Online console stuff

[Jatrulak]

Since starting college, I've begun to get more into console games than MMO and other online games due to the fact that the internet here isn't very reliable and makes Yahoo poker a challenge to play.
My roommates have caught my interest with Socom as well as some other games that can be played online. I've had no experience with online console games, and know little to nothing about it, so..
1. How do players communicate in games that do not use headsets and mics of some sort? Is there some sort of keyboard accessory you'd need to get as well?
2. Does the user's internet connection affect console games like it does PC games?

[Stingite]

I don't know how the recent systems work, but a buddy and me used to play Y2K football on the Dreamcast over the internet before they started charging a monthly fee.  Dreamcast had a separate keyboard plug-in unit (it was only like 12 bucks if I remember right) to talk.  Also, I remember using the Dreamcast web-browser on my TV when my computer broke down.  I hadn't bought a keyboard for my dreamcast yet, so it would bring up on the screen a keyboard GUI interface for me to hunt and peck on with the regular controller to enter things like web addresses.  Talk about tedious.

Been too long.  We were both on dialup at the time and yeah . . . there were times when the game would have to pause to sync our games.

What console are you playing with?  X-box?  PS2?

It's a topic that I'd be interested in hearing more about as well if anyone has some insight.  :-D

[Jatrulak]

Thanks, and will be primarily using PS2, but also XBox on occasion as my roomies own one but I don't.

[Stingite]

Hey!  I was surfing around and stumbled upon a thread and forum that might help find you an answer.  The thread is here:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233746

And the link to the forum is here:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=96

It sounds like an interesting community.

Game on.