Xbox Arcade 199 + GH World Tour for Xbox 360 complete: $189.99 from RedOctane.com = $388
$388 for a Xbox 360 Arcade package
$357.78 for PS2 package
Not a hard choice there. Plus with a 360 you get to play the whole Xbox original library.
I'm going to disagree here. While I think the PS2 might be a great "second hard" (ie used from a friend or a garage sale) I hardly think it is work ~$140.
When you could pony up 60 bucks more and have a next gen console.
Plus I read the Arcade is going to be having some really nice bundles over the holiday that come with 2 or 3 games.
If you wanted something to stick at your house for the grand kids to play when they visit once a month, I think paying $80 for a used PS2 would be great. But I just can't justify paying $130+ for something new especially if you want to game more than just a few hours a week.
Arcade has no hard drive. I'm of the opinion that no matter what you do, if you get the Arcade you're eventually going to end up spending the $99 on the hard drive upgrade, so that increases your bottom line price right off the bat.
Most of the games you don't need the hard drive for. 90% of the 360 library works with the memory card (I *think* I read GH works without but maybe I was thinking of a different game). Plus you can buy any of the original xbox games - which need no hard drive - for the same price as the PS2 games.
You are right, sooner or later you will end up getting the hard drive though.
There is no doubt the PS2 is still a great viable gift. I just don't think getting it at $130 bucks is the way to go . At least on ebay if you spent ~that much you could get a handful of games and extra controllers.
Then again, if I was going to get and older get console I'd buy myself a Dreamcast.
Actually, new PS3s have zero backwards compatibility with PS2 games. I'm more likely to buy a slim PS2 to replace my barely-functioning phat PS2 than any next-gen system right now. I just started Disgaea, and I've got a handful of other great RPGs that I've never played.
I stay comfortably behind the curve . I'm looking forward to getting a next-gen system when I can afford a new TV, but that won't happen on a grad student's budget.
I was under the impression that they are adding titles to backwards compatibility list like Microsoft did with Xbox titles for the 360.
According to the compatibility notes for the newest PS3s with Disgaea titles, there are minor problems such as FMV title sequence only playing back at 95% speed or random "jitters" with graphics, just as an example.
Some of the PS3s don't have the Emotion Engine chip but do have the Graphics Synthesizer from the PS2, and those continue to be supported with partial software emulation. The currently manufactured models don't have any original chips from the PS2, though, and Sony hasn't bothered to release a complete software emulator.
Basically, Sony's commitment to backwards compatibility was a big fat lie.
LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited November 2008
What no one has commented on yet is market share. I think this is a smart move by Sony, regardless of games compatibility. It is quite likely that a sizable percentage of those who will purchase the refreshed PS2 are those who otherwise might have purchased a Wii. This is a clever, fiscally smart move by Sony to to compete aggressively in a lower price niche. As part of a long term strategy, this could be a move Sony to move more people into their camp and to keep them there. There must be hundreds of thousands of families, maybe millions who have not moved up to the current generation of consoles due to financial constraints. This could be their entrance.
Yeah all the latest PS3s (60gb and 80gb) do not have backwards compatibility. Only the older models.
Sony is such a cheapass. I guess they assume everyone just wants to keep their PS2 around but in my opinion ripping out compatibility is just further proof that they have no idea what they are doing in with the current generation console.
While I agree the 360 Arcade provides a good deal of value, if you go with the arcade, you are missing out on a gigantic library of certain games that the 360 doesn't cover - most especially JRPGs.
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
Comments
$388 for a Xbox 360 Arcade package
$357.78 for PS2 package
Not a hard choice there. Plus with a 360 you get to play the whole Xbox original library.
I'm going to disagree here. While I think the PS2 might be a great "second hard" (ie used from a friend or a garage sale) I hardly think it is work ~$140.
When you could pony up 60 bucks more and have a next gen console.
Plus I read the Arcade is going to be having some really nice bundles over the holiday that come with 2 or 3 games.
If you wanted something to stick at your house for the grand kids to play when they visit once a month, I think paying $80 for a used PS2 would be great. But I just can't justify paying $130+ for something new especially if you want to game more than just a few hours a week.
my 2c
You are right, sooner or later you will end up getting the hard drive though.
There is no doubt the PS2 is still a great viable gift. I just don't think getting it at $130 bucks is the way to go
Then again, if I was going to get and older get console I'd buy myself a Dreamcast.
I stay comfortably behind the curve
According to the compatibility notes for the newest PS3s with Disgaea titles, there are minor problems such as FMV title sequence only playing back at 95% speed or random "jitters" with graphics, just as an example.
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus
Basically, Sony's commitment to backwards compatibility was a big fat lie.
Sony is such a cheapass. I guess they assume everyone just wants to keep their PS2 around but in my opinion ripping out compatibility is just further proof that they have no idea what they are doing in with the current generation console.