Well, it's almost Christmas and my 11 year-old wants one of the above. I'm not real up on video games, I kinda lost interest with Pac-Man so I need your help. I'm looking for recommendations and reasons why you would chose a particular unit over the other.

Please help Santa!

Thanks,

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Roy :D
Just another stock Blue 87 GT
Suncoast Fieros

JUST ADDED: 1988 GT w/ T-Tops, 5-Speed, and Performance Sound.

My Fav in order:
1) PS2
2) XBox
3) GameCube

The PS2 is probably the best system around. It has and will have the best games around. We know this system will NOT flop because of the already huge and increasing fan base. Sony is a pretty stable c/o and game makers are now getting the hang of making games for the system.

The xbox... Microsoft is a new c/o in the home entertainment system world. The don't have the fan base just yet but they do have the Financial backing.. This system will probably give the PS2 a nice run for the money.. lot's of good games are going to be released on the XBOX. The controller is a bit huge but you get used to it after a while... if that doesn't work you will be able to buy an "aftermarket" controller for it in the future. If your son likes PC games he will like this system... It is a mini PC

GameCube ... Nintendo's biggest mistake was it's previous system the N64.. because of this system they lost a big part of their fan base. This is Nintendo's last chance. So far I haven't seen too many good "exclusive" games on that system. This system is mostly aimed at young children. You might want to buy this one for that fact. the controller is not that bad. But I would worry about the lack of good games on the system.

So IF I were you I would go with the PS2 then X-box and finally the GameCube.. But since your son IS 11... you might want to look at the Gamecube a little more.. it is the only system really aimed at kids. The Xbox and the PS2 are mostly aimed at the adult market. Ask your son what type of games he likes.. that can have an impact.. some c/o make more of one type of games then others.

Enjoy.

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-Alex

1986 Fiero GT, STOCK Wingless,
President of FieroMontreal... www.fieromontreal.com
and Regional Director of CFOG-I for Eastern Canada.

What if he buys game cube and it sinks? then his son will have A dead system.

id say go X-BOX!!

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1986 Fiero SE 2.8lv6

www.geocities.com/acme_s2000/intro.html
yo_sweet!

I'm not going to bash any of the consoles, but I loved my PlayStation, and I am tickled pink with my PS2. I can still play my original PS games on it, and I use it a *lot* for DVD movies, too.

I have not regretted a single penny of the purchase for even a second. I'm very happy. (Now I just need to wait for the PS2 game prices to drop to the $20 range, but I'm patient that way.)

I agree with FieroMontreal, same fav order PS2-XBox-Gamecube.

I'm thinking the same thing. Goto the store or even a movie rental place and have them look at the games that are available and the one's they would like to play.

You may know this already, but the PS2 will play all of the original Playstation1 games. There's lots of good kids games for PS2 and ones carried over from PS1.

I was looking into this yesterday.. At the moment, the X-Box is doing pretty poorly, and the Gamecube is number 1... It sold huge on it's opening day. At the moment, X-Box is doing pretty bad, but since it has Microsoft muscle, I'm sure it will bounce back. However, I am also leaning towards the PS2 now.. I think the gamecube will be an amazing system, if not just for Nintendo's trademark games.. I can't wait to see what the next mario is like (Mario 64 is my favourite game of all time I think). Controller is nice too. Snowboarding and tony hawk for that game are really fun too (my friend bought one on it's opening day). The reason I won't get one, is because they use mini-dvd's, and at the moment, I can't copy them. (I'm cheap that way)..

I have had a Playstation and PS2, and never been jealous of any friend's systems. The playstation games have always had the most choice and the best racing games hands down (I'm into the racing games).

Another thing nobody has mentioned is Playstation's "Greatest Hits" games. These are games that have sold over 1 million copies. After they hit the 1 million bogie, they drop the price over 50%! Some games sell like hotcakes, and they'll go to greatest hits prices within six months! Having a kid, I'm sure you can appreciate the fact that you can buy great games (that's why they're the greatest hits) for under 25 bucks, sometimes only 15 bucks. The kid won't know you are being frugal, since the games kick butt and lots of people know about them It works out great all around. For me, that's a big factor...what the hell is a good system if you're paying 50-60 bucks per game??? I just sit tight and buy them after they've gone greatest hits...that is, unless it's a new release of Gran Tourismo

That's why I think you should go with the Playstation 2; most games available, best aftermarket accessories available, best game prices, largest following to ensure it's longevity, and it plays DVDs without any extra accessories.

Bryce
88 GT
*typo*

[This message has been edited by Nashco (edited 12-02-2001).]

I plan to use ebay to get games, and copy some of them, so playstation it is. I think they are getting my $500..

i VOTE a cheap computer
about $100 more than a gamebox
you can get a working PC like a cellron or duron with a monitor/modem/ect.
1000's of games all cheaper then the few, systems/games.and way more different kinds of games tooo.
allso keeps kids off your computer!!!!

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Question wonder and be wierd

trust me, you are not going to be able to get games that look HALF as good on a computer unless you spend money. And then you have the whole pain in the ass factor which is what my friends try to stay away. They'd rather turn it on, grab a controller, and have at'er..

x box is doing bad ?
not at my store we got a huge shippment of 40 today at 1oclock and had three left when we closed at 7:00 that's pretty good as for gamecube. the day we opend we had a bigass line waiting for it. more then xbox acctuly.
but we havn't got anymore in sense then and probebly won't because I accadently broke street date, and sold a luigis mansion before relese date. So Nintendo of america is pissed at me now ! lol. They fined the store, Resulting in me getting a stage 2 write up. and won't give are store anymore gamecubes tell after christmas........
ohwell seem's to only be hurting them.

Thanks guys. Actually, my 11 year old is my DAUGHTER --- not that that makes a difference but just to set the record straight ! She currently has a PS1 so the PS2 link makes sense. I'm still looking at the X-box. I know their promoting the heck out of it on the kid's stations.

Thanks again,
Roy

I vote for PS2. Get him Gran Turismo 1,2 or 3 and that way you can play it too. It is the best car game ever. Real cars and you can change everything from the gear ratio's to the yaw rate. Can somone explain Yaw to me? BUt it is a sweet game

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AIM: DR650SE
2 Black 86 SE's V-6 4-SPD

quote Originally posted by JohnnyK: I was looking into this yesterday.. At the moment, the X-Box is doing pretty poorly, and the Gamecube is number 1... It sold huge on it's opening day. At the moment, X-Box is doing pretty bad, but since it has Microsoft muscle, I'm sure it will bounce back. However, I am also leaning towards the PS2 now.. I think the gamecube will be an amazing system, if not just for Nintendo's trademark games.. I can't wait to see what the next mario is like (Mario 64 is my favourite game of all time I think). Controller is nice too. Snowboarding and tony hawk for that game are really fun too (my friend bought one on it's opening day). The reason I won't get one, is because they use mini-dvd's, and at the moment, I can't copy them. (I'm cheap that way)..

Really??? Whats your dfinition of poor? It sold out everywhere. EB had the best single day in history becasue of the xbox. It continues to sell when it arrives at stores. Its more of an adult system and the games will not appeal to kids so parents buying christmas presents for younger children will not buy it for christmas. Microsoft could not have asked for a better launch. Show me where anybody said that the xbox is not doing so hot???

We have both the PS1 and N64.

In my honest opinion as a Santa for my kids, go with:

I was and still am disappointed with Nintendo. Thought they were going to be big with games and they fell short. So kids got that one Christmas and limited games thereafter.

The following Christmas, we bought a PS1 and the kids play that way more then they do the Nintendo and have bought many, many, many...many, many games since then for that one.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen the Nintendo in a long, long, long time... SH*T! I better double check and make sure the kids haven't sold the dang thing on ebay.

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[This message has been edited by JSocha (edited 12-03-2001).]

the problems with the N64 was the lack of a dedicated sound chip. Sound was done by the main CPU. A CDROM expansion was planned but never released in the states, the N64 graphics chip is pretty damn powerful as it stands but the CPU couldn't dedicated enough time to it in order to process sound. Look at the detail of Madden 200 w/extra ram cartridge. Of course everybody complained about the sound in that game but it was way smoother playing and more detailed than the PSX.
If their planned expansion had included a sound chip, CDROM drive and faster cpu, it would have given the Dreamcast a serious challenge but instead they dedicated resources to the Cube.

The cube has the most powerful CPU of the 3. It's a Power PC chip like in the MACs except from IBM not Apple. Nintendo's limitation has always been targetting children and not getting a diverse group of licensees to make the "Resident Evil"'s that really sell systems. From a technological point of view, they have always been superior.

Uh... Long live Amiga!

Lou , you posted that again. In another thread I posted independent reviews of the systems. The Xbox has the most powerful Graphics processor ever. Thats separted from the pentium 3 processor. it also has the most powerful sound processor. The power of this system is beyond the Ps2 and the game cube. If you dont understand the figures I forgive you. But ignorance is only an excuse for so long.

Falcon: OVERALL, the Gamecube sold about twice as much as the xbox did. Maybe i'll get around to finding some proof.. Anyways, I don't care if it's selling good at EB, I'm talking about the total launch, and the Cube kicked it's ass.. Still getting the PS2 I think though.

I fail to get it HOW can a tv locked at 500 lines interlaced at a low screen refreach rate be better than computer screen at 2000 lines noninterlaced at a much high refreach rate and many more franes per second not be better?? 2000 is better than 500.

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Question wonder and be wierd

your independent study was inconclusive.
like I was explaining to you in the other thread, a PPC CPU executes more instructions per clock cycle than a pentium

hypotethical max grahics potnetial doesn't mean much if the main cpu is too busy to let it fly and not all polygons are created equal.

as far as sound, anything over Dolby 5.1 I don't think I'll notice the difference.

I ask you again:
Why does my 900 Mhz thunderbird Athlon with a 3 year old Voodoo 3500 16Mb play games as well as my 800 Mhz AMD system with an ATI Radeon 64meg DDR card?

Because a more powerful CPU will always make a game smoother playing and looking better.

Finally, just becasue a study is independant doesn't mean it's unbiased. Usually towards who funds it.

If I can find one, I'm going with the Xbox. It has by far the most potential.

If you have a young child go nintendo you can't go wrong it has alot of younger games, it's cheaper and adults have fun with it too.

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Joe

PS2($299) Let me just start off with one FACT: The DVD capability of the PS2 is p!ss poor! Its average at best(ok playback) and has a slew of movies that screw up or don't play at all on the system. Otherwise its a fantastic system as it will always have major support for games(which is the only thing that really matters). It has some of the most popular games available(though many are ported or will be imported with improvements to other systems). PS2 = Safe bet

X-BOX($299) is Microsofts baby and they are going to force this thing down the publics throat the best way they can. It has decent DVD playback, it does however cost at least another $30 for the DVD kit Here is the key for x-box's success: They need to have Japan support this system. Right now the public over there could care less right now about the system(Not sure of release date in Japan). Microsoft is attempting something that has never been done before, trying to sell this and make it successful on US/European shores. Historically you need Japan to support a system to really have it do well(Many factors involved here). They will need Japanese game companies to want to produce games for it to have long lasting sucess as a game machine. The games(and future games mainly pc ports), except for a few, are seem as lame for the most part. Many will argue that the X-BOX is superior in performance but this means crap when it comes to games. They need to be fun! The X-BOX is basically a PC in a box the size of a vcr. This may make the xbox have lasting appeal to many people that still don't have PCs or want another PC for their kids. The alternate possibilities for the X-BOX are still being decided right now. X-BOX = Jury is still out on this one, Many think it may go the way of the 3DO.

Gamecube($199) Nintendos simplistic design that clocks in at $100 less. Its a game machine that doesn't play DVDs. It has great performance for the dollar and has great launch games for it, especially for younger kids. Nintendo seems to be trying to fix its major problems that it had with the N64. Mainly the major improvements are Mini DVD-type discs instead of cartridges(system has virtually no load times on a lot of games, fastest of three systems), Nintendo has also got a lot better support for developing games for it. It is now easy for Game companies to port(and usually improve)games from all other systems. Nintendo will arguably have some of the best games and mainly multiplayer games when compared to other systems. Gamecube = Safe bet, especially for kids.

NOTE: If you want a DVD player think about the cheapest DVD player at your local electronics store($80-$100), this is better than a PS2's dvd playback.

These are MHO on the systems out there right now.

[This message has been edited by Jimmy (edited 12-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Jimmy (edited 12-04-2001).]

Just for general information, I cannot tell any difference in quality with a quality television between the PS2 and a high quality DVD player. Some may be able to, but the general public can't, including myself.

Also, I have never heard of anybody that has a standard DVD (no crazy Japanese VCDs) that won't play on their PS2. I have watched approximately 100 dvds with zero problems so far. If you can rent it at the Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, it will work with the PS2.

Also for me it was a simple choice because I have limited space. Have an extra player to do the same thing I could do with one unit made no sense to me. The fewer cords, plugs, units, and shelf space used the better.

Just my own and my friends personal experiences talking. I don't think you have anything to worry about with the DVD quality or compatibility.

Bryce
88 GT

I don't think these systems should be judged by any features except how well they play games. I have a 12x DVD ROM and sVHS out on my graphics card, I don't need a game machine for this just like I didn't need a SegaCD or Amiga CD32, PSX, etc.. to play music CDs back in the day. I already had an alternative. It's just an "ooh, I can do that too feature". Just give me the games.

In that regard I will give Sony the edge here for now. But it does have a year's head start. In the meantime, I know MS is trying to make all it's licenses only release for the XBOX, that's where I think it will fail. It's not could economics for developers to release for one system only unless that system has a monopoly. The XBOX certainly doesn't. And alot of people already have PCs with 4 times the memory, twice the processing power and eventual better graphics cards than the XBOX who are willing to wait the extra 3 months for better versions of the same games.

Nintendo is the wildcard here. They need to target more adults. If porting is easy and their system proves superior (as I think it is) then they will recapture the thrown.

Again, the key though is games.
Saturn didn't have them, N64 ddidn't have them and Dreamcast didn't have them and all were more powerful than the original playstation.

Going back a few more years, the Turbo Grafix 16 was better than the NES and SegaMaster System and so was the Atari 7800 and it still didn't win the war either.

It's all in the games.

Louu, GPU=Graphics processing unit. This processor does all the work for graphics. The DSP does all the work for the sound, network controller and other I/o. The CPU is left to do physics calcs and other in game things. It DOES NOT handle the graphics load. Thats the xbox advantage.

I don't have a Playstation so it really doesn't matter to me whether or not PS2 or PS3 will support older games because I don't have any and don't plan on buying any. And when you think about it honestly, 90% of the games available for Playstation are crap anyhow.

It's also my understanding the it's FAR easier to write code for the Xbox than Playstation. Game developers will have a lot easier time bringing new games to the market for Xbox than Playstation. I've also heard that most of the popular games for PS2 will eventually be ported over for the Xbox.

Lastly, how old are most of you guys? Do any of you remember when Sony was the 800 gorilla breaking into the console gaming market? Combine it's financial backing, existing relationship with software developers, marketing capabilities, and sheer will to succeed, and Microsoft is going to make the Xbox huge.

I also notice a lot of people basing their opinion of which system is better based solely on what they think is selling better. Using that kind of logic, you would also be driving a Toyota Camry instead of a Pontiac Fiero.

falcon...

Those parts are connected to a bus.
the cpu controls what gets what.
for the GPU to do somthing, the cpu say go grab this memory chunk. for the DSP to do something, the CPU says ok, now you can use the bus to grab this chunk of memory to play sound.

The faster/more efficient the CPU, the faster the whole system is.

Let's put it this way...
Any GPU card since 1996 can display graphics in 640x480 in 16bit color, right.

If I made a game that uses that resolution and the game involved alot of physics (math), tell me what system would play the game better:

a 200 Mhz cpu and an Nvidia Gforce 3 (4, 5, 6 or a million)

or

a 400 Mhz cpu and a Voodoo Banshee

this is my point. Everybody knows the Celeron is a joke for games. You can look at a million PC mags that compare the Celeron to a real P3.

Gee Wiz MrFixit! From all the posts I see, I hope all this input helps!

The xbox has a Pent 3 not a celron. The CPU has to do NONE of the complex 3d calculations required to produce a beautiful enviorment. Thats what bogs down the processor. It off loads all of this to the dedicated GPU. This is similar to how a EAX soundcard takes the postioning calculations off of the CPU and moves them to the dedicated processor on the card. The xbox IS the more capable system.

read this http://forums.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?s=3737b404f29b3022ea8bf02fc10a50e5&threadid=44317&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

[This message has been edited by falconhulk (edited 12-04-2001).]

these guys opened it:
http://www.vanshardware.com/articles/2001/november/011116_Xbox/011116_Xbox.htm

it's a mobile celeron
they also opened up the cube in another article and surprise, a 202.5 Mhz ATI Flipper instead of the "How The Gamecube WILL Work"'s 165 Mhz, I guess Nintendo upped the ante before final shipment.

I guess you missed the link before on the PowerPC chip that was 2.9 times more powerful than a P3 at the same clock speed.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question299.htm&url=http://lowendmac.net/musings/g4vp3.shtml

and the XBOX only has a Celeron.

Believe all the MS hype you want because MS=BS. Like when they said Win 9X is not dos-based and sure as sh!t Bill Gates says finally we have gotten away from MS-DOS with Win XP...after 6 years of Win 95/98/ME is not DOS-based propaganda.

[This message has been edited by lou_dias (edited 12-04-2001).]

quote Originally posted by lou_dias: these guys opened it: http://www.vanshardware.com/articles/2001/november/011116_Xbox/011116_Xbox.htm

Interesting summary at the end of this article.

"Having looked inside the Xbox, it is clear hardware-wise that Xbox buyers are getting a lot for their money. The Xbox is not only state-of-the-art, but it is also feature packed.

The Xbox gaming experience itself is unmatched. The graphics details of offerings like "Dead or Alive 3" or "Halo" exceed that of any other console. Gameplay is fluid and seamless and matches arcade level -- if not better than most arcade machines. The system is stable -- we have not experienced any glitches despite our mistreatment of our unit.

It is resoundingly clear that Microsoft has delivered the hardware. The Xbox can do what any other console can do and then some. The only question that remains is the software, and from what we have seen, this is not going to be an issue either. Not only is Microsoft the titan of software, it also has almost limitless wealth to ensure the Xbox succeeds.

Gaming is an increasingly lucrative business that is soon to exceed motion pictures in terms of sheer dollars. The Xbox is a key strategy for Microsoft to help the Redmondian giantess intrude itself into the living rooms of everyone, helping Microsoft become the central hub for all things digital.

Microsoft has great motivation to make the Xbox succeed. The Xbox hardware is peerless. The fortunes behind the gaming console are almost limitless. The games already look and play great.

There are few sure bets in today's economy, but the Xbox looks like it might be one of them."

That says enough for me.

Frankly, as long as the system performs, I don't really give a crap about the nitty gritty details, and it sounds like the Xbox is still the most advanced console available and it has far greater potential than any of its competitors.

Lou baby guess what? Been programing since I was a little kid on a Timex sinclair computer. I grew up making my own hardware and PC i/o interfaces. I went to school for Electrical Eng. and am now a Network Eng. I know PC's and most consoles in and out. Does not matter if its a celeron or p3 anyway as the only real diffrence use to be the cache. The performance for the 733 celeron and 733 P3 were almost identical. I am not sure what planet you are from but if you remember from the time of windows there were graphics accelerators and then 3d accelerators. Now with the advent of Nvidias GPU its an "enviorment" accelerator. If programmed properly it off loads a tremendous amount from the main cpu. Try playing a D3d game using a non 3d card in software emulation and you will see how much diffrence this makes. If the CPU is the main gauge of graphics output why dont all us PC gamers run software 3d? The whole purpose of that chip is to handle the complex lighting and geometry calculations.

[This message has been edited by falconhulk (edited 12-04-2001).]

I programmed a C64, C128, Amiga.
I do PC database driven business apps for a living.

Despite the fact that MS is the reason I have a job right now, I don't like their policies. They will attempt to make the XBOX a monopoly so that the can also control the hardware. MS is not an innovator, they are like the Japanese, they copy then they modify.

the xbox is a slow pc with a fast gpu and hitech sound card.

proprietary game machines and computers have always excelled at what they do because they aren't bound by the pc architecture.

that's why a 25mhz Mototorla 68040 powered Amiga 4000 out-dazzled the 486DX66's of it's time.

Anyway, what we need is Madden 2002 on both systems side by side. Then we'll know.

http://dvd.ign.com/articles/315957p1.html

This is a good link for PS2 DVD movie compatibility.

Again the DVD playback of the PS2 is not acceptable IMHO, and believe me I am not in the minority. I for one would be upset if I was unfortunate enough to buy/rent a movie that would freeze up or not play.

Jim

I've got a ps2 and the playback looks good to me.

but i still say nintendo is best for kids.
My son loved his 64 and i thought it was pretty good too.
ps2 and xbox are targeted at teens i believe, because adults usually don't care if the games have blood flowing and body parts flying or not.

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Joe

http://www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,apn%253D2%2526s%253D1017%2526a%253D19278%2526ap%253D1,00.asp

Here Lou you might find this interesting.