How powerful is the Gamecube?

[Bojay1997]

The answer to the original post is:

The GameCube was more powerful than the PlayStation 2, but not quite as powerful as the Xbox. Again, 12-20 million polygons/second (PS2) vs. 22-26 million polygons/second (GC) vs. roughly 35 million polygons/second (Xbox). Just for comparison, the Dreamcast produced 5-6 million polygons/second.

Additionally, the GameCube can handle up to 8 texture layers and features 6-to-1 texture compression, full scene anti-aliasing, bump mapping, reflection mapping, texture filtering, and a 24-bit z-buffer, all in the hardware. It was a well-designed, efficient, powerful machine, especially for $200.




I thought you're a lawyer?



Then why don't Xbox games look 10 times better than GameCube games? Theoretical specs are useless. In-game specs are obviously what count. I'm not saying the best-looking Xbox games don't look better than the best-looking GameCube games. They do look a bit better, but not 10 times better...not even 2 times better.

And both the GameCube and Xbox are capable of 24-bit RGB and 32-bit RGB (which is basically 24-bit RGB plus 8 bits of alpha blending).

Even if the Xbox could display true 32-bit color depth, the vast majority of current TVs and computer monitors can't display more than 24-bit color anyway, which is already photo quality.



Hmmm, I don't recall any pop-up in the Gamecube Rogue Squadron games. And I do think they're two of the most impressive-looking GameCube games.

How about F-Zero GX? Complex backgrounds, plenty of cars on-screen, fancy lighting effects, and super-fast motion...all at 60 fps. That's one of the most impressive-looking GameCube games, too. What do you think?

Yes, and a television producer as well, with a love for cutting edge post-production technology. As I have already stated, I think the Gamecube is a great system. It is not, however great for every application and it certainly could not touch the Xbox for multiplayer and on-line applications. The Gamecube also does not get anywhere close to the Xbox in a number of game genres like FPS or sports games simply because it can't push the same level of graphic detail while maintaining multiple player controlled and computer controlled characters. It's clear from your posts in this thread and in the previous Xbox thread that you have some type of irrational dislike for the Xbox. I think being being wed to any one platform is ridiculous and leads to missing out on some amazing games in every generation. It's unfortunate that you are not open minded enough to see beyond Nintendo.

I would encourage you to replay the Rogue Squadron games and see if things don't just pop-up, especially in parts of the game where massive waves of enemies are involved. It's not to the point where I felt cheated by the game or its AI, but it lead to a feeling that the game was a little more scripted than most similar space simulation action games. F-Zero is great on the Gamecube, but I don't think it had the same level of graphic detail or speed that games like Quantum Redshift had on the Xbox. I would say that in general, Nintendo first party games on the Cube have a lot more character and charm than their Xbox equivalents, but there are times when as a gamer you're looking for more than charm and that's where the need to own a PS2 and Xbox come in.