Console War? What War?

The Year 2000 is drawing to a close. This was the year that Sony was to completely destroy the competition - at least that is what the "media" kept cramming down our throats. This was to be a year that the gamer was taken to the "next level" of gaming, whatever that is. The PS2 was to create all new, fully realized worlds on the fly with characters so realistic you'd swear that you were watching a full-length feature movie except that you were now the star. They'd all make George Lucas' films look dated. Oh man, the hype machine was in full stride after the Electronics Entertainment Expo last spring.

These same experts claimed that the Sega Dreamcast was a dead system. That it would have a dismal 3rd and 4th quarter since the Sony PlayStation 2 would be available in record numbers. They also claimed that Nintendo would be on life support. It was downright sickening if you ask me. It was so obvious that almost everyone got sucked into the Sony Vortex. Hey, I was no better. I pre-paid for mine last spring. I did not want to miss out on all of the excitement that this new console was sure to bring to the game fan.

But what happened? Sega continued to pump out the quality titles. So did some of its 3rd parties. This was not supposed to happen. But wait, Sega did the unspeakable and actually released games that were different. Games that were fun. Games that did not solely rely on the hardware's ability to produce graphics and sound. Ah, the not so secret ingredient!

Nintendo decided to do what it does best. It produced a few critical titles that every N64 owner wants. A few of its 3rd parties did the same. They also kept its handheld game fed with quality titles. Then they decided to postpone the GameCube. Now it looks like we will not see it until sometime in 2002. That was probably a good move on their part as all eyes will be on XBOX in late 2001.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's own media machine kicked into full gear. Perhaps Sony was not taking them seriously at first, I'm not sure. Before Sony could blink, several top shelf developers decided to produce games for Microsoft's still "work in progress" machine. This probably forced Sony's hand a little. They've retooled the PS2 a bit and have announced plans to add on-line capability down the road. One must look back at the peripherals that gamers forgot past to realize that bolt-ons for consoles do not have a good acceptance level with the gaming masses. Will it be a success? If history is any indicator it will not. But Sony has been able to do the impossible before; they are capable of doing it again.

Ah, Microsoft. software mega giant without peer. They've decided that we need a hard-drive, that a console needs one to be "complete." Now they've decided that the DVD thing may not be all that. That DVD capability will be software based, not a chip. Ugh! Didn't Sony try this?!? I've seen software DVD decoders run on high-powered PCs. I'm not impressed. Me thinks that this is just their way of keeping the console cost per unit down and a their admission that they are incapable of producing bug free applications and NEED the capability to offer the gamer software "upgrades" throughout the console's lifecycle. Is anyone else out there wondering why they still have not nailed down the final design of this box? I mean it is to be in stores in late 2001! They need manufacturing time, QA time, testing time. the clock is ticking boys.

Back to Sony. It seems that they are regrouping. They've redesigned the Japanese model to include the DVD in ROM and not on the Memory card. Good move. There has been talk of a "re-launch" of the PS2 in the USA sometime in March 2001. The hope there is that the games will be there and there will be sufficient units available to meet demand. Problem is that such a product, for many, is a holiday thing. Many folks do not spend such sums of money "out of season." I'm not sure how Sony will handle the situation but I'm sure that they've got a plan. Will it be a success or a bust? Or will this be another attempt at trying to steal some of the XBOX press that is sure to be mounting come spring 2001. Another thing that is perplexing to Sony right now in Japan and could become a problem in the USA as well is that a lot of people are using the PS2 as a DVD player to watch movies, not play games. The PS2 is an OK machine for DVD playback but it is not as robust of feature rich as I've become used to with a DVD player that was designed to play movies first and foremost.

And while all of this is going on Sega has offered the gamer a low cost machine with a built in modem. They've shipped several A+ titles that can be played online or standalone. Many jaded gamers did not give the Dreamcast nor the online capabilities, web browsing and email feature a second look. Big mistake. Now, some of these folks are finding out what many Dreamcast owners have known for a long, long time. This machine has heart. It has unique titles that are genuinely fun to play again and again. And most recently, Sega is offering free long distance phone calls "Dreamcast to Dreamcast!" Now that's a bargain for sure. Sadly, Sega is not doing so well in Japan right now. For that matter neither is Sony. But in the USA, the Dreamcast is becoming the "rediscovered" console, by far the best of what Year 2000 has to offer the gamer.

2001 will be an interesting year for the video game player, no question about it. Is this a "war?" A war for you dollar perhaps. Sony, and Microsoft for that matter, better start forgetting the hype behind the hardware and start figuring out how to put fun and creativity back into their software offerings. Bottom line, buy games and systems that make you happy to be a game player, else you will find yourself with a dust magnet that gets no playtime.

Cheers,

Tiptonium