Wednesday, October 13, 2004
XBOX - update part 2 of 2
A few months ago, I posted a question on the blog, about whether or not it’s worth it, to spend certain amounts to get different games and whatever. Anyway, the subject has come up again, but with a lot more thought put into it.
XBOX. To Get? Or Not To Get? That is the question. So, this second part of today’s update is an analysis of the xbox situation, why I should get it, why I shouldn’t get it, etc. and hopefully you can comment on it and post your opinion. At first, I was thinking I should just get it and surprise everyone, but after some pondering, and not having any stores open on Monday, I decided to wait it out at least for a bit, and get people’s input on this. Not to mention the large amounts of money I just spent on magic cards, and the expensive Swiss Chalet dinner I had the other day, which would usually make a person want to spend less for the next little while…
I think Wen’s the most… surprisable with this, since he’s the one that wants the xbox the most, or, he wants someone in the group to get an xbox the most. But I don’t think he reads this blog too often, so I don’t think he’ll get to this part :P So maybe it’ll still be a surprise for him, as long as nobody mentions it to him. So don’t tell him :P
Anyway, so here’s an analysis, in no particular order.
--------- analysis
… So… it’s an XBOX. Microsoft’s big system, etc. – few years ago, I wouldn’t have considered buying an xbox. Is it a different story now? Well, let’s say I can’t wait for PS3 or Xbox next, so we won’t even consider that. We have had a gamecube for a while, and it’s not losing its stamina yet. PS2 has a bunch of good games, but lots of people have them, so is it worth buying a PS2? Nobody really has an xbox. So… should we be the first?
First of all, I’m not buying it for $200. I wanna make use of EB’s ‘trade in 5 games (GC, PS2, or Xbox) and get $100 bucks off an xbox, ps2, or gc’ deal. In other words, I have to find 5 gamecube games which I don’t play anymore, which I want to sell for $20 each. Restrictions apply, so I have to figure out what those are, but let’s assume there aren’t any.
So let’s say I find 5 games, and then the xbox is $100, comes with a controller. For now, we’ll buy another controller ($40), so we’ll have two. Eventually we might need controllers 3 and 4, but that comes later.
-------dvd
And let’s say that I actually do want a dvd player for the basement; so, we’ll buy the dvd remote for $40 too. Theoretically, if I were willing to buy a dvd player for $70, then I can subtract that from the price of the xbox, which comes now to $110. So, that means, the ‘upgrade’ to play xbox games, is $110. It’s like I can already play all these gamecube games, but then I have to upgrade my cube to play xbox games, and that upgrade is $110.
“Why don’t they just make an accessory for the PS2 which IS an xbox? They can put it on the PS2 and play games on that. That’s basically where they’re headed anyway.” – Penny Arcade (in reference to PS2 harddrive upgrade to play FFXI)
Note that if we were to buy a PS2, it’ll also cost a theoretical $110, which is the $100, + $40 controller, and instead of a dvd remote (cuz it is a dvd player), you require a $40 memory card (because it doesn’t have that, and xbox already does have memory). So both of them cost the same.
----------sell games
So… let’s backtrack now, to the original $100, or the 5 games. Is it worth it? Well, we’re not playing these games anymore. Say, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Sunshine, NFL Blitz, F-Zero GX, and… some other game. Isaque will be crushed because of F-Zero GX, but oh well. Maybe we can sell 4 games and buy it for $120.
Anyway, say we try to sell them; we won’t get more than $20 for Luigi’s Mansion, nor NFL Blitz 2002, nor F-Zero GX, since they’re now like, $30 in stores, right? Same with Mario Sunshine, not sure who’d buy it for a lot. So, getting $20 for each is good, and if we were gonna buy an xbox anyway, this is the best way to get rid of them.
At the same time, we should try to sell some SNES games. I doubt EB buys them, but Microplay might. But that’s a different story. We can sell Wrestle Mania, NBA Jam TE, Starwars, Stunt Race FX, Adventures of Batman and Robin, and… 3 other games whose names elude my mind right now… Same goes with Dreamcast games, since most of them are real games too…
At the current time, EB’s having some tiny deal; if you buy an xbox and an accessory in October, you get Magic Battlegrounds or Unreal II free. So we’ll have at least one game when we first buy the system… not sure if it’s worth it now, or if the price of the Xbox will drop around Xmas.
---- other factors
And then there are other factors, such as portability. We bring the gamecube wherever we need to; stick it in a backpack with all the connections, and that’s it. The Xbox is a different story – it’s not portable. It will most likely stay in either our place in Waterloo or our place in Mississauga for most of the time. So that’s a drawback. (this is also part of the reason why I’m not selling gc burnout 2 to get xbox burnout 2, even though it’s better)
Also, the XBOX is cool. But is it fun? I can play Smash Melee over and over again, but can I do so with certain xbox games? Is it fun? It’s cool. I can play some FPS games here and there, couple hours a day, but will it really be fun over time? Will it be fun? I need a fun system.
Last but not least, back to the price, and onto the games. So we’ve settled that the upgrade price is $110, or much higher if we buy games that can support 3-4 players. For now, assume $110.
You can say this $110 is a lump-sum fee, paid down right now, and that’s it. You can say that the xbox life is say, at least 2 years, so every month I’m paying $5 to own the xbox. But, the best way to probably do it, is to spread it over games.
That is, if I’m only buying 1 game, then technically the game costs me the game price, + $110. If I’m buying 5 games, each game costs an additional $22, and if I’m buying 10 games, each game costs an additional $11. So, technically I’m valuing the xbox at 0 dollars, and just splitting the cost of the xbox over each game that I will buy on that system. This $22 or $11 is the cost I’m paying to play that game. Also note that typically, xbox games are already more expensive than gamecube games.
----- Games!
So, to make the most of my xbox, I have to buy the most games. So… big question… what games do I want?
Halo. Halo 2. Burnout 3. That’s 3 games. Of course, during my pondering, I look around for reviews and other xbox games that might interest me. Bioware is making a game called Jade Empire, which… might be interesting. 2005. So let’s pretend I want that game :P There are a bunch of old games, but we have to pick and choose the ones we want. Say, if DOA3 was really cheap, let’s say I want that, hehe.
I don’t want MGS 2 Substance, not sure about the GTA’s, and some of those other games. Ninja Gaiden’s famously good, so let’s say I get that, and I’d like to try out Guilty Gear XX2, or X2, or XX, or whatever it is. Gotta rent Fable and some other famous games.
Maybe we’ll buy some more 4-player games, and then we’ll need 2 more controllers, and then it’ll just get more expensive. Also, for now, I have to check in to see if they have xbox packages, maybe including Halo or Sega GT or Jet Grind Radio or whatever they have. Anyway, I’m just rambling now…
So let’s say I named 7 games, and maybe we’ll find more used games and future games, so that rounds to 10 games. Each game has an additional cost of $11 to make up for the xbox, or, if we buy 2 more controllers, maybe it’s $19 more per game. I sure hope we don’t need to replace controllers…
----- end
I haven’t asked the other people in the house yet. Not sure what they think. Anyway, will they like these games? Or are these games just for me? I’m not asking if they should pay money, but it’ll be more fun if they enjoy the games. Alan would enjoy Halo and Halo 2 (note that we’re buying Halo if it’s cheap, so we can play Co-op); Jason and all of us should enjoy Burnout 3. Jade Empire’s like an RPG, so that’ll be fun. DOA3 is just silly. Ninja Gaiden should be good, and Guity Gear XX should bring some good pleasure. Are there any other games we’re missing? Isaque? Any awesome mechgames? Murakumo? Any more action games? Otogi? Horror games? Fatal Frame? Other racing games? Project Gotham? Midnight club?
Anyway, so that’s it so far… that’s my analysis. So it’s not $200, it’s $110 after some stuff. And I want the dvd player, so we’ll have more fun in waterloo… I think. We can invite people over for movies and stuff. And watch Family Guy. And CSI. And Futurama. And stuff. But I digress. Post comments. If you want me to get an xbox, say so, and then maybe I’ll buy it sooner. If it’s not a wise idea, maybe I’ll be stubborn and just buy it later, or I can be passive and just… not buy it. We’ll see what happens.
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A few months ago, I posted a question on the blog, about whether or not it’s worth it, to spend certain amounts to get different games and whatever. Anyway, the subject has come up again, but with a lot more thought put into it. XBOX. To Get? Or Not To Get? That is the question. So, this second part of today’s update is an analysis of the xbox situation, why I should get it, why I shouldn’t get it, etc. and hopefully you can comment on it and post your opinion. At first, I was thinking I should just get it and surprise everyone, but after some pondering, and not having any stores open on Monday, I decided to wait it out at least for a bit, and get people’s input on this. Not to mention the large amounts of money I just spent on magic cards, and the expensive Swiss Chalet dinner I had the other day, which would usually make a person want to spend less for the next little while… I think Wen’s the most… surprisable with this, since he’s the one that wants the xbox the most, or, he wants someone in the group to get an xbox the most. But I don’t think he reads this blog too often, so I don’t think he’ll get to this part :P So maybe it’ll still be a surprise for him, as long as nobody mentions it to him. So don’t tell him :P Anyway, so here’s an analysis, in no particular order. --------- analysis … So… it’s an XBOX. Microsoft’s big system, etc. – few years ago, I wouldn’t have considered buying an xbox. Is it a different story now? Well, let’s say I can’t wait for PS3 or Xbox next, so we won’t even consider that. We have had a gamecube for a while, and it’s not losing its stamina yet. PS2 has a bunch of good games, but lots of people have them, so is it worth buying a PS2? Nobody really has an xbox. So… should we be the first? First of all, I’m not buying it for $200. I wanna make use of EB’s ‘trade in 5 games (GC, PS2, or Xbox) and get $100 bucks off an xbox, ps2, or gc’ deal. In other words, I have to find 5 gamecube games which I don’t play anymore, which I want to sell for $20 each. Restrictions apply, so I have to figure out what those are, but let’s assume there aren’t any. So let’s say I find 5 games, and then the xbox is $100, comes with a controller. For now, we’ll buy another controller ($40), so we’ll have two. Eventually we might need controllers 3 and 4, but that comes later. -------dvd And let’s say that I actually do want a dvd player for the basement; so, we’ll buy the dvd remote for $40 too. Theoretically, if I were willing to buy a dvd player for $70, then I can subtract that from the price of the xbox, which comes now to $110. So, that means, the ‘upgrade’ to play xbox games, is $110. It’s like I can already play all these gamecube games, but then I have to upgrade my cube to play xbox games, and that upgrade is $110. “Why don’t they just make an accessory for the PS2 which IS an xbox? They can put it on the PS2 and play games on that. That’s basically where they’re headed anyway.” – Penny Arcade (in reference to PS2 harddrive upgrade to play FFXI) Note that if we were to buy a PS2, it’ll also cost a theoretical $110, which is the $100, + $40 controller, and instead of a dvd remote (cuz it is a dvd player), you require a $40 memory card (because it doesn’t have that, and xbox already does have memory). So both of them cost the same. ----------sell games So… let’s backtrack now, to the original $100, or the 5 games. Is it worth it? Well, we’re not playing these games anymore. Say, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Sunshine, NFL Blitz, F-Zero GX, and… some other game. Isaque will be crushed because of F-Zero GX, but oh well. Maybe we can sell 4 games and buy it for $120. Anyway, say we try to sell them; we won’t get more than $20 for Luigi’s Mansion, nor NFL Blitz 2002, nor F-Zero GX, since they’re now like, $30 in stores, right? Same with Mario Sunshine, not sure who’d buy it for a lot. So, getting $20 for each is good, and if we were gonna buy an xbox anyway, this is the best way to get rid of them. At the same time, we should try to sell some SNES games. I doubt EB buys them, but Microplay might. But that’s a different story. We can sell Wrestle Mania, NBA Jam TE, Starwars, Stunt Race FX, Adventures of Batman and Robin, and… 3 other games whose names elude my mind right now… Same goes with Dreamcast games, since most of them are real games too… At the current time, EB’s having some tiny deal; if you buy an xbox and an accessory in October, you get Magic Battlegrounds or Unreal II free. So we’ll have at least one game when we first buy the system… not sure if it’s worth it now, or if the price of the Xbox will drop around Xmas. ---- other factors And then there are other factors, such as portability. We bring the gamecube wherever we need to; stick it in a backpack with all the connections, and that’s it. The Xbox is a different story – it’s not portable. It will most likely stay in either our place in Waterloo or our place in Mississauga for most of the time. So that’s a drawback. (this is also part of the reason why I’m not selling gc burnout 2 to get xbox burnout 2, even though it’s better) Also, the XBOX is cool. But is it fun? I can play Smash Melee over and over again, but can I do so with certain xbox games? Is it fun? It’s cool. I can play some FPS games here and there, couple hours a day, but will it really be fun over time? Will it be fun? I need a fun system. Last but not least, back to the price, and onto the games. So we’ve settled that the upgrade price is $110, or much higher if we buy games that can support 3-4 players. For now, assume $110. You can say this $110 is a lump-sum fee, paid down right now, and that’s it. You can say that the xbox life is say, at least 2 years, so every month I’m paying $5 to own the xbox. But, the best way to probably do it, is to spread it over games. That is, if I’m only buying 1 game, then technically the game costs me the game price, + $110. If I’m buying 5 games, each game costs an additional $22, and if I’m buying 10 games, each game costs an additional $11. So, technically I’m valuing the xbox at 0 dollars, and just splitting the cost of the xbox over each game that I will buy on that system. This $22 or $11 is the cost I’m paying to play that game. Also note that typically, xbox games are already more expensive than gamecube games. ----- Games! So, to make the most of my xbox, I have to buy the most games. So… big question… what games do I want? Halo. Halo 2. Burnout 3. That’s 3 games. Of course, during my pondering, I look around for reviews and other xbox games that might interest me. Bioware is making a game called Jade Empire, which… might be interesting. 2005. So let’s pretend I want that game :P There are a bunch of old games, but we have to pick and choose the ones we want. Say, if DOA3 was really cheap, let’s say I want that, hehe. I don’t want MGS 2 Substance, not sure about the GTA’s, and some of those other games. Ninja Gaiden’s famously good, so let’s say I get that, and I’d like to try out Guilty Gear XX2, or X2, or XX, or whatever it is. Gotta rent Fable and some other famous games. Maybe we’ll buy some more 4-player games, and then we’ll need 2 more controllers, and then it’ll just get more expensive. Also, for now, I have to check in to see if they have xbox packages, maybe including Halo or Sega GT or Jet Grind Radio or whatever they have. Anyway, I’m just rambling now… So let’s say I named 7 games, and maybe we’ll find more used games and future games, so that rounds to 10 games. Each game has an additional cost of $11 to make up for the xbox, or, if we buy 2 more controllers, maybe it’s $19 more per game. I sure hope we don’t need to replace controllers… ----- end I haven’t asked the other people in the house yet. Not sure what they think. Anyway, will they like these games? Or are these games just for me? I’m not asking if they should pay money, but it’ll be more fun if they enjoy the games. Alan would enjoy Halo and Halo 2 (note that we’re buying Halo if it’s cheap, so we can play Co-op); Jason and all of us should enjoy Burnout 3. Jade Empire’s like an RPG, so that’ll be fun. DOA3 is just silly. Ninja Gaiden should be good, and Guity Gear XX should bring some good pleasure. Are there any other games we’re missing? Isaque? Any awesome mechgames? Murakumo? Any more action games? Otogi? Horror games? Fatal Frame? Other racing games? Project Gotham? Midnight club? Anyway, so that’s it so far… that’s my analysis. So it’s not $200, it’s $110 after some stuff. And I want the dvd player, so we’ll have more fun in waterloo… I think. We can invite people over for movies and stuff. And watch Family Guy. And CSI. And Futurama. And stuff. But I digress. Post comments. If you want me to get an xbox, say so, and then maybe I’ll buy it sooner. If it’s not a wise idea, maybe I’ll be stubborn and just buy it later, or I can be passive and just… not buy it. We’ll see what happens. |