PC vs. PS2. How much better is it?Follow

Ok I'm thinking about switching to the PC version of FFXI from the PS2 version. Now let me explain why.

I just bought a widescreen HDTV and I just built a new PC. My problem is that the picture on the new tv is actually worse that that of my old tv when it's not a digital signal. My video card on my PC I built has DVI out so I could supply a digital signal to my TV that way. So I guess I'm trying to justify the cost of repurchasing the game. Are the graphics THAT much better? How much more akward are the controls? If anyone has some experience with both I would appreciate the input. Thanks.

There shouldn't be any question here. FFXI on the PC looks great! The higher resolution really helps the game alot. The controls for the PC are good, and you could most likely use a gamepad of some sort if you want. Keep in mind that this is comming from a PC gamer, so I am a little biased against consoles. Anyway, last time I checked, FFXI was about $30. Give that a try and see if you like it. FFXI does require a bit of power under the hood, so hopefully your video card is anything less than a Radeon 8500 or a gForce 4, you may have to lower the graphics a bit.

Also, a tv resolution is somewhere in the area of 320 by 240, so jumping up to 1024x768 really does look alot better.

Edited, Thu Jan 13 13:47:52 2005 by Toastofthenorth

PC Totally... not only do you have more resolution options and what not... but you can exploit the Airship glitch on PC as well as replace your moogle with another model from the game if you wish (IE: Lion or Bahamut or Carbuncle or whatever).

Well i Have a pretty good computer. 9800xt overclocked and a 19in lcd screen. I seen pics from ps2 and i looks at mine and the difference is huge. With normal res ingame you have a blurr to everything. Now I regedited the screen rez on ff and im running 2048X2048 and everything is clear no blurr or anything. To answer question though yes it will make it look a hole lot better. My feeling is you havent really played the game untill you play it on pc. As far as the control there easy for me since alot of the pc games i play are keyboard controls anyway. Wish I could post pics of a ps2 rez compared to pc rez.

Edited, Thu Jan 13 15:04:57 2005 by ErdrickJr

^_^ I've got both the PC and the PS2 version, so I'm not really overly biased to either. They each have their strong points and weak points.

PS2 I find runs A LOT smoother then the PC version. Whenever I play the PC version, my character just bumps all over the place when she runs... and the scenery going by gives me motion sickness o.O
The PS2 runs smoothly, but it chokes BADLY when it hits major lag .... >.> the CN for example... R3000, game just locks... 1 minute later I'm staring at and entire battles worth of chatlog fly by, then "WHM, WTF?!?!"
I haven't had any major lag problems like that on the laptop tho.

I also like to play w/ the controller over the keyboard... BUT, I have a USB keyboard for the PS2. Sure, the macro's are a little harder to get use to with the L & R buttons, but I haven't had any problems yet. It just means I need to make sure that I know my macros really good.
I only have 1 set for WHM (20) with 2 full lines I can swap in and out during downtime.

As for Res, the PC > PS2... most definently. The PS2's graphics are blurry and ingame screen shots look like **** >.< But, remember. These PS2's are like, 3-4 year old hardware. New PC's with better graphics and crap are new, every year.
Also, on the PC you have a greater option of Configurations to mess with... ; ; I envy you people with your power to shut off weather effects! (I HATE KONSCHTAT HIGHLANDS DUST STORMS).

Controls.. >.> I don't know, I'm a controller kind of girl. I don't like using the keys to run around, drives me bonkers. I like the controller... the analog. ^_^; Need to invest in one for the PC version too.

Personally, its your choice of prefferance in the end. PC <> PS2, either way, its the same game, just with differences. I'll continue playing on my PS2 (when I have it... curse you parents!!) but the PS2 isn't gonna last forever. I occasionally get on my laptop and play, and use Fraps, and such.

^_~ In the end tho, I would recommend the PC version...

I like to lay on my couch while looking for coffer keys and farming, and the resolution looks pretty good on my 32 flat screen.

go Ps2!!

Well, for graphics PC > PS2 always, assuming you have a halway decent PC.

I dont know about the controls, since Ive never played the PC version with a controller, but I for one have become very adept with my PS2 controller. When people tell me they use Ctrl+whatever for their macros, I cant imagine how tedious that would feel to me.

In the end though, it comes down to preference. And for me the biggest selling points were;

1- My 32 inch TV is much bigger than my crusty 17 inch monitor.
2- My sofa > my computer desk+chair.
3- I spend all day in front of a PC. The last thing I want to do when I come home is log on to ANOTHER PC.

I think the only thing I would prefer about the PC would be the ability to use a windower, and look up stuff while I play. Its annoying to have to rely on printouts, teh Brady guide ><, or get up and log on to the PC to research something.

It sounds like you enjoy your job. Thats great. I dont. Maybe if I was in a position more like yours, I'd be more inclined to log into a PC at home. But when you do something all day that you loathe and find tedious, you want to distance yourself from it as much as possible.

So even if I'm not logging into a PC at home to do work, the fact that I sit here all day miserable has a lot to do with the amount of time I spend in front of a PC at home.

NOTE: Im quitting this horrid job in 2 months. My notice has been given.

On a side note, I can relate to the whole ex wife thing. Her loss.

Wow talk about off topic.

Hi, i'm a console gamer, i kinda hate PC games, though i'm not saying that all the PC games are bad, cuz that's not true, but i'm gonna talk about that.

What i want to say it's that i dislike to play a game with a keyboard and mouse, a lot of ppl says to me that i'm crazy for me prefering to play a FPS on a console instead of a PC but i'd rather play a game with a control and on a TV.

But here comes in FFXI. I live in the UK, and i wanted to play it so badly that i bought the NA version when it came out for PC, i wasn't sure if i would like it, but anyway i bought it, installed it, updated it and started playing it, 2 to 3 hours later i was playing very smoothly with my keyboard, and at that moment i didn't know about macros and such, now i just can't imagine playing it with a controller.

About graphics, you can always go into the register and change the display to 2048x2048, and it just looks awesome, though you need a very good graphic card and cooling system. There isn't a single PS2 game that looks better than FFXI in high resolution, let alone CoP.

Btw, after playing FFXI, i got Doom 3, later on HL2, and some other great FPS, but my thinking about PC games hasn't changed at all, i'd rather play those FPS or any others on an XBOX or any other console. I still hate the keyboard and mouse to play games.

So in conclusion FFXI is great to play with just a keyboard, the control design for it is excellent, and it definitly wouldn't work that well with a control pad. And the graphics are way better on the PC ver. i'd like to see it thru a HD monitor or TV, though that game is not designed for those kind of outputs, so the difference should not be that great.

Just my 2 cents.

This happens to be an ongoing discussion in my house.

My son plays on PC, and I play on PS2. We switch off occasionally just for kicks, but I have a hard time navigating on the keyboard just because I am used to the controller. I am old school enough I refuse to get rid of the controller, so there you are.

One point not made here yet--

My son has to spend his evening sitting upright in a chair. I get to kick back on the couch and be more comfortable :)

Well that seems to be one of the main complaints, however, I'm going to be on a 40" widescreen HDTV on my couch. :-b. So it looks like I'm buying the game again tomorrow ><. Everyone I know (IRL) has it on PS2. Can anyone host it. :-D

I've been playing on PS2 because my computer is too old, and I never felt like getting a new one.

But I really want to play the game with better graphics, so now I'm buying a new PC (hopefully soon - if I can find a good deal on a new PC). (BTW, I'm kinda clueless when it comes to PCs, anyone want to recommend specs to look for? lol)

Maybe if I'm sitting upright in a chair, then I won't fall asleep as much >.>

I'm getting the PC version tonight or tomorrow. :-) I'll let you all know.

EDIT: Citrine, I built a pretty powerful PC for $800. :-b. A comparable, pre-built, PC would break 2k VERY easily. Let me know what you really want to get out of it and I'll be happy to help you. If your goal is FFXI, you need to concentrate on memory clock speed, and video card capabilities.

Edited, Fri Jan 14 14:20:51 2005 by LeetFade