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Thread: Is the XBox 360 what the Playstation 2 was promised to be?

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    Jibbajaba

    Default Is the XBox 360 what the Playstation 2 was promised to be?

    Many of you will remember the hype surrounding the Playstation 2 prior to it's launch in October 2000. It was touted as being more than a game console. It would be the centerpiece in a home entertainment system. Looking back on it now, now that it is preparing to be replaced by the PS3, has the PS2 done anything to live up to that hype? Is the Playstation 2 anything but a game console?

    The answer is a clear "no".

    Make no mistake. I am no Microsoft fanboy. In fact, the XBox is the only current-gen system that I do not own. So this is not me attempting to Sony-bash. But I have gotten used to Sony making grandiose promises anout systems or their peripherals, only to be slowly dissapointed over time. I do not buy any Sony system with the expectation that it will do anything above and beyond playing games. And that was my mindset with the Playstation 2. It never did anything to warrant the "centerpiece of a home entertainment" title. It is a video game machine and nothing more.

    But with it's extensive media-playing capabilities, the XBox 360 may end up being what the Playstation 2 was promised to be. And although I have been skeptical of predictions that Microsoft will overtake the top spot in the video gaming market, it certainly can not be denied that they have just set the bar, and it will be up to Sony to live up to it. This is going to be a no-nonsense generation of gaming, and if Sony continues to try and sell systems with hype and false promises, they are soon going to find themselves left in Microsoft's dust. It seems obvious to me that Microsoft has taken many of the things that gamers have been asking for and integrated them into the 360 console, while Sony has always taken the stand that they know what is best for us, no matter what we say.

    Comments? PLEASE do not let this turn into a flame war. I am really trying to open the door for some intelligent dialog here.

    Chris

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    Default Re: Is the XBox 360 what the Playstation 2 was promised to b

    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    It is a video game machine and nothing more.
    What's a DVD player?

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    njiska

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    They came so close Jibba they really did. Sadly though, MS dropped the ball by not supporting streaming video over the network from anything other then a Media Centre PC. That little oversight is the only thing keep it from beeing everything the PS2 was suppossed to be.

    God it sounds wrong to say that.

    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    It is a video game machine and nothing more.
    What's a DVD player?
    It's some thing that plays all DVD movies. Maybe you haven't looked at the PS2 compatibility list, but it's far from impressive.

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    Pac-Man (Level 10) Snapple's Avatar
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    I know it's far from impressive, but it was a lot more impressive at the time.

    Maybe it wasn't this way with everyone, but a ton of people I know used their PS2 as their primary DVD player back when it came out. Fact of the matter is, although DVD players have come down in price *now*, back in 2001, they were expensive, and a lot of people I know couldn't afford to have both a PS2 and a "fancier" DVD player.

    If anyone is really going to claim to be unbiased and give Sony a fair shake, then you can't say "The PS2 is a video game machine and NOTHING MORE." Because it is a multi-media platform. It can play games. It can play movies. It can play music. It can hook up to the internet.

    I'm sorry it didn't live up to some people's high standards, but I never recall Sony saying that the PS2 would be the equivalent of a top-of-the-line stereo, top of the line DVD player, and a top of the line console all rolled into one. No, it's not top of the line, but that doesn't mean that it was as single-dimensional as a Super Nintendo.

    MAYBE, lower- and middle-income families did and do use a PS2 as a central entertainment unit.

    I'm not saying Sony doesn't overblow their statements. Every company does, Nintendo and Microsoft included. But don't say "It's only good for playing games" because that's a flat-out lie, and really going out of the way to make Sony look worse than they are.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    It is a video game machine and nothing more.
    What's a DVD player?
    I forgot it played DVDs... Mostly because I don't use mine as that.

    Be that as it may, I still don't see how the PS2 revolutionized home entertainment.

    Chris

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    Quote Originally Posted by njiska
    They came so close Jibba they really did. Sadly though, MS dropped the ball by not supporting streaming video over the network from anything other then a Media Centre PC.
    Wow. I didn't know that. How many people have media center PCs???

    I wouldnt be surprised to see this changed in the future.

    Chris

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    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    ...I'm sorry it didn't live up to some people's high standards...

    ...that's a flat-out lie, and really going out of the way to make Sony look worse than they are...
    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    PLEASE do not let this turn into a flame war. I am really trying to open the door for some intelligent dialog here.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    that's a flat-out lie, and really going out of the way to make Sony look worse than they are.
    What can I say? You caught me trying to engage in fanboyism.

    Why do I even try?

    Chris
    I never said you were a fanboy. Fine, you're not a fanboy. I'm not a fanboy. Nobody's a fanboy. What you did do is make a gross overgeneralization about the PS2 in order to help your argument.

    Thanks for dismissing my point, though. Don't insult me with a backhanded reply like that.

    I must be a wizard for getting my PS2 to play my movies for years, like during college when I didn't have a DVD player, since it's apparently incapable of doing anything but play games.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    Quote Originally Posted by Jibbajaba
    Quote Originally Posted by Snapple
    that's a flat-out lie, and really going out of the way to make Sony look worse than they are.
    What can I say? You caught me trying to engage in fanboyism.

    Why do I even try?

    Chris
    I never said you were a fanboy. Fine, you're not a fanboy. I'm not a fanboy. Nobody's a fanboy. What you did do is make a gross overgeneralization about the PS2 in order to help your argument.

    Thanks for dismissing my point, though. Don't insult me with a backhanded reply like that.

    I must be a wizard for getting my PS2 to play my movies for years, like during college when I didn't have a DVD player, since it's apparently incapable of doing anything but play games.
    Oh fuck this.

    Mods, please lock this thread.

    Chris

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    Locked as per original poster's request.


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