<< much better than the ps2 which is only a 400mhz processor and has no built in nic/hd. >>
Wrong. The PS2 is equipped with a 128-bit, 300MHz processor (Emotion Engine).
The X-Box looks impressive on paper, but numbers don't always say everything. There's an awful lot of power in that "little" 300MHz CPU. It's a RISC architecture and it beats the P6 core's in floating point performance hands-down. The Pentium III is a multipurpose processor and will always be one. The EE was designed specifically for the PS2 and will perform that way with the right software. Raw MHz isn't the only attribute of a fast platform. In fact, the real power of the X-Box will come from its nVidia GPU. The unit's PIII core will only need to take of routines and AI engines at most; everything else is handled for the most part by dedicated processors. The unified memory architecture seems interesting and we'll see what becomes with it. But the fact remains that the PS2 is a solid product NOW and it's only getting better with projected game releases unleasing more of its hidden power.
About the PS2 shortage thing, there's definitely something here that Sony does not want to tell consumers. There's two theories to this mess. One is Sony's excuse: parts and material shortages. SUPPOSEDLY, Sony outsourced to Taiwan to fabricate more chips for the PS2. Hell, if that happened (I'm doubting it), we should be getting adequate shipments to meet the demand right now. That isn't happening though, which is why I believe in the second theory: strategic marketing. Cut down production and saturate the market with hype, resulting in quick sales. The N64 initially had a shortage during the holidays, but afterwards, it really wasn't too hard to stop by your local retailer and purchase one.
Something's up here and I'm a little disturbed. The PS2 that I purchased on launch failed after a month and a half. It stopped reading PSX/PS2 games; only DVDs and audio CDs would work on it. My games were working just fine because they would all play flawlessly on my friend's unit. I had to ship my unit to Sony's service center in California for repairs. About 2.5 weeks after I shipped it, I gave Sony a call to check the status of the repair. The tech told me that the unit was unrepairable and that they would supply with a new one. Now, it's been almost a month and I still haven't gotten one. I decided to give them a buzz a couple of nights ago and they told me that they are still waiting for a new shipment of consoles from Japan (to this day, ALL PS2 consoles are still exclusively manufactured in Japan, which is one of the BIG reasons why Sony can't produce enough units......I still have strong reason to believe that part shortages are NOT the problem here). I asked them if they had a timeframe and they said expect 1-2 weeks. That's GREAT.......I'll be going on over a month empty-handed. They did, however, give me the option of a factory-refurbished unit with full 90-day warranty to be shipped immediately, but SCREW THAT.... In my experience, refurbished products have been absolute nightmares. So I'll patiently wait for a new one. I purchased a new one and that's what I should be receiving.
The DVD video function of the PS2 is nice (it'll be even nicer when I get my PS2 back because my Toshiba set top was stolen in a robbery three days ago), but when I think about it, I kind of regret purchasing one. The games aren't exactly groundbreaking (yet) and I'm starting to question the reliability of these units. It is apparent that Sony hasn't emphasized quality control on the launch units especially. Believe me, I'm not the only one that feels that way.
