It says to me noDVD drive, period too, you think that is correct? :p
Are you kidding? You unplug one and plug in the other. That’s not complex. Most figured out how to run a DVD player and a VCR at the same time, or they paid extra to get the VCR “emulated” in a combo player.
Anyway, Nintendo never makes its consoles backwards compatibile, and somehow Mario fans (or their parents) figured out how to have an N64 and a Gamecube hooked up for the time until the new Mario game is released.
I’m not kidding. My kids have their N64 in a drawer now because they Gamecube is hooked up to their TV instead.
If I wanted to have both the Xbox and PS2 hooked up to our main TV, I’d either have to buy something that let them share a connection (if there is such a thing) or get down on my knees and pull out the TV to get at the connectors in the back of it every time we switched them. I already went from the PS2 to the Gamecube to the PS2 on that TV and nearly broke that little needle you connect the console too on the back of the TV – it bends really easy.
I just want one thing hooked up to the TV and I want it to stay hooked up so I don’t have to troubleshoot why the Xbox they just hooked up in place of the PS2 doesn’t work.
This is also one of the reasons why the Gamecube was ruled out as an initial buy – the PS2 plays DVDs, so I don’t need to hook up a DVD player. The fewer things I have hooked up, the fewer things that can give me problems.
Not to mention the utility of each. For the vast majority of console games - especially multi-console releases - 512 megs of flash memory is just as good as 512 gig of hard drive space. In either case, you can essentially store an infinite amount of data. So paying pennies a meg vs pennies a gig isn’t really that relevant unless you expect to put those gigs to good use - which most games won’t, because the normal idioms on the console just don’t need it. And if the memory is a memory-card style device like the PS2/GC, then people will find it easier to ignore the cost, or go for something cheaper but smaller and upgrade later, making it easier to make more sales.
Also many modern stereo recievers have video switching built in.
When you two Andrews post in a row like that, it’s confusing. :)
That thing the first Andrew posted looks nice, though it’s an extra expense.
Why do you hook up a stereo receiver to your TV? For that home theatre stuff?
I think handhelds are the only platform where backwards compatibility is a necessity - I don’t want to have to carry around a GBC and a GBA if I want to play Mario Golf and Fire Emblem on the same trip.
-Scott-
But you still bought a Gamecube, despite its lack of backwards compatibility.
And the fact it’s annoying to plug it in doesn’t make it complex.
Like this?[/quote]
Console accesory makers also make these, they are usually right in the video game section of electronics stores. They even have tabs with different console names. I have some cheapie s-video one that lets me hook up the xbox/ps2/DC and gamecube. Then the other TV inputs and vcr inputs get me the PC and snes hooked up just dandy. It’s a non-issue for anyone who can find a radio shack or circuit city and has twenty dollars.
Why wouldn’t you? Even some deaf people appreciate the better quality in sound! 2 separate speakers or 5.1/6.1/7.1 is better than listening to tv speakers any day. Once you start, you’ll never go back.
And it’s true. Most modern day receivers do have input switching.
I was making a cost comparison in my post. MS buying flash in bulk is not enough to drive the market price down, there are already thousands of devices that use flash. Flash is also very slow and could only be used to load things at level load most likely. I am not saying that the Xbox won’t be flash based, I am just saying that I would prefer it to have hard drive or at least the option.
[quote=“Warlord_of_Mars”]
Why wouldn’t you? Even some deaf people appreciate the better quality in sound! 2 separate speakers or 5.1/6.1/7.1 is better than listening to tv speakers any day. Once you start, you’ll never go back.
And it’s true. Most modern day receivers do have input switching.[/quote]
I was just asking. Can’t you just hook up better speakers to your TV? Do you have to use a receiver too?
You can, but why buy an extra set of speakers if you already have a good stereo?
Ah, I see. Does a boombox count as a good stereo? That’s what we have.
Actually, it’s probably better than the speakers built into most TV sets.
you would have to use powered speakers if you want to hook them up to almost all tvs without a receiver, like what you would buy with a computer. I have everything on the kids tv hooked up to a relatively cheap receiver mainly for the video switching. They still play their n64, plus a gamecube and ps2. By running it all through a receiver and installing them in the stand beneath the tv, all the wires disappear and I never have troubleshoot their setup. You can also buy a 5.1 speaker setup for under a 100 dollars that will make their games, and movies, sound amazing compared to tv sound.
Sure, I was just pointing out a single example; the one I linked to above auto-switches, which is cool, 'cause you can stuff it back behind the TV, and you don’t have to hit any buttons at all – whichever thing you just turned on is the one that goes to the TV.
Disclaimer: I haven’t actually used that particular unit, I’m using one of these instead, 'cause I wanted one that switched component video and digital audio.
For twenty bucks, try this one.
That Gamestop one is great. I use it for all five consoles I have connected. No signal loss that I can tell. It really is a top notch device for a low cost. Pelican is now selling it without the Gamestop name at places like Best Buy too.
–Dave
Not to mention the utility of each. For the vast majority of console games - especially multi-console releases - 512 megs of flash memory is just as good as 512 gig of hard drive space. In either case, you can essentially store an infinite amount of data. So paying pennies a meg vs pennies a gig isn’t really that relevant unless you expect to put those gigs to good use - which most games won’t, because the normal idioms on the console just don’t need it. .[/quote]
Uhm, maybe I’m missing something but how is 512mb of anything just as good as 512GB. So if they go only flash… do I have to buy more external cards (like ps2 etc.) for game saves, team stats etc.? What about having custom music tracks? I copied over a whole cd of audio for my xbox racing games… I couldn’t do that without a harddrive.
Only because they haven’t had it. But limited memory is a big design limitation for console games, and the fact that developers haven’t taken advantage of the Xbox hard drive doesn’t mean that they couldn’t, or that the games wouldn’t be better for it if they did. I really wish all the consoles would adopt the hard drive as standard equipment, but it doesn’t look like it will happen in this generation.