JEDDAH, 26 August — Over the past 10 years, our world’s technology has put the pedal to the metal and gone into overdrive. Every month, every week, every day, we see people coming out with something new and more advanced. This is nowhere more true than in the world of video games.
The 1990s were a game fan’s dream come true. The 10-year span was the most exciting time in video game history. The company that revolutionized video games from the late 1980s until today, Nintendo, was going up against Sega, a newcomer at the time. It was clear to us video game fans that Nintendo was the victor.
Then in 1995, Sony released their console, the PlayStation. Nintendo’s machine, called Super Nintendo, was dying at the time. So it was Sony’s PlayStation going neck and neck with Sega’s Saturn, with Nintendo out of the competition. Saturn didn’t last long against PlayStation, obviously because PlayStation was stronger, easy to develop games for, and suitable for all audiences (from sports fans to role-playing gamers, from children to adults).
The year 1996 was like World War II all over again (Or World Console War II). Nintendo rose from the dead to compete against Sony with its new console, the Nintendo 64, which revolutionized the world of video games. Nintendo fans were glad to see their favorite Nintendo characters again, but this time in full 3D graphics. It was an epic battle between Nintendo and Sony that lasted another four years, and it is hard to decide who was the victor, since both companies went through high and low periods.
Sega made an amazing comeback in 1999, when it released its powerful console, the DreamCast. It overpowered Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s machine. It was a Sega fan’s dream come true. But then something unexpected came along. Sega announced that it would no longer make other consoles; instead it would be a game developer and sell games to other companies. This will change the video game world forever.
The big moment came in October 2000, when PlayStation 2 (PS2) hit the US stores. Shortly after the release of the PS2 in Japan, two major companies unveiled to the world their “secret projects,” which will hit stores in fall 2001. It’s going to be World Console War III this fall. There will be survivors, there will be “chipshed” and death, and there will be victors. Who is going to climb the top of video game mountain and wave his flag? Who will win the next-generation console wars? Well, my fellow video gamers, we will have to wait until fall to find out.
But now, allow me to introduce the teams:
Team Sony (a.k.a. Play Station 2): Yes, the PS2 is considered one of the next-generation consoles. This mean machine is off with a headstart already, for it’s the first of the three consoles to hit the stores.
When the PS2 first hit the stores, it wasn’t successful, but now, with a wide library of great games to choose from, you’ll find that this is the top console.
One of the greatest features in the PS2 is that it’s backward compatible, meaning that the control pads, memory cards, and games of the first PlayStation (PS1) can work when you insert them in the PS2. But keep in mind that you can’t do it the other way around.
Another good feature of the PS2 is that when you play your PS1 games in the PS2, you’ll notice smoother, more enhanced graphics, so that you can better enjoy the PS1 games you love to play!
The PS2 is able to play movies on DVD (but not VCDs), and that’s one of the greatest things featured in this console. And along with the DVD movies, there are DVD games. These high quality games give the gamer everything he/she loves to see in a video game; experience great music and real-life sound affects and voice acting, high-quality graphics, and real-time cinematic FMV. DVD games hold 4.7 GB capacities (almost 8 times larger than the normal CD games).
Team Nintendo (a.k.a. Game Cube): Shortly after the announcement of the PS2 in March 1999, Nintendo said that they were working on an even stronger machine. They dubbed their project “Dolphin.”
After one year of silence, Nintendo finally unveiled its “secret weapon” in their private expo in Tokyo, Space World August 2000.
Indeed, their console was simply amazing. In SP, they showed how the Nintendo Game Cube (GCN) could handle high-quality graphics and FMV even better than the PS2. But being quiet and secretive, Nintendo didn’t show everything. They promised the details will be available the following year.
Nintendo kept their word when they showed the GCN again in LA, May’s 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
They showed playable demos of future games, including all their favorite Nintendo mascots, along with some third-party games on the side. It was a real treat. They also revealed some details and features about the machine: Nintendo stuck deals with many companies, including IBM and Panasonic, so they could provide the GCN with hardware.
Unlike the other two next-generation consoles, Nintendo uses 8cm optical mini-discs, 1.5GB capacity, which are provided from Matsushita. These CDs are an advantage, for they are very hard to copy, thus preventing piracy.
Macro nix makes the GCN memory cards, called Digicards, which contains huge memory. And what’s more, Panasonic’s cards, which are used for video cameras and other Panasonic machines, can be inserted inside GCN memory cards, providing more space. These Panasonic cards range for 8MB (equal to PS2 memory cards) to 64MB!
Looks like Nintendo is having a good start.
There is an important question: Will the Game Cube aim for child audiences just like the Nintendo 64?
This is a very important point, because one of the disadvantages of the Nintendo 64 is that it wasn’t suitable for all audiences; it attracted hardcore Nintendo fans and children only. Added to that is that not all kinds of games were present in the N64. The console focused on platform, racing, sports, and action/adventure games. It lacked however, in RPG, strategy, horror, and mature games.
When that point was asked about, Nintendo stated that it has learned from its mistakes, and showed to us that this mean machine is for all kinds of video gamers.
The Game Cube will launch in Japan on Sept. 14 with two games, and it will hit the US stores on Nov. 5 with more than 13 games. The US official price is $199.99, $100 cheaper than the PS2 and that other console and the games are $49.99.
Team Microsoft (a.k.a. X-Box): One of the biggest surprises of the year is when Microsoft unveiled its plans for a consumer video games machine at the Games Development Conference (GDC) on March 10 last year.
Microsoft too demonstrated its machine to the world in E3 2001. The X-Box is the most powerful console of all three. This baby is armed with a 733MHz CPU, a high-quality graphics chip by nVidia, 10GB hard drive, and last but not least; DVD.
The X-Box uses DVD games, like the PS2, but shows more detail in graphics and sound now that this machine is equipped with a 3D sound processor and a graphics chip. The X-Box no doubt has online capabilities, but the modem is likely to be separate from the machine.
The 10GB hard drive is used to smoothen and cut down the load times and for downloading updates to games and demos from the Internet.
The games look amazing, almost like real life, but that doesn’t mean that they are great games. I think that the X-Box is not going to be that successful.
