Friday, May 20, 2005
COMBINED DISPATCHES
LOS ANGELES -- All of the big three game console makers have pulled the curtain from their next generation consoles now, and the winner is ... wireless. Wireless controllers will be standard for all three next generation systems.
XBOX 360
Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360 console will support wireless gameplay, but gamers will have to buy a separate adapter.
Microsoft shared more details of the Xbox 360, due to hit stores in time for the holiday selling season. As a show of the strong support from game makers for the new system, Microsoft said it will have 25 to 40 titles available at the launch of the Xbox 360.
Game availability is one of the most important factors in how well a new system does at launch. When the original Xbox hit stores in November 2001, about 20 games were available the same day; that same month, the Nintendo GameCube had about a dozen launch titles, while the PlayStation 2 had 27 -- the most ever -- when it went on sale in October 2000.
Microsoft also said the Xbox 360 would be able to play "top-selling" games from the original system. In an interview, David Hufford, the Xbox group product manager for Microsoft, said its engineers are working to make the original Xbox's most popular games compatible with the new system, and, while it's not releasing a list, he said "Halo" and "Halo 2" would be included.
NINTENDO REVOLUTION
At its news conference, Nintendo showed off the Revolution system -- a sleek black unit about the size of a hardback book -- but not gameplay footage.
Still, Nintendo won applause for its announcement that the Revolution will be backward compatible with games from the GameCube console, and will also be able to download classic titles from Nintendo's older systems: the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the N64.
Nintendo's GameCube is in third place with 18.8 percent of the console market, according to the NPD Group, a marketing research firm. Sony's PlayStation 2 enjoys a commanding lead with 56.3 percent of the market, and Microsoft's Xbox has a 24.8 percent share.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the new Revolution will be available sometime next year.
"You want a revolution? I have one," he said, holding a shiny black box triumphantly before hundreds of journalists, analysts and other guests. "Revolution is by far the smallest console we've ever made."
Reggie Fils-Aime, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo, and other Nintendo executives said their new gaming system will offer a new way of playing games, but they didn't elaborate.
"The key isn't what you'll be playing, but how you will be playing," Iwata said, noting that it will be in "very unique ways we will share with you later."
Iwata said Revolution games will include content from Nintendo's most popular franchises, including titles from the "Mario," "Zelda," "Donkey Kong" and "Metroid" series.
SONY PLAYSTATION 3
Sony, which leads the video game console business, presented its new PlayStation 3 system Monday.
The new PlayStation will come with wireless networking capability, six USB ports and Bluetooth support, allowing up to seven wireless controllers to connect to the unit at the same time. It also will support the Blu-Ray format, which can store up to 50 gigabytes of data per disc. Its Cell processor will power the system, which will support high-definition picture quality.
Sony said the PlayStation 3 also would be compatible with PlayStation 2 games.
The company showed three of the units -- in white, metallic silver and black -- at its 2-hour long presentation at Sony Picture Studios in Los Angeles.
With the announcements, the jockeying for the next generation console market boils down to this:
UOf the three brands, the new Xbox is coming to the market first, in time for the holidays.
UThe new PlayStation will be twice as powerful as its current model, the PlayStation 2, and the most powerful of the three consoles.
UNintendo's advantage apparently will lie in its vague promise of a new approach to gaming.
No prices have been set for the new machines.