Next-gen consoles take center stage

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by the holidays, has a slight advantage. Sony's PlayStation 3 is slated for an early 2006 launch and the release date of Nintendo's Revolution is still up in the air.

Will high def mean high impact?
After five years of learning from experience with its original Xbox, Microsoft is expected to make a better showing, with some predicting the Xbox 360 will topple the next-generation PlayStation from its top market share spot.

Ultimately, the quality of the titles available for the consoles will determine the devices' popularity, and Microsoft is betting that high-definition playback of games, a key feature of the new Xbox, will appeal to a tech-savvy audience.

"The trend is more than just resolution," Microsoft vice president J. Allard said at a March developer conference in San Francisco. "It's going to change the way people play games."

That change includes emulating the movie business, which sells merchandise related to blockbusters.

At that same conference, Allard gave a sneak peek at the unified interface that will be used by all next-generation Xbox games. The interface promises to provide a central location for players to connect over the Internet and access music stored on the console. The interface also will serve as a gateway to a planned mini-transaction system that would enable players to buy small chunks of downloadable content, such as a sporty new car for a racing game or fashion accessories, such as tattoos, for a character.

Still, HD remains a top selling point, and the company has struck a marketing alliance with electronics giant Samsung to promote HDTVs with the Xbox 360.

The companies plan to place more than 25,000 Samsung high-definition televisions in Microsoft Xbox retail kiosk locations across the globe. The move will simultaneously show off the picture quality of HD sets and support Microsoft's efforts to move the gaming industry into the HD era.

Sony's new PlayStation will also have an HD element, as it uses the next-generation DVD format Blu-ray Disc, whose high capacity makes it an ideal storage medium for HD content. Double-sided versions of Blu-ray Discs will store up to 50GB of data.

Less is known about the Nintendo console, code-named Revolution, but executives have said it will focus more on being a gaming system and less as an entertainment hub like the PlayStation and Xbox. The system will have Wi-Fi wireless networking and gaming titles for the next Nintendo console will be backward-compatible with its current GameCube.

Xbox sales a "strong" #2?

PS2 had total sales of 30.8 million units, Xbox
had 12.1 million units, and GameCube had
9.1 million units. And Bill Gates calls that a
"strong" #2 performance? Makes you wonder
what his definition of a weak #2 performance
would be.

Furthermore, the claim that Microsoft's goal
with Xbox was to be "in the game" is false.
They wanted the #1 position and they failed.
They failed badly. Not even close. And that's
despite the fact that they were absorbing
massive financial losses in order to sell
Xboxes at prices significantly below the
manufacturing cost.

[nmcphers]

strong #2

"Makes you wonder what his definition of a weak #2 performance would be."

A weak #2 would be if they lost 1.2billion each year...Oh, wait. They still call that a strong #2. Never mind. I have no idea what his definition of a weak #2 performance would be.

[catchall]

to be "in the game" is false?

Do you sit in on board meetings? Have you talked to the share holders? Talked to the programmers? Or are you just MS bashing at random, with little clue about what you are talking about?
I think it is the last. Everyone sets out to be #1. GameCube was designed to take the market. It didn't. MS set out to take the market with XBox. It didn't.
However, as Billy stated, they have some creditability now, for a good platform, and a strong showing. So now it is round 2, and we shall see who is left standing.

[Andrew J Glina]

Wrong

Microsoft were pretty clear when they released the XBOX that the main point to get into the game. While they obviously wanted to win, all they needed was a foot in the door. Rememeber that they have tried at least two other times to get into the console market, the last one being the DreamCast. This time they succeeded.

If you disagree then you really should provide supporting evidence before calling Microsoft a liar.

Incidently, Sony initially sold the PS2 below manufacturing costs. It is common practice in the console market.

[ZP]

Was this an XBOX article?

By the title I thought I would have got an overview of all the next-gen consoles instead the article was dominated by who else....M$. I didn't know CNET was owned by M$. What propoganda! Sony will still win! M$ and their digital media hub/dishwasher/cell phone/microwave next gen console.

Leaked

The hardware info for the XBOX360 was leaked, hence it was the focus of the article. That, and the fact that the MTV show about it's release is happening tomorrow.

Had this been a leak from sony about the cell processor, then the focus would have been on sony.

"this just in, a buffalo born in New Mexico has two heads... for coverage, we go live to someone in a glass bottom submarine looking at starfish" doesn't really make sense, does it?

Knee-jerk reactions from the Anti-MS (it MS not M$. Grow up, you're just making yourselves look childish) crowd do not a discussion make.

[Andrew J Glina]

Other consoles

There is a lacking of information about the other consoles. Thus they focused on the XBOX. Calm down.

[Christopher Hall]

More information

D B, there isn't much information available on the other consoles, yet. Sony hasn't announced much other than the fact that PS3 has a cell processing architecture, and Nintendo hasn't said anything at all.

[Earl Benser]

Do real poeple care?????

I get the impression that the various game devices are competing
for a relatively small audience, too many of which have yet to find a
life.

caring is sharing

I think the fact that the games business is making more money than hollywood, means people care.

[Andrew J Glina]

I am real

I have an XBOX and a PS2. (I play the XBOX more.) All of my friends have at least one current generation console. All have bought games. Some have bought more than 10. (Not me, I stick to a few games.) Yes, people do care. Where are your facts or do you just have "impressions"?

Mainstream?!

When did MTV become a mainstream tv network! It doesn't even play music.All you ever see or hear is crap, oh i mean rap!

[arbelaez2k3]

Xbox Unveiling

May 12 9:30 PM Eastern & Pacific, 8:30 PM Central
MTV will air a 30 min show about the next-gen Xbox.
For more information go to the following link:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/news/2005/0411-mtv.htm

----?

[Sam Papelbon]

how ironic

that one of the main complaints about gamecube from xbox owners is that it looks like a playskool toy. but now the new xbox looks like it belongs next to a hello kitty ibook.