Why GC is more "powerful" than XBox

[Diff-chan]

Except of course you cant just say a*b*c = this or that when talking about processors. It just doesnt work like that. It's junk math like that that Atari used to try to say the Jaguar was really 64-bit and thus better than PSX or Saturn. It sounds good to people who dont know anything but if the power of either system could be computed as simply as the way kbuchanan described the arguments would never take place.

Here is a small quote on Anandtech that talks about that:

The PowerPC architecture is a 64-bit architecture with a 32-bit subset which in the case of the Gekko processor, is what is used. The CPU supports 32-bit addresses and features two 32-bit Integer ALUs; separate to that is a 64-bit FPU that is capable of working on either 64-bit floats or two 32-bit floats using its thirty two 64-bit FP registers. This abundance of operating registers is mirrored in the 32 General Purpose Registers (GPRs) that the processor has, dwarfing the Xbox's x86-limited offering (8 GPRs).

(emphasis added)

And another, from the same story:

In terms of raw performance, the Celeron 733 (4-way set associative L2) will outperform the PowerPC 750 running at 500MHz in any of the synthetic benchmarks we've seen. We can only assume that a 733MHz CPU with a 133MHz FSB and 8-way set associative L2 cache would only be faster than the Gekko giving the Xbox the CPU performance advantage.

Anyway, ultimately all of this stuff is specs, and you cant spell speculation without "spec". You gotta look at the games, and the Xbox games are better looking.

As for the CISC vs. RISC thing... its the same thing Apple people used to say when their chips were drastically slower and underpowered compared to PC offerings, so I dont buy that stuff.

[burgundy]

I never trip over my Wavebird wires.

And the breakaway Xbox cords have got to be the dumbest console "innovation" in quite some time.

[MarkRyan]

I'm curious about what games have the best graphics on each respective system, according to you guys? I'd say...

PS2: Zone of the Enders 2, Gran Turismo
GameCube: Resident Evil / Resident Evil Ø
Xbox: Splinter Cell ?? (Haven't played anything recent on Xbox since Wolfenstein...)

[MarkRyan]

I'm curious about what games have the best graphics on each respective system, according to you guys? I'd say...

PS2: Zone of the Enders 2, Gran Turismo
GameCube: Resident Evil / Resident Evil Ø
Xbox: Splinter Cell ?? (Haven't played anything recent on Xbox since Wolfenstein...)

I think Capcom's art on the Resident Evil games is far away the most amazing thing that any video game has ever dared to approach.

[Diff-chan]

I never trip over my Wavebird wires.

I never trip over my Xbox wires, either. I think it has something to do with me not being retarded.

[Damian79]

I never trip over my Xbox wires, either. I think it has something to do with me not being retarded.

While it is probably hard to trip over wires when you only a few controllers, but when you get over 4 controller wires intertwining to create some sort of wire mini jungle, sometimes good acrobatic skills are required. Not to mention the patience of a chess master to untangle it.

[Nash]

I'm curious about what games have the best graphics on each respective system, according to you guys? I'd say...

PS2: Zone of the Enders 2, Gran Turismo
GameCube: Resident Evil / Resident Evil Ø
Xbox: Splinter Cell ?? (Haven't played anything recent on Xbox since Wolfenstein...)

I think Capcom's art on the Resident Evil games is far away the most amazing thing that any video game has ever dared to approach.

if you meant "resident evil" as in "metroid prime," then you are correct.

[Tracer]

The proof is in the pudding. I remember Mode7 saying that a long while ago.

[MarkRyan]

if you meant "resident evil" as in "metroid prime," then you are correct.

As good looking as Metroid Prime is, there's not nearly half the style in the art as in Capcom's GameCube Resident Evil games. They are simply stunning. More beautifully eerie atmosphere than anything else.

[Tracer]

If art made raw graphics better then Dreamcast would still be considered widely technologically viable based on its current library alone. It's not though. In any case, I think Resident Evil is far from stunning and certianly not beautiful. Despite its style I also call it boring and monotonous.