9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
It's a nice try, but it can't compete with the PS-2 overall.
Date of Review: Feb 21, 2003
The Bottom Line: Overall, I cannot recommend this system. Hardware quality is lackluster in comparison to the competition, and the game selection and variety is lacking.
The capabilities of the hardware is mesmerizing, although it's design is rather generic. What the PS-2 and GameCube achieved through unique design, the X-Box achieves through raw power. But more power can help the developer to achieve a very realistic and immersive interactive experience, although the latter two consoles are just as capable. Because of this, the X-Box doesn't entirely live up to its hype, as most games for the PS-2 and GameCube doesn't share much significant differences in overall presentation quality.
While the PS-2's attribute is the highly versatile architecture design of the Emotion Engine, the X-Box's attribute is the nVidia graphics engine.
Also, unlike the PS-2, where the bulk of floating point calculations are done by the CPU and vector units, the bulk of floating point calculations on the X-Box are done by the graphics engine itself as the X-Box CPU is severely lacking for this kind of math. Floating point calculations are simply decimal calculations. Decimal math is what is used to generate polygons, which is why it is important to have good FLOPS ratings for a games system intent for 3-D graphics. In the case of the current generation of game systems, the floating point capabilities are measured in GFLOPS.
The X-Box outdoes the competition in terms of GFLOPS by several orders of magnitude, which means it can generate graphics with a higher polygon count, for starters.
However, the current software lineup mostly doesn't push the X-Box largely beyond it's competition. This means that most games, especially those that are shared on all three systems, will only look marginally better on the X-Box.
This is what makes the system disappointing to me, as a whole. It's got the power, but it's not seriously being exploited. Further is the lack of quality software titles and franchises, particularly sufficient significant exclusives. Halo, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and Splinter Cell can only go so far. A lot of the games that I've seen for the X-Box have largely been uninteresting. The games that do matter for me have largely been on the PS-2, and many of them exclusives to that system.
Where can you play Final Fantasy X? PS-2
Where can you play Grand Theft Auto Vice City and GTA: 3? PS-2
Where can you play Rygar? PS-2
Where can you play Kingdom Hearts? PS-2
And the list can go on...
Reliability is a big minus because there are certain complexities inherent in this system. First, the thing needs a very good cooling system. This means a fan that can move more air and larger heatsinks to manage the heat this sucker can generate. I think what is being used right now is barely adequate as it is.
The inclusion of a hard disk drive adds capabilities, but it also imposes an instant lifespan of approximately 5-10 years, which is the typical operating life of a hard disk drive. It also increases the system's fragility.
This system has been known to have problems with the DVD-ROM drive. If you thought the Sony drive in the PS-2 was bad, then you ain't seen nothin' yet! X-Box have used Thomson and Philips drives, which aren't any better and, for all intents and purposes, may actually be worse than the drives in the PS-2. The GameCube, on the other hand, uses Panasonic drives, which are highly robust and very reliable.
There have been numerous reports of X-Box consoles resetting themselves, even on this very website. I don't know about you, but I would instantly object to a system that resets itself during a pivotal part of gameplay.
As for X-Box Live, it seems more like a gimmick. It works, but it requires a broadband connection that many gamers may not have. You may have to invest in additional equipment to hub broadband to the console. If the X-Box is away from a nearby broadband connection, then the cheapest route would be to buy a wireless hub set, which will set you back a bit. Furthermore, you must pay a monthly fee to access the network.
Of course, with Sony's online plan, you are faced with the same dilemma of getting broadband to your PS-2, but you don't have to pay a monthly access fee.
However, because of the inherent impracticalities of online gaming with home consoles, it may end up being a fad for both systems. This is especially since the home computer will excel with this functionality over the home consoles. This is particularly unsettling for the X-Box as it seems one of its main selling points to the consumer was for it's Live service.
There are some features of the X-Box that are unique and fun to play with, like ripping a CD with your favorite songs to play while a game is running. But, when the fun wears off, it becomes a superfluous novelty that does little to nothing at all to enhance the gameplay. It was put in there merely because it could be done, but wasn't really needed.
The controller seems poorly designed. After minutes of intense gaming, my hands felt largely fatigued. The controller itself is uncomfortably large. The S variant offers only little improvement, but there is still significant discomfort. The PlayStation controller is still the most comfortable controller for the current generation. Hours can pass and my hands won't ache from using this controller.
5.1 surround sound during gameplay is no longer an X-Box exclusive. Electronic Arts and Digital Theatre Systems have found a way to implement realtime DTS Surround Sound encoding on the PlayStation 2 during actual gameplay with no latency or slowdown. More and more developers are now adding DTS support to their PS-2 games. There are games that have 4.0, 4.1, and 5.1 soundtracks during gameplay. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has a 4.1 channel soundtrack, while NHL 2002 has a full blown 5.1 channel soundtrack. The 5.1 DTS execution for the PS-2 is no less effective than the 5.1 Dolby Digital execution for the X-Box.
Overall, I cannot recommend this system. Hardware quality is lackluster in comparison to the competition, and the game selection and variety is lacking.
