video game system w/ surround?

Shizelbs

Screw Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube. Buy the reigning champ - Dreamcast.

bokdaddy

Here's a link to a specifications comparison between the three systems:

kingkip

I am an Xbox guy, however I do own both. If you like racing games, then there is really only one way to go. Gran Turismo is far and away the best racing series ever. Sony is the sole owner of said series. Therefore look at the PS2. Xbox has some good racing games, but none you can't find or outshine with the PS2. BTW GT3 (and soon to be 4) is the only reason I own the PS2.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by Sami
You can't compare the speed by looking at the frequency of the system if the architecture is different. If they were all the same Intel (I think Xbox is using Intel Celeron?) based systems then yes you could but I don't think that's the case.

Not exactly on the topic but might be of interest to some of you: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=196467

You're right for the most part. The XBOX IS faster and better in terms of performance, but comparing the specs on the processors isn't the way to come to that conclusion.

Just like with the Palm vs Pocket PC...the Pocket PCs typically have a much faster processor, but that's becuase they're running different software that needs it (Windows). To the end user, one isn't always that much faster than the other...

Sami

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
You're right for the most part. The XBOX IS faster and better in terms of performance, but comparing the specs on the processors isn't the way to come to that conclusion.

Just like with the Palm vs Pocket PC...the Pocket PCs typically have a much faster processor, but that's becuase they're running different software that needs it (Windows). To the end user, one isn't always that much faster than the other...

The biggest thing comparing the systems is the hardware they are using. I looked up the specs on that PS2 and it seems to be running a 300MHz processor. Slower than a 900MHz Celeron? Maybe, maybe not. The thing is the Sony/Toshiba processor is a totally different design to the Intel makes frequency comparison pointless. Biggest difference being that the Celeron is a 32-bit and the one in Sony is 128-bit.

mantis

organ,
of course....hey do you play anything online now???

I play Mechaasault and I'm very good at it.I made leaderboard last month I ranked #8.

I rank every month in the top 30.This month I have been playing alittle less.Working alot and just not having the spare time to put in what it takes.

My gamer tag is ForcedDmantis....anytime you wanna play a game of Mechaasault,let me know.I'm always game.

Dan

mantis

O and by the way fellas........

real gamers play all the systems and don't judge the others.they all have good games to offer.It's about the games not the system it's played on.

Ever couple years they all come out with new systems.

I personally have owned them all.Gamer here since Pong.

organ

Dan,
I really suck in Mech Assault. I borrowed it from my boss and had a lot of problems with the controls.

The only online games I own now are Unreal Championship and Counter Strike. I very good in Unreal especially with the 1-shot-kill mutator.

My gamertag is NOCTURNAL 666. When we get the same online games I'll add you to my friend's list.

Maurice

gmorris

Originally posted by Shizelbs
Screw Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube. Buy the reigning champ - Dreamcast.

What is Dreamcast? This is the first I've heard of it in this th'd.

I am kind of thinking you are being sarcastic, but maybe you are not.

PhantomOG

dreamcast *was* made by Sega, came out just before PS2 and bombed in the marketplace, causing Sega to get out of hardware.

Now you can find used Dreamcast gear for really cheap at video game stores and there are a number of titles that are pretty good. Since its so cheap, I can't say it is a bad buy, but don't expect any new games to come out. If you can't find any Dreamcast exclusive titles that you *have* to play, then don't bother.

Shizelbs

I was more or less being sarcastic. Its like 5 years old almost now. It was pretty awesome in its day. Its what I play right now. If I were you, I would get an Xbox though.

Shizelbs

Originally posted by PhantomOG
Since its so cheap, I can't say it is a bad buy, but don't expect any new games to come out.

They are officially done releasing new titles for Dreamcast. They have been officially done for almost two years now.

organ

Dreamcast is awesome. I surf the net with mine. 99% of my posts here were done on my lovely Dreamcast. I still play mine too. Last night I played Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5. Agreed, if you can find one cheap, check it out.

Now about the graphics of PS2/XBOX. There's no comparison. The specs are for real. I own both and PS2 can't even come close especially when comparing the same games on them where they take advantage of the hardware. The only one that comes close is Game Cube.

Maurice

Sami

Originally posted by organ
Now about the graphics of PS2/XBOX. There's no comparison.

That's one of the advantages of XBOX being a PC based machine. The question of course is why settle for XBOX and not go straight to PC?

gmorris

Originally posted by Sami
That's one of the advantages of XBOX being a PC based machine. The question of course is why settle for XBOX and not go straight to PC?

That option is no good for me, as I want to play whatever system I get thru my home theater.

I don't want a computer in my living room, nor do I want to go buy an expensive computer just to play games. An Xbox is only $150.

Sami

Originally posted by gmorris
That option is no good for me, as I want to play whatever system I get thru my home theater.

PC can be easily setup as a HTPC. Could also be used as a music jukebox, DVD player etc. I use mine to play uncompressed music and region free DVD's that my standalone can't play.

Originally posted by gmorris
I don't want a computer in my living room, nor do I want to go buy an expensive computer just to play games. An Xbox is only $150.

For $150 you can built or buy a PC that is just as fast as an XBOX. Setting it up to be used w/o kb and mouse would require some effort. The more you put money into it, the better games you can play. Plus the game selection seems to be superior compared to consoles.

jae68

A PC for $150? I've built pcs for a living before and while they are very cheap right now, half that money would go to a decent video card, and that's if it were an older one. For what the XBox does, it's far more bang for the buck than a pc. Now, if you already have one, that's a different matter.

Peace

Sami

Originally posted by jae68
A PC for $150? I've built pcs for a living before and while they are very cheap right now, half that money would go to a decent video card, and that's if it were an older one. For what the XBox does, it's far more bang for the buck than a pc. Now, if you already have one, that's a different matter.

$150, easily one that is equivalent to the 900MHz Celeron that the XBox is. The problem would be finding the outdated hardware that goes into XBox. A year ago I bought a 1.1GHz PC, ready for use, for $100. Brand new.

Of course there lies the problem, built one for $150 or invest a little more and get a much faster machine. Bang for the buck system would be a $200-250 machine with 2GHz+ processor and much better goodies inside.

XBox hardware specs aren't anything spectacular (I was wrong about the processor, it looks to be a P3 @ 733MHz):

* CPU: Intel P3 733 MHz (1980 MIPS / 2.9 GFLOPS)
* GPU: NVIDIA XGPU (with pixel and vertex shaders)
* APU: NVIDIA MCPX (256 2D Voices, 64 3D Voices, DD5.1)
* Memory: unified 64MB 200MHz 128-bit DDR-SDRAM (DDR400) with 6.4 GB/Sec

AsSiMiLaTeD

PCs are great, but when I want to kick back and just play games, I don't want to deal with the hassle ot a PC.

Plus PCs are a bit more expensive than an Xbox. By the time you buy a case, MOBO, Proc, RAM, HDD, CD ROM, sound card, and video card you're WAY over the price of an XBOX.

Then you have to deal with the hassle of a keyboard and mouse...

PCs are great for games, but not for the living room for me...

EDIT: Also, you can't really compare the specs of an XBOX and a PC becuase a PC is running a HUGE MEMORY SUCKING Operating System in addition to any game you're using. True, the XBOX probably has it's own OS< but nothing as draining as a PC

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by Sami
$150, easily one that is equivalent to the 900MHz Celeron that the XBox is. The problem would be finding the outdated hardware that goes into XBox. A year ago I bought a 1.1GHz PC, ready for use, for $100. Brand new.

Of course there lies the problem, built one for $150 or invest a little more and get a much faster machine. Bang for the buck system would be a $200-250 machine with 2GHz+ processor and much better goodies inside.

Man I don't know where you're getting your parts, but you gotta hook me up:

Processor - $50
Motherboard - $50
RAM - $50
Hard Drive - $50
CD ROM - $30
Sound Card - $50
Video Card - $100
Case - $20
keyboard and mouse - $20
Operating System - $100

There's a system with CHEAP **** parts that won't keep up with the XBOX - and it's over $500.

To get the audio and video quality of an XBOX, you'd have to add another $50 to both the sound and video cards...

With roughly $100 in mods, an XBOX can be converted into a full capability PC with media player and all...I know becuase I've installed the mod myself...

Sami

A game HTPC is a great thing. Here are few of my pics:

Sami

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
Man I don't know where you're getting your parts, but you gotta hook me up:

If that's what you're paying then yes I definately need to hook you up. The HTPC I am running cost me around $250 and it is a Athlon XP2200 with 512MB of PC2100, 160GB HD, ATI Radeon 9600SE 128MB, Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, Chaintek sound card with bit-perfect digital output. ATI remote wonder and an old DVD-ROM I sourced from my main PC. You can get a DVD burner for ~$50-100 nowadays.

Sami

Oh, forgot to add it also is connected to wireless 802.11g network for that price...

You need to stop by and play games someday.

jae68

The Xbox is a closed system. To get the same game running as well on a pc would require considerably more speed due to the underlying operating system.


Peace

Sami

Originally posted by jae68
The Xbox is a closed system. To get the same game running as well on a pc would require considerably more speed due to the underlying operating system.

Yes, part of the processing power goes to run Winbloat but at the same time it could serve many other purposes. It's a lot more work but that's part of the fun to some of us. To be honest, I only play rally/formula games on the big screen, majority of my games are played on my main computer with high resolution monitor. Game consoles have way too many restrictions and limited games for me to be interested in them but yes, they do have their own appeal.

How about running that Windows Media OS with a HTPC? Wouldn't that be a lot lighter to run than a full OS?

jae68

I agree with the other guy and would like to know where you get your parts. I'd love to get stuff that cheap too.

BTW, wished I had that projector. Maybe someday.


Peace

PhantomOG

A HTPC does have its own appeal but as for games, it really boils down to ease of use/purchase for me. I can buy a new console for $150 (your pick) from any local retailer and have it up and running whatever games are available for it almost instantly.

For the PC, in order to achieve the same price I have to find really good deals on parts (possibly deal with rebates), order them all (best deals usually online!), wait for it to ship, put it all together, load the OS and tinker with settings. Yes, if you are a computer guru you could probably get this done <2 hours but it is still time consuming and for me a major PITA.

On top of that, its also about the development cycle of the games. I can buy a console (take your pick) and I know that games will still be developed and playable for at least two to three years and maybe even longer. With a PC, the best games are almost always designed for cutting edge machines and every six months I am going to want to get a better video card to get better frame rates on the latest games.

At least for me, the argument is just whether I feel my time and effort is worth it. For a HTPC (for movies, music) its a maybe. For games, absolutely not. I'd rather be doing something else.

gmorris

Whoa, what the hell happened to my th'd?;)

I don't know shizit about computers. I didn't even read any of those posts. I post messages to this forum from my puter at work. I don't know anything about building one, or setting one up to play games on my HT.

Xbox is the most recommended here at the forum, I think I'll look into getting one of those.

Sami

Originally posted by jae68
I agree with the other guy and would like to know where you get your parts. I'd love to get stuff that cheap too.

Hmmm, let me see where I got the stuff.

mobo + processor combo from Fry's, $49.99

ATI Radeon 9600SE 128MB used from a friend, $50 (new now $53 from http://www.pricewatch.com/ )

Case, $15 from Fry's, with 400W PSU. MRSP was $60.

Memory, from Fry's, after MIR it came to $20.

Logitech wireless kb/mouse, www.ableshoppers.com , after MIR $20.

DVD-ROM used, free.

Chaintek soundcard w/ optical cable, $25 from www.newegg.com

D-link wireless PCI adapter, G-network, $40 (forgot where, you can find non-brands cheaper)

Fan, $5-20 from Fry's. (I had an extra)

160GB HD, Ableshoppers MIR deal, $40.

Looks like I lied, the total comes to $260 with DVD and fan being surplus items. Substitute the wireless card to these and you'll have a $250 system with a wired network. This was built some time ago, prices have gone down in the meanwhile. True, it requires time and patience compared to standalone gaming systems (I'm beginning to think that is the fun part for me more than the actual gaming:)).

P3 733MHz system would be a lot cheaper to built or buy, just tweak the OS to run what you need and you'll play equivalent games to XBox.

audiobliss

sami,

you gotta tell me where you're gettin' all this stuff; I'm lookin' to build a computer, but I can't do that AND get some speakers. Maybe at the prices it seems you're findin' this stuff I could.

audiobliss