Price drop on the PS2 and Xbox!

[kayden azagthoth]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/05/16/console.price.wars.ap/index.html

This is a happy day for me! I've been waiting since the release of the PS2 for a price drop. They were $450 Canadian where I live. Now they are dropping to $299!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Mmmmm...Metal Gear Solid 2. Grand Theft Auto 3. Gran Turismo Aspec 3. Final Fantasy X (drool!) NHL2002.

Anyone else a console gamer? Will the current price drop get you out running to the nearest Best Buy/Wal Mart/Electronics Boutique to pick one up?

I know I've got my sneakers on and Visa in hand! And truthfully, I'm prepared to sleep on the couch once the wife finds out http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.

-Pink Floyd

[Arctic Silver]

I own a Gamecube, but with the price drop, I'm snagging a PS2. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

[bassman]

I know I've got my sneakers on and Visa in hand! And truthfully, I'm prepared to sleep on the couch once the wife finds out.

LMAO, now here is a man that knows how to get thru life http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive.

Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

[hiredgoonz]

That's gonna make it hard not to buy a PS2...wonder if this will help out the dragging sales of the X-Box...

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[Donna]

I'm prepared to sleep on the couch once the wife finds out
LOL, my husbands been sleeping on the couch cause he wont buy one. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

[AteKnob]

Who cares? from NZ

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µKnob

[Whyzman]

kayden,

My son has all the gaming systems, except the XBox, so I can't give you his insight on that comparison. But as far as the PS2 he absolutely loves it! One of the main reasons is the wealth of games available.

Although I've a DVD on my computer, we use the PS2 for movie night around here. That's the feature that really sold me on it...and of course Dad's the one with the Visa! hehe http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!


Whyzman
----------------------
Reserved for Punishing Humor...A Pessimist's blood is always B-negative!

[kayden azagthoth]

Well, I'm going out to buy my PS2 today. I'm so excited!

I'm going to be a first time daddy in November. I wonder if I can convince her that the PS2 is not only for me, it's for the baby! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

Heh heh.

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And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.

-Pink Floyd

[hiredgoonz]

Congratulations...don't know how much luck you'll have with convincing your wife the PS2 is for the baby too. My daughter is 3 and she still doesn't play video games http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif Of course, I may try to use her at this point as an excuse to get a gamecube...the PS2 will be for me...

------------------
When all else fails, read the instructions.

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[Whyzman]

I would suggest going the "educational" route with this! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

My children's reading skills skyrocketed with the RPG games due to the required reading.

Or, I'm sure there's a Chess game for the PS2!

Many of the games require problem solving skills (other than trying to figure out how to explain their purchase...LOL)! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

You'll be exploring potential educational software purchases!

Give it some thought...the "workarounds" are there! There's got to be a win/win somewhere here! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!


Whyzman
----------------------
Reserved for Punishing Humor...A Pessimist's blood is always B-negative!



[This message has been edited by Whyzman (edited 05-18-2002).]

[kayden azagthoth]

So I bought my PS2, a memory card, and NHL 2002 on Saturday. It's Monday morning and I still haven't opened the darn box!! I told my wife and showed her the purchase on Sunday at 2pm. She was upset at first, then as we talked, she calmed down. Now I 'think' everything is cool. I just got home from work and I'm heading to bed. I have the next two days off from work, so this'll be the true test of how she feels. When I wake up tomorrow, I am hooking that son of a gun up and diving right into hockey!

Thanks for your interesting and amusing replies guys and gals! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Wish me luck!

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And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.

-Pink Floyd

[Flick]

Yes, these games are very educational. The object of Grand Theft Auto 3 is to steal a car, pick up a prostitute and then kill her. Or was that Grand Theft Auto 2? These educational games are just what children need to help them understand the real world. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif

[Whyzman]

Flick,

I can see I need to get out more! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!


Whyzman
----------------------
Reserved for Punishing Humor...A Pessimist's blood is always B-negative!

[hiredgoonz]

I think that's pretty much all the GTA games' object...but it is make-believe.

We've come so unglued in our culture, that we can't distinguish reality from a game. Look at all the "leisure suit larry" games that were around back in the atari days.

Just because you do something in a game, it doesn't mean you will do it in real life or that it is appropriate behavior. And kids shouldn't have access to those games anyway.

If parents do their job, those games won't be played by children. I'm not saying that the game companies don't fully intend for children to play such games, but responsible parents ultimately have final say in what goes on in their house.


BTW...Gamecube just dropped to $149. May have to get one of those now too. Played GTA3 last night on my PS2, early B-day present from the wife

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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[scroatbagg]

My son has had a PS1 for the last two years and I have to say I have enjoyed it as much as him, love Laura Croft!!! Sad I know!? http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
He now wants to upgrade so we have been going round all the shops looking at the PS2 vs Xbox. I have to say that even though M$ owns the Xbox it is a far better machine and the games are bazzing http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif
One thing I have noticed with my 10 year old is he does have a fasination with cars (GTA, Gran Turismo, TOCA, and F1 being favs of both of us) but as yet he has not tried to drive or hotwire a car??? Shame cause I love that TVR down the raod and he could pick me up from the pub!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
I sometimes do worry that we as adults take thing to seriously ( games being do vioulent etc) when the kids know it not reality..
Xbox prices are down, it uses 5.1 dolby, Ive got a 100hz 36" widescreen with cinema sound so it looks as though the Visa will be getting a bashing very soon.
Snowboarding in June http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

[This message has been edited by scroatbagg (edited 05-21-2002).]

[hiredgoonz]

Just a note from personal experience...almost every time I have seen an X-Box in a store, it has been crashed or malfunctioning in some fashion. (far more often than is normal, I realize store demo game systems take a lot of abuse, but PS2s and Gamecubes right next to the X-Box run fine)

I would just do a little research before committing and see if this is common.

My opinion is that the X-Box is not going to make it in the long run unless M$ is willing to continue to hemorrhage cash for a few more years (they're already losing around $200 on each console). The PS2 has far more software (especially if you include the enormous library of PS1 games out there) and they have brand recognition that is hard to establish.

Brand recognition is also a bonus for the Gamecube. Nintendo has been around forever and plays to a larger range of gamer age than the Playstation or X-Box.

I'm not trying to convince you not to buy an X-Box, but I would hate for you to find out that there are lots of problems with them after you shell out your money. Microsoft may very well be willing to throw money at the X-Box until it is established as the dominant gaming platform.

They certainly have the money to fight a pricewar with Sony and the X-Box is newer than the PS2 so Sony may be forced to come out with the PS3 to stay competitive before M$ has to release X-Box2...all depends which way the wind blows.

The VHS and Beta war outcome proves that the better format doesn't always win...good luck with whatever you decide upon.

------------------
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[Arctic Silver]

I already owned a GameCube, but I finally bought a PS2. I have absolutely NO interest in buying an XBox.

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Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

[scroatbagg]

Hiredgoonz I have to disagree with a few issues you raised.

1. Xbox crashed in store, I think its getting hammered unlike the older stuff, every store Ive been in no one is playing the Gamecube!! And as for the PS2 some of the game are getting a bit long in the tooth and why would you want to play your old game on a newer machine?

2. M$ running out of money!!! I dont think I need to say more. They are determined to make a go as they see it a money spinner just like Sony did. They have the backing of major games publishers and developers so they will be a force in the industry.

I have to agree with your Beta vs VHS argument, its a shame as Beta is used as a pro format for TV it proves that the fromat was better but sony lost!! But in the end they didnt as they developed other formats and now we do have multiple formats in video.

At the end of the day the games machine are like PC's , you always want the best you can afford.

[kayden azagthoth]

I've played with my PS2 for about 3 hours total so far. And so far I'm not disappointed. I've played Grand Theft Auto 3, Gran Turismo 3, NHL 2002 and bought Final Fantasy 9 for PS1...all brilliant games.

Personally, I don't care about what systems are more stable or what systems have what specs. To me, it's all about the amount and the quality of the games. Good graphics are very nice to have (and the PS2 does have nice graphics) but gameplay and longevity are what keeps me happy.

I recommend the PS2 to anyone looking for a new console.

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And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.

-Pink Floyd

[hiredgoonz]

I said M$ HAS the money to fight a pricewar with Sony...and as far as the X-Box crashed in the store, I think that is a pretty valid argument.

It has not been one or two times, it has been probably a dozen or more since the X-Box was released. The PS2 is older than the X-Box, but it always seems to work in any store with demo systems, usually next to a broken X-Box...

------------------
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[sean200SIR]

I own both systems (xbox and ps2) and have to say that the xbox is the better machine. Althought the ps2 has an insane amount of games, the graphics and quality of certain xbox games put it over the edge (halo, dead or alive,).

On the other hand there is no Gran Turismo for xbox and that drives me nuts. Ive owned the xbox since november and the only problem ive had with it is the first two copies of halo i bought from walmart wouldnt work. But the halo i bought from futureshop worked great.

If quantity of games is whats important to you, ps2 is the way to go, but if you are looking for unreal graphics and gameplay, xbox is it yo!

[hiredgoonz]

No argument on the X-Box graphics. But then it should look better, it is newer.

I was just trying to be helpful and share what I thought to be a disturbing trend among the X-Boxes I had seen.

I have a Gamecube and a PS2 (thanks to my B-Day) and that will pretty much cover almost any game I want to play now or in the future.

The PS2 and X-Box game libraries seem to be fairly similar, although the PS2 has more titles due to its age.

The Gamecube will allow me to play Zelda, Mario, Resident Evil, the new Metroid game, etc. In other words, games that ain't likely to show up on the X-Box or PS2...that's why I decided on that console.

And I wanted a PS2 almost exclusively to play GTA3...I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, heck, I think I was even nicer to M$ than I needed to be...

------------------
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[Eutychus]

I read today that:
Nintendo Chief to Step Down After 52 Years at Helm
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=technologynews&StoryID=1007794

At the risk of sounding really out of touch, I had no idea that Nintendo existed before the 80's, much less that it had been around for more than 52 years...

BTW, I lived through the Betamax debacle from the inside (a Sony employee for 20+ years). I know, water under the bridge, but that was largely a marketing SNAFU. They tried to market Betamax in the US like they did in Japan. There, a Sony label was worth waiting for: you didn't go into a store a buy a Betamax VCR, you got on a waiting list to buy one. VHS was in stock in US stores and sometimes a 2 month wait for a Betamax. I know I would rather walk out of a store with my new toy when I decide to splurge and if the other option was to wait while I had the fever I would have taken what was available. Fortunately, Sony has learned that other markets are not the same as in Japan.

[End of history 101, back to the interesting stuff http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif]




[This message has been edited by Eutychus (edited 05-24-2002).]

[scroatbagg]

Hiredgoonz, You dont have to be nice to M$, I agree that they are an overbearing overpowerfull organisation but sometimes even they can do things right. At the moment there is talk that they might be taking over a digital tv platform in the UK, that would be great as at the moment it is off air (I paid for a years subscription and only got 3 months http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif ). We all know that if they want to be the best at something they will pour money into it. As for Nintendo, didnt they start by making some kind of card game? Come a long way but I do think that some of the games have been laft behind and if it wasnt for its pre release price drop it would go the same way as the Dreamcast! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

[hiredgoonz]

There are so many factors that decide whether a product will be successful that it's very hard to predict what will happen.

For me, games were the factor that made me want a PS2 and Gamecube over the X-Box...even if the X-box graphics are a little or a lot better, they didn't have GTA3, and that's one of the games I wanted.

Same with the Gamecube...I want to play the next Zelda game and the new Metroid, those aren't going to be available on the X-Box.

I'm not saying the X-Box might not become the most successful console ever. My original statement was purely concerned with their reliability, which, from my observations, has not been stellar. Maybe these instances were purely coincidental.

However, the first time I saw an X-Box up close was the day after its release. It had crashed in the middle of a game. For the X-Box to experience such a serious problem when it was a day old seemed worrisome...and then I noticed that this was rather common.

------------------
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[Arctic Silver]

I bought a PS2.

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Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

[iisbob]

No real surprise on the Xbox crashing goonz, after all-who makes it?!!

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Funniest thing i saw recently was at a local gaming shop with my niece-we were perusing for some PC games and i starting to get very miffed at the awesome selection of games coming out solely for the console world, PS2 in particular. When i noticed a little group huddling in the corner; well, i went to investigate and found out that some enterprising young " cracker " had put Linux on his Xbox!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif

Not only that, but that he had ripped the games files off the drive image he'd done prior to his " upgrade " and he and his pals had recoded them to work on his new L-box.

Man, what i wouldn't give to have seen Bill's face when presented with that fait accompliat! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif


PS,
I've decide to maybe get a PS2 since it's obvious some of the new cool games aren't going to be immediately released to the PC platform-like Satr Wars bounty hunter for one. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/frown.gif

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iisbob

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.-Mark Twain

[This message has been edited by iisbob (edited 05-27-2002).]

[hiredgoonz]

Yeah, the Linux community had the X-Box doing online many gaming months ago...M$ wasn't supposed to start that until this summer, but the capability, via Linux, was way ahead http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

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[sean200SIR]

Hey Im cool with the bias against microsoft. They are certainly a monopoly to the computer world.

But lets take it easy on the x-box. It may be made by microsoft but its only a video game machine. Its purpose is for entertainment and i feel it does an amazing job. Like i said in a previous post, i own both systems and and personally feel the xbox is a great machine and should be considered by all people looking to buy one of the top three consoles. I've had all of my freinds over to play games on both the x-box and the PS2. By the end of the night, the only joysticks being slammed on the floor are the xbox's. Two of my friends actually sold their PS2's in the paper after playin my xbox.

Besides the huge array of games and Gran Turismo, i really dont see how the PS2 is a better machine. If someone really wants to find out how fun the xbox is, just rent the thing from blockbuster with Halo, Dead or Alive, and whatever other type of game you might enjoy. Im telling you those games are addictive and amazing.

Just one mans opinion, but someone has to stick up for x-box. (note: Im only sticking up for xbox, not Microsoft)

[hiredgoonz]

I'll clarify this one more time. I think the X-Box has great games and great graphics. I simply suggested that before one spent money on one, they might want to research and see if reliability was an issue. I suspected that it might be given the track record of X-Box demos I had seen.

That's it. Just a suggestion to check out reliability. If X-Box had GTA3 and I found out that there were no reliability issues, I might have bought one of those instead of the PS2.

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[hiredgoonz]

Ok, I know it doesn't play DVDs, but I haven't seen graphics anywhere else that touch Resident Evil for the Gamecube.

Has anyone seen this? Holy s***! I am amazed...if I can just stop getting killed by zombies, I think I will love this game...

------------------
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