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...must...buy...x-box...

  
 
autopilot disengaged
16:41 / 15.02.02
i mean - really! bill gates' savvy coupled with SEGA's gaming genius? sides - you seen the specs for this thing?
 
 
kid coagulant
16:44 / 15.02.02
Totally. I own a playstation 2, but for some reason I have a serious urge to get an xbox now.
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
16:46 / 15.02.02
C'mon, you wanna buy something the same size as an old Beta player.
 
 
Captain Zoom
16:47 / 15.02.02
Guys, guys, calm down. I think it's just the way that ad flashes that's making....you....me.....want.....X-Box.

Urrrrrr.......

Where...is....credit....card....?


Zoom.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
16:48 / 15.02.02
Gamecube, my friends. That way lies the future. Nintendo, now with 20% added Sega. Half the price of Xbox, about a quarter of the size of Xbox.

Available in purple or orange. A game called 'Super Monkey Ball'. How can you refuse?

[ 15-02-2002: Message edited by: E. Randy Dupre ]
 
 
Tom Coates
16:54 / 15.02.02
<subliminal>They will refuse because they have to buy an X-BOX </subliminal>
 
 
Captain Zoom
16:56 / 15.02.02
Is our dear Mr. Coates more subversive than any of us realized?

Tom Coates = Bill Gates. Those last names look startlingly similar.

Well, off to play with my new X-Box. See you all X-Box.

Zx-box.
 
 
Rollo Kim, on location
16:58 / 15.02.02
Staying at home, playing the same old games: how incredibly subversive, I don't think.

"But the graphics are so much better! And the design is so much more... designier..."

Who fucking cares?

[ 15-02-2002: Message edited by: Rollo ]
 
 
Spatula Clarke
17:00 / 15.02.02
No! Enough with the subliminal advertising already. If I wanted some caramel-filled chocolates, I'd go out and buy some caramel-filled chocolates.
 
 
tSuibhne
17:07 / 15.02.02
quote:Originally posted by E. Randy Dupre:
Gamecube, my friends. That way lies the future. Nintendo, now with 20% added Sega. Half the price of Xbox, about a quarter of the size of Xbox.

Your joking right? Nintendo has lost the Console market. They've got the handheld market pretty well tied up, but that's it. The future of the console market is an all out battle royale between Microsoft and Sony. Who will win?

Place your bets and watch the action. Microsoft has made a great first move. But, don't count Sony out. Acctually, my bet is the Playstation 3 will be better then today's X Box. PS2 already has the expansion ability for the harddrive and the broadband connection. And with FFXI being a MMORPG, Sony's gotta get their ass in gear on the broadband connectivity. Yes, the PS3 will be a god amoung consoles.

Personally, I've got my playstation 2. Rez, FFX, and GTA3, can the X Box give me that? Didn't think so.
 
 
Rollo Kim, on location
17:09 / 15.02.02
Personally, I've got reality. And booze.
 
 
Naked Flame
17:34 / 15.02.02
Ah, but can the X-Box do Barbelith? I theeenk not!
 
 
Spatula Clarke
17:36 / 15.02.02
My bet's on Playstation 4. Or Xbox 6.

Rollo's on to something here, Tom. Can we have a Victoria Wines banner instead?

And no, I still don't want your sweet tasting confectionery. Or your safety matches.

[ 15-02-2002: Message edited by: E. Randy Dupre ]
 
 
Rev. Jesse
17:37 / 15.02.02
Super Smash Bros

SUPER FUCKING SMASH BROTHERS!

Okay, so I don't play other nintendo games, but Super Smash brothers is really great after downing a couple of tabs.
 
 
tSuibhne
18:40 / 15.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Flame On:
Ah, but can the X-Box do Barbelith? I theeenk not!

Give it a few more years, before it's designed for that. Give it a year or two, tops, before someone over at slashdot's put together some software hack.

The XBox has a broadband connection and an internal harddrive. The Dreamcast was turned into an internet appliance with less. It's just a matter of either hacking the OS, of figuring out how to load Linux onto it (which is what they did to the Dreamcast)

Though, the current industry mind set is to market a box that's a console game system, computer/internet appliance, and home entertainment system, all rolled into one. The XBox was designed as MS's first step towards this goal.

And the whole market is geared in that direction, and seems bent on making it work. I'd say by 2010, at the latest, your XBox will be your computer, sterio, DVD player, and your gaming console. I've heard 2005 being thrown around as a date, some say even earlier.

Rollo: Your comments sound very similiar to arguements used against film, TV, radio, computers, telephones, and just about every other technological advancement out there. Not saying gaming consoles will have the same effect on the world as the telephone. Just saying we've heard the comments before, so you can feel free to keep them to yourself.
 
 
gentleman loser
20:54 / 15.02.02
I haven't owned a console since Sega Genesis, but if I was going to lay out the green for a new console, I'd go for the PS 2.

Bonus: it's backwards compatible with all of those now cheap PS games. Am I right?

But why would I buy a console? I've got a solid PC and I'm not much of a twitch gamer (the reflexes have slowed). I'm keen on eye candy but I'm far more interested in solid gameplay.

You'll never see my current PC addiction, Europa Universalis 2, on any console. It's far too slowly paced for that, even though it sucks up time like a black hole.

The "consoles will replace PCs any day now (TM)" argument has been shoved down our throats for years but it still hasn't happened. I remember about three years ago many predictions that PC games would disappear by now because everyone would be playing consoles. By 2010? Maybe, but I'm not going to junk my PC anytime soon.

Will Microsoft conquer the world? Hardly. They'll shoot themselves in the head every time. Remember Web TV?

[ 16-02-2002: Message edited by: gentleman loser ]
 
 
Spatula Clarke
09:07 / 16.02.02
Y'know, all the attention spent on the hardware and none on the games is a bit daft, and undoubtedly one of the things that's wrong with the industry. I couldn't care less how many polygons per second the box under my TV can throw around the screen; it's the quality of the actual software that's important, surely? I mean, having a nice, shiny, expensive bit of tech in your house is fine and dandy, but unless there's actually something worth doing with it its simply a nice, shiny, expensive bit of useless tat.
 
 
Gypsy Christ
09:13 / 16.02.02
i think the flashing ad is evil.. I have a sudden urge to Play chu chu Rocket. X-box is sweet but i'm still drooling over PSX sides i'm a Final Fantasy geek.. Must..here..Tidus..sound..like..kevin..off..wounder years >.o Although i am not to happy with Uematsus compostion on it. oh yah Bloody wake is for X-box right?
 
 
Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero
09:59 / 16.02.02
X-box is amazing. Microsoft did a good job. The controls are comfortable, and the cords are three meters long. I never realized how much longer cords made it easier to play...plus, if you tug on 'em, they break away before they pull the system off the entertaiment center or whatever. Smart!

Plus, the upgrade was not so much to do with graphics and resolution (although they did a good job here too). The cool thing is that they've got real artists doing the surface color and texture of objects in the games. Another smart move. If you look closely, you can see that the resolution and graphics really aren't spectacularly better, but it still looks more realistic than most systems. It's a wonder what you can do with color.

My friend and I think that his is gaining sentience and is sucking power from other appliances in the apartment. If you listen closely, you can the microwave oven, who has been there a long time and does not understand what is happening, screaming in pain.
 
 
w1rebaby
09:59 / 16.02.02
I will not be buying one. Quite apart from the fact that I already have enough electronics to make a burglar come in his stripy pants already, it looks appalling, doesn't fit in with my curtains at all.

I can't believe you people are willing to pump Bill Gates' ego up another notch. Everything that comes out for it will come out for the PS2 or PC anyway.
 
 
b3kz0rz
09:59 / 16.02.02
I've got a Gamecube myself, but if I were to buy another console, I'd go for the PS2. Super Smash Brothers Melee and SSX Tricky are enough to keep me on Nintendo for now, but Final Fantasy X looks mighty tempting... 'Course, now that PSX (and Dreamcast) games are docked, I can pick up all the cool games I never got before and keep myself entertained until the next wave of new hardware hits. Final Fantasy Tactics... Jet Grind Radio... *drool*
 
 
The Strobe
09:59 / 16.02.02
Xbox is big and overpriced. It's a cut down PC, not a console. It's got some GREAT titles - look at the launch stuff like Halo and Amped, as well as the mighty Jet Set Radio Future. And they're the XBOX exlcusive titles... it's still got ISS and Tony Hawk like EVERYTHING else.

But my money's on Gamecube. At c.£150 (225 euros, though rumours of it being £180), it's a pretty fantastic little machine. It doesn't play DVDs. It won't fit under the telly. It's a GAMES machine. Look at MonkeyBall, look at Resident Evil Redux or whatver it is... pretty impressive bit of kit.

Even though it runs in the same res as the ps2 (should, when it's not fudging 640*240), the dreamcast and the GC, the box does look a bit better, probably all that overpowered p3 muscle.

Still think the Dreamcast was a fantastic machine that lost out... that said, the PS2 is now coming into its own. Almost enough to make me buy one, especially when the price drops in march, and it's a vertical DVD player... which is just what I need.

I think far more than all these new boxes, the most important thing in the games industry is cross-development and Sega. Everything's being made for everything now. And Sega, rather than doing one game for four platforms... are pulling off unique stuff for each platform. Look at Super Monkey Ball, Rez, Headhunter, their sports 2002 lineup, Sonic Advance... fantastic portfolio. Shame about the Dreamcast... that was a machine and a half.
 
 
rizla mission
11:41 / 16.02.02
quote:Originally posted by E. Randy Dupre:
Gamecube, my friends. That way lies the future. Nintendo, now with 20% added Sega. Half the price of Xbox, about a quarter of the size of Xbox.

Available in purple or orange. A game called 'Super Monkey Ball'. How can you refuse?


That sounds the shit!

Plus there was a red haired lady talking about it on my TV last night, and she said the word 'monkey' about 50 times, and thus it is better and i must buy it.

So, er, I guess they don't make Mega-Drives anymore?

I just can't keep up with you crazy kids these days..
 
 
w1rebaby
09:12 / 17.02.02
I was on Oxford Street today, looking at the X-Boxes on display. The only thing that I played was Project Gotham Racing which was frankly pants, no feel to it at all. The controllers are also terribly designed. It's like holding a brick. I had to actually move my hands to hit some buttons, and I have quite big hands. There's no excuse for that sort of design, and thus I am still not getting one.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
09:12 / 17.02.02
The controllers have come in for a major slagging recently. That said, the Japanese design is supposed to be pretty funky.

I'm tempted by Halo and Jet Set Radio Future, and that's all. One of those is a remix of a Dreamcast original, the other is coming to PC anyway.
 
 
The Strobe
09:12 / 17.02.02
The Jap controllers are lovely... the black and white buttons are shoved over on the left, by the analogue stick, it's a bit smaller and curvier and far far far nicer.

That said, some people argue the regular controllers aren't too bad when you get used to them.
 
 
Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo
17:03 / 17.02.02
I don't consider myself a nardcore gamer, but I went for the X-Box because of it's sheer processing power, the look of the games and the fact that I like the second class game systems better most of the time anyway. I STILL think the Dreamcast was a better system than the PS2, and while the PS2 has some good games now, when they started out, they had pretty games that were no fun to play.

And Halo is an incredible game, no matter what system it's being played on.
 
 
tom-karika nukes it from orbit
17:18 / 17.02.02
I want to see who is dead after two years, sony or microsoft. My money is on microsoft, as sony have apparently got the PS2 running linux, which is smart.
 
 
tSuibhne
09:39 / 19.02.02
quote:Originally posted by gentleman loser:
The "consoles will replace PCs any day now (TM)" argument has been shoved down our throats for years but it still hasn't happened. By 2010? Maybe, but I'm not going to junk my PC anytime soon.

Consoles will never be able to beat PCs, untill the two merge.

And I mean merge. The plan is not to replace the PC, but to litterally combine it all into one machine. If you look at the development of consoles, you'll see this happening. The differences between the XBox and a low grade PC are not as much as you might think. Now with an internal harddrive and a broadband connection, it's basically just a matter of upgrading hardware untill there is no difference.

The problem with WebTV, and all the other first generation internet appliances was the the cost of a PC dropped like a fucking rock. When Dell and Gateway got into thier little price war with each other, it forced the price of a PC down to the same level that internet appliances were selling at. Given the choice, people decided to buy a PC. Now you've got Microsoft Sony, and a few other companies trying to basically build a PC that's going to cost between $200-$300. To finance this project, they're releasing it piece by piece. The most logical market for this is the gaming console market, since it's got such a rabid following, that is willing to shell out the money for a new system.

What's currently being envisioned is a box that you plug into your TV. This box will supply your internet connection (your TV replaces your monitor) and allow you to do all your reguliar computer work. It'll also allow you to play video games (there will be no PC/console division, since the two will be combined), play DVDs, download movies/music, and play traditional music media (CDs, etc.)

This has been what's behind things like the merger of AOL and Time Warner. Not to mention the recent purchase by Comcast of @home's cable internet infrastrucure. The media industry sees a merger in the near future where the traditional forms of media (TV, recorded music, internet, etc.) is all given to indviduals via a single appliance.

An analogy would be the cell phone. First you had digital organizers, which kept phone numbers and appointments. Then you saw pagers. Then came cell phones. Next cell phones started to combine with organizers, and store address books. After that cell phones combined with pagers. And now cell phones are fully combining with the new generation of organizers (PDAs) Today you can buy one appliance (a hybrid phone) that allows you to make calls (cell phone) lets you know people are trying to get in touch with you (pagers, through the use of caller ID) allows for two way messaging (two way pagers) keep an address book, calender, and memo pad (organizers) and surf the web and read email (PDAs).

A similiar process will happen with the computer, DVD player, console game system, and home sterio.
 
 
Johnny Mother
09:46 / 19.02.02
The X-Box looks shite. If your idea of games is just a bunch of American 'radical' patronising snowboard games then its the 'shizzle'. Everyone else knows the Gamecube is where its at. SUPER FUCKING MARIO man!!!!
 
 
Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo
09:46 / 19.02.02
quote:Originally posted by Johnny Mother:
The X-Box looks shite. If your idea of games is just a bunch of American 'radical' patronising snowboard games then its the 'shizzle'. Everyone else knows the Gamecube is where its at. SUPER FUCKING MARIO man!!!!

I don't understand the whole "Console wars" thing, where people who own one hate the other system. I will get a PS2 when the price drops because it has some great games too. I won't get the Nintendo stuff because I am not all that interested in Pokemon and Mario. The X-Box just had cooler games, was able to do more, and is better positioned for future games and upgrades.
 
  
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