will nintendo ever be a serious contender?

Space wasn't necessarily the main selling point of CDs (especially since the only games that even filled whole CDs during the early PS1/N64 age were ones with lots of FMV), it was the manufacturing costs: CDs cost next to nothing to manufacture, and still have more available space than any cart. I remember when the RE2 cartridge for N64 was a huge deal: it was 512 megabits (64 MB). OK, that's about a tenth of a CD, that was as big as carts got back then, and I wonder what the manufacturing costs were compared to a CD?

 

I was talking about graphical quality, since someone stated that the N64 was superior. And it's nowhere close to it.

F-zero X had certainly 30 vehicles in action, textureless and in a completely aseptic scenery. Also wipeout3 had HR grafics, and it was faster on max speed and smoother; also had greatly detailed tracks.

concerning multiplayer, playing f-zero x (and wipeout3 too, obviously) in half screen with blurriness (only N64) and small track sight was really an awful thing to do... I never tried 4 players, but i can imagine it to be even more atrocious.

oh, and BTW i'm an f-zero fan too.

 

That's not what I said. Both platforms had more than their fair share of shovelware, but the PS1 had considerably more games that have stood the test of time.

 

you're right. sorry, read that wrong at 7:30 in the morning lol

 

@Karsten If you feel F-Zero X is too detail lacking to be comparable to Wip3out, I guess Star Wars Episode 1 Racer on the N64 is a nice sample of something that goes a little faster with more details on the tracks and vehicles than F-Zero X had (though, the N64 port of that game was rather gimped in many ways). Anyway, in general, the average N64 game looks better than the average PS1 game. The main problem on the N64 certainly was textures, but the PS1 wasn't exactly pretty in the shoddy way it quickly slaps textures on a surface either. And to be realistic - PS1 textures weren't exactly pretty, at all, it was more a matter of art direction/style that saved it in some games. (Good models and/or textures tends to often save the day)

Surely price was also a major part of the deal (hence the comments about shovelware and the general double meaning behind the term "cheap")
(Also, RE2 N64 is a pretty nice sample of how space can be a non-issue. Or, well, they had to do a little bit of sacrificing, but nothing that would've been a problem hadn't the game been made for a disc based system. RE1 on NDS is also a rather nice port job, even though it's a little larger than RE2 N64 in size.)

 

You know why don't you? then everyone needs 4 wiimotes and 4 nunchucks. If they did a half decent online strategy you would only need 1 of each, 2 at the most.

 

some of the popular wii games let you play with just 2. Boom blox for example can be played sharing a wii mote IIRC. The wii sports series le

 

You are clearly in the minorty on that one.

I have owned game stores for over 10 years and I never heard this from a single person. I've heard some not liking the original Xbox duke controller. Some did and some didn't but I heard about it often. The N64s I heard about the analog stick and about it breaking some didn;t like the Z button placement either. But PS1 PS2 PS3 most customers enjoy the 1st party controller and it contines to sell well. Sometimes customers feel the 3rd party controllers with their hands and try to get one with a feel as close to the 1st party if they can't find one they pay extra for the Sony brand. I've never heard anyone say it was crap compared to any system. This is the general public mind you so for the most part just casual gamers but still this is a first for me.

 

Good point. They sold a ton of N64 controllers. Sometimes it was because the analog stick wore out but also for 4 player Mario Kart.

 

I can feel this slipping into the "favourite gamepad" debate which has been done here plenty before, but I'll pitch in another vote against the DualShock. Don't like the d-pad and I'd prefer six face buttons. I'd choose it over the N64 pad, though.

 

I don't know who invented the idea of D-pads without diagonals, but I do know I hate that person. The perfect controller would pretty much be the 360 one, except with the Saturn's D-pad and six face buttons aligned Saturn-style.

That's good for them, because their online really sucks? I mean, different friend codes for each game? I tried SSBB online a couple of times and it was a laggy disaster, if I could get into a game at all. However, Mario Kart Wii had relatively good online, too bad the game was meh.

 

You are clearly in the minorty on that one.

Im in that minority. Analog sticks are no good fro racing or shooting. The triggers were/arent very good either. Xbox S controller/X360 controller both had grat sticks and triggers, and felt more ergomomic to me.

Also, I only briefly owned a N64 and the blurrynes and framerate problems were a dealbreak. That and I was dissapointed in Ogre Battle 64, the reason I got the system in the first place.

 

while in this thread I have complained about Nintendo's Friend code for every game brawl no longer is a "laggy mess"...usually. I've had lag free matches.

Anyway I'm in the minority against the dual shock too. I hate the d-Pad with a passion.

The 360 with like, a saturn or SNES DPad with 6 face buttons = godlike.

I opened up an S controller and my 360 controller and swapped analog stick, the S had nicer ones IMO.

 

I don't play racing games because I am horrible no matter what controller I use but it seems the best selling racing games have been on the Playstation systems. Personally I do prefer the 360 to the PS3 for the shooters and like the controller for COD etc.

Isn't Gran Turismo the one everyone uses as a measuring stick?

 

I'm not a PSX-fan to be clear. I'm not someone that gives brand loyalty. But when I look at N64 games like the one in the picture there or many others these things seem to be true. N64 games tend to have more detailed objects, I seem to recall many more blocky looking models on PS1. But N64 tends to have that very blurry washed out/bland look which works well for some art styles but sucks for others. PS1 games tended to have pretty detailed textures compared to N64 games. But you either have to compare average games on each system or the best games on each system. The best models I've seen on N64 and PS1 leaves me to think that PS1 gets the job done nicer.

That's not coming from someone that had a PS1 since it came out. No I had a SNES and was waiting to get the money to get the Nintendo 64. And I did. I played most if not all of the big games for it. But I also got a Playstation at some point which I can't really believe anyone would take N64 over the PS1 atleast based on games but even based on capability.

First thing I think of is game selection. You can't deny PS1 had a greater selection of games. Alot of people just say, oh ya but PS1 had a million shitty games like Disney games. But I think if you picked out good PS1 games and good N64 games you will end up with a much bigger pile of games on the PS1 side. The PS1 also had some types of games the N64 had nothing to compare to.

Both systems had some gems that the other didn't have. I certainly enjoyed Cruisin USA on N64. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Star Fox. Wave Race. The Rogue Squadron game. But PS1 had Mega Man X4, Mega Man 8, Resident Evil, Castlevania SotN, Castlevania Chronicles, Soul Reaver, Strider 1&2, Street Fighter II, Alpha, Alpha 2, Alpha 3, Super SF2, Final Fantasy 1,2,4,5,6, Star Ocean, Gradius Gaiden, Diablo, it goes on. I really could keep going but there's no point. The N64 had too limited a selection in total and in types of games.

Perhaps the deciding factor for me, I have my PSOne hooked up still. It is hooked up by RGB to my Sony PVM. My N64, is in a box somewhere sitting. I did hook it up breifly to mess around with it but the charm seems gone. Another complaint I have about N64 was the Analog Stick. Too damn flimsy. Wears out and is a piece of shit after that.

 

Everyone's entitled to my opinion :110:

Seriously though, it's a matter of taste. You can't win an argument over subjective preference, and so can't I.

That said, see for yourself: How many of those great titles made a comeback on the PSstore (any region)?

Are the games as good as you remember them to be? Probably not.

FFVII has admittedly not aged well for example

The N64's main strength was 3D graphics. It pioneered the working standards for all 3D games to come. Goldeneye is such an example. Even if it was possible to pull off on the PSX (Quake 2 was,with local 4 player multi, but that's a rare case) it was a combination of the controller (And its multiple schemes, including holding dual stick by holding two controllers) and the hardware that made the end result what it was. Ocarina of time, often hailed as the "best game evah", and of course GTA3's grand daddy.. BODY HARVEST!

If it weren't for body harvest GTAIII might have looked different.

All the examples of good games you mention on the PS1 are evolved versions of either 2D games or archaic 3D games. Camera control, 360 degrees of freedom etc didn't hit the PS1 until much later in its lifetime.

The PS1 trumped the N64 in the RPG section but so what? I rarely, if ever, touch that sort of game.

I really wish someone would make a worthy 3D platformer nowadays. Banjo blew it last time, although it had the graphical potential

 

There's a point where claims about the subjectivity of personal taste become bullshit, though. I could say I prefer the Game.com's lineup to the PS1, you'd call me on it, and you'd be right. I'm obviously not saying the N64 is as bad as the Game.com, but again: outside of the dozen or so genuine classics, the N64 really doesn't have shit. We can do that "agree to disagree" thing if you like, though

I've only really known the PS1 as an adult, so... yeah? I spent more time with the N64 as a teenager, but mostly I was on PCs. The first 3D era of consoles is something I discovered after it was over.

No argument there.

 

I'll keep that in mind the next time I want to play some game 4 player on my couch at home.

What I've learned from this thread so far, regarding what's to be considered consumer friendly and such, is;
(4xTVs + 4xConsole + 4xControllers) is cheaper than (1xTV + 1xConsole + 4xControllers)


Of course, there's no denying that the Wii's online system is a tad bit wonky. But fortunately, every system has an ID of its own that you can send messages between (providing both people have each other as friends). Though, I guess there should've been a better system for people who already have eachother in the address book to hook up with eachother in games they both have (Without having to once more share a second set of game specific codes). But at the end of the day, online multiplayer is not a substitute for local multiplayer (unless you just hate socially interacting with people within a close proximity or don't have any gamer friends... or want to play with friends far-far-away. Of course, there's also great fun to be had in LANs, but it sure as hell makes the living room LAN easier if I can have 8-16 people over and only need 4 setups, not 16.)

 

You managed to miss the point entirely.
(1xTV + 1xConsole + 1xController) for each of 4 friends is more appealing than (1xTV + 1xConsole + 4xControllers) for each of 4 friends.
Surely that doesn't take much explanation. If each person only needs what they need on their own whilst still playing with the same people, rather than having to provide for everyone every time, then that's cheaper for all involved.

I'm not saying this is better. I'd rather play games with friends in the same room (with the exception of the few 360 games I play online where I'd rather have my entire screen and communicate via headset). In terms of cost, though, this makes a damn sight more sense.

 

On the topic of PS1 graphics, I've always wondered about the jittery-pixel syndrome. Does anyone know why every single hyperactive pixel on the screen seemingly must jump all over the place, even while there's no motion? It's most noticeable on a PSone connected to the official flip-up LCD screen, I think.