i own Xbox, GC, PS2 and i rank them so:
Xbox > GC >>>> PS2
xbox has the most hardware potential. has many of the best games. has the best controller (s controller). and is just all around best. about its only downside is that the xbox itself is too big, and i wish the top were flat so i could stack stuff on it.
gc comes in second in terms of hardware, as its graphic capability can nearly match the xbox. games are the gamecubes biggest strength and weakness as it has more good exclusives than any of the other systems (nintendo classics from mario, zelda, metroid) but not much else. the tiny cubeness of the cube makes it the best system physically
ps2 is my least used system. almost all good ps2 games can be found on the xbox, except they are better on the xbox, so why would i spend $50 for an inferior version of the same game? ps2 hardware seems like the cheapest too and has a reputation of breaking. graphics are a very distant second to xbox/gc. its got two things going for it: it dominates in game selection with like 3x the games of the xbox and gc put together. this is not much of a factor for me though as imo most of those games are crap, and the good ones end up on xbox or gc anyway. the real reason to get a ps2 is for rpgs, most notably square enix (final fantasy?). the ps2 is ugly, the only good thing about it physically is you can stack stuff on it! the gc is flat but the cd is on top so no stacking
game selection (quantity):
PS2 >>>> Xbox >> GC
game selection (quality):
Xbox > GC > PS2
controller:
Xbox > PS2 > GC
the xbox s controller has the perfect size, ergonomics, build quality, and button placement. the old gigantic xbox controller was the worst of all, but the option for a larger controller if someone likes it is nice. the ps2 controller feels kind of cheapy (except for the rubber sticks), too small, and not very ergonomic, but its easy to get a hang of thanks to standard button placement. the gc controller is a little two small but more ergonomic than the ps2, i like it the least because they had to mess with the diamond button placement everyone is used to from snes, n64, psx, dreamcast, ps2, xbox. if i played the gc more though, im sure i would get more used to it.
play time:
Xbox >>> GC > PS2
both in single and multiplay the Xbox dominates. for multiplay Halo is still unchallenged. GC has Crystal Chronicles, Monkey Ball and Mario Kart. the PS2 has... only two controller ports!! sony, even the N64 had 4 controller ports what were you thinking with the multitap? on the flip side, Xboxs ability to hook up 4 consoles at a time via network cable for 16 players is fantastic. GC can do this too but not nearly enough games support it
i dont play much online console, but Xbox Live! is clearly the best. unfortunately it also costs $$ whereas PS2 online is free. other than that PS2s only other advantage was that it had EA (Madden Football?), but in 2005 EA will support Xbox live also. both have tons of people playing online. you can also use gamespy to play Xbox online for some games. GC has no official online play, but the fan-made WarpPipe program supposedly lets you play online. im sure it works fine but ive never used it
for single play things are closer, Final Fantasy can take up a lot of time on PS2. so can Halo and Tom Clancy games, Ninja Gaiden, Lord of the Rings, Football, and Kotor on Xbox. GC has Mario Sun, Metroid, Zelda, Star Wars Rogue, etc.
graphics:
Xbox > GC >>>> PS2
Xbox can do 1080i on an HDTV (in certain games). enough said. GC is capable of progressive scan output. PS2 can do progressive too, but not nearly enough games support it. Xbox barely beats out GC in graphic capability, but it does beat it. PS2 is so ugly by comparison its not funny. that said u can find ugly and pretty games on all the systems.
sound:
Xbox > PS2 > GC
Xbox and PS2 can both do optical dolby digital 5.1 surround sound. GC can only do prologic via normal red/white RCA cables (its still surround sound...). likely though, you wont notice the difference btween any of them as they all do a good job
modding?
Xbox is the best one to mod. with its harddrive you can turn it into a PC. you can download games and store them on a 250GB HD in your modded xbox. PS2 can also be successfully modded and maybe with the new PS2 HD can perform similar feats as the Xbox, but i think thats still a ways a way. the Xbox and PS2 both use normal DVDs so it makes "backing up" games easy (i buy all my games, this is just an extra note fyi), but GC's awesome and cute tiny DVDs probably makes such an endeavor more difficult. i really dont know much about GC modding, but im pretty sure its much more difficult if not impossible and probably less useful
wireless controllers?
this is a tough call for me. in general, i hate 3rd part stuff, so the Nintendo wavebird as the only 1st party control would have to get my nod. its well built, works great, and has got nothing but good reviews. but its lack of rumble feature drives me crazy. how hard would it have been to put a switch to turn rumble on/off and let me choose battery conservation or not?
logitech makes some nice controllers for PS2 and Xbox, perhaps of even better build quality than the 1st party stuff and wireless technology that equals or surpasses the wavebird, and rumble!. unfortunately, the ergonomics of the logitech Xbox controller dont nearly match that of the s controller. and ive heard that the Xbox live headphones wont work with it.
the PS2 logitech probably is the best of the wireless controllers in that it doesnt have much to live up to in the original PS2 controllers. the original PS2 controllers arent outstandingly ergonomic to begin with, and there are no special expansion ports to replicate, and the logitech controllers have rumble. that said, all the logitech wireless controls are ridiculous expensive for that kind of product. i would stay away from madcatz/pelican controls or any other third party. yea they prolly work, but they feel cheap.
purchase order:
1. ps2
2. gc
3. xbox
i bought PS2 first because it came out first. no but really, i bought it mainly because of Final Fantasy IX. i had never owned a PSX and i played FF7 and 8 on the computer. when it became apparent that FF9 was not coming to computer, i bought me a PS2. the fact that PS2 could play PSX games was a plus, as i could finally catch up on all those PSX games that i had missed. in the process i discovered the best console available at the time (before you jump on me, i own a Dreamcast too, but it was already doomed) and had a great time playing it for the year when Nintendos only answer was still the N64
when the Xbox and GC came out close together, i viewed the Xbox as a MS dreamcast-like-flop waiting to happen. when Rogue Squadron for GC came out with what seemed to be the best graphics i had seen in a game so far, i had to get one. and the promise of new Marios and Zeldas for a kid who grew up on Nintendo was a plus too. i stopped buying new games for PS2, and aside from FFs and some other RPGs, all my play time went to GC.
a year later the Xbox fianlly started gaining popularity. there was no specific specific game that made me buy an Xbox (i hadnt played Halo yet). it was a simple matter of my demanding tastes. many good games (like Bond, Madden, LotR, Soul Caliber, Star Wars flying games, Splinter Cell) were coming out on multiple systems, but they were always, at least slightly, better on the Xbox. games cost the same for all three consoles, so why not spend the same and get a better version of the game for Xbox? thus, my first half dozen games were games available on multiple systems. it was only later that i discovered the Xbox hardware potential meant some great exclusives, first and foremost among them being Halo. since then, 80% of my console time is with the Xbox
if Square's exclusivity with Sony is nearing an end (as FF Crystal Chronicles suggests), then there will be almost no reason to buy a PS2 imo. many of the good once exclusive PS2 games (like Grand Theft Auto, and Metal Gear Solid) have made their way onto other consoles. the PS2 is the most redundant of the three, imo. sure it has the most games, but how many of those are worth getting? the Xbox and GC have their fair share of exclusives too. when it comes to GOOD exclusives, they are all probably pretty even though. so deciding which one you want is just a matter of choosing which exclusives matter to you most. then decide what other features matter to you: graphics, multiplay (online, lan, 4-player), controllers, the box itself...
~Zippy!