Gaming Console Round-Up! The Good, the Old, and the Future.
May 17 '01
The Bottom Line An incredibly long epinion looking at the current gaming consoles.
Ah yes, gaming consoles. Those odd-shaped boxes of fun that tend to spread and take over the corner of the room in which you put them. After over a decade of widespread use and various advancements in games and gaming hardware, consoles have entrenched themselves in our homes and many of us have more than one of them. Actually, many of us have more than two of them! Now I do have friends who spend all their time and money just swapping consoles every 6 months and renting games every weekend, but most of us are not that fickle. Most console customers think of these fun-boxes as an investment, and our growing pile of games and third-party controllers is a testament to that fact. In short, most console gamers will commit to a new console so the fun-factor is very important, which usually means doing some research before the purchase. Well it must, or you wouldn't be reading this!
Most of my ratings come from my regular Epinions.com readers who pretty much read every epinion of mine, and they also know that I am a computer gamer. *ducks rotten tomato* However, I started out my gaming career on consoles, the NES to be precise, and have had the opportunity to own or play on over half of the gaming consoles released in the last decade. And being a gamer at heart, I can't keep my eye off the console arena, even though I am often a visiting spectator. I have therefore taken it upon myself to give my views on each of the consoles in the arena today, organizing them purely by manufacturer - with the manufacturers themselves organized in increasing order of power by their lowest console. If you actually understood that, you'll appreciate my computer background showing through as I have made an effort to include all 'tech specs' that I found on each console :) I love comparing numbers, and so does every passionate gamer...
Sony's Playstation (PSX) and PSOne
Main CPU: R3000A ~34MHz
Graphics GPU: embedded with Main CPU, also ~34MHz
RAM: 3MB
Maximum Resolution: 640 x 480
Memory Bandwidth: 132MB/s
Polygon Performance: 360K/s
Game Medium: 650MB proprietary CD-ROM/XA
Number of Controllers: 2
Sound Channels: 24
Modem/Broadband?: No/No
Release Date: 1995 PSX, 2000 PSOne
Sony's first entrance into the gaming console arena was a real killer! Ok, so like the N64, the PSX is an aging piece of plastic for $100 but it's probably more worth the price than the N64. The game library is huge, there are better games in every genre, the graphics are slightly better (due to higher polygon count), and the larger CD capacity is definitely a plus. This is probably the most well-known and popular gaming console still on the market today. The original version of the Playstation is called the PSX, but the version sold today is a smaller console (with the same hardware) called the PSOne. Sony claims the PSOne is portable and even sells a medium-sized color LCD screen that attaches to the PSOne console, but considering that you'll still need an outlet (or a really big battery pack) the word 'portable' doesn't quite fly. If you want portable gaming, get a GBA or a laptop computer. Still, the PSOne is a good investment for those looking to get access to the PSX game library without paying a fortune for the Playstation2, Playstation's successor.
The controller of the original Playstation is much better designed than its initial rival, the N64's controller (as I have ranted about below), but the lack of an analog joystick in the bundled controller no doubt left many skeptical about Sony's first gaming console. Later PSX controllers remedied this without any changes to the games or PSX hardware, so why didn't Sony include the analog joystick from the beginning? On a side note, the new PSOne controllers do have analog joysticks so this is perhaps a non-issue for new customers. Aside from the joystick, there are 4 digital buttons on the right side of the controller, labeled 'square', 'x', 'triangle', and 'circle' (the shapes not the words) which can cause confusion, and each side of the controller has two shoulder buttons. The only problem in this area is Sony's blindness to include more than 2 controller ports on their consoles (both of them)! The multi-link adapter fixes this, but 2+ support is better offered out-of-the-box.
Like I said, the best aspect of the Playstation is its game library, which includes over 500 CD's of gaming goodness! Ok, so at least a third of them aren't worth the plastic-coated tinfoil that they're printed on, but the rest are fine if not great. As you can see by the specs, the PSX & PSOne also fail miserably to impress anyone, but the fun factor is higher. I only mention this because of the Playstation's ability to provide hours of enjoyment without much complaint, it is after all the most popular console of the past several years. On top of that and in spite of the Playstation2's release, there are still new PSX games being made, and good ones, too! I expect the PSX, or at least the PSOne, to stick around for awhile longer. Maybe by this holiday season the Playstation will be retired (sent to the grave by the new consoles) but until then there is still some fight left in this classic console.
Sony's Playstation2
Main CPU: Emotion Engine ~295MHz
Graphics GPU: ~147MHz
RAM: 40MB
Maximum Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Memory Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Polygon Performance: 66M/s
Game Medium: 4.7GB proprietary DVD, 4x DVD-ROM drive (full DVD movie playback), 8MB memory card (improved over the Playstation memory card)
Number of Controllers: 2
Sound Channels: 48
Modem/Broadband?: No/Future Upgrade(?)
Release Date: October 2001
The Playstation2 is much cooler than the original Playstation - it can play DVD's!! Really, that's probably the biggest hype about this console and the only thing that has changed from the original Playstation. The rest, while impressive in tech specs, is just a 'Playstation upgrade' made by Sony to keep up in the console race. Is this a bad thing? Not really, Sony has done a wonderful job of improving virtually every aspect of its aging Playstation, including keeping the games! That's right, the PS2 is fully capable of playing the entire Playstation game library! Whereas most other console companies totally dump their previous console when they release a new one, Sony decided to keep their current line of over 500 Playstation games. A good move by Sony because the Playstation has some of the best games from every genre, especially those interested in RPG's :) Right now, the Playstation2 remains stagnant at $300 (and you may even have trouble getting one) but as demand lessens and the new consoles are released, price will go down and availability should go up! If you can wait until this fall, you will probably be able to get a PS2 for $100 less.
The controller for the Playstation2 is pretty nifty, with pressure-sensitive buttons and two analog joysticks. Each handle also contains a force feedback mechanism (Dual Shock controllers only). Actually, aside from the two joysticks and force feedback, the PS2 controller looks just like a PSX controller. Hey, why change it if it works? To give you a better idea of how it looks, the controller for Nintendo's Gamecube console looks quite similar (in shape), except for the button arrangement on the right side and the joystick position.
Sony is in an interesting position right now with their two consoles: the Playstation and Playstation2. The original PSX is dated and not as powerful as the newer consoles, but the PS2 is, in my opinion, overpriced for an upgraded PSX. The built-in DVD player sweetens the deal, but if you're in the market for just a new gaming machine (or already have a good DVD player) then this doesn't matter. Besides, the DVD playback, while acceptable for a console, is not nearly as good as a $200 stand-alone DVD player and the controls are twichy, too. The controller can be used for playing DVD's but is cumbersome to use and difficult to remember which button does what function; third-party IR DVD controllers can be bought but I've heard that these are just as bad as the controller itself. The DVD playback is merely adequate so don't go buy it for this reason alone - the games are what really make a good gaming console. Sadly, most of the games made for the PS2 specifically aren't that great (hardly any DVD PS2 games!). They will get better and the entire PSX library is also a draw, but the state of games right now is flashy and hollow (nothing Sega's Dreamcast couldn't do).
Nintendo's N64
Main CPU: ~94MHz
Graphics GPU: ~63MHz
RAM: 4MB + 4MB expansion pack (sold separately, of course)
Maximum Resolution: 640 x 480
Memory Bandwidth: ~563MB/s
Polygon Performance: 150K/s
Sound Channels: 64
Game Medium: top-loading cartridges, 96MB capacity
Number of Controllers: 4
Modem/Broadband?: No/No
Release Date: 1996
I still remember when the N64 came out, and it was a real contendor on the market! Well, that was about 5 years ago and gaming consoles don't age well! Still using those cartridges, eh? With 64-bit graphics and a 96MB ceiling for game size, the N64 is not a contendor for a new console, even for the bargain basement price of $100. When you consider that new N64 games still sell for $60, that 'bargain' price turns into a $220 investment just to get started!
The only reasons this console is still around are because of its 3D capabilities, Nintendo's franchise games (most notably the Pokemon craze), and the solid multiplayer gaming with 4 controller ports. To be fair, the latest Pokemon games for N64 really show off the console's best graphics and effects, but N64's best is usually Playstation's regular par. However, considering that the Pokemon audience is usually young'uns, the cartridge games are perfect because of their durability. Very soon, all consoles will be based on CD or DVD-type medium and anyone younger than 10 years-old who hasn't learned to be gentle will be out of luck! It for this reason that I recommend any parent(s) with young children to go out and buy an N64 console while you still can! The games will be sold for a while longer (possibly another year) and the price won't likely go down any further, but as soon as Nintendo's newest console hits the shelves I expect the N64 hardware to fade away almost instantaneously.
The tech specs of the N64 are comparable only to Sony's Playstation, which is itself on its last legs. Anyway, the main spec that holds this console back is the pathetic game capacity of 96MB! Ouch! This is probably why the N64's game library is severely lacking in epic role-playing games (and Nintendo's alienation of Square), a genre in which Nintendo's previous Super Nintendo console reigned supreme for so long. Still, other genres should have made more of an appearance; the N64 is the second oldest console in my round-up yet it has only 200+ games according to Nintendo's website!
The controller of the N64 is the most bizarre concoction to ever come out of a console manufacturer's factory! With 3 'handles', I think Nintendo's engineers expected gamers to sprout another hand in order to play; instead most games just require 2 of the 3 handles to be used at once. The far left handle is home to the digital 4-way directional pad and the 'L' shoulder button, the middle handle is home to the analog joystick and 'Z' trigger, and the right handle is home to the 'A' and 'B' buttons, the 4 'C' buttons, and the 'R' shoulder button. A strange arrangement to say the least, but you eventually get the hang of it (or not at all!). On the front bottom of this whole mess of a controller is the... slot. This slot is probably the most dynamic use of a console slot I have ever seen, able to contain rumble packs, transfer packs, memory cards, etc. In fact, most rumble packs have a pass-through slot themselves, allowing you to use the rumble pack and a memory card all in one controller! The only problem is that this can get mighty heavy so a fully loaded controller will spend most of its time close to the ground. The 4 controller maximum is also something keeping the N64 afloat, while Sony's consoles continue to be stuck in 2 controller land. Wake up, Sony!!
Nintendo's Gamecube
Main CPU: 405MHz IBM Power PC
Graphics GPU: ~203MHz
RAM: 43MB (scattered everywhere!)
Memory Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Polygon Performance: 6 to 12M/s
Game Medium: 8cm 1.5GB proprietary disk, 8MB flash digicards, 64MB SD-Card option!
Number of Controllers: 4
Sound Channels: 64
Modem/Broadband?: Optional/Optional
Release Date: Fall 2001
Nintendo's Gamecube really is shaped more like a cube (go fig). This is appealing for one major reason: a smaller footprint! Most consoles require the insertion of games through the top and most consoles are kept on the top of a table. Knowing this, Nintendo made an excellent design move and made the Gamecube taller instead of wider and deeper. It's possible to mount Sony's Playstation2 on its side and insert games through the front DVD tray, but this is the only way to get a smaller footprint from another console (besides, the PS2 can tip rather easily when up on its side). Another interesting move from Nintendo is the 1.5GB proprietary game disk. Compared their previous N64 console's limit of 96MB games, 1.5GB is a huge jump! This should be fun :) Price? Rumored to be around $300 to $400!
The Gamecube might not look that impressive against Microsoft's Xbox (which will be released at practically the same time), but it's still considerably more powerful than Sony's Playstation2, making it a real contendor. The polygon count, however, is lower, but Nintendo has long been known for making quality games on all of their consoles. The main CPU is interesting, a Nintendo customized version of IBM's Power PC processor! For those that don't know, this is the same processor found in Apple's iMac computers. The RAM is also interesting, as it's scattered everywhere! 3MB of it is dedicated graphics RAM, 16MB is secondary main RAM, and the rest is 24MB of SRAM. Quite different from the Xbox's unified memory architecture, but it will only be an asset if game developers can learn to properly use all the different RAM types optimally. Even if the Gamecube isn't as powerful as the Xbox, it's more than good enough for amazing games.
Like the console itself, the Gamecube's controller is much smaller than its N64 counterpart. It looks like Nintendo fired the mutated, 3-handed engineer who designed the N64 controller, because the Gamecube's is more user friendly and is likely to be used entirely at once! *gasp* With an analog joystick, the 'L' shoulder button, and a 4-way digital direction pad on one side, you've got the best functionality of the left and middle 'handles' of the N64 controller. The right side has the 'R' shoulder button, a second analog joystick, and a rather odd button arrangement. No word yet on if the main buttons are analog or digital, which means that the Gamecube must still be a ways off from being released (also why I couldn't find a final price on it).
The best tech specs and controller in the world won't keep a boring console alive, so how about the games? Well, Nintendo has the most well-known game character franchise and they're gonna use it! From Mario to Megaman to Zelda/Link to the mega-profitable Pokemon, the incredible power of the Gamecube will bring them to fresh reality. Also on board for games (possibly launch) is the franchise of Sega game characters, especially Sonic the Hedgehog! Other games are due for launch, but I couldn't get a list. Nintendo has learned their lesson with the N64, however, and is making sure their Gamecube is easy for which to develop games (and it better be after their complex hardware set-up!) so I expect a reasonable assortment of games. Perhaps Rare will develop for the Gamecube... *drool*
Sega's Dreamcast
Main CPU: SH-4 200MHz
Graphics GPU: PowerVR 100MHz
RAM: 26MB
Maximum Resolution: 640 x 480
Memory Bandwidth: 800MB/s
Polygon Performance: 3M/s
Game Medium: 1.2GB proprietary GD-ROM
Number of Controllers: 4
Sound Channels: 64
Modem/Broadband?: Yes/No
Release Date: 1999
Sega is getting out of the console business! :( Actually, they're getting completely out of all gaming hardware and turning into a pure game developer. Of course, like Nintendo, Sega has always been good at making games for their gaming consoles so they're just concentrating on that now. This doesn't mean their last console wasn't any good, though, just not as popular as they had expected. Looking at the tech specs, it's easy to see why the Dreamcast handily beat the N64 and PSX, the only two consoles available when Sega released it. Overall, the Dreamcast was a 'failure' of sorts (for Sega), but the hardware is still quite acceptable and the games are still good (especially the sports games). And, at $100, this console is my current bargain favorite!
The Dreamcast has some real power and its potential has been realized in the latest games, but since Sega is out of the console hardware business, this excellent bargain won't be in production for long! This is true of most consoles when they hit the 'magic $100 mark', but the urgency is greater with the Dreamcast. The hardware isn't that bad, it comes in a close second to the current top console, the PS2. And the games are usually just as good as the PS2, but that's mostly because the PS2 hasn't been fully used yet. Still, with more RAM than any other $100 console and lots more power, the budget-conscious gamer should definitely look into the Dreamcast. In fact, it would make a perfect temporary console until the new consoles are released and/or come down in price.
The Dreamcast controller, however, is a mixed bag. Some gamers like it, some don't, I would have to rate it above only the N64 controller because of the wide range of comments that I've heard on it. The design is a bit bulky, but standard fare button-wise. 4-way directional pad, analog joystick, and analog trigger on the left; 4 digital buttons and analog trigger on the right. There's also a start button in the bottom middle and two slots in the top for memory cards or a VMU. The VMU is a visual memory unit that allows you to see the contents of memory cards and is partially used in some games, but its usefulness is not that great, mostly because of the relatively poor image quality. Still, it's just a little added benefit now that the Dreamcast is only $100 :)
SegaNET, Sega's online game playing network for the Dreamcast console, has been somewhat successful, but as soon as Sega pulls the Dreamcast off the shelves, expect SegaNET to disappear (if it hasn't already). Online console gaming has been slow to catch on, but I have to hand it to Sega for being the first brave company to try it with a built-in modem (attempts have been made in the past but this attempt is more modern and successful). The Dreamcast may be effectively out of the online loop, but with the new consoles having built-in or upgradable online support, Sega has pretty much ignited online console gaming. The current line-up for consoles puts the PS2 in the performance end with the Dreamcast pulling up the value end. Don't expect this to change as Dreamcast games may be available for awhile, and of course used games can be bought for great bang for your buck. Besides, with 4 controllers, multiplayer fun is better than the PS2! The Dreamcast may not have the brightest future or the most comfortable controller, but its price/performance ratio is the best.
Microsoft's Xbox
Main CPU: modified Intel PentiumIII 733MHz
Graphics GPU: NVidia 250MHz (GeForce3 core!)
RAM: 64MB
Maximum Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Memory Bandwidth: 6.4GB/s
Polygon Performance: ~100M/s
Game Medium: 2x to 5x DVD-ROM drive (optional DVD controller required for DVD movie viewing), 8GB hard drive, 8MB memory cards
Number of Controllers: 4
Sound Channels: 256
Modem/Broadband?: No/Yes
Release Date: Fall 2001
Probably the most anticipated and feared of the upcoming consoles, it is also the most powerful in terms of raw tech specs. Of course, 'most powerful' also means largest - this is the largest console in the history of consoles! The Xbox is about 12" wide and 10" deep and is very tall. As one would expect from Microsoft, though, this game console comes the closest to being a PC than any other (and the price will reflect this!). In fact, the graphics code is based on the new DirectX 8.0 for Windows games. Roark_8 informs me that Microsoft yesterday announced the Xbox at $299. The PS2 will definitely go down in price this fall!
Besides the console itself, the controller is quite impressive, with two analog joysticks and 6 main analog buttons and two analog triggers underneath. The digital parts are two buttons (start and 'back'?) and the 8-way directional pad, and don't forget the two memory slots built into the controller. All in all, the controller looks good (almost fully analog!) and not too bulky, which is perhaps surprising considering all the gadgets packed onto the darn thing.
Taking a closer look at the Xbox's tech specs, it quickly becomes apparent that Microsoft intended to beat its competitors into the ground! Slowdown may well be a thing of the past, but the GeForce3 NVidia graphics processor probably demands a lot of support. On that note, the inclusion of the CISC-based PIII as the Main CPU is understandable, if not as powerful as a custom designed RISC CPU (like the other consoles). Whether or not the modified PIII/GeForce3 set-up can deliver superior graphics over Nintendo's Gamecube is anyone's guess. This brings up the next point: the GeForce3 is NVidia's third iteration of 256-bit graphics processing! This coupled with a higher resolution than Sony's PS2 gives new hope for those with large screen TV's. But you needn't stop there, the Xbox has full digital-out support for HDTV's! :) The broadband connection is definitely helpful and Xbox gamers may well be able to play online in the near future (perhaps on MSN.Xbox?). The exclusion of full DVD playback out of the box may hurt sales, but if the DVD controller is made by MS themselves, the Xbox will be able to avoid the PS2's problem of poor quality DVD controllers. The real fun, however, comes from the built-in hard drive. Any computer gamer can tell you that loading times from a CD-type drive are pathetic, and multiple-CD games don't help when you have to switch them. The ideal situation is to load the entire game onto the hard drive, but consoles have been lacking that advantage. With its 8GB hard drive, the Xbox is poised to gain some serious loading performance! Rumors have it that Seagate will be the manufacturer of the Xbox's hard drive (a very well-known company in the hard drive market) so Microsoft has my vote on that! The usefulness of the hard drive will depend upon how well games make use of it, but the potential to use the hard drive as 'virtual RAM' (like the Windows swap file but maybe better) is something to drool over :) The RAM, polygon count, and sound channels are impressive, but game developers will be responsible for utilizing these advantages. Considering that many PS2 games don't even make half use of the PS2's graphics and sound abilities (NOT Sony's fault), I hope the Xbox lauch games (and other Xbox-only games) will make better use of the Xbox's hardware.
Microsoft has just made the console market as furiously demanding as the PC game market with its upcoming Xbox and while the processing power is truly evolutionary, the basic gaming ideas are merely a revolutionary extension of the PS2's capabilities, albeit with a few perks such as broadband. The 'final' release date of the Xbox is this fall, and actually the Xbox hasn't suffered nearly as many delays as Microsoft's other products (*cough* Itanium *cough*) and the pre-orders are as good of an indication as any that the Xbox will be on time. It will, of course, use some type of proprietary Windows OS, but MS hardware has always been reliable (in stark contrast to their mixed bags known as software). Still, only the games will tell, right? Well MS is working to ensure that and already has several game developers onboard, although one of MS's stipulations is that all launch games will be Xbox-only so their well-known semi-illegal intentions are shining through. Hmmm... I'd have to say that if I were in the market for a new console to replace an aging N64 or Playstation (and didn't mind the price!), I'd wait for the Xbox. Because consoles are entirely proprietary, Microsoft's offering looks pretty darn good!
Which ones will last?
Trivia time! Ever hear of gaming consoles such as the Atari Jaguar, 3DO, and Virtual Boy? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't, but all of these were fully hyped consoles that never made it very far. But try telling that to the people who shelled out hundreds of dollars on these wanna-be gaming consoles! So how can you tell which ones will last?
Well, the N64 and PSX/PSOne and Dreamcast are definitely out, for various reasons. The PS2 is here to stay, and so, I guess, are PSX games. The Gamecube is backed by Nintendo and is even more intelligently designed than the N64 (which didn't do too badly) so it will probably last. But the Xbox, that's the "Wild Card" for this year! Personally, I think it will make it if only for its superb tech specs, which means better overall game performance, but it will need some great games to stay afloat longer than a year. But the main reason that I think all of the new consoles will make it is because there aren't that many of them! One from '99, one from last year, two more this year, it actually isn't as hectic as I remember a few years back when everyone and their uncle Moe was releasing some cool new console. And after every company has had their fill, we probably won't see another new console for at least 2 years. And if there is a new one, well... good luck to that company! Try tearing away a scrap of the market from the likes of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft! No thank you!
Final Verdict
In the end, it's up to you which console to get. They're all a good choice for one reason or another, but if you're new to gaming consoles or just want a solid new console, the PS2 is your best bet right now. If you're a garage-sale addict who wants cheap gaming, go for the Dreamcast. If you want the latest and greatest (and 4 controller multiplayer!) and don't mind waiting, the Gamecube or Xbox is for you. The Gamecube is backed by Nintendo and their franchise games, but the graphics capabilities look relatively weak (compared to the other consoles, it's still much better than the N64). The Xbox looks more serious (no Pokemon) and has a cool hard drive, but it's still not an established name and has the shakiest foreseeable future.
Above all, though, the games make the console, which is why those wanna-be consoles I mentioned never made it very far despite their 'superior' tech specs. The current round-up looks good, but PS2 games aren't getting any better very quickly and the new consoles aren't out yet so I'd have to say that new console games that really look much better than the Dreamcast are a few months away :(
Happy gaming to all!!
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Epinions.com ID:
computernut
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Location: Eagan, MN
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
A programming student, hardware is my hobby and gaming is my passion.
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