Why PlayStation 2

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

The reason you can't see the "sky grid" in the PS2 version is mostly because the graphics are too low-resolution.

The default PC resolution, 640x480 (which I used to take the first screenshot) is the same as the PS2's output. Granted, the PS2 puts out an interlaced image, but the grid is still not visible when being deinterlaced/upconverted by a PS3.

Any difference between 480p on a PC and 480p on a PS3 is a difference in the code itself, not in the inherent nature of the platforms.

[Merton9999]

I didn't read much but the OP, and I do agree with some points on specific visuals. In particular, the camera seizure on PC is absolutely horrible, and never happened to me on PS2. The lag in loading character models is a little annoying too. I also miss the PlayOnline yell

The problem I have with these and the rest of the points is ultimately they're relatively inconsequential. The few advantages I love about PC are so dramatic that you could add a thousand more little benefits to PS2 and they wouldn't make any difference. Here are the three things that are game breakers to me. I'd quit the game before I'd go back to PS2 if these issues still existed.

1. Freezing on NPCs and cut scenes. I stayed on PS2 longer than I should have because I was lazy and didn't want to go through the setup process. When I couldn't progress through ToAU at all is when I switched. How are people getting through WoG and ToAU missions? Are you not doing them? Using a friend's PC?

2. Macro set delay. My PC switches between macro sets instantaneously. I can even hold it and watch them roll through back to the first one in under a second. PS2 was terrible at this. This made a huge difference on a job like SCH where I'm constantly flying through macro sets and books.

3. Update and Logon. When I was updating both systems, it took my PS2 roughly three times longer to update than my PC. If I tried to update PS2 on update day, I'd have to recover from errors 20+ times before the update would continue. I've never had to do that once on PC. My PC also logs on at least twice as fast as PS2 did.

[RAIST]

think you're missing the point.....PS2 is likely using lower quality textures to begin with...just like they were having to pare them down for the PS3 version of FFXIV compared to what they originally generated in the initial PC release.

[Lisotte]

Wait... it's coming out on ps2 in Japan? Wasn't that half the point, dropping ps2 so that we could have a real expansion with actual new, non-recycled content? It's going to be WotG and Aby all over again (which were awesome, but not new areas).

[Llana_Virren]

Wait... it's coming out on ps2 in Japan? Wasn't that half the point, dropping ps2 so that we could have a real expansion with actual new, non-recycled content? It's going to be WotG and Aby all over again (which were awesome, but not new areas).

No, the point was Economics 101. The player-base assumed PS2 drop was to facilitate the end of the "PS2 limitations" argument.

[Gilraen]

What is it about 'home market' that's failing here? The user poll they did last year clearly revealed that alot of players in Japan play on the PS2 whereas in the US PC dominates. Who do you think Square is going to cater to more? I already know the answer here, and it's not going to change anytime soon as far as I can see. It's the same old discrimination PSO players got used to a decade ago, myself included.

[bungiefanNA]

Partly, PC dominates here because the game released about 18 months earlier here on PC than PS2, and partly because SCEA only made and sold the hardware required to run the game for about 9 months (March 2004 - November 2004). In Japan the game launched on PS2 6 months before PC, and the hardware was much more widely available and for a much longer time span (2001-2009 or 2010). There simply aren't as many HDD units in North America, so there's a smaller player base because SCEA created that scarcity.

Meant to edit this into the previous post, whoops.

[oliveira]

Partly, PC dominates here because the game released about 18 months earlier here on PC than PS2, and partly because SCEA only made and sold the hardware required to run the game for about 9 months (March 2004 - November 2004). In Japan the game launched on PS2 6 months before PC, and the hardware was much more widely available and for a much longer time span (2001-2009 or 2010). There simply aren't as many HDD units in North America, so there's a smaller player base because SCEA created that scarcity.

Meant to edit this into the previous post, whoops.

PS2 regions are set as "flags" just like XBOX360. I was shocked when I learned that.

What you said is true about all discs, but hard drive contents could be made region free if they wished to.
But their policy was DRACONIAN DRM (DNAS) and DRACONIAN market control (regional lockdown).

Dang, SONY... At some point their policies even hurt SquareSoft (before the merge with Enix, there were a serious shortage of harddrives in Japan)... I suppose that helps to explain why they had to take some shortcuts with the PC version (dirty textures, broken models) as they needed to use automated tools to convert the PS2 data to PC and a lot of mistakes these tools did on the data were overlooked...

[Gilraen]

They also offered two versions of the HDD (an internal and an external) in Japan as well as a Lin-station HDD (which turned the PS2 into a pure computer). Again, another example of the home market getting preferential treatment.

[Gingerhurricane]

They also offered two versions of the HDD (an internal and an external) in Japan as well as a Lin-station HDD (which turned the PS2 into a pure computer). Again, another example of the home market getting preferential treatment.

Perhaps there was no market for those items here? Just saying not everything needs to be released and distributed equally. It's like honda making their integra in japan while the acura discontinued the rsx model. There it is a popular car to drive. Here it is a popular car with high school kids, and teenagers who think it'll be fast and sweet to trick out. People in their 20's would rather have a nicer "sports" car than that, such as a VW GTI or something that's more luxury. Would I spend 20k on a rsx that they say is luxury, or would i spend it on something that doesnt feel like youre driving down a dirt road on the highway. This crap needs to stop. I played ps2 for years, the graphics suck. plugging my ps2 into my 1080i 32" samsung hurts my eyes and im not joking.