Dreamcast vs Playstation 2 vs Gamecube vs Xbox

Xbox > Gamecube > Dreamcast > PS2

It's very close between Xbox and Gamecube, and I think Gamecube has stood the test of time better, but during that generation, I think I got a little more enjoyment out of my Xbox since it was my primary system for multiplats.

Dreamcast was amazing during it's short lifespan, but since it was only active for a year and a half, I can't rank it any higher than third. If it would have lasted the entire generation, it might have ended up being my favorite.

Playstation 2 was easily the console that I got the least enjoyment out of that generation. It was the least innovative, I hated the controller, it had the weakest exclusive library for my taste, and it always had worst versions of multiplats than Gamecube and Xbox so there was never any reason for me to buy any multiplat on my PS2.

PS2, because that was what I had/have, only until recently I have purchased GC and Xbox, I´m seriously thinking about getting a Hello Kitty Dreamcast for my daughter because it´s cute.

Xbox > Dreamcast > GameCube > PS2

Gamecube>xbox>dreamcast>ps2

It was very close between the gamecube and xbox though.

Xbox, followed closely by Gamecube.

Both are still 2 of my favourite consoles I've owned.

PS2 > GameCube > Dreamcast > Xbox

PS2 easily. It had the games. Multiplats sucked but who got that system for the multiplats?

Dreamcast was the last console with arcade style gaming as a focus. That's not to say I don't enjoy large, immersive games, but simple, goofy, fun games are the ones I come back to over and over. Powerstone, Chu Chu Rocket, Project Justice, they don't make 'em like that anymore. *Hobbles away with walker to nearest Deny's*

Gamecube had the best games and controller. PS2 had shit video and recycled psx controllers.

With so much support from Sega on the original Xbox, I kind of always viewed the Xbox as an extension of the Dreamcast. Similar games, similar controller, emphasis on bringing online gaming to consoles. So for that I'd go Dreamcast > Xbox > PS2 > Gamecube, with the Dreamcast and Xbox as more of a 1a and 1b than 1 and 2.

Despite owning all four at some point in the past, I played most on the GC so will go with that.

I'm gonna go with Dreamcast cause it had so many great awesome games that I enjoy and it had the shortest life-spend of any console.

Dreamcast>Xbox>Gamecube>PS2.

PlayStation 2 is my favorite 6th generation console since I have the most games for it. 279 games followed by Xbox and then the Gamecube. I have never had the Sega Dreamcast since it was only on the market for 18 months. But in that short time it sold 10.60 million consoles worldwide. Compared to the Wii U which in 3 years on the market has just sold 10.73 million consoles, only 0.13 million more than Sega Dreamcast.

So I may have to try Sega Dreamcast one day. if nothing else to compete the 6th generation of consoles. I still have my PlayStation 2, Original Xbox and Gamecube consoles and games for each.

Gamecube, with the Dreamcast a close second (and I only just got one last year)

I just can't bring myself to love the PS2. The biggest thing that made it successful was the DVD drive, which allowed Sony to sell it to people who saw gaming as a "bonus". Considering how weak it was power-wise, it really was the Wii of that gen, except it did appeal to more hardcore gamers with 3rd party support and lack of motion "gimmick".

In terms of hardware, the PS2 was the most poorly designed console that generation.

But the PS2 eventually more than made up for it with the best software library of that generation.

I didn't have a PS2 but had more fun with DC than Xbox. DC had some epic games. Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue...what a great system.

Hmm...

The Sega Dreamcast - Its a pretty fun little system to own. Probably the last system to use CD-ish media (I know it uses GD-ROM). It's pretty good at being a party system. It also probably has the world's loudest optical drive in a home console. Sometimes it sounds like a dot-matrix printer at times.

Nintendo GameCube - Hands down, the best party machine out of the group. IMO the most comfy controller design. Since it was more powerful than the DC and PS2, some people even say that it had enough grunt to compete with the Xbox. We'll never really know.

Sony Playstation 2 - This console had the most favorable exclusives to my liking. Besides it having a DVD-ROM drive, everything else about it was kinda piss-poor in the hardware department. Iirc, didn't Sony get their asses sued for putting in really shitty optical drives in the early units?

Microsoft Xbox - While it may not have the most exclusives that are my cup of tea, it was the best with multi-plats (Except with NFS: HP 2). But what sets it apart from the rest was that it was a total BEAST when it came to both hardware and software modifications. Easily the most fun console of the generation to tinker around with.

My verdict: Draw.

Great post, @Metallic_Blade, I was going to post something similar. Objective points like yours aside, my irrational ranking is probably Dreamcast>PS2>XBox>GC, but that's really sentiment based on hard to define points.

One thing I'm unsure of is your point about PS2 being piss-poor in the hardware dept? Was pretty crazy tech when it came out - PC power in a little box with all sorts of interface and expansion options plus the DVD-Drive as you noted. Probably the biggest weakness in its hardware, IMO, was lack of packed-in internet interface. The fact that it was backwards compatible was a huge bonus as well. After multiple failed XBox disc drives, I'm disinclined to single Sony out specifically on bad drive hardware - but you are correct, the lasers were notorious for weakening over time (mine has)

Seems like I'm just like you with both my PS2 and Xbox. My first PS2 could not be played anymore because the lasers were no longer reading the game discs anymore. It was four years old at the time and I sold it and got another PS2 which was in better quality and even after 11 years it still works great compared to my first PS2 which only lasted for 4 years.

And as for the Xbox, it had some issues with overheating which causes it to shutdown sometimes and games freezing as well, and I remember Microsoft sending me a new power cord because at the time the old ones were known to cause fire hazards and Microsoft had to recall them and give out new ones to people who had the original ones. My old never never causes any fire thank goodness but I still replaced it with the one that Microsoft gave me. The Gamecube from what I understand had the least problems compared to the PS2 and Xbox I think.

Xbox simply for Halo CE,Ghost Recon Island Thunder,Splinter Cell ...PS2 for SSX and Tricky,UT,SOCOM,GT3...Gamecube..then Dreamcast..

Even though Ghost Recon was gimped on xbox in comparison to the pc version, people that owned the xbox were generally excited to play online. Very positive experiences with Ghost Recon on xbox, even with its short comings.

I agree with this, they are all good for their own reasons.

I dont see how the DC is still so favorited. Is it the memories had with the machine or the games? Weren't most of its best games ported to the other 6 gen consoles?

Most of all the old systems' good games have since been ported to other systems after their demise.

@xantufrog: But why would anyon prefer the dc for games that are on these other systems? The dc is in the same gen as the other 3 systems.

I dunno - probably in part the feeling of "authenticity" we cling to when we choose to play old games on cartridge instead of on PC. Plus I do think the fact that they are the same "gen" is made a bit more complicated by the fact that the DC was dead basically when the others were born. It's almost (although not TECHNICALLY) like it was in its own little awkward space in time. The great games from DC that showed up on XBox etc did so because the DC was already dead in most cases (especially in the case of Sega property)

The PS2 was even more powerful than a high-end PC upon release, and in certain ways, more powerful than even the Xbox and GameCube. The PS2 had the highest framebuffer bandwidth and translucent fillrate of any home system during 2000-2001 (excluding the arcades). The PS2 could also push about as many raw polygons as the Xbox and GameCube. And since it had a higher fillrate than both, the PS2 could pull off better particle effects.

But the problem with the PS2 is that its hardware design was very inefficient. It lacked a lot of hardware graphical features that even the N64 had, let alone the Dreamcast. The PS2 lacked basic features like hardware anti-aliasing and texture compression, which meant that it could barely push more textured polygons than the Dreamcast, and had worse texture quality than the Dreamcast. The PS2 also lacked hardware bump mapping, which all three other consoles that generation were capable of. The PS2 was also notoriously difficult to program for third-party developers. The PS2's online capabilities were worse than the Dreamcast & Xbox and no better than the GameCube. The PS2 only had two controller ports, whereas all three other consoles had four controller ports. The PS2 was powerful, but there were a lot of things wrong with the PS2 hardware.

Which may have mattered back then in anticipation of titles, but today we know the games that got released for all of them so it's really just about that. I already have an Xbox and DC but if not and I were going to purchase any of them today it would be Gamecube.

I agree with this.

Dreamcast all day every day.

Why does a game site show dreamcast as incorrectly spelled?

GameCube by far.

PS2 > DC > GC > X

PS2 had fun first party and great third party support.

Dreamcast was great but short lived.

Gamecube had RE Remake, Zelda and Smash.

Xbox had Halo.

Hardware:

Xbox = GC > PS2 = DC

Software:

PS2 > GC > DC > Xbox

PS2 had so many awesome games, it'd be hard not to pick it. I love the Gamecube and Xbox a lot as well though, so I really don't know. I didn't play enough of the Dreamcast to give it a ranking.

Mine is the PS2. Gran Turismo 4 and the ATV Offroad Fury Series turned me into the person I am today.

PS2 is the clear winner for me, I did like all the consoles in the poll but ps2 had the best selection of games hands down.

It's really hard for me to say which is my overall favourite. I never owned and Xbox (and was never very interested in owning one), so that's out for me.

As for the other three...well, I loved all of them a lot. I spent a lot of time with all three. I suppose the console I was most excited about was the Dreamcast, because that was the first console I bought in that generation. So when I got it, it felt very "next gen" to me. And honestly, I think it's home to the greatest games Sega has ever made; in some respects it's like the essence of Sega distilled into one platform. :P

So if I was really pressed, I might say Dreamcast was my favourite. I'd probably put PS2 and GameCube on-par, because both had a lot to offer, and I tend to weight Nintendo games a bit higher than all others because of their outstanding quality.

Sorry for necroposting, but this had to be said:

- a dream was cast off for getting played out of station.
- a cube marked with an x won't let you game outside the box.

The Xbox is my favorite here, but Dreamcast and PS2 are both also very good consoles. Gamecube never did much for me outside of the Warioware game, but I also never owned one in its prime.

I think this is very subjective as the types of games for each system differ significantly.

I have an original Xbox now but have had them all in the past. For me, my Xbox has some great FPS but you wouldn't see these on a Dreamcast and not really on a GameCube (not many anyway). The Dreamcast has some great shooters and RPG. The Xbox and Ps2 had a bit of everything.

Xbox - Dreamcast - Ps2 - Gamecube

Gamecube>PlayStation 2>Dreamcast>Xbox

Enjoyed them all though.