Xbox baby!
 

I've decided to go for the Xbox, they got the games now, they got the graphics (best on the market).

It used to be all PS2 cause of the games, but most games are being released for both consoles, so games aren't a factor anymore.

Apparently Xbox Live! is way better than PS2's online game play. Anyone using this? Any comments? Any flaming/bashing?

All Xbox is missing is the GTA franchise, but your PC has got GTA3, just no VC.

But I'm pretty sure most new games will be available for both.

GTA:VC will be out for PC pretty soon anyway.

I think I am about to get an xbox also. Did anyone else see the segment on TechTv about modding xboxs? Get a modchip, new harddrive, and a little software - and you get one kick ass media center. It will even act as a server. I'm sold.

I loathe and despise the fundamental thinking behind the microsoft xbox. Not because it's an MS product, but because they just dont care about the gaming community. Their business model is all fucked, and does not suite the average gamer well. That machine is all about getting something of theirs into your house and taking up the most space (mental and phyiscal) thay you will allow them to. The majority of games for the Xbox are either cancelled dreamcast games, rehases of old 16bit games/PC conversions, crappy 3rd party games, and a few gems (though for the life of me i cant think of one besides jetset radio future and phantasy star online) The online component of the Xbox is a great idea, and they have the money to support it, but how many of the games that use it are really worth the extra cash? Halo? Football? Capcom vs Snk? Tony Hawk? PSO? Are they worth 20.00 a month to play? Are they worth buying a 5 dollar headset and memebership to their service? Do they push the envelop of current games, or offer unlimited replay value?

The Xbox is a modified computer. No matter what they tell us, and hope we believe.. that is what it is. Remember the whole "no it's not a computer.. no there will never be a keyboard for the xbox" speech? Liars. Opportunists. Culture stealers. gluttons.. I jate Sony and MS for what they have done to modern console gaming. Where is the innovation? The "meat and potatos" of games? Why wont these companies and their cohorts take risks? Offer something we haventy seen before. Don't go with the safe bet and rehash the same shit year after year? Because the gaming industry is a BILLION DOLLAR industry. It has surpassed the motion picture industry as far as revenue maker for a few years now. They are in it for the cash? If you think not.. then why force you to by the console in bundles upon release? Why put out a new machine every 2-3 years or multiple colors/ model numbers?
It's very upsetting.

I think somebody needs a hug.

ROFL, I have to agree with that one. :)

Don't let that get you down relic, I think you will have a blast.

how does subscription work? is it per game? or does a one year subscription let me play all games online?

also, how much is the subscription?

i dont nered a hug. The gaming business and community is VERY important to me. It is what i went to school for. It's what i have stayed up long nights coding, drawing, animating, sacrificng for. It may be my idealistic view of things, but I am VERY much against the rampant abusing of power certain mulinational countries have been exhibiting in the last 3 or so years. You fuck with the culture, and you are directly fucking with my career, potential jobs, and something i feel strongly about. I hope you all can understand. Im not 100% against MS.. it's just very blatant that their console is a poduct of the shift in attitude companies have towards gamers.

I played with an XBox a couple of times in Electronics Boutique, so this is by far not a completely informed opinion. However, from what I remember playing, I'd have to say that the graphics were quite impressive.

The thing I didn't like the most was that huge controller. I know I've heard people cluck with glee that "Finally I've found a controller that fits my large Ogrish hands", but for me, it's like holding a goddamn book. I'd probably get used to it after a while, but I'm sure it would take a long while.

I look on the shelves too, and I notice there are no XBox exclusive titles that really look all that interesting to me. I know it simply comes down to my taste in games, but playing a bunch of scantily clad ditzes in a poorly designed game of beach volleyball is not what I call a ripping good time.

Recent years? Oh please.
It has always been about money. It has always been about getting units into as many homes as possible. Don't try and pretend it's any different now than it was with the first consoles.

Your argument or views or whatever the hell that trash was is so full of holes and anger that I don't even know how to reply intelligently. Lots of games are "rehashes". You need to wake up and realize there have always been shitty knock offs. There's always been innovation too. It hasn't changed in recent years. There were HUNDREDS of shitty games made 10, even 20, years ago. I think your memory is clouded by nostalgia. People always remember the few gems and think of that time as a golden age of gaming. I can guarantee you there are more amazing games being made now per year than there were 10 years ago.

What else did you write. Hm, it's hard to filter through your baffling leaps of logic and remarks. Culture stealers? Brilliant. Let's see...ah, stupid mistakes that destroy what little credibility you may have had at the start of the post (but didn't). Halo is not an XBL title. You don't need to pay $20 a month to use XBL either. It's $50 for a year, plus headset. There goes the validity of your complaint in that paragraph.

Ok, I honestly don't know what your problem is. You're saying they're not in it for the money...but you hate them...for some reason. Maybe you blame this secret Sony/MS conspiracy as the reason you can't get a job in the industry. Whatever.

Quadraton, I agree about the controller. It's too big for my smallish hands. Fortunately any bundle you buy comes with an S Controller. These are also made by MS and not some 3rd party imitation. Much smaller and very comfortable. Just give the S Controller a shot before condemning it based on experience with the normal gigantatroller.

As for xbox exclusive games. Well, I don't know what you like playing but I have really enjoyed JSRF, Halo, and Splinter Cell. SC is now on PC, GC and PS2 but I think the original xbox version is still the best. Knights of the Old Republic and Fable are a couple of exclusive titles in development that look pretty amazing also.

P.S. I'm from Ottawa too. Go Sens etc. Heh. I should fill out that location profile stuff...

Holy crap, i'm from ottawa canada too!


awesome!

First off.. you're right i was upset when writing that reply. But this isnt heliping Relic any with his problem, and that is what im here to do. Relic.. get the console. They have a decent selection of games, you can play DVD's on it, and go online with it and have enriching communal play experiences. Some games people seem to like are Halo, nfl 2k3 , the giant mech game (the name escapes me at the moment) plus many other games that will come out in the future. Also you can mod the thing and have a pretty nifty little entertainment center/ router later on.

Now Robotic monk I dont have to justify shit with you, but because i will show you the same respect as I would any fellow member of the boards, (you know.. the respect you didnt show me by calling my opinions trash) I will just say "we're both right". If you have some issues with it pm me. Other than that.. let it drop. In the future.. disagree.. dont disrespect. Thanks

I didn't know about the S-Controller. I doubt I'll ever get the chance to use it, unfortunately.

As for games, I've been told that I'm a very picky person. It has to be a very well thought out, and decent game before I'll consider playing it. Like Zelda:WW for example. :D

BTW, a lot of Ottawans around here. We should form a club. :p

I am a modchipped Xbox owner. I find your opinions Ganguro to be laughable. There are manys games offering a large selection of choices. It is also the most powerfull and versatile console allowing me to have a very fast and compact media, emulation and gaming console in my living room. I don't understand what your fear about microsoft. Of course it is a modified computer. Every console is a modified computer.

where do you get this modchip stuff to make it into everything I want?

Info on it? etc?

I don't think we are allowed to discuss links and such for illegal stuff here. You can go to tech tv's website and search 'mod xbox', The Screensavers did a 5-part series on it and have the show notes on the web. They mention some websites in it.

ah, sorry.

I made the decision to buy an X-Box last spring and I haven't regretted it once. The huge controllers took a little getting used to, but now that I have played Halo so much every other controller feels awkward. I have never had as much fun playing video games as I have had playing Halo against my friends.

As far as Microsoft making money goes, all companies are trying to make a profit. If Microsoft was privately owned business than they could strictly concentrate on making the best product aimed at us techies. However, they are a publicly owned company and are under the ever-present scrutiny of the millions of stockholders to make a profit and must therefore reduce their costs as much as possible.

Yep, much as it pains me to admit I also went for Xbox and Xbox Live as soon as it was available in the UK. I really don't like giving Damian Gates my $$, but he gave me my job by releasing crappy software so fair is fair.

Online is fabulous, best for Europeans is Unreal Championship at the moment. (NFL would confuse most I think) Although MotoGP is getting rave reviews as well. I loved the fact that I was gaming with several people fom various countries, and the chatter feature makes it seem just like PC online gaming.

I have access to a PS2 as well and find the graphics to be second rate compared with Xbox. Although with the new cards out there Xbox lags behind PC's.
Personally I have always resisted buying a console because PC's always were better for gaming (and may well continue to be), but my PC is worn out now (2 yrs old) and I figure I would rather spend couple of hundred on a games console than buy a new PC motherboard and chip. (My Graphic and Sound cards are up to scratch). For example to play Vice City I hade to stump up 160 for a new GeForce card to stop the shudder. At least with Xbox the games won't be jittery.
Still have some reservations if they start bring out a new console every couple of years but for now I believe the Xbox and their Live system are the way to go if you want some light entertainment without the seriousness that PC gaming requires.

yeah, I got a second controller (Gamster) with mine and that is sooo better than the on that comes with it.

Now If i could just make some skins for my Unreal Character......

Subscription is 1 yr and is billed to your credit card. However when you by Xbox Live bundle you get free 1 yr subscription.

Its fairly cheap although I don't know exactly how much. The expensive part is the actual games but I usually by Xbox Mag if they have decent demos to try the games first and then make the decision to purchase.

Relic

check other Xbox Thread: Xbox Problem for Guthmunds post.

I aint gonna repost the link but its there.

PS. Sorry didn't realise I used two posts to reply to one person - Doh!

but how much does an annual subscription cost?

i also heard that some games require their own subscription, ie. Phantom Online.

Sorry don't know how much it costs in Canada. Xbox live kit in UK was 40£ or so.

Haven't heard about subscription games before, gonna goto website and check on that. I ain't gonna pay to play.

Edit:
Just checked $8.95 a month after 2 free months for Phantasy Star Online, "Hunters License".

Really hope this is NOT popular so they don't make more games like this.

I'm about the same; I'm not a fan of Microsoft or their operating system (running Mandrake 9.0 right at the moment), but when it came to choosing a console, the Xbox was the obvious choice.

By the way, people who don't drool at the name "Halo" haven't played it. I'm a big fan of the FPS genre, and Halo is the best I've played in years and years. Remember the feeling you got playing the original Wolfenstein? Like you were in the presence of the Next Big Thing? It's that way with Halo.

I can't speak for the gaming community, alls I know is, I'm happy with my Xbox.

Yep, Halo is Friggin good. Borrowed it off my Boss and didn't want to give it back. I loved all the little touches the dev team put into it. You don't often see games where litle touches are so integral to the game. Made the exp. a laugh.

Has anyone played the other games by Bungie that Halo is sort of in a group with? I don't remember the names, and Halo isn't a direct sequal, but I think the game universes are similar.

I am a proud ps2 owner. SOCOM< GTA series, Gran Turismo, it's always been my choice console. No one game ever made me think I had to get an xbox. Then I bought Halo, Splinter Cell, Elder Scrolls, anew xbox, AND got laid off. All in the same week.

Since that week, I've been a faithful fan of both systems. PS2 is always going to be more cuttign edge. MS likes to play it safe. They'll come up with cool exclusive games occasionally, but mostly PC franchises are what they seem to promise. Sony has invested a lot more time in the games of tomorrow... Final fantasy, Metal Gear, ICO, Mark of Kri, Amplitude.

As far as the Xbox live question, I believe they are asking you to pay up front for a online experience that will be worth it 6 months from now. Your choices right now for xbox live are mechassault, unreal, ghost recon, and a few others. Nothing outstanding, certainly not worth paying for. When wolfenstein online comes out, along with halo 2 and a feww others, it will be worth it. and since they are collecting up front for the online experience, the creators of these games can take their time and make a great online and offline game, not a rushed version with one and not the other.

I like xbox because it is exclusively broadband, I experienced l9ots of lag on the PS2 network when 56k'ers would log in and play socom.

Just my thoughts. Good luck with your purchase.

Gates is not the antichrist, you are not obliged to buy his products.

Xbox is a great piece of kit, if you like it buy one, if you don't then shut the hell up.

If you only own one pair of shoes I can understand why you would have a "one device" mentality.

Otherwise, get a PC, an Xbox and a PS2, and be happy. And don't tell me you can't afford that.

The Signal to noise ratio on games has always been low, across all consoles/platforms. I was stuck in a trendy hotel in Switzerland recently and there was a library of over 100 PS titles as a PS2 in the room. I was *staggered* by how much total crap there was in there, given the development costs involved.

As I like to remind people: there are thousands of restaurants in a city like New York or London, but odds on you stick with your favourite 4 or 5. Why? Because they are just fabulous, and there isn't time in the day to try all the rest. With games like Halo on the Xbox, I don't give a damn about having another 99 weak titles.

And finally, let's remember that the only industry that's all about altruism is begging.

We are all working in industries that are about making money. Otherwise we'd be out of jobs.

Schumpeter's creative destruction is what it's all about: throw enough shit at the wall and some of it sticks. The rest slides down, gets scooped up and throw at the wall again in a new way.

So what if Xbox is new, or some of the titles suck? Same is true of PS. And it's all progress.

Or perhaps we should get back to Pac Man, when it was all about art and real creativity???? Right.

I don't know how you became independantly wealthy but I know I can't afford all of that.
_____________________________

I went with the system I thought was best. Some people agree with me some don't. To each there own.

MS is no different than Sony. To make up my own figures, I would guess that 9 out of 10 people who sell things are in it for the money. Sony, MS, McDonalds, Disney, the establishment, the man. We're all evil.

Both can co-exist in my life. I leave my xbox with xbox live up at school, and the playstation 2 at my parent's place. That way I always have a gaming system around :)

I've had my Box since launch day. I was very mad at Sony for screwing me over at the beggining. I have since gotten over my anger. Ps2 is a good system with great games, so is the box, hell even the cube is great. But I still play the vast majority of games on my PC. I bought the x-box for steel battalion.
There is one term most of you need to learn...FANBOY! Know it use it. Is it just me or does Sony have an army of slavering idiots at their beckoning call. Gates may be Evil incarnate, but he doesn't have an army..

I read in the new xbox magazine that Grand Theft Auto 3 or Vice City is very likely coming to Xbox.

There's a GTA clone game comming out called Streets of L.A.
Saw it at E3 and it's nice. A little different than GTA in the fact that you are a cop with an attatude :)

I love my Xbox, wish I had more time for it. Definetly dont' regret getting it.
Live is about $39 for the headset and the one year subcription which is worth it. Don't have it yet but plan too.

PS2 looks very dated now imho.

I'm no system fanboy, I've got almost every system from the current & past 3 generations, including a modded xbox and most of the popular games.

But seriously, unless all you mostly want to play is Halo + Halo 2, there is little reason to buy an xbox over a ps2 or gamecube. FPS's are still the only genre that has stronger representation on the xbox than on other systems. Fighting Games? VF4 > Doa3, while soul calibur II is mostly the same across all 3 systems. Sports Games? EA owns the genre, and isn't online on xbox. Ditto for tony hawk. Driving Games? MotoGP is pretty good, but it's no Gran turismo, and GT4 will be online as well. Puzzle / party games? Nothing can touch super monkey ball. RPGs? Fable is pretty much the xbox's only hope, and may very well be vapor.

Finally, I thought I was the only person to think that. I'm not trying to diss the PS2 but I think it's the name that people go for. LIke spending $200 on a shoe that is going to fall apart faster than a $75 one just because it has a certain logo on it. I'm not trying to say the PS2 is going to fall apart. Just that it does have an army supporting it for no better reason than the name.

i`ve owned them all , x-box by far for the graphics , they jusy gotta get there shit together and start making more and better games, sony is running over ms for this reason only. and yeah i saw the tech tv thing to , cool shit.from ottawa 2

I 100% agree with you merkdr

Sony's exclusive rights to GTA are just about over. GTA for Xbox will hit the streets this holiday season. Also, it's worth noting that Take Two said the NEXT GTA will only "premiere" exclusively on PS2 - implying it might be out on Xbox a lot sooner than the last two.

I've never liked the idea that many people won't give the X-Box a chance because Microsoft makes it. Granted, I don't like Bill Gates either (not ever since my first "Blue Screen Of DEATH), but the X-Box is a fun machine. Halo is an awesome game that cannot be compared to most any other FPS (besides Perfect Dark, but that's my two cents), although it's the only stand-out game I've seen on the X-Box. You can rip music onto it and listen to it in many of your games. You can play DVD's. It's getting some big franchises that many people can familiarize with. Although I haven't ever used X-Box Live, I hear it's really easy and fun to use. Heck, if you work out enough you can bench-press it, he he he.

The only complaint I've ever had was the bulky controller, but I've grown accustomed to it and now enjoy it even more than the PlayStation controller.

"GTA for Xbox will hit the streets this holiday season."

..... a port of one of the older GTA's, way to go...

also the "next GTA" isnt due out until late 2004, so it doesnt matter since the exclusivity contract runs out then.

"I've never liked the idea that many people won't give the X-Box a chance because Microsoft makes it...........although it's the only stand-out game I've seen on the X-Box"

See, that's the reason right there. There is basically nothing that I want on the XBox. I don't care about ripping music, I don't care about playing DVD's on it, I don't care about ports of games I played last year. Between a Cube/PS2 and a PC I have everything covered.

X Box blows.

PS2 rules.

PC kicks both of their asses.

Get used to it.

It will never change.

True, Halo's the only stand-out game like I already said, but I'd rather have an X-Box than a Playstation 2, anyways. Final Fantasy games haven't caught my attention since 7. GTA is worth a rent or two, but not worth the full price of buying it. Resident Evil's now moved to the GameCube. Gran Turismo is fun if you're into that kind of racing game. Ico has been considered a sleeper hit by many, but I never did enjoy that game. Devil May Cry has been enjoyed by alot of people, and I think it's fun to WATCH, but I couldn't make myself enjoy playing it. The WWE Smackdown! games suck in my opinion, so there goes that. While Metal Gear Solid 1 was awesome, MGS2 wasn't what I was hoping for, plus now Substance (I think it's called...the improved MGS2) is on X-Box anyways. Nothing much really appeals to me on the PlayStation 2.

I won't say that the PS2 is a bad system (because it isn't), but I just don't find myself enjoying its main game series much at all. I find myself playing Halo so much more than I play the PlayStation 2 all-together, and the X-Box is much more powerful a machine, so it holds greater possibilities for great games than the PS2, power-wise. Then many X-Box games are ports found on other systems (SSX for example), and simply LOOK better. For systems being the same price now, and having many of the same games as other, I'd go with the system that makes the games look better and has a series I'd like to follow (Halo). Plus with an on-line gaming plan like the X-Box has (I don't have broadband yet, so I can't use it), it just seems so logical.

Of course, I bought a GameCube because it's my favorite of the three, heh. My brother has the X-Box and PS2, so I get all the X-Box playing time I want when I'm not playing Metroid Prime, Wind Waker, Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Brothers Melee, or any other game like that.

GameCube > X-Box > PlayStation 2
My opinion, not fact.

I own a Xbox and a ps2 and I play my xbox more. The biggest reason is the storage on the xbox. I dont need to buy 2 memory cards so I can save more than one franchise on madden. Games wise, theres always Halo and Morrowind is just as good as the pc version, plus theres more good games on the way like gta.

Well said CCHSDawg. It's good to see people actually put work into their posts instead of saying this sucks, that's better. Why, because it's better.

For me personally, I like the X-Box. Halo is an awesome game, and my fiancee are playing Baulders Gate together, and we're having a blast. I liked a couple of the names for PS2, but those never really made me want to buy them. I've played a PS2 before, and wasn't overly impressed. The graphics on it weren't spectacular. On the X-box, the graphics in Halo are simply amazing. Baulder's Gate, amazing. Just my 2 cents, from what I've observed.

It seems that people have this Xbox Live! subscription thing kinda confused. Just to get it straight, it goes like this..

--As of this post, a 1yr subscription is $49.99. to play all Live enabled games
note: very few games will have an additional fee like Phantasy Star Online for something like $10/mo, True Fantasy Online, and Star Wars Galaxies. Most dont, though.

Sometime later the subscription costs will change to this...
--Starter Kit = $69.99 (for the first year).
--Year renewal = $49.99.
--Monthly = $5.99.
--Live Voice Communicator Headset (a la mode, ie: no Live subscription) $29.99


As you probably figured out by now, I have an Xbox and a Live account.
In my opinion, the Xbox is a great system. I dont ever regret owning one. I think it also says something when my girlfriend becomes addicted to a game (Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee) and finishes it... Then becomes inspired to play the previous games.

Live isnt a shabby product in the slightest bit. The headset actually sounds really good (and trust me, I know a little about voice technology. Ask hal.). Virtually no lag unless there is a valid reason for lag (ie: downloading assloads of pr0n while on Live).
The ability to have a form of a "friends" list is awesome. See whos online, what they are playing, and invite or be invited to a game. To add to that, some games also have downloadable content to extend the life of your game. New maps, weapons, missions, etc, with scheduled releases. I say thats pretty neat.
From what I hear there will also be a feature that will give the ability to voice chat with them while they are in a seperate game as well as a IM system that can be accessed via PC and possibly even a cellphone.

The Live network isnt a simple option. To me, Live has multiplied the value of my xbox tenfold. If you ever take the time to view http://www.xbox.com/community/ you can see that Xbox has something good going on. I think they are recognizing that the online community is a very loyal bunch and are trying to strengthen their product with this dedicated following. To enforce this, tourneys are held (with prizes), fan art competitions, and other crap going on as we speak. Soon XSN will launch.
XSN is a sports gamer's wet dream. With XSN, you can create virtual leagues. It will keep track of your rank, stats, and standings on the league. Arrange a schedule of games and get email or cellphone alerts for news on your league/tourney or reminders that you have a game coming up if you like. XSN comes free with any XSN enabled game to anyone who has a Live account.
There are 6 XSN titles announced:
NFL Fever 2004 (August)
NBA Inside Drive 2004
Top Spin
Amped 2
NHL Rivals 2004
Links 2004
More info here http://www.xbox.com/e3-03/games/preview-xsnsports.htm and here http://www.XSNsports.com if youre interested.

Sure I love my xbox, but I also love my PC. I would also love a GC and PS2 if I had one but all for very different reasons. They all have very strong titles and they also have a grip of crap. So what. Debating on what is best is like debating on what the best marshmallow is in a box of Lucky Charms.
Shutting up now.

Really dumb question time. How do you listen to your cd's that are ripped, during gametime? And what games can you do it on?

The only games I've done it on is Project Gotham Racing and Amped, though I know you can listen to the music on more games than that.

but how do you do it, does it have an option in game?

Depends on the game. Usually it should be under the options area. Like in Project Gotham, you can select what radio station you want to listen to... There is an option to customize your own radio station by adding or subtracting songs from a songlist.

I think its safe to assume that most racing games would have the feature to play downloadable songs. I cant recall any specific games aside from Project Gotham, though. I dont normally like music/radio when I race but I did mess with it a tad when I first got it just to see what it was like.

I know Sega GT 2002 let you listen to your own songs. You can pick from your list of soundtracks or the games soundtrack. I think that all sports games should implement where you can listent to your own soundtrack during the game.

Agreed, GunslingerCold, agreed. Also, wrestling games ("sports-entertainment") should...I mean, who doesn't want to choose a good song for their entrance music (besides people who don't like wrestling games, but let's forget about that)?!?

Proud owner of a PS2, not going any other way.

Both of the game systems have their pros and cons, to me, it seems like it depends on what games you like and which controller feels better to ya

Thanks for the soundtrack stuff :)

Your better off buying all the systems if you play alot of console games.


I have all 3,and I play all 3~

XboX,GameCube,and PS2 ( I think PS2 Has the most hours,Xbox comes in close second with GC lagging far behind )