Tell me about the Consoles...

[seawasp]

It appears the much-anticipated PS3 may be a POS. In addition to other apparent issues, they appear to have screwed up the single major selling point for my purposes: namely, backwards compatibility. Now, MAYBE they'll fix it. But still, I hadn't bothered looking into the alternatives because I wasn't likely to switch horses in mid-stream.

I currently have a PS2. I had promised my son he'd get that when I got my next console. So, I want to look at the choices.

One possibility is just to get a new PS2 and give him the old one. If new PS2 games are likely to come out for some years yet, that might be a simple, inexpensive move.

I know next to nothing about the other game consoles -- prices, games available and likely to be available, and so on.

My gaming focus is almost ENTIRELY RPG oriented, with a few minor Fighting Game exceptions. I have no (repeat, no, nil, nada) interest in internet-connected games, in Halo/other FPS games, etc.

SO what's the skinny on the other current and forthcoming consoles -- the XBox, the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii (how do you SAY that one anyway?), etc.? Which one will give me the best games, gameplay, and usability for the next few years?

Comments

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think the Wii is going to be the most stable out-of-the-gate offering, and is the most innovative next-generation console available. While Sony and Microsoft shoot for "higher polygon count" and "we take your money every month for online stuff," I see Nintendo actually trying to take gaming someplace new.

Off the couch.

I'll be getting a Wii (rhymes with "we" and "wee") as soon as Sandra tells me we have the money to.

--Howard

[corvidophile.livejournal.com]

i think it has a lot to do with what a person grew up with (or if they are influenced by having kids) and what types of games they play, but i'll have to disagree hehe

the Wii is not a innovative console, the controller may be. they didn't invent the controller and its been done on the pc long before nintendo borrowed and refined it. yeah, the controller is neat but its not an end all be all to the controller. its like a track ball, standard joystick, mouse, keyboard, or light gun in that there is a game that will play really well with a particular controller, but it doesn't do well on everything well. the nintendo controller is like that, sure it will play some games really well and enhance them but it will suck with others.

secondly, nintendo is bad value for the money. because nintendo has the policy of always making $ on every sale. so when they sell the Wii they are making $ on it so you're getting poor technology (comparitively). with a 360 or a ps3 you're getting superior technology for your money since they are selling them at a loss. its like asking which would you rather have: a vw bug for 20k or a ferrari for 25k? though the one is more, you are getting what you pay for (in upgraded technology) with the higher price.

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

Right now the recall rate on 360s is embarrassing -- THAT is what you get out of the gate from Microsoft. Sony's PS3 is likely to be similar.

Poor technology? That's a ridiculous claim. Bad value? Equally ridiculous. Your analogy of "bug vs ferarri" is wildly overstated -- the technology is more like "lexus vs cadillac," in which Microsoft and Sony get to play the part of "Detroit." (Oh, and the Ferarri has a horrible maintenance record compared to similar vehicles -- nice choice there.)

The Wii is priced better than either of the other two offerings, is backwards-compatible with not just the GC games, but also the GC controllers (putting your controller complaint to bed permanently), and Nintendo's track record for solid hardware is unsurpassed in the console industry.

The only reasonable complaints are as follows:

1) Nintendo's online offering is immature and unproven at best.
2) The nunchuk controller is a new thing, and may prove to be nothing more than a cult-following novelty
3) Nintendo's stable of games and third-party developers is much smaller than Microsoft's or Sony's.

That said, Nintendo's exclusive properties (Mario, Metroid, Zelda, etc) are far and away superior to anybody else's. If you haven't been playing titles like "Mario Strikers" (soccer) or "Mario Kart", you're missing out on some of the very most entertaining, playable, and RE-playable games out there. Don't dismiss them as "cartoony" until you've played them.

[argonel.livejournal.com]

I think the rule of thumb is still bearing up, never buy anything from Microsoft until version 3, so the next incarnation of the X-box (Whatever comes out after the 360) may be a winner.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, not so much as far as consoles go in my limited experience. My XBox has been really stable and reliable, and I've had no problems with it since I picked it up 30 months ago. (Though my XBox build is from after the 3rd hardware revision...)

-- Steve will agree that the first version of *anything* has its aggrevations. However, the 360 is rumoured to be going through a hardware revision sometime next spring or so.

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

My first Xbox was 1st generation, and was awful. And I heard from everybody that the problems I was having were pretty much global problems.

My 2nd Xbox was 3rd generation, and works like a charm.

If there's an Xbox 360 in my future, it's 2 revisions from now. :-)

Well...

[seawasp]

... Mario is to me one of the most inexplicably popular properties in the world. I remember the damn original Donkey Kong and everything after, and NONE of them were in any way, shape, or form appealing to me. I hate that little plumber.

Zelda I've never actually played, but it's an RPG so that's a plus. Whether it can actually be better than the Final Fantasy (currently a Sony exclusive) or other Square-Enix offerings is a different matter.

Backwards compatibility with the GameCube is a major plus, however. Two consoles, effectively, for the price of one.

The lower price is another plus.

Re: Well...

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Um, at least one Final Fantasy title is coming to the 360... can't remember which one, though.

-- Steve has a die-hard PS2 fan as a friend, and said friend grumbled incessantly after the announcement.

Re: Well...

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

Google claims FFXI, which is of little interest to me... I've dabbled in MMORPGs, mostly because my stepbrother works for Sony Online; but I've never really gotten into them.

Welll...

[seawasp]

... Innovation means nothing to me. I still enjoy playing Chrono Trigger, which came out for the SNES. What means something to me is plotline and game availability.

And as for the car, I'd rather have a secondhand VW rabbit at $500 that outperforms the bug and costs 50 times less than the ferrari. I don't see any difference between the Bug and the Ferrari for MY purposes at all (in fact, the Bug will likely last longer and cost less to fix).