In Response To: Personally (DarkSkies)
: I'm sticking with PC games and renting an Xbox
Probably a good course of action for the time being, but two things to consider:
- PC games are beginning to really struggle, in terms of finances and quality. The market is ruthless... developers have less time and more complex games to make, and even more hardware configurations to support. I can't call to mind any trends which suggest things will get any better--even the market for PCs is cooling off.
- The chief advantages of PCs are becoming available with this generation of consoles--local permanent storage, networking, updateable games (NOT patched games! Patching is a consequence of the above pressures, and is more a bandage than an advantage), and greater range in peripherals (keyboard and mice are available on the PS2, looks like a keyboard is coming for the GC, and a trackball+joystick was just unveiled for the XBox, with more to come). It is vastly more likely that consoles will integrate the advantages PCs before PCs integrate the advantages of consoles (constant hardware configurations, better developer support, easier accessibility, and substantially lower cost).
Don't get me wrong, I'll play games on my Macs and PC as they become available, but that's what I see in the future for the PC gaming scene. Now, more on topic, XBox vs. Gamecube...
- XBox's hardware is indisputably better. Nintendo apologists downplay this by claming the hardware doesn't matter as much as the games, but more capable hardware means games have more room to get better.
- Speaking of games, the XBox will be offering many more launch titles with their system. Nintendo is again launching with too few launch titles--Zelda, Mario, and Metroid are compelling titles, true, but if they're the reason you're buying a GC, you might as well wait till next holiday season, which is the earliest I would expect to see them released in the US (I believe those "Q2 2002" dates you're seeing are Japanese launch dates).
- GameCube arguably has a better controller, but that strikes me as something easily remedied by 3rd party controllers. Then again, I rather like the XBox's controller, and it converts a lot of people once they have a chance to use it.
- XBox has better developer support. It is easier to develop for the XBox than for the PS2, and I've heard it said that it's easier than the GameCube (whereas I haven't heard the opposite yet). Better developer support means more titles, and while quantity does not imply quality, you're more likely to find a diamond in a truckload of stones than in a shovel-full.
- Network play. Being able to set up LAN games means you don't need to share your screen with your opponent. Hate splitscreen? XBox.
- Price. The Gamecube is undeniably a bargain at $199. But the $299 for the XBox does come with some perks. The HD and the broadband network connection might be offered later for the Gamecube, but I'm going to bet a dime that peripheral costs more than $100, on top of the $199 original cost of the console. For $30 more, the XBox also plays DVDs (handy for someone like me, with no DVD player), something the Gamecube cannot add support for as cheaply.
There are certainly others, but I'm not familiar with the Gamecube's "pro" arguments, and I don't want to let my bias show too much. ;)
-rex
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