Xbox Vs. PlayStation: History Of The Rivalry

The current rivalry between the Xbox 360 and the coming PlayStation 3 is just the latest battle in the exciting leadership war that began in 2001, when Microsoft introduced the original Xbox into the console market. The PlayStation was the reigning champion of the console market. It had dominated since the mid-90s. The original PlayStation sold some hundred million units, a staggering figure at the time.

By the end of the 1990s Microsoft was worried about what is in our perspective the prospect of the PlayStation encroaching in the console market. Hence Xbox, was and still is a bid to win back territory for Microsoft in many of our gaming views. While Xbox might have been the new kid on the block, it had the might of all Bill Gates empire behind it. Before the Xbox, Microsoft had already ported Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast, giving them experience in the console market.

More importantly, they had some of the best programming teams on the planet. One of their original plan, if not their main plan for this long-time distribution for the Xbox, focused heavily on integrating it with other Microsoft products, for example by including DirectX technology. The battle is about much more than just the console market. Sony and Microsoft are looking forward to a time of increasing integration of different electronic devices within the home. Consoles are increasingly becoming conduits for Internet access, for playing music, and even for personal computing.

Sony could be using the PlayStation 3 to push the Blu-ray disc format. In the past, it has come up with the PSX, intended as a multi-purpose device, able to record and play videos as well as being a gaming console. Microsoft, for its part, is putting a lot of weight on the Xbox Live online service, which we can expect to see expanding massively over the coming years. The continuing delays in shipping Windows Vista - the next incarnation of Microsoft PC operating system - has dampened the impact of linking it with the Xbox. Once Vista is released, we could expect to see a stronger focus on linking the Xbox 360 to a PC running Vista.

In short, everything is becoming interconnected, and the exciting console leadership war is at the very center of this battle. Whoever can dominate this market will have the say over how the digital homes of the future are laid out - and will be able to profit massively as a result. The stakes are high in the rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox. It is just an exciting rivalry to keep watching over the years to come, for sure.

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Xbox vs. PS2 Game Consoles

There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the two most popular gaming consoles currently on the market: Playstation 2 (PS2) and Xbox. PS2 is a Sony product, while Xbox is owned by the software giant Microsoft. Many different people have worked with these gaming systems inside and out, attempting to determine which system provides the best performance for your hard-earned gaming dollar. Here we take a look at each gaming system and compare the specs and performance of each. We will attempt to answer that age-old question: which is the better gaming system, Xbox or PS2?

You can take a look at a table comparing hardware specs here.

There are many specs in addition to the ones listed above, but these should give you some idea of just how close these two game consoles really are. If you are looking for pure processing power and graphics capabilities, the Xbox appears to have a slight advantage. In addition, its computer-like features, such as a built-in hard drive are nice to have. With the PS2 you must purchase a memory card if you run out of storage room. When comparing raw power and extra features, the Xbox wins - but you have to keep in mind that the PS2 was released first, and there are additional things to consider besides system specs.

What about Multi-player Capabilities?

Both the Xbox and PS2 have multi-player capability. You can hook up a series of both consoles so that you and your friends can play games together at the same time. The Xbox may be connected using a home LAN system, much like your home computers (here's another example of how the Xbox is more like a specialized gaming computer). The PS2 may be connected using a link cable, not a LAN. This system may be cost prohibitive for some gamers, since you have to own multiple consoles, seperate TVs for each, and several copies of the same game (yep, that's expensive).

Of course, you can always ditch the local network and play through the internet. Bboth PS2 and Xbox allow you to play online against a random assortment of opponents. Xbox uses Xbox live, a fairly well supported online gaming network. PS2's network is not as popular as Xbox Llive, but it works fairly well all the same. If you are really into multi-player, it seems that Xbox is probably the best console for you.

Xbox Games vs. PS2 Games

When deciding which of these two game consoles is best for you, you should certainly take into consideration what types of games each offers, and which games you are most interested in playing. PS2, having been around a little while longer, tends to have the larger game library, but Xbox is not terribly far behind. In addition, Xbox tends to produce games geared more towards adults than children. The graphics seen on the new Xbox games are also clearly a step ahead of PS2 graphics. There is, however, nearly a PS2 game for everyone, and there are lot of PS2 games geared towards teenagers. If you are looking for games for kids, the Nintendo Gamecube may actually be a better choice than either of these two - and it's cheaper.

Other Considerations

Some other things you may want to consider when comparing PS2 and Xbox is the controller provided by each. These may not seem like a big factor at first glance, but people usually prefer one type of controller over the other. The Xbox controllers tend to be slightly larger than PS2, mainly because Xbox is designed with older gamers in mind. You can always buy a converter in order to get one game console controller to work with another.

As far as price goes, PS2 has typically been cheaper than Xbox. As of the time of this writing (Dec. 2004), PS2 retails for about $150 and Xbox $100. Game prices are very similar for both game systems, with most new games costing about $30 - $50.

The bottom line is, PS2 is a little older than the Xbox, and is geared for a younger gaming crowd. If you are buying this console for a teenager, the PS2 may actually be your best bet - they have more games, the console is cheaper, and the games are more appropriate for that age group. The Xbox is a little more expensive, has fewer games, but it out-performs PS2 and has more adult-oriented games.

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