I know this is a preference thing, but...

Which would you suggest is the best game console to get?

Nintendo GameCube (which is the cheapest)
Playstaion2
XBox

I have kids so I am interested in great kids games, but I also want to have some fun too.

IMHO, the gamecube is by far the worse one if YOU want to have fun as well. Most of their games are kid oriented and the graphics are cartoony.

The PS2 is pretty good. I have a friend that has one and I've played it several times. I think there are more games for the PS2 than any other console. I'm not totally sure about that but it does seem that way when I'm browsing the stores for games. It has the upper hand as far as variety goes.

Personally, I like the Xbox, which is the one I purchased. I had the chance to play both the PS2 and the Xbox before I made my decision. After playing the Xbox, I was hooked. The graphics are far superior to that of the PS2 and I like the layout of the controller better than the PS2.

If you're not all that concerned with graphics then you really can't lose with either the PS2 or the Xbox. They're both about equal but it comes down to preference. If you get a chance, I would definitely play them before you make a purchase.

To me graphics are a big deal. I looks like the GameCube is not in the class of either the PS2 or XBox. I guess that the reason for it being cheaper.

I guess another question I have is which system has the most/better features?

Thanks for your reply.

ive got both a ps2 and an xbox. my ps2 never sees use. i can never seem to find the stupid memory card, and i dont really like any games on it. there are a few gems for it. 'ico' is prolly my favorite all time ps2 game.
my xbox gets heavy use. its internal hdd makse game saves quick and easy and unobtrusive. plus, i use a lot of third party stuff on it (the hdd) and having it there makes it much more convenient than having to find discs and load them.
as far as graphics, my money goes to xbox. i never did like ps2 because it never visually impressed me. plus, it doesnt have halo. i think gc and p2 are pretty similar in graphics, with the gc having a little bit more pull.
xbox is the most robust straight out of the box, imo. ps2 plays dvd movies right out of the box though. xbox doesnt, you have to buy a separate dongle. i understand they did this to keep the console price down.

I've got a PS2 and a XBox and they're both pretty good. I do prefer the PS2 joypad over the XBox one though.

The PS2 has been out a lot longer than the XBox and has a worse hardware spec because of this. I do agree if you're interested in graphics quality then get the XBox.

In terms of games, the PS2 is backwards compatible with the Playstation so you've got a bigger library of games to choose from.

If you want to hack it then get the XBox. It's pretty much a PC with most of the legacy bits removed and a special BIOS. You can replace the HD with something bigger and then load your games onto it if you wish.

If you want to program it with proper documentation then get the PS2 and the Linux kit. You'll get nearly all of the programming manuals for the PS2 and it'll let you do your own thing pretty much.

The XBox DVD dongle is just an IR remote receiver pretty much. The XBox itself is perfectly capable of playing DVDs but Microsoft decided to make it an optional feature.

Just a quick list of some of the good and bad things about each off the top of my head.

xbox is the most powerfull of the 3.

gamecube is the least powerfull.

ps2 falls somewhere inbetween in terms of computing power.

xbox and ps2 can also play dvds.

ps2 has the more games than the others.

ps2 is backwards compatible with ps1 games.

gamecube is the cheapest.

gamecube is the smallest and most portable.

xbox has a built in hard drive (no need for memory cards unless you want to play your game on a friends box. Plus you can rip cd's onto the hardrive and use it as a jukebox.)

gamecube has the best controller for most people.

xbox is the most easily modded.

My personal recomendation is that you buy the console that has the games you like the best. All 3 of the have some games that are oriented towards kids and some that are more for adults (gamecube probably has more for kids than the others). They are all fairly good at what they do and are a lot of fun. If one of them has a game or 2 that you are dying to have, then you should get that one. My personal preference is for the ps2 just because i like more of the games it has than any of the others. But, like Russmeister said, I would recomend playing them before you buy.

So to sum it all up:
if you're looking for features, go with the xbox.
if you're on a limited budget or want something portable, go for the gamecube.
if you want the widest selection of games, then its the ps2.

And now I've gotta go take my last final for the semester. Wish me luck

I have plenty of DVD players around. I forgot about the fact that the XBox has an internal HD.

It's also my second-hand experience that the XBox breaks down way more than the others, apparently due to Microsoft speccing the cheapest PC components they could find rather than actually develop hardware.

On the other hand, my friend's PS2 broke down after he'd had it for a few years. But Sony replaced it for free (maybe at the cost of shipping -- I forget).

I'll attest to the fact that Gamecube, while kid-oriented for the first bit of time it was out, is not anymore. Besides, many of those games would appeal to you as well.

Personally, I don't regret buying it one iota, and I got it at the $150 price.

Here's some of my selling points about it:
-it's tiny
-the controller is absolutely fantastic
-the Gamecube has the absolute best wireless controller available
-first-party games like Metroid Prime, Mario Kart, Super Mario Sunshine, and Zelda: Wind Waker (one of the best-looking games of the year)
-Resident Evil, completely graphics-overhauled for the Gamecube (it's much prettier now)
-easier to play 4 player games than the PS2
-cheaper than the others (as already stated)

I'm sure there are more good points, but those are all I can think of right now. I can tell you, without a doubt, that the Gamecube is pure fun, especially with friends. Nintendo has focused (much to my delight), on enjoyable gameplay. This has resulted, however, in what many people see as its greatest flaw: a lack of online connectivity.

But for people like me, who have zero interest in playing online, this has resulted in one of the most enjoyable consoles in my memory (possibly only second to SNES).

people are always praising the gc controller. personally, ive never been very satisfied with it. maybe i have to be female to really enjoy it.

[edit]
i dont dislike the gc controller. i just havent seen what the hype is all about.

I say Gamecube for kids is a must. Tons of fun games for them and a decent number of games for you too. Plus it has a great controller, and its the least expensive as stated many times before.

Google cache of Customsex's link.

people are always praising the gc controller. personally, ive never been very satisfied with it

Obviously, people have different hands and ideas about what is comfortable to them. Just look at the XBox controller, widely considered to be one of the worst standard controllers every made. Yet I know some people like it.

But I'm willing to bet that the number of people who absolutely love the GC controller vastly out-weighs the number who love the one for the XBox.

ps- your link is broken
*edit*
Ah, that's a pretty messed up post by that parent. Yes, it's never the parenting at fault, always the outside element. Sure. Ban all video game consoles. And cell phones. And massaging devices. Good luck to him.

I hate these threads. Too many people like to state as facts their opinions (negative or positive) on certain systems. Someone just post the hardware specs and game lists for each of the three. If you can't decide which system you want and you have to have the best, this is what you need to look at.

Yes, the GameCube has more children-oriented games. But that doesn't make them any less fun. If you have to have blood and violence, then I'm sure there are quite a number of games, both old and new, that you can find for a PS2.

And I don't have much against the PS2. Really, the only thing I don't like about it is that it's made by Sony. But that won't stop me from getting one, as I'm currently thinking of doing. Over the past few years I've seen several games for both the PS2 and PlayStation that I was interested in. I just wish I could remember their names. But I've got some friends who will be happy to point me in the right direction.

I can't say much about the Xbox without it being opinion. IMO the graphics are no better than the GameCube's (nVIDIA vs. ATI - who's your favorite?). The controller is horrible; many people will agree. Also, I've looked over the Xbox's library of games, and I haven't found one I was interested in that couldn't be had on another system or the PC, and sometimes for less money.

I do have one serious gripe with Microsoft, though, as far as the console gaming world goes. There was at least one game I was looking forward to seeing a sequel to on the GC. And now that game doesn't even exist.

I think that the decision should come down solely to which console has games that you want to play. Who cares if console A has better graphics, or even a better controller if it only has two games you'd ever want to play on it?

I will have to point out that the Xbox apparently now ships with the smaller controller, which is a vast improvement over the original Goliath-sized one.

Gamecube man. Trust me. Especially for your little ones. I've got all three big hitter consoles, plus a bunch of the oldies. There's plenty of good adulty stuff for the Gamecube despite it's reputation, and the party/kid games are amazing. Mario Kart Double Dash man... you can play that with your kids for hours... and in co-op mode too. Super Monkey Ball! So many good party games for that thing. It's the only one Kelly will touch. Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker... three of my top favorite games in recent memory. I'll bring some LucasArts GC games for you if you end up getting one. Actually, just let me know what your getting in the next week and i'll bring some for whatever you get. But i definitely say go for the cube.

As for the GC being the least powerful... WAY wrong. The GC is actually quite a bit more powerful than the PS2. Just as an example... we had Bounty Hunter running on the Gamecube with a max poly count of 8000 for Jengo... while the PS2 could only push 1500. It allows harware texturing and all sorts of other things the PS2 can't touch. I can get one of the programers here to write a diatribe about it i'm sure if there are any non-believers.

Oh, and if you do get the GC... spend the extra $10 for the wavebirds... trust me. It's one of those things you won't believe you got along without before.

My understanding is more along the lines of that the PS2 has a lot of power but is insanely hard to program to use it well. And given that game development is always trying to get things out the door, tripling the amount of time to code for it vs. the other two is just stupid.

I imagine we'll see that power when Gran Turismo 4 comes out.

loren, thanks for making the post that I didn't have the balls to.

Absolutely, Conker was a great game.

I agree with most of your statement, but will also point out that it's often the zeal of the people who own the systems that give a good indication of what they think about them.

I think it's mostly good to only talk about the system you own, and not bash other systems that you haven't had much experience with. I notice that every bad word about Gamecube in this thread has come from someone who doesn't own one. Perhaps you could chalk that up to the fact that they chose another system over the GC for the reasons they believe to be true, but that still doesn't mean they're 100% correct.

So people, talk up your systems. Let the good shine through! (or at least say something good about the other systems - but I won't take back my Xbox controller comment )

ps- as a selling point to consider, if it's GTA you want, remember that it was just released for XBox. I can only hope they'll release it for the GC soon...

nVIDIA vs. ATI - who's your favorite?

That's not exactly accurate. I pretty sure the graphics were developed by a company ATi eventually bought. I don't care either way. If it's fun, it's fun. 8-bit NES is still fun but its graphics really suck (by today's standars).

OPINION: I have Xbox and my friend has PS2. I think the Xbox's graphics wreck the PS2's.

My understanding is more along the lines of that the PS2 has a lot of power but is insanely hard to program to use it well. And given that game development is always trying to get things out the door, tripling the amount of time to code for it vs. the other two is just stupid.

Good point, that's one of the things that killed the N64, I believe.

My understanding is more along the lines of that the PS2 has a lot of power but is insanely hard to program to use it well

This is definitely true. It's way harder to program for according to my programmer friends. I have one friend who solely knows the ins and outs of the sound processors on the PS2 and he is in high demand because he's one of the few that gets it. When we were working on Starfighter he was having to reverse engineer the thing because all the docs were in Japanese. BUT, as far as raw processing power, the GC is still more powerful. I'm told this from the programers that worked on Gladius... which came out on all three consoles simultaneously. Not that it really matters in the end. If the game is fun i could give a flop how it looks most of the time.

I think the Xbox's graphics wreck the PS2's.
Yes, they do. But I meant Xbox vs. GC. I don't know about anyone else's, but mine and my younger brother's GameCubes have an ATI sticker right on the front.

Loren,

I was hoping you would chime in!!! I was origianally thinking GC but I wanted to see what others had to say. The kids games seem fun. I guess to me thats what its all about. I could care less for the blood and stuff like that. Fun, fun, fun! You have yet to steer me wrong!

And I have to admit the $99 price is very appealing.

It also killed the Sega Saturn (among other things). If I recall correctly, after the Saturn was EOL'd, Sega released a Sonic game that had vastly better graphics than any other title on the console. It had better graphics because they were the only ones that knew how to program for it efficiently.

I think that the decision should come down solely to which console has games that you want to play

I also agree with that. I based my entire decision on the fact that, one day, the Gamecube would have the next Mario Kart on it. That was a year and a half ago.

The other factors were: I know the kind of company Nintendo is (gameplay oriented), and they haven't steered me wrong yet.

Yes, they do. But I meant Xbox vs. GC.

Yeah, I know. I was just stating that to add my 2 cents.

but mine and my younger brother's GameCubes have an ATI sticker right on the front.

So does my brother's. That doesn't mean the people at ATi developed the hardware. They just bought the company.

Here's some news about Artx (the company ATi bought)
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030421S0028

I know the kind of company Nintendo is (gameplay oriented), and they haven't steered me wrong yet.

Damn right. And Double Dash - I love that game. I've already destroyed it in GP mode, but it's still hours of fun with my 9-year-old brother and his friends, or my 30-year-old buddy from work. It doesn't matter how old you are - it matters how much fun it is to push the buttons.

Oh, and if you've got yourself a Broadband Adapter, you may want to check this out.

The kids games seem fun. I guess to me thats what its all about. I could care less for the blood and stuff like that.

That statement just cries out the need to play Wind Waker (as in Legend of Zelda: ). You will absolutely love it.