. All I'm pointing out is that the box has a decent run time in the future from my point of view. I'm neither clairvoyant, nor do I know Gates, but I checked into all the pros and cons before I plunked down my money, and I'm fairly confident in my choice.

I haven't heard of any serious talk about develpment for the XB2 but aside from launching their new broadband system at E3 X-box hasn't really made any promises for upgrades or enhancements, while Sony has. We'll see if and when their broadband is up, but as far as I know any real improvements are scrapped. It's possible that X-box is looking towards the furutre and exploring what to include in the X-Box2 since there's the R&D doesn't have much to work on right now, but from what I can tell I'm going to be able to enjoy several years of the X-box before I have to decide who to pick next time the consoles come out, but unless something dramatic happens Sony is going to make a big mistake if they try to get out of last place graphically within the next year or two.

 

I must say I more or less agree with you tenorjedi.

However, though Nintendo haven't announced what they make or lose on eace cube sold in the past Miyamoto hinted (before it came out) that all hardware up until now has been sold at a loss but "with gamecube this very well may change." (or something to that effect.)

Ofcourse, this is a pretty vague statement and seems to indicate a degree of uncertainty. I am confident, however, that if gamecube is sold at a loss it is a very small loss (smaller than Sony's or M$'s), hence Nintendo's honesty in coming out and saying if the competition drops the price of their hardware they will not hesitate to do the same.

Also, though M$ have announced nothing it would be very unmicrosoft, IMO, for them not to be prepared for such a big threat as PS3.

I have, however, said that I agree with you and M$ will probably stick by xbox for some time yet.

Lastly, tenorjedi, what is your opinion on my suggestion that M$ challenge Nintendo in the handheld market and attempt to break their stranglehold on the market?

Such a venture would allow them to take advantage of a link option like advance and cube which I think would be a very good idea plus Nintendo can steal their ideas if they manage to design an LCD screen any better than the big N's current dark one .

 

If they did challege Nintendo, I'd like to see them make it a PDA as well (for those of us that need justification to carry it around), so it might give them the edge they need, but in order for MS or Sony to venture in the handheld arena they're going to need to secure a contract for some very cheap parts. I gotta hand it to Nintendo, they've clinched the hand held market quite nicely. If they every have a downfall it would be from a lack of competition leading to higher prices so that a new company could take over with lower prices. But as long as the Gameboy and GBA are low priced I don't think anyone's going to make a serious venture in this market.

And I was serious about using that minidisk for the next gameboy

 

This isn't right.

We're both agreeing way too much lately.

The world must be ending! Oh no!

We need a new topic before this turns into a fanboy love fest!

I'm all out of argument at present . [face_shocked]

I'm sure all WWW zealots should know this but what is PDA?

 

Personal Data Assistant. It's an electronic organizer.

 

Yes, the xbox is in trouble.
Just remember how Sony started. Slow, 3-4 years later they were the dominating factor in the market place. It's a 4-5 year buisness, M$ stated that they probably won't be turning a profit untill 3-4 years into the xbox's lifespan. This is just to get their foot in the door and establish themselves. And they are doing a good job so far, the Xbox has had the best launch libary to date. It's also had the highest games attachment rate to date for a launch aswell. And they are moving alot of software which is where the real money comes from. This is just the beginning. You are going to have to wait 2 or 3 years into the systems lifespan to see what impact it will have on the industry. It sounds like a cop out but it's the truth. All the developers are still onboard, no games have been cancelled in fact more games keep being announced.

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"Rabid Balding Ewok, you make me sick.
If there was an enemies list, you'd be on mine."


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finally played the gamecube, love the controller, and damm its small, little worried about the games, but RL is pretty cool so far...