Which console would you rather have?

[CraigD]

Which console would you rather have?

 

Suppose Santa Clause/mom/dad/spouse/child/kindly patron offered to gift you with one – but only one – of the “next gen” game console systems: Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, or Nintendo’s Revolution (which really isn’t well shown without a picture of its most extensive controller configuration), along with a ample library of games. It’s a straight, no strings-attached gift – you can keep your current machine(s), buy other machines and games, whatever.

 

Which would you chose, and why?

[Tormod]

Xbox 360 for sure...love my Xbox. But I'd REALLY like a PSP. :)

[alexander]

T, have you been reading responses online about the 360?

that and PS3 already has a linux port :)

[Jay-qu]

360 no doubt, doesnt matter if it has a bad bios and OS on it, just replace it:D

[alexander]

yeah J, you are right, it doesnt matter, protected flash with individual keys per system which might be a little trouble to update the bios, brand new console rebooting, scratching disks, not loading games propperly, problems shutting down. Of the 3 consoles, undoubtably the least technologically advanced one running on a P3 processor (hehe)... i mean the list goes on... what are people attracted to in a 360? or does this have to do with the price, ooh $400, must be good then... or something, what am i missing with people liking the 360?

[GAHD]

to alexander o n the 360: x-box live

 

I'm holding out on my decision untill I see a few games for each sysem, but the NR and PS3 look to be my favorites.

 

Just because of it's funky new controller(whose motion sensor tech will be copied and added to the PS3, just like they did with dualshock) I'd have to say I'd pick up a nintendo first. The game selection may change that decision, but nintendo looks like it will cater to my guncon needs.

[alexander]

B) Gahd...

you are the first person here to approach this decision with rationalle... Revolution looks really cool too, i kinda like the idea of wireless controllers for PS3 and that you can use PSP as a controller, I am however unsure about what they are doing to the screen, if the PSP screen displays what the TV displays, or is configurable in games to dispay maps and stuff, it is the best thing that happened to gaming consoles in weeks (before that the cell processor), but if its just left untouched and blank, it would ruin some of my expectations about the PS, but still i'll take PS3 over NR, because it's already a ready to use computer B)

[CraigD]

I'd have to say I'd pick up a nintendo first. The game selection may change that decision, but nintendo looks like it will cater to my guncon needs.

Guncon fans are a rare breed, if not as rare as decent guncon games.

 

I was willing to buy a GunCon2 in an overpriced bundle just to play one mediocre-to-good game with it (Resident Evil: Dead Aim), and have since enjoyed one additional crappy-to-almost-mediocre game (Dino Stalker), while moaning at the lack of ports of any even half-decent 1st person shooters to GunCon2 compatible versions.

 

I’ll likely be willing do something similar (and pricier) in buying the Revolution. Even if only a few good games are available, my affection for shooting at things with an actual, gun-like thing, is irresistible. It’s hard to imagine that the availability of 1st person shooters for it will be any worse than for the GunCons.

 

For the non-GunCon cognoscenti:

The GunCon is a pistol-shaped gadget that can be used to shoot things in a few special PlayStation and PlayStation2 games. The difference between the GunCon and GunCon2, other than a couple of extra buttons, is a directional pad that can be used to control movement, like the left analog stick in most 1st person console shooters. Prior to this addition, GunCon games could only be shooting-gallery or “railed” shooters, where the player had little or no control over their movement in the game environment. Both GunCons determine the point on the screen at which they’re aiming by measuring a special bright area that’s swept rapidly (and not quite unnoticeably) across the screen, using a lens at the front of the pistol body focused on a photodetector.

 

All appearances are that the Revolution controller will improve on that by allowing the controller to be used as a gun, and movement controlled not with the d-pad, but with a large analog stick held in the other hand. Also, since the Revolution determines the controller’s position via a separate sensors placed near the screen, so the displayed image will not need to have any artifacts to provide aim-point information.

[Jay-qu]

ok I admit that I dont know the hardware of the PS3, I just heard that the 360 hardware was good - 3 dual core processors, and I know most games dont utilise it yet but doesnt that mean it has good potential? Also I like all the xbox games namely halo

[Bio-Hazard]

Really good virtual reality, I mean really good. :naughty:

[CraigD]

… I just heard that the 360 hardware was good - 3 dual core processors …

The links in this thread’s first post can give you a pretty good overview of the Xbox360’s and PS2’s hardware.

 

The Xbox360 has a single 3 core custom PowerPC CPU clocked at 3.2GHz. By comparisom, the PS3 has a single 2 core custom PowerPC CPU clocked at 3.2GHz – called the “Power Processing Element” in Cell architectural terms, with 7 “Synergistic Processing Elements”. In absolute processing power, the PS3 is therefore about 5 times as powerful as an Xbox360 (the SPEs are 128 bit, compared to the PowerPC’s 64).

 

Since so much of the critical processing in a video game console occurs on the graphics chip, it’s hard to say how these 2 boxes compare for their intended purposes. The 360 uses a customized 500 MHz ATI500, while the PS3 uses a new 550 MHz NVIDIA, so they appear pretty similar in this area, though its difficult to tell based on such limited data.

 

Most neutral analysts think the PS3 will be about 2 times as powerful, on average, for game programs.

 

Details on the Nintendo Revolution are sketchy as yet, but it’s also said to use a single PowerPC and a custom ATI graphics chip, so a reasonable guess is that it’ll be similar to the Xbox360.

[Southtown]

PS3 buddy.

1. more games
2. more capability
3. higher resolution
4. won't crash (gnu/linux)
5. the boomerang is back

[Killean]

Oh how I wish I knew which to go for next.

 

Playstation III. Ever since the begining I have been in favor of Sony and the station. Why? Because Square Enix will only release the newest in the Final Fantasy series for the Playstation. But now I have grown out of this craze (still love the classics though). PS3 looks amazing, even ranking high on most sites I have seen. I can't deny the fact that a majority of games stick to Sony, and then after a while port it to X-Box to gain more sales. Only problem that most games for the playstations encounter (that are most noticable), are slow load times. Now that MS has released the 360, Sony gets the chance to do what MS did, study what the X-Box has, and include what it doesn't. :naughty: Will I get a PS3? No. Why? Read the answer for the X-Box.

 

X-Box 360. Just like the PS3, this thing is going to be powerful. Since they released the X-Box sooner, they will probably grab some of Sony's contracts. Another thing, X-Box is also the receiver of some rather unique and in my opinion the most fun, AND, they are only for X-Box. Fable and Conkers Bad Fur Day to name a couple. Will I get an X-Box? No. Why? A couple reasons:

1) MS is evil.

2) I will only like a couple games, therefore it is a waste of my money.

3) This answer is the same for the PS3, I already have a $1700 2.6 GHz AMD 64-bit, 256 Mb ATI X600, 1 Gb RAM gameing console. It doubles as an international communications device, website development suite, graphic manipulation suite, sound editing studio, and occasional CD Player. Pity it's too new to have Linux installed on it.

 

Nintendo Revolution. For the longest while I was planning on getting this. Two reasons really, none of which share Gahd's love for gun motion sensors. One, I heard a rumour that NR can act as a server for several DS's to play games from. Two, the ability to download old games from Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Sega to the box for a small fee. Will I get a Nintendo Revolution? Naw. Why? Reasons 2 and 3 from the X-Box list. Especialy the fact that #3 can already perform one of the tasks I wanted an NR for. :xx:

 

So I shall chill with my expensive gameing console, and my DS until such a time that one of the three systems becomes affordable. Say $150? 8 years away. I hope games for the PC don't require more then what I have during that time. :xx:

[alexander]

I already have a $1700 2.6 GHz AMD 64-bit, 256 Mb ATI X600, 1 Gb RAM gameing console.

and i thought i overpaid.... i got a 3.2GHZ 1Mb FSB AMD 64, 128 Mb PCI EX Nvidia Extreme N6600GT with 2 Gb of RAM and dual 160 gig SATA drives for $800, DVD ROM and a dual layer burner too....

[CraigD]

Questions of gaming goodness and Sony-Micro$oft-Nintendo market wars aside, what really excites me about the coming millions of next generation gaming consoles is not the machines themselves, but what they’re likely to do to the cost of POWERPC and Cell chips and chipsets. Considering that these less-that-$500 boxes have FLOP ratings of 15-20 times a good AMD or Intel x86 box, and that these boxes are using at most 2-core POWERPC chips, while a high-end POWER chip is 256-core, my mouth alternately waters at the prospect of getting such hardware on bus on my own PC, and goes dry at the challenge of getting any of my favorite language interpreters to use it. My Math object could be practically oraclular!

[alxian]

though i own a 360 i'm looking forward to ps3

 

for all the reasons southtown mentioned, the possibility of linux support and basically because it will be the only real next generation trully HD console available.

 

i'm wondering quietly to myself though if Microsoft will be releasing a psp killer mobilecon attached to the eSATA (if thats what it is) connection on the side of the console.

 

if you take the hdd that ships with premium units into your hand you'll notice how strickingly similar it feels to a psp.

 

if you crack the hdd enclosure open you find a tiny little sammy hdd. which could easily be tinier given its tiny capacity, flash even for extra performance and fewer moving parts. the eSATA ("""") conneciton offers atx power so the unit could have a NiHM battery pack and be charged through the console.

 

add an over sized HD (960x540 tft) flip over screen, a couple of retractable rubberized control sticks, a d-pad, and a foldaway eSATA (if thats what it is) port on the back of the unit.. in addition to a mobile xenos/x1800 with a processor over 1ghz... plus some voodoo, and you have yourself an ipod/psp/creative zenvideo killer device.

 

at least in the beginning MS could have the unit play video, music and poictures, as a mobile media player. then they can add support for all the xbox live arcade games, and even compatible legacy xbox games for gaming on the run.

 

they could use the newly ratified 802.16e wireless spec for online gaming over a wireless broadband connection, include a still/video camera, and microphone for video voiping will on the go.

 

we'll see what they end up doing but imo MS should build the Xpod simply because they would dominate the competition with it. i mean what other reason could there be for adding a hdd in such an oversized package to the console? there is room enough inside the console to have inserted the hdd as a slightly large pcmcia-like drawer. we'll see.

[CraigD]

… the eSATA (if thats what it is) connection on the side of the console.

…if you crack the hdd enclosure open you find a tiny little sammy hdd …

Very interesting! Can you by any chance post annotated pictures of your dissected 260 parts, or links to other’s pictures?:)