Slashdot Mirror
Is The PS2 Your Next DVD Player?
Si V reader writes "In the Sony PlayStation2 as a DVD Player,
SE tells how to get a DVD system when you buy a PS2. They think that the DVD functionality of the PS2 is the one brilliant move Sony made in this otherwise unimpressive launch. In Japan I heard that most of the purchases were because people wanted a cheap full featured DVD." The article discusses the elitism in every industry (but specifically in home audio) and talks about the practical problems (controlling your DVD player with a remote on a wire?) to video/audio quality compared with a more expensive DVD player.
If you recall, the first games for the [Insert any console system here] sucked. It takes a while for the programmers to fully utilize all that the console has to offer. Dreamcast has had over a year now, so it's games-programmers are becoming veterans with the system. So, if the graphics only 'looked no better' than your dreamcast, then wait a year. The PS2 graphics will blow Dreamcast away.
Well, I'm a Sega zealot, but I can't argue with your logic here. The obvious message you're giving is: buy a Dreamcast now, enjoy its superior gaming for a year, then when the PS2 catches up, buy one of those. It will be cheaper by then, too, and if we're lucky PS2's network functionality will have been rolled out.
I'll be buying a PS2; I can't pass by Silent Hill2, and I'll need Fantavision at some point: but it's just not mature enough yet.
By contrast, Dreamcast was streets ahead of anything (bar a PC) you could buy on its release date. I had Power Stone and Sonic Adventure on day one, both classic titles I still go back to. Soul Calibur came a few weeks later; there's nothing on PS2 that looks quite as lovely.
Um, is Metropolis Street Racer out in the USA yet? It's seriously nice, especially if you've ever been to San Fran, Tokyo or London.
--
Yes, there is elitism in every community. Many Slashdotters wouldn't be caught dead using AOL. Driving enthusiasts would rather walk than use an automatic transmission. And audiophiles scoff at the notion of using a video game console as a source for music.
I consider myself a budget audiophile. I have a stereo that I feel sounds better than any of my friends'. And yes, I sometimes get caught up in the hype of what looks coolest, etc. To use computers as an example, how many Slashdotters would use an iMac even if inside was an Athlon 800 MHz with 512 MB of RAM? Ok sure, you'd use it, but don't tell me looks don't matter.
Perhaps I should get to my point. The way I see it, there are a couple of extremes in the audio world. The first is one that wants a system that sounds great and looks even better. Truly great-sounding audio systems rarely blend in to the decor of one's living room. So sacrifices have to be made. The other extreme could care less what the system looks like, as long as it sounds next-to-perfect. The latter could be placed in the genre of "audio hackers." They'll put coverings on the walls to absorb sound (I'm guilty of that one), have bags of sand to absorb vibration, and will usually have somewhat of a frankenstein system of components that don't look like they match. You won't find any remote controlled sliding glass doors with those folks.
So which of these groups would be more likely to accept a PS2 into their audio setup? Well, neither one, probably. Both groups generally have the philosophy that you should do one thing and do it right. The first group I mentioned figuratively drives the Audi TT (drives great, looks stunning). The second group drives the pieced-together Grand National (looks ugly IMHO, but hauls ass for the dollars you spend). The group that would use the PS2 drives the Dodge Caravan (wants a cheap, all-in-one box).
Sorry, guess I went a little analogy crazy.
-- "Complacency is a far more dangerous attitude than outrage." -Naomi Littlebear
This is a great reason to buy a PS2. Being it is from Sony, it has both Dolby Digital 5.1 AND DTS support. IMHO, the DTS is the icing on the cake, as from personal experience, it seems that the stereo in the rear channels is clearer, and in better proportions then what the straight 5.1 can offer. Further, the moved the DVD player off of a seperate memory card, and built it into firmware. This was a biggy in Japan, with memory cards becoming corrupt as a result (something which has been fixed). If I had something bad to say, it would be the lack of an IR port on the unit. In my case, where I have a complete Sony setup, I have one remote that works all units. With the PS2, you have to use the joystick, or if you pay the extra money, a different remote that plugs into one of your joystick ports (something, as of right now, sounds buggy as the pass through isn't working as promised for some; so, in effect, you lose a joystick port). Sony would be wise to release an addon that allows my Sony remote to run the unit. Only thing I didn't like.
On a different note, I have finally had a chance to see a PS2 and its games (Madden, and 2 driving games that left no other lasting impression) and I was not impressed as it looked no better then my Dreamcast. Where are the software titles to really show off the unit?! Guess I will have to wait for Metal Gear Solid 2.
Bryan R.
Bryan R.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
There are a lot of _other_ ~$200 DVD players out there. The only differences between them and the PS2 is that they have wireless remotes and you can actually buy one at the moment.
Sure, they won't play games, but perceiving the PS2 as providing DVD players to the "great unwashed" is incorrect. The great unwashed can already buy cheap DVD players a whole lot easier than the PS2. (I know, because I have one.)
I guess your right......it provided me with a great dvd player.
"Science is about ego as much as it is about discovery and truth " - I said it, so sue me.