An article at Wired is putting a slightly different twist on the console wars this shopping season. They say don't get the GameCube or the Xbox.. at least not yet:
After testing each console for a couple weeks, Wired News' advice is: Don't get out your credit card just yet. Wait a few months before you make your decision. The Box and the Cube -- two names so similar it makes you wonder whether the companies share a marketing department -- each have their plusses and minuses, and neither system trumps the other.One hates to be so wishy-washy in a review of products that ought to be easy to figure out. These are video game systems, after all, not literature; they're each identified by a list of specs that, through a simple line-by-line comparison, should tell you all you need to know.
They admitted that while the Xbox looked better on paper, they felt some games looked better and loaded faster on the GameCube.
But what about Halo? Alas... Wired didn't even play it:
Halo, the most anticipated game for the XBox, is a first-person shooter. Although game reviewers have called it [GameSpot review] one of the best shooter games ever released -- and while there's no reason not to believe them -- it's still just a shooter, which is not the type of game enjoyed by everyone. (But that statement is made with a slight bit of reservation; Wired News could not, alas, get hold of Halo, and it just might be that Halo is so good it makes XBox head-and-shoulders better than Cube. While this is doubtful from what others have said [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.)
Got money burning a hole in your pocket this holiday season... but not TOO much? Wired has a radical piece of advice:
The XBox, at $300, is $100 more than the Cube. But if it's price you're concerned about, buy a Sega Dreamcast, which was reduced to $50 this week.
Of course, where you'll continue to get new games for it I guess is left for the reader to determine.
Comments
acrappa
Wired Is Right
Get a Dreamcast you goons!
narcogen
Gee, but what if...
In reply to: Wired Is Rightacrappa wrote on Monday, 11/26/2001 - 10:27 pm:
: Get a Dreamcast you goons!
Hmm.
What if I want to play, you know... games, though? Like... new ones?
Narcogen
acrappa
Do Your Research
In reply to: Gee, but what if...The Dreamcast has 300 games and there are still a few being released. You know, new ones.
__________________________
Ain't got no last words to say
Yellow streak right up my spine
The gun in my mouth was real
And the taste blew my mind
narcogen
Done
In reply to: Do Your Researchacrappa wrote on Tuesday, 11/27/2001 - 9:11 pm:
: The Dreamcast has 300 games and there are still a few
: being released. You know, new ones.
"A few".
That's not the same thing at all as the situation with the GC or the Xbox, both of which are at the start of their life cycles, or the PS2, which has the entire installed base of PS1 games PLUS the benefits of being the dominant console, which means developers are still making new games to sell to the 20 million plus people who have them, instead of the 2 million or less that currently have the two new consoles combined, or the less than 5 million worldwide who ever bought a DC, a console no longer being manufactured, abandoned by its creator in favor of the Xbox.
It's a nice buy at $50 if you have money to throw away, but it certainly isn't something that you'd look upon as an entertainment device for the next 2-3 years, which potentially applies to two out of three of the other consoles.
Ah... but which two?
Who knows... :)
: __________________________
: Ain't got no last words to say
: Yellow streak right up my spine
: The gun in my mouth was real
: And the taste blew my mind
Narcogen
ferrex
Sheesh...
While I agree with most of the article (it's good advice), this part really made me laugh:
While this is doubtful from what others have said [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.
Sheesh... how's that for drawing opinions from an unbiased source? With virtually every other review on the web glowingly positive about Halo, they cite Salon... mleh.
-rex
narcogen
salon
In reply to: Sheesh...ferrex wrote on Monday, 11/26/2001 - 10:56 pm:
: While I agree with most of the article (it's good advice),
: this part really made me laugh:
:
: While this is doubtful from what others have said
: [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.
:
: Sheesh... how's that for drawing opinions from an unbiased
: source? With virtually every other review on the web
: glowingly positive about Halo, they cite Salon... mleh.
:
: -rex
Well... not quite EVERY other review. But a lot of them.
Which reminds me, I need to add that Salon article to the list of reviews.
BTW... is there anything that Salon *does* like?
Narcogen
Anonymous (not verified)
Complaining?
In reply to: salonnarcogen wrote on Tuesday, 11/27/2001 - 1:56 am:
: ferrex wrote on Monday, 11/26/2001 - 10:56 pm:
:
: : While I agree with most of the article (it's good
: advice),
: : this part really made me laugh:
: :
: : While this is doubtful from what others have said
: : [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.
: :
: : Sheesh... how's that for drawing opinions from an
: unbiased
: : source? With virtually every other review on the web
: : glowingly positive about Halo, they cite Salon...
: mleh.
: :
: : -rex
:
: Well... not quite EVERY other review. But a lot of them.
:
: Which reminds me, I need to add that Salon article to the
: list of reviews.
:
: BTW... is there anything that Salon *does* like?
:
:
Narcogen
Anonymous (not verified)
bah, above is me
In reply to: Complaining?Anonymous wrote on Tuesday, 11/27/2001 - 1:43 pm:
: narcogen wrote on Tuesday, 11/27/2001 - 1:56 am:
:
: : ferrex wrote on Monday, 11/26/2001 - 10:56 pm:
: :
: : : While I agree with most of the article (it's good
: : advice),
: : : this part really made me laugh:
: : :
: : : While this is doubtful from what others have
: said
: : : [Salon.com], it's nevertheless possible.
: : :
: : : Sheesh... how's that for drawing opinions from an
: : unbiased
: : : source? With virtually every other review on the web
: : : glowingly positive about Halo, they cite Salon...
: : mleh.
: : :
: : : -rex
: :
: : Well... not quite EVERY other review. But a lot of
: them.
: :
: : Which reminds me, I need to add that Salon article to
: the
: : list of reviews.
: :
: : BTW... is there anything that Salon *does* like?
: :
: :
Narcogen
: