CHRIS MAYER
Living Assistant
Every so often, video gamers bear witness to a clash of the titans. The competition can often draw out over several years, as each new player unleashes its salvo. When Microsoft Corp., Sony Corp., and Nintendo Co., released new gaming systems between 2000 and 2002, streams of press releases, critiques, fact sheets and advertisements flooded magazines, television and the Internet. Since the smoke cleared in 2002 with Microsoft’s release of the Xbox, the final system of the three, gamers have been itching for more.
One such gamer is Pepperdine senior Josh Canas, who has been waiting the past several years for a new gaming system to come out.
“I liked the Xbox but wanted to wait for something better to spend my money on,” Canas said.
His wait is nearly through. With announcements of upcoming releases of Sony’s PlayStation3, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and a new Nintendo project nicknamed Revolution, the next generation of video game consoles — and an abundance of new games — is just on the horizon.
In May, Sony announced plans to release the PlayStation3 in spring 2006. The PS3 is the newest machine in Sony’s line of handheld and in-home video-game consoles. In this model, Sony looks to bring consumers a machine with enough graphics and processing power to overwhelm the existing Xbox — a system that, thanks to its later introduction, held a slight advantage in processing capabilities over Sony’s PS2. The PS3 will run off a 3.2 GHz processor developed jointly by IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba Corporation. Sony said it will also feature an RSX graphics card with a 550 MHz GPU co-developed by NVIDIA and Sony. It enables real-time graphics rendering and more realistic character movement, and is 35 times more powerful than the outgoing PS2, according to a “CNN Money” report.
In the past, Sony has brought gamers sleek, powerful systems with some 13,000 games from which choose. With such a long list of titles, Sony’s PlayStation and PS2 appealed to a large demographic of gamers, providing everything from action and sports to role-playing and racing games. PlayStation products are sold in more than 120 countries, and Sony leads the video gaming industry with 120 million PlayStation and 89 million PS2 sales, the company reported.
But the PS3 will not go uncontested. On
Nov. 26, Microsoft will release a successor to its current Xbox, called Xbox 360.
Canas eyes this as his potential choice.
“I have put off buying an Xbox for years, waiting instead for Microsoft to come out with something new and better,” he said.
It is likely he won’t be disappointed. With the ability to stream video and photos from any portable media device or Windows-based PC, the Xbox 360 provides users with a level of media freedom never before available. At least initially, it won’t work with a Macintosh system, however.
The Xbox’s earlier release date comes as a surprise to some, considering they were latecomers to the previous round in 2002.
Melissa Tomlinson, director of sales at Mad Catz, Inc., a San Diego-based group that produces accessory equipment for the interactive entertainment industry, said she thinks it’s an effort to gain sales before others step into the ring.
“Sony is the giant,” Tomlinson said. “Microsoft is launching before Sony to try to get as much business as they can.”
The Xbox 360 will run off a 3.2 GHz processor along with a 500 MHz GPU, according to Microsoft. By those numbers, it should provide graphics comparable to that of the PS3. Unique to Xbox, though, is the ability to both play media files from portable devices and PCs, as well as customizable exterior parts.
The system can also run video and audio media onto a desktop computer, something gamers can only do by modifying current Xboxes with an aftermarket electronic chip.
“My roommate had (a modified Xbox) last year, and we watched movies on it all the time,” senior Colby Peterson said. But Peterson warned that installation — a process that involves soldering the chip into the Xbox’s hardware — often ruins the system.
“My roommate went through two systems before he got it right,” Peterson said. “It cost him more money than it was worth.”
Karmen Johnson, vice president and group director of Edelman, a public relations firm handling the Xbox 360 launch, said that with the product’s integration of many features previously available only via aftermarket chips, Microsoft has taken heed.
“It was a clear sign of consumer demand for something,” Johnson said.
When the new system goes on sale at the end of this year, it will not only offer media capabilities rivaling a current chip-integrated Xbox, but will also take online gaming to the next level. Capping a three-year run of Xbox Live — an online service that draws players from 24 different countries, according to Microsoft — the Xbox 360 debuts Xbox Live’s second generation. The system will enable players to link up music playlists to listen to the same background songs while playing together, according to Microsoft. Xbox Live will also provide downloadable demos, arcade games, trailers and system updates.
“It’s a lot more of an online community,” Tomlinson said. “You can share music (and) videos. The system is going after the community.”
Xbox 360 prices will range from $300 and $400, depending on how many accessories buyers opt for, including wireless controllers, online-play headsets and custom exteriors.
“It’s really all about what you are personally looking for in your home entertainment experience, and deciding on a system accordingly,” Johnson said.
Sony’s PS3 is likely to cost a bit more. Although Sony has not released official prices yet, Merrill Lynch Japan reports that the PS3 may start at $399, and even at that price, Sony may be selling them at a loss for the first year, according to CNET’s GameSpot news.
Meanwhile, Nintendo is keeping development of its latest system, code named Revolution, in the shadows. The company announced the code name in May 2004 at an electronics exposition in Los Angeles and has since revealed a slow stream of details. To date, the company reports that the Revolution will about the size of three DVD cases — likely much smaller than the Xbox 360 or PS3 — but boast wireless online play with downloadable games and quiet, efficient operation. In September, the company revealed that the Revolution’s controller will be operable with one hand, and enable gaming control simply by the position and tilt of the controller, relative to the television and console. There are no official specifications on processor capabilities, but the Revolution will likely be up to par with Microsoft and Sony’s entries.
Scheduled for release sometime in 2006, the Revolution (or the console’s eventual name) will likely be priced below the Xbox 360 or PS3. Though the company has not released pricing information, it has announced plans to make the system relatively affordable. If pricing on the current generation of game systems is any indicator, the Revolution should be a steal. A Nintendo GameCube retails for about $100, undercutting an Xbox’s $200 and PS2’s $150 prices by a considerable margin.
For Canas, Peterson and thousands of other gamers, the next few months are sure to hold plenty of excitement. With this next generation of gaming systems, developers from each of the three giants have promised huge advances to the gaming experience as we know it. Whether this simply means better graphics, a new system of human interface or an entirely new approach to home entertainment all together, consumers will likely enjoy a great deal of plunder from this next battle.
depending on how many accessories buyers opt for, including wireless controllers, online-play headsets and custom exteriors.
“It’s really all about what you are personally looking for in your home entertainment experience and deciding on a system accordingly,” Johnson said.
Sony’s PS3 is likely to cost a bit more. Although Sony has not released official prices yet, Merrill Lynch Japan reports that the PS3 may start at $399, and even at that price, Sony may be selling them at a loss for the first year, according to CNET’s GameSpot news.
Meanwhile, Nintendo is keeping development of its latest system, code named Revolution, in the shadows. The company announced the code name in May 2004 at an electronics exposition in Los Angeles and has since revealed a slow stream of details. To date, the company reports that the Revolution will about the size of three DVD cases — likely much smaller than the Xbox 360 or PS3 — but boast wireless online play with downloadable games and quiet, efficient operation. In September, the company revealed that the Revolution’s controller will be operable with one hand, and enable gaming control simply by the position and tilt of the controller relative to the television and console. There are no official specifications on processor capabilities, but the Revolution will likely be technologically up to par with Microsoft and Sony’s entries.
Scheduled for release sometime in 2006, the Revolution (or the console’s eventual name) will likely be priced below the Xbox 360 or PS3. Though the company has not released pricing information, it has announced plans to make the system relatively affordable. If pricing on the current generation of game systems is any indicator, the Revolution should be a steal. A Nintendo GameCube retails for about $100, undercutting an Xbox’s $200 and PS2’s $150 prices by a considerable margin.
For Canas, Peterson and thousands of other gamers, the next few months are sure to hold plenty of excitement. With this next generation of gaming systems, developers from each of the three giants have promised huge advances to the gaming experience as we know it. Whether this simply means better graphics, a new system of human interface or an entirely new approach to home entertainment altogether, consumers will likely enjoy a great deal of plunder from this next battle.
10-27-2005