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Another thing that
people always try to find a problem with is the controller? I hear the
same things over and over again. “Dude, it’s freakin’ huge! It’s like the
old Sega or the new Dreamcast controllers!!!”. I’m not gonna sit here and
try to convince you that it’s the coolest looking thing around, but I will
tell you that this is the most comfortable controller I have ever used –
hands down. Microsoft combined the best features of the PS controllers,
the Dreamcast controllers, as well as N64 controllers. The controller has
been designed to be completely ergonomic, and it feels better than any
controller I’ve used – try it for a few hours, I guarantee you’ll love it.
The buttons are well-placed, and the control just flows like none other.
They come with nine foot long cables that have a disconnector that unclicks
if your dog runs into it or your baby sister, which does two things: once
it’s disconnected, it automatically pauses your game, it keeps it from pulling
the console onto the floor and possibly damaging the internals, and it keeps
your dog and sister all
in one piece. No more times that you have to restart a game because little Claire ran into the controller and yanked the console
onto the floor. Plus, think about what I just said: the cables are 9 feet
long!!! That means you can sit at a comfortable distance from your tv and
not have to move my console to the floor, as well as not get up close to strain
your eyes.
I guess that’s it…right? Oh wait, Hyndsy, you didn’t cover the most important part…the
games! Haaaaa! You think I would forget that ;-)? That’s the best part of this whole
thing. A lot of people say they want to wait because their aren’t that many games out
for it yet. Really?? It launched with 19 titles. At $50 a pop, are you telling me you
can spend $950 on buying all the games? Please! Anyways, of course this is where PS2
currently has the upper-hand. However, for those of you that remember, it took Sony
over a full year to really get enough good games for people to risk it. Many people
were really disappointed with the launch lineup, and delays all the way through last
spring and summer further upset PS2 owners. Finally we are seeing some truly great
titles come out for the PS2. Just wait until the Xbox has 20 or more games, and we’ll
see if this is a problem. I doubt it will be. Xbox features some really cool games
right now, such as Halo and NFL Fever 2k. People that dig those mortal combat type
fighting games will really like Dead or Alive 3. For our racing fans, you’re getting
more than a few games that I’m sure you will enjoy such as Test Drive Off-road, 4x4
Evo 2, Nascar Heat, and of course, the heavily touted Project Gotham Racing. My
girlfriend is still upset I didn’t buy that one yet; however, she’s already hooked
on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2x. It gives die-hard Tony Hawk Pro Skater fans a chance
to see the current latest and greatest of the THPS world. It offers you more levels,
tons more tricks and boards, you can create your own skater, your own park, it has some
really cool soundtracks which includes Rage Against The Machine as well. You’ll love
it and I’m sure it will help pass the time as we all wait for the release of THPS3 ;-).
Either way, you’re not going to go wrong. All platforms will offer more crisp and more
amazing gameplay, as the technical revolution continues to march on and beat it’s drum
loudly. Gaming is becoming more and more mainstream every day, and the hardcore gamers
will be the folks with multiple systems. I already know people that own 3 or four PCs,
a Playstation 1 and 2, an N64 and Gamecube, an Xbox, a Nintendo, an Atari, a Dreamcast,
a Turbographix 16 and a Neogeo. I own almost all of those systems or have at one time or
another, and there is a common theme: gaming is getting better and will continue to get
better. Every wonder why Dreamcast sells for $49.99 now? Competition. Plain and simple.
The competition in this industry between these firms is only good for us, because it
drives down prices and keeps us happy. Sony is never going to go away, although I bet
they will push the development of the PS3 up double-time now because the PS2 just isn’t
going to enjoy as long of a lifespan as the original Playstation…and why? Competition.
Microsoft is here to stay – they have already said in more way than one that they are
committed to the console gaming market, and like every other market niche, they seek
to rule that market’s world. They want to be #1 and will do what it takes to get there.
Will they get it? No one knows yet. I tend to think that they will, as Microsoft has
more money than God. If you had the much money to play around with, would you bet against
yourself? I didn’t think so. In the long run, this stiff competition between Microsoft,
Sony, and Nintendo is always good for us, because we all win – we crave the ability to
choose, and right now all three of these companies are actively competing to win us over,
to bring us to their “dark side”.
The best way to get what you want from a system or game is to let these companies know
that you either support what they are doing or disapprove. You don’t necessarily have
to email them or send them a letter. Talk about it to your friends, and it will spread.
Companies will pick up on this, and when they do, better things will come. Dreamcast is
the poster child for that. You should all remember the hype behind that, and how everyone
had to have one. Well, well, well. Look at it now ;-). You know what that is? The power
of the people talking. So next time you play that console you hate, let your mouth do
the talking and watch what can happen.
Overall, Microsoft will catch up to Playstation 2, because gamers have this great need
to have what is the latest and greatest. Yes, PS2 will come out with something better
eventually than the Xbox, but Playstation 2 is not even a year old. Sega Dreamcast
rushed to release its console about 18-24 months ago, and they had some hardware problems,
such as systems overheating. PS2 had something similar happen (their processors were
frying) but on a smaller level than that of the D. the Xbox already is the equivalent
of a PC that is better than the average owner. And this is strictly for gaming. It will
definitely be interesting to see where these systems are when they come out with the Xbox2
and PS3.
Below are the main features of the Xbox, directly off of the Xbox website. For someone
that owns a Playstation, I can quickly tell that Playstation doesn't have the same hardware
specifications that the Xbox has, such as ethernet, an Intel 733mhz processor, and an
internal harddrive.
* Four game controller ports that allow easy multiplayer gaming and enable other peripherals,
ranging from game pads to voice-activated headsets.
* A front-loading DVD tray.
* A multisignal audio-video connector that allows for easy hookup to televisions and home
theater systems.
* An ethernet port for rich, fast-action online gaming via a broadband connection.
* An Nvidia graphics processing unit (GPU), delivering more than three times the graphics
performance of other consoles.
* An Intel 733mhz processor, the most powerful CPU of any console.
* An internal hard drive, for massive storage of game information —a first in the console
gaming industry.
Xbox system specs
Below, a comparisons chart between the Xbox and Playstation 2. Clearly you can see that the
Xbox's specs are definitely superior to that of PS2. To me, this means that it will only be
a matter of time until Xbox catches up for the very simple notion that gamers always want
whatever is the latest and greatest, and cannot stand to think for a second that they are
using a system that is less than up to par than the best out there. Let's wait and see.
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console specs
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Xbox
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Playstation 2
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CPU
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733 Mhz Intel
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300 Mhz
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GPU
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300 Mhz custom designed graphics chip by Microsoft and Nvidia
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150 Mhz Sony GS
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total memory
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64 MB
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32 MB
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memory speed
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6.4 GB/sec
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3.2 GB/sec
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polygon
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150 m/sec
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66 m/sec
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storage medium
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4x DVD, 8 gb hard disk, 8 mb memory card
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4x DVDE, 8mb memory card
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internet access
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ethernet broadband, may require MSN or other
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may require Sony ISP or other
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broadband enabled
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yes
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future upgrade
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DVD movie playback
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built in
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built in
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personal tv
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not available yet
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no plans to include
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mp3 jukebox
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not available yet, but can rip songs to disk for games
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no plans to include
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software architecture
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closed source, mixed api
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closed source, mixed api
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freeware games
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not yet
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no
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The decision is up to you. I’m a hardcore gamer, I know what it’s like not knowing
what system to pick. You’re going to decide what you want anyways…but if you don’t
pick the Xbox, and you are upset and wish you did, don’t say that Hyndsy from
Planet42.com didn’t warn you ;-).
Hyndsy's Rating:
5 out of 5 Planets
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Buy a Xbox @
amazon.com |
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