I've been thinking alot about what gaming system is the most powerful. It started out in 2001 at the launch of the 2 new systems, and first off, I figured PS2 was the worst of the now 3 total systems, since it was significantly older, and between the two new systems, the GameCube seemed to have the best looking games, plus the Xbox was made by microsoft which was new at the game (pun intended) for making consoles, and obviously (in my mind) wouldn't know how to make a really powerful system properly. Later I encountered the general gaming comunity consensus that Xbox was in fact the most powerful system, so I fought back with whatever info I could use. Random stats, like how the GameCube's Gekko processor was technically faster than the Xbox's customized pentium 3, or how "RAM was a non-issue" for the GC, or the fact that the GameCube could display something like 4 times as many simultaneous textures, stuff like that.

A study done by IGN to discuss the power differences of the GameCube and PS2 led me away from such thoughts. If that study taught me anything (other than the fact that the GC kicks the PS2's you-know-what), its that you can't just take a stat here and a stat there and think you've proven something. Both system's entire architectures must be taken into account to make a fair judgement, and so I decided to stop thinking the way I had. I later found a much better way of making the decision of which is the most powerful system that would (presumeably) have the best graphics capabilities. It's incredibly simple - look at the games. If the graphics on Halo 2 rape PS2's Grand Turismo, Grand Theft Auto, and Timesplitters, then who cares about ANY of the "stats"! Just see the proof for yourself for how the systems measure up, thats where it counts afterall - the actual graphical experience itself.

Armed with my new technique, I looked at the GameCube and Xbox which are ironicly, never really debated about much online with a graphical perspective, and you think people would debate about them, since they are so close and since the PS2 definitely isn't in 2nd place. Nevertheless, I checked them out, and quickly gained respect for the Xbox. Halo, Splinter Cell, and Rally Sport for the Xbox impressed me, yet soon I was also cornered by GameCube giants Rebel Strike, Metroid Prime, GameCube's own version of Splinter Cell 1, the ultimate Resident Evil 0, and various others. I think that as the consoles play the 2nd half of their lifecycles out, and developers try more and more techniques to get as much out of the systems as they can, it will become more obvious, since for now it appears as though neither has seen its best days yet. For example, Crazy Taxi showed some car graphics for the GameCube early on, and yet Burnout 2 is a very solid leap, as is 007 Agent Under Fire nothing compared to 007 Everything or Nothing which was released later. I know that the Xbox is officially the most powerful gaming system; whether that "power" always turns into actual better graphics is still debatable. I think for now I am ready to put the matter to rest: Xbox is number 1, GameCube clocks in at a close 2nd, and PS2 is in 3rd place. Nevertheless, I truly look forward to see just how much further Xbox and GameCube can be pushed.