Gaming War shaping up
Thu May 17 2001
PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GAMECUBE are set to duke it out for your holiday dollars this fall, and more and more details of each company's plans are being released every week. While consumers may be overwhelmed by the big three choices since they all offer similar technology, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo/Matsushita are pursuing slightly different directions.
Sony is really pushing its vision of the PlayStation 2 as an "all-in-one home entertainment hub" capable of movie and music playback (CD & DVD), broad-purpose Internet access, and more. The company recently announced alliances with Macromedia (to include Flash), RealNetworks (to put RealPlayer 8 and other Real programs on the PS2), and AOL Time Warner (to give users AOL access and services). Networking giant Cisco is also apparently working on IP (Internet Protocol) software to enhance the PS2's Internet connectivity and capabilities. On the gaming front, Sony has 100 games currently available for the PS2, with 200 more in development. To enhance the PS2 capabilities, Sony will also offer a $39 Ethernet connection (November), a 40 GB hard drive, and a stand-alone LCD display ($129-149). Despite the impending competition and Sony's recent statement that it doesn't plan to cut the $299 price, the company's president and CEO is confident about the PS2's continued success: "I agree with the critics who say the real question for 2001 is, 'Who is going to be No. 2?'"
Meanwhile, Microsoft announced a concrete launch date and price for its Xbox gaming console, which will hit the US on November 8 for $299. As reported previously, MS will back the Xbox with its largest ever marketing campaign, and the company hopes to sell 1-1.5 million consoles during the holiday season. To avoid the under-supply problems that plagued the PS2's launch, MS expects 600-800,000 units to be on store shelves for the launch. 15-20 games are expected to be available on November 8, and dozens more are in development. Xbox's chief, Robbie Bach, points out Xbox's major difference from the PS2 (besides its better technology): "Our online environment is about games, it's not about e-mail, it's not about other things, it's completely and totally focused on games." Microsoft hopes that distinction will make the Xbox very successful.
And while Nintendo's GAMECUBE is expected to hit Japan on September 14 and the U.S. on November 5, Matsushita, which is producing the GAMECUBE's disk drives and which signed an agreement with Nintendo in May 1999 to work DVD technology into gaming consoles, says it will release a "hybrid version" of the GAMECUBE sometime this fall as well (though US release won't happen until 2002 or even 2003). The Matsushita version will include digital audio visual functions like DVD/CD playback, and will "enable users to play GameCube games on 3.150 inch compact disks." The product is clearly aimed at Sony, and Matsushita's managing director said it will be "superior to PlayStation 2." Pricing for the GAMECUBE and the Matsushita hybrid haven't been announced, but some analysts are predicting a price tag around $200, to compete with the PS2 and Xbox at $299.
For more info on the PS2, please see this Reuters item and this one. For more on the Xbox details, please see this Reuters item. And for more on the Matsushita GAMECUBE hybrid, please see this Reuters item.
SAM'S OPINION
I haven't owned a gaming console since the Vectrex (remember those?), but I may have to knuckle under to the hype and get one of these beauties once the holiday rush dies down. Geeks love choice, and getting to choose from the PS2, the Xbox, and two versions of the GAMECUBE will turn me into a kid in a candy store. :)
I'm not really into the concept of having my gaming console be an entertainment hub, though ... I've got my computer for that. Thus, I'm not really into the PS2, which will be "older" technology by this fall. However, the lure of SO many good, available games and DVD playback will be hard to resist. I like the Xbox's focus on games, but I want there to be a lot of game choices available, and if the developing teams take too long to crank out a bunch of great stuff MS may not sell as many consoles as it hopes to. I'd totally be into a GAMECUBE that can do the DVD/CD playback that the PS2 can do, but the Matsushita version may not hit the U.S. until way too long after the Nintendo GAMECUBE launch--Matsushita is saying 2002/2003 for a U.S. launch ... what's up with that delay?
For me, the most interesting thing to watch this holiday season will be how many PC gamers (like me) will actually be lured into buying a stand-alone console. I doubt those numbers will be tracked, but maybe you readers will keep us informed. :)
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