The Times: Tech column - Console wars/Neat mobile services
By David Rowan
WAR broke out last week, fought with powerful new weapons, backed by a $500 million campaign. When Bill Gates launched his company's first games console in Times Square on Thursday, he was not just unveiling the much-hyped Xbox but the future of video gaming. By taking Microsoft into this $20 billion (£14 billion) industry, he was launching a revolution in home entertainment which, if he succeeds, will replace the hi-fi with a multifunctional, ever-expanding leisure console. Controlled, naturally, through Microsoft licences.
But first a console war must be won. Three days after the $299 Xbox hit the US, Nintendo fought back with its high-powered GameCube, cheaper by $100 and with Star Wars games to attract the aficionado.
Sony, meanwhile, promised a raft of new games for its PlayStation 2 (PS2), whose UK price has been cut from £260 to £199, and which has come to dominate the industry. As consumers are faced with three mutually exclusive formats, Gates, in the rare role of underdog, knows he is fighting a high-risk battle. If he wins, content providers from games developers to Hollywood studios will need to strike deals with Microsoft to gain access to people's homes.
That is why this war is about far more than games. Still, the games are impressive pointers to the extraordinary future that the leisure box holds. The Xbox, a heavy black unit, is effectively a powerful PC without the monitor. With a 733-megahertz Pentium III processor, 64 megabytes of memory and an 8-gigabyte hard disk, it is a monster that brings unprecedented detail to alien landscapes. As Microsoft knows, it is the quality of the games that will determine the winner. This is why it has worked to attract the best games developers.
It has also bought up talented firms or persuaded them to defect. Its showcase game Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee was destined for the PS2. To play Oddworld, a tale about a fish-like creature in search of company, is to navigate through a special-effects landscape populated with a vast array of characters. In Halo, a game originally developed for the PC, you are a cyborg commander battling against an alien faction for control of a man-made planet. You choose who rides with you, the weapons and mode of destruction. It might not be PC in the other sense, but the creativity and graphic detail exceed a dozen Rambo movies. Nintendo, meanwhile, looks likely to attract the younger market with its GameCube and characters such as Mario's brother, Luigi.
Justin Calvert, deputy editor of GameSpot UK, admits that it has "not been easy" to put down his Xbox after two weeks' constant use. "This battle goes back to the days of Sega v Nintendo. It is that exciting, and the software for all three consoles is excellent," he says.
For consumers, the lack of compatibility between systems is frustrating. If you spend £35 on a game, you had better hope your format does not become obsolete. And British consumers yet again get a raw deal. The Xbox is not out here until March about the same time as the GameCube, and it is forecast to cost £299 as opposed to US$299. Why?
How the contenders compare
Microsoft's Xbox: Cost: $299.
Appearance: A chunky matt-black VCR. Processor: Intel 733MHz
Memory: 64Mb. DVD friendly?: With a separate remote control.
Hot games: Oddworld; Munch's Oddysee; Halo; Shrek.
More info: www.xbox.com
Nintendo's GameCube: Cost: $199. Appearance: A little purple and black toy box. Processor: IBM Gekko 485MHz. Memory: 40MB.
DVD friendly?: No. Hot games: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin. More info: www.nintendogamecube.com
PlayStation 2: Cost: £199 Appearance: Stylish black convection heater. Processor: 128-bit PlayStation 2 CPU.
Memory: 32Mb. DVD friendly? Yes
Hot games: Kinetica, SpyHunter, Metal Gear Solid 2.
More info: www.playstation.com
++++
IN MALAYSIA, Maxis Communications has launched a new service just in time for Ramadan. Not only will your signal fix to the direction of Mecca that you will get reminders of prayer times and be able to download religious songs as ringtones. Brilliant for sheer imagination, this beats NTT DoCoMo's vital work with Coca-Cola to let phones buy cans from vending machines. Surely Times readers can be even more creative. What original applications would you suggest to mobile firms struggling to recoup their third-generation licences? We will print the most inventive suggestions, and alert the telcos to help to save the odd billion. And no, we do not need reminding about Hutchison's plans to send erotic videos to its handsets.
(The Times, November 19 2001)
WAR broke out last week, fought with powerful new weapons, backed by a $500 million campaign. When Bill Gates launched his company's first games console in Times Square on Thursday, he was not just unveiling the much-hyped Xbox but the future of video gaming. By taking Microsoft into this $20 billion (£14 billion) industry, he was launching a revolution in home entertainment which, if he succeeds, will replace the hi-fi with a multifunctional, ever-expanding leisure console. Controlled, naturally, through Microsoft licences.
But first a console war must be won. Three days after the $299 Xbox hit the US, Nintendo fought back with its high-powered GameCube, cheaper by $100 and with Star Wars games to attract the aficionado.
Sony, meanwhile, promised a raft of new games for its PlayStation 2 (PS2), whose UK price has been cut from £260 to £199, and which has come to dominate the industry. As consumers are faced with three mutually exclusive formats, Gates, in the rare role of underdog, knows he is fighting a high-risk battle. If he wins, content providers from games developers to Hollywood studios will need to strike deals with Microsoft to gain access to people's homes.
That is why this war is about far more than games. Still, the games are impressive pointers to the extraordinary future that the leisure box holds. The Xbox, a heavy black unit, is effectively a powerful PC without the monitor. With a 733-megahertz Pentium III processor, 64 megabytes of memory and an 8-gigabyte hard disk, it is a monster that brings unprecedented detail to alien landscapes. As Microsoft knows, it is the quality of the games that will determine the winner. This is why it has worked to attract the best games developers.
It has also bought up talented firms or persuaded them to defect. Its showcase game Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee was destined for the PS2. To play Oddworld, a tale about a fish-like creature in search of company, is to navigate through a special-effects landscape populated with a vast array of characters. In Halo, a game originally developed for the PC, you are a cyborg commander battling against an alien faction for control of a man-made planet. You choose who rides with you, the weapons and mode of destruction. It might not be PC in the other sense, but the creativity and graphic detail exceed a dozen Rambo movies. Nintendo, meanwhile, looks likely to attract the younger market with its GameCube and characters such as Mario's brother, Luigi.
Justin Calvert, deputy editor of GameSpot UK, admits that it has "not been easy" to put down his Xbox after two weeks' constant use. "This battle goes back to the days of Sega v Nintendo. It is that exciting, and the software for all three consoles is excellent," he says.
For consumers, the lack of compatibility between systems is frustrating. If you spend £35 on a game, you had better hope your format does not become obsolete. And British consumers yet again get a raw deal. The Xbox is not out here until March about the same time as the GameCube, and it is forecast to cost £299 as opposed to US$299. Why?
How the contenders compare
Microsoft's Xbox: Cost: $299.
Appearance: A chunky matt-black VCR. Processor: Intel 733MHz
Memory: 64Mb. DVD friendly?: With a separate remote control.
Hot games: Oddworld; Munch's Oddysee; Halo; Shrek.
More info: www.xbox.com
Nintendo's GameCube: Cost: $199. Appearance: A little purple and black toy box. Processor: IBM Gekko 485MHz. Memory: 40MB.
DVD friendly?: No. Hot games: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II, Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin. More info: www.nintendogamecube.com
PlayStation 2: Cost: £199 Appearance: Stylish black convection heater. Processor: 128-bit PlayStation 2 CPU.
Memory: 32Mb. DVD friendly? Yes
Hot games: Kinetica, SpyHunter, Metal Gear Solid 2.
More info: www.playstation.com
++++
IN MALAYSIA, Maxis Communications has launched a new service just in time for Ramadan. Not only will your signal fix to the direction of Mecca that you will get reminders of prayer times and be able to download religious songs as ringtones. Brilliant for sheer imagination, this beats NTT DoCoMo's vital work with Coca-Cola to let phones buy cans from vending machines. Surely Times readers can be even more creative. What original applications would you suggest to mobile firms struggling to recoup their third-generation licences? We will print the most inventive suggestions, and alert the telcos to help to save the odd billion. And no, we do not need reminding about Hutchison's plans to send erotic videos to its handsets.
(The Times, November 19 2001)
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