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Why do people build very expensive gaming machines?

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When Xbox first came out, you'd need a damn good PC to keep up with it. But Xboxes cannot be upgraded like a PC. One reason an Xbox would own a PC with the same hardware is because there's no operating system running in the backround. The whole system is deticated to running the game. Consoles have alot of proprietary hardware and games.
 
Originally posted by: Psych
The GeForce3 that is in the XBox is truly a custom graphics card. You can't really buy them from NVidia unless you are Microsoft.
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It's a geforce3 gpu. It's no more a "custom video processor" then any 3rd party manufactured card.
 
Originally posted by: Dman877
Originally posted by: Psych
The GeForce3 that is in the XBox is truly a custom graphics card. You can't really buy them from NVidia unless you are Microsoft.
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It's a geforce3 gpu. It's no more a "custom video processor" then any 3rd party manufactured card.
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It's a GeForce3 IIRC with double the vertex shader units.
 
Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
When consoles with specific optimization will beat a PC?

Xbox's processor is only PIII 733MHz, 64MB system RAM and custom video processor. A PC w/ PIII 1GHz and 64MB of system RAM can't run games anything like the Xbox.
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This is intended to be trolling, right?
 
I'd like you to name me one good RTs on a console?

PS Let me remind you i said good. You need a mouse and a decent resolution to play RTS period.
 
with a consol system, developers can optimize the games to take advantage of the x-box hardware, since they know that every player is going to have the exact same hardware.

things get more complicated with PC gaming.
 
Originally posted by: loki8481
with a consol system, developers can optimize the games to take advantage of the laughably old and outdated x-box hardware, since they know that every player is going to have the exact same hardware.

things get more option-filled with PC gaming.
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Fixed 😀
 
1ghz and 64ram? are you fking kidding me? this pc would be worth $100, no more. IF that's a "very expensive gaming rig"... i dont know this world is coming too. Xbox hardware? a p3 700mhz with 64 ram? whoop to do, a dell value pc has 3ghz p4 for the same price as the xbox.
 
I have an Athlon 64 320+, Radeon9800 system and an Xbox.

Each has its advantages, but the main one with each is the games.

Each system has very good games that only run on that system.

The PC also has killer graphics compared to Xbox, but today after I player Fable for my xbox, I can't remember playing that good of an RPG on my PC.

I also am getting sick of the limitless supply of shooting games on the PC. I have yet to play one good non-shooting game for the PC besides the Sims 2.
 
Originally posted by: epsilon9090
I have an Athlon 64 320+, Radeon9800 system and an Xbox.

Each has its advantages, but the main one with each is the games.

Each system has very good games that only run on that system.

The PC also has killer graphics compared to Xbox, but today after I player Fable for my xbox, I can't remember playing that good of an RPG on my PC.

I also am getting sick of the limitless supply of shooting games on the PC. I have yet to play one good non-shooting game for the PC besides the Sims 2.
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This is pretty much the only reason for a console, and that's due more to the game manufacturers, who likely take bribes from Sony / M$ to keep the game console-only. Which makes me wonder.. why are there no emulators for the ps2 & xbox? I'm assuming it's difficult/impossible to do from a technical standpoint, but how exactly? I wouldn't in a million years buy a console, but if I could play Fable, Starcraft Ghost (in like 2050 when it finally comes out :|) and a few other console-only games on my pc I'd consider buying them.
 
Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: loki8481
with a consol system, developers can optimize the games to take advantage of the laughably old and outdated x-box hardware, since they know that every player is going to have the exact same hardware.

things get more option-filled with PC gaming.
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Fixed 😀
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I put consol games in a completely different category than pc games.

the pc is great for multiplayer FPS and RTS games, as well as MMOG's, but for action/adventure and rpg's, the consol wins easily.
 
Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
When consoles with specific optimization will beat a PC?

Xbox's processor is only PIII 733MHz, 64MB system RAM and custom video processor. A PC w/ PIII 1GHz and 64MB of system RAM can't run games anything like the Xbox.
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pls explain why you think their better first. a system wtih higher specs will obviously cream the xbox, and there is an obvious reason why it's so.
 
another thing to consider is the cost of the hardware in a xbox when it first came out. at the time a xbox had better hardware then you could get in a pc for the same price. a 200 xbox, plus a 50dollar modchip, and a 80gig hard drive makes a nice cheap multipurpose box. personally i got an xbox for my birthday a couple years ago, but i never really used it so now it is happily serving me as a htpc.
 
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
I feel like I've had this conversation about a million times before.

Different people like different things.

Personally I like both console and PC. Consoles are better for racing and sports games almost definitely, while PCs are typically the best for FPSes and strategy games. RPGs are a toss-up to me, as both have their fair share of great ones.

Its all a matter of PREFERENCE, there is no "best" system for gaming (except for individual people, which means, the Xbox might suit one person's tastes the best, while PC another person's, you get the picture).

Sorry to rant, but far too many times this has come up in various places and it always sickens me because people get all defensive over it for some reason. Just be thankful there's so many choices to choose from for your gaming, and live in peace console and PC gamers.
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Originally posted by: Dman877
Also, the Xbox uses a geforce3, it's not really a custom video proc...
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Actually, you should really get your facts straight before attempting to comment on hardware.

The Xbox uses an nVidia gpu, that is true. However, it uses an NV2A core which lands somewhere between the Geforce 3 (NV20) and GeForce 4 (NV25)

More info available here http://www.digit-life.com/articles/nv20/

I do agree that the PC is the superior gaming platform, but even though I hate to, I have to take up (somewhat) for the xbox and its hardware

Here is a direct quote from the project manager of hte Xbox

"We're working with Nvidia to develop a graphics chip which is a step beyond the NV20, it's called the NV2A. In early design discussions, we did loosely refer to it as an 'NV25', but decided to change it to NV2A to avoid, not incite confusion. it's a custom chip which is designed especially for the Xbox and some very specific requirements for the console that makes it a non-candidate for a pc card and will be faster than the NV20."
 
The question has a ridiculous amount of parallels to the question:

Why do people build very expensive sports cars?

A handful of reasons: to show off, to be faster than everyone else, to be able to run games, apps, and high level graphics programs more efficiently and at higher detail levels than anything currently available.
 
the biggest perk consoles have (I'm a PC and console gamer, by the way) is that the hardware DOESN'T CHANGE. Coders don't have to bother with supporting all sorts of different configurations and can optimize the code to ridiculous levels. That's why newer games on the XBOX or PS2 continually press the graphics boundaries of those systems. Eventually, only so much more can be gained from clean coding, so a new console gets released. The average lifespan of a console is around 4 years. Thus the consoles and PC continue to leapfrog each other in terms of graphic superiority every two years or so. Fascinating stuff, really.
 
Originally posted by: footbal07
another thing to consider is the cost of the hardware in a xbox when it first came out. at the time a xbox had better hardware then you could get in a pc for the same price. a 200 xbox, plus a 50dollar modchip, and a 80gig hard drive makes a nice cheap multipurpose box. personally i got an xbox for my birthday a couple years ago, but i never really used it so now it is happily serving me as a htpc.
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Is it now...? How well does it play divx, xvix, 3vix, wmv, (etc.) encoded video? How's the capture quality when recording shows? Any problems with streaming video? 😛
 
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