I bought a PS2 and it''s great. It has all of the good games.

Lets just all go around the specs:
Taken from http://members.dingoblue.net.au/~ljmazlin/xbox.htm
see my comments with a *

These are the official specs of the Microsoft X-Box:
Intel Pentium III with streaming SIMD extensions (600+ Mhz)
* a 733 Mhz, note it is a 32 bit processor, the PSX or PSOne uses a MIPS R3000, a 32 bit processor as well N64 uses a MIPS R4000, a 64 bit processor, PS2 has a 128 bit processor (MIPS 5900) *

300 Mhz X-Chip designed by Nvidia * Has ben downgraded to 250 Mhz *

64MB total memory * the least you need nowadays to run Windows alone *
6.4GB/sec memory bandwidth
300 million polygons per second (untextured, unlit)
150 million polygons per second with all features on
4 simultaneous textures per polygon
4.8G/sec anti-aliasing pixel fill rate
8:1 texture compression
Full scene anti-aliasing
4x DVD drive (plays DVD movies!) *downgraded can only play using the remote*
8GB Hard disk drive * why so much space? game saves should not take more than 1 MB each hmmmm *
8MB memory card * why you need a memory card? you have the HD rigth? maybe the HD is so you can install stuph in the console after all . . . Linux comes to my mind *
4 controller ports
USB
Ethernet 10/100 communications port * why not a modem? I mean I do have cable modem but . . . hey, maybe so I can add it to my home LAN!*
AC3 encoded game studio
64 channel sound chip
1920x1080 maximum resolution
HDTV support

Again, I dont want another PC that is not as powerfull as the one I already have, and I am sure PC emulators for the Xbox will be penny a dozen.

I will be purchasing both an xbox and a gamecube. Both look to have some games that I will look forward to playing.

However, a lot of posts so far seem to be, well, ignorant, or based on extremely weak arguments.

First, we have the people that say that an xbox is just a PC. Build a PC with the same specs (well, as close as you can get) as an xbox. You STILL do not have an xbox-level machine, AND you''ve just spent around $1,700 (US) compared with a $300 (US) console. In addition, in the near future you still won''t be able to get the same level of graphics and sound for the money, since PC developers will be developing for a lower user base, as opposed to a fixed one.

Then we have the people who say they''ll wait for games to be ported to the PC. OK, even assuming that the xbox and PC versions are nearly identical and ready at the same time, you''ve still shelled out around $400 for a GeForce 3. Why not just get an xbox and be done with it? You can still play games on your PC. I plan to. There are simply some games that work better on a PC, and some that are better suited to a console. If there''s one thing that developers most certainly should not do, it is make PC games for a console. If a PC game is well suited to a console, then sure, build a console version. Otherwise, leave it on the PC. The same reasoning applies in the opposite direction. YOUR CONSOLE IS NOT A PC, AND YOUR PC ISN''T A CONSOLE.

There seems to be a large group of people who make silly statements like "I''m not buying an xbox because it runs Windows 2000, and it''ll crash" or "I don''t want to have to patch my games." You can''t even SEE the underlying OS!! As for stability, we use Win2K machines for development at work, and they crash maybe once every few months. Maybe. We don''t treat them very nicely. Don''t forget that there are crash bugs in games for the Sony and Nintendo consoles. Consoles titles are traditionally put through more rigorous testing than PC games, and in addition, they don''t have to worry about a constantly moving target platform. If bugs slip through (and they always do) then hey, I''ll apply a patch. However, if developers get lazy and start shipping software with tons of bugs, then guess what? It hurts sales of games AND of consoles. Much of that will make Microsoft a very unhappy 800-pound gorilla, and I bet you it wouldn''t last long.

Many people are also forgetting that Microsoft is spending an enormous amount of money marketing this product. The past few generations are driven COMPLETELY by marketing. True, there are a few individuals who can think for themselves and who take the time to do some research before they buy. But the vast majority of society belongs to the advertisers. Do you think that Joe and Jane Gamer really care that system X can push so many polys-per-second, other than for brags? No. What they see is that "the screenshots for this game are fucking AWESOME. EGM says it''s gonna be the best game of 2002!! Quick! I''d better get my mom to drive me to the store before my friend Jimmy gets a copy! Crap...I just remembered that I don''t own the console yet! Well, if I do enough whining and crying and tugging on mom''s shirt, then she''ll let be get the console too. She''ll understand how important this is."

You don''t believe in the power of marketing? What about the toy crazes in recent years (remember tickle-me-elmo?) All of the 3DFX-NVIDIA wars? Hell, the vast majority of posts to this thread are based on hardware and software that won''t even be out for a couple of months!!! You people have based your arguments on SCREENSHOTS AND EDITORIALS! All MARKETING! The vast majority of people that use this web site seem to be in the target age group for most of the marketing onslaught, so I wouldn''t be suprised if some opinions had changed by November...

What I''m trying to say is that before you go and waste our time with all of this useless jibberish, take a teeny little bit of time to think about what you say. If you''re going to make an argument, then be prepared to back it up with SOLID examples. I''m buying a Gamecube because I have traditionally enjoyed Nintendo games. I''m buying an xbox because I think that there will be games on it that I''ll have fun playing. And I''m keeping my PC because there will be good games for the PC that won''t translate well to consoles. I probably won''t get a PS2 since a lot of the games on the PlayStation really didn''t appeal to me.

But hey, that''s just me.

Russell Klenk

ok, if thats what you want,

I am buying SONY because it did what seemed to be imposible, dethrone Nintendo with a less powerfull console (PSX Kicked N64 ASS), I am also buying SONY because you CAN trust in all their products, they have won a name with quality products unlike M$ who has gained a name for their lack of morals regarding competence, I am buying SONY because they make a console, as they should using the best technology for consoles, and not the processor brands they have an strategic aliance with, and to finish it up because JAPANESE Technology is better than North American Technology.

If I am to take a side in world domination is not going to be Microsoft's

besides you think because you code with DirectX you will be able to make and publish games for the XBox? wake up and smell the coffee, you will probably need a licence, which is not going to be cheaper than one to code PS2, and it will probably be good only to code in ONE unit, you will need extra licences for extra units running your game.

Edited by - kwizatz on August 6, 2001 4:39:47 PM

Rocket05-

so guess what that means? nintedo users are gonna get a load time!

Actually the mini-DVD has almost no loading time.

Warden-

It weights like 6 lbs or something crazy.

I heard a rumor it weighed 14lbs.

Kwizatz-

* why so much space? game saves should not take more than 1 MB each hmmmm *

For little things, like keeping bullet holes in walls and people. And making huge levels. Stuff like that.

8MB memory card * why you need a memory card? you have the HD rigth? maybe the HD is so you can install stuph in the console after all . . . Linux comes to my mind *

If I bought an Xbox, I would save my games on the memory card. It''s only a matter of time before the hard drive breaks down.

Liquid-

Many people are also forgetting that Microsoft is spending an enormous amount of money marketing this product.

Will $500 million matter if the console isn''t that great? No.

The past few generations are driven COMPLETELY by marketing.

The Playstation was doing horribly until Square announced Final Fantasy VII.

Anonymous Poster: When I said "The past few generations," I meant generations of people, not of consoles. And yes, people WILL accept mediocre product, if the marketing people can convince them somehow. Example:

"Despite the inevitable outcry (or perhaps because of it), Mortal Kombat became the hottest game in the arcade. Players demanded home versions, and on a day appropriately dubbed “Mortal Monday,” they got them. Nintendo removed the game’s more gruesome content for it Super Nintendo version (blood was turned to white sweat, and the fatalities were eliminated), while Sega’s Genesis version left the gore intact. Not surprisingly, the Genesis game clobbered the SNES version in the marketplace. The blood-hungry masses had spoken."

(source: http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/arcade/ag1089.php)

There are tons of other instances of media driven frenzies which have succeeded in inferior product dominating the marketplace. (Note that I am not saying that the xbox is an inferior product.) So, I would say, marketing most definitely has an impact.

Remember, though, that Microsoft is a new player in the console market. Nintendo and Sony have brand loyalty going for them, while Microsoft does not. They're untested. So, to ensure the success of their console, they launch a gigantic marketing campaign. Does this mean that they'll come out on top? Not necessarily. But I think it will have enough impact that they won't just go the way of the XFL. I think Microsoft will fare well this round, and use what they've learned to topple their competition in the next console war. Or, we might end up seeing a split between the gaming markets. Until the consoles are all available, we won't really know. I think that just saying "xbox sucks" or "Microsoft sucks" or "Nintendo sucks" or "Sony sucks" is making a bit of a jump.

-liquid

Edited by - liquid on August 6, 2001 8:53:19 PM