SaiNT: Amazing, you were able to sum up all my thoughts on the PC market in that short post. I couldn't agree more. Console programmers do tend to spend more work perfecting the game, and since the hardware is common they can add these little extras without worry. But the PC style grows deep, just look at companies who port PC games to PS2 - often not a pretty sight.
Darkness: No, 48GB/s is correct. The PS2 GPU utilizes a 2560-bit bus capable of 48GB/s.
-- WARNING: PERSONAL OPINION FOLLOWS --
Lastly, I don't agree at all with people saying the PS2 is nothing crap, surviving on the marketing hype. There's a reason well-known development companies like Square choose to work with PS2, and it isn't "hype". I've met people (no relation to this topic) who've bashed the PS2, saying it's crap, the system specs compare to their 5-year-old PC, how their PC would whoop the PS2's ass, there aren't any good games for the PS2, it's horribly overrated and hyped by Sony etc. etc. But then when asked if they'd ever played a PS2, they'd say "no, of course not, I don't buy crap". Makes it kind of hard to accurately judge the console, no?
It's not like I hate the PC market (I do happen to own one, and play games on it), it's just that I wish the sense of perfection found on the console platform (Xbox excluded) would find its way onto the PC market. I've played game labelled as "the embodiment of perfection", and what I see are polygonized people with more resemblance to a wooden stick than a human being. Way too many PC developers argue that a game gets better by making the textures twice as detailed (requiring 4x the video mem), or doubling the polygon count. They're not as worried about actually making good use of that extra detail.
The PC's increasingly powerful hardware is, as SaiNt says, a double-edged sword. Developers spend more time raising texture and poly count, and less time optimizing the game. The reason console games (not just the PS2) have outstanding games (IMO) is just
because the hardware is limited. Developers have to tweak and optimize to get the game playable, and on older consoles graphics was very limited, so
gameplay was the keyword to making the game enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the consoles are perfect, lots of rotten games get out there too. I'm just subtly implying that there's a greater chance of finding a good game (by my standards) on a console than on PC.
PC games can be a lot of fun, but if I want a game that's pure enjoyment, beauty and atmosphere, the PC market is
not where I look for it. Flight simulators, strategy games, first-person shooters, all that is PC domain. Each platform has its strengths, it's when they try to take a piece of the other's cake things get complicated.
Crap, crap, crap. I wen't off rambling again. Just remember that these are all my personal opinions, if they don't coincide with yours, there's no need to take offense. Feel free to point out any errors in my facts, but please don't go off on a bash saying I'm wrong for liking the PS2 or having certain views on the gaming market. Thank you.
:weep: - near death after playing FFX since last thursday
