Crave

Yuck.

(Credit: Gamespot)

Last week, I told you all why the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was the greatest console of all time. And although I caught some flak from the misinformed, it seems all too obvious now that it really was the greatest gaming device ever created.

But what about the worst console of all time? Surely, we can pick from a number of systems like the 3DO, 32X, Sega CD and a host of others, but what about major consoles? Even though these were released to the masses, the 3DO was nothing more than an overpriced proof-of-concept that never had a chance and the two Sega add-ons were a bridge to the Saturn.

And while I think there were a slew of crappy consoles that easily eclipse the Sega Saturn in pure crappiness, what other major console sucked as bad as Sega's Playstation competitor? Further, what other major console contributed so heavily to the downfall of one of the world's greatest hardware manufacturers?

As far as I'm concerned, the decision to call the Saturn the world's worst major console isn't difficult at all.

The 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode is the first car to offer two different hybrid powertrains. We take a first look from the 2008 Detroit auto show.

Click here for more 2008 Detroit auto show coverage.

This generation's Sega Saturn?

(Credit: CNET)

With a rumored $399 40GB Playstation 3 on the way, a cheaper device hitting shelves in Japan and UK, and announcements of an all-out price blitz this holiday season, is Sony really as desperate as it looks?

By just looking at news from the last week, it's quite easy to see that Sony is grasping at anything that will make the PS3 stick. Whether it's a new color, a cheaper price, or a rumbling controller, the company is hoping we will like something that make us spend our hard-earned money. I can't blame Sony for trying--the PS3 is hands-down, the most important device Sony is selling right now. Not only is it the harbinger of Blu-ray, it represents one of the most economically stable divisions of the company over the past decade.

But once again, Sony has it all wrong. The company is a victim of its own self-image and there is no stopping it with the current management in place. Simply put, Sony sees itself as a hardware company and in this business, that's the last thing you want to do.

Scion eBox

(Credit: AC Propulsion)

I had a chance recently to test drive two of the cars whose creators are bent on changing the way we view transportation, a converted all electric Scion eBox by Silicon Valley startup AC Propulsion, and a Saturn Vue Greenline hybrid. Both were highly enjoyable. The first, with a $70,000 price tag and a $10,000 deposit, is clearly an EV targeted at Conspicuous Sustainability consumers. I guess then, that the Saturn Vue Greenline with a $24,000 price tag, is perhaps the hybrid for the rest of us.

Saturn Vue Greenline

(Credit: General Motors)

One of my friends, who was considering buying an eBox invited me to take it for a spin up and down some of the San Francisco hills with him while he was test driving. I have to admit, coming down California Street into downtown, one of the City's steeper hills, is an entertaining way to get used to the feel of regenerative braking on a true EV. I highly recommend it. For most of the drive I never touched the brakes. To stop you simply take your foot off the accelerator. And for those who have not driven an EV before the acceleration itself is phenomenal. Touch, and Go. Of course, with a $55,000 price tag for the EV conversion (you provide the Scion), limited range, and few electric charging stations, a purchase would be a hard call for me to make. The payback on fuel savings, many times the useful life of the car.

In contrast, General Motors (NYSE:GM) had given me a 2007 Saturn Vue to drive around for a week, to get the feel of it. If anything, GM is not known as an innovator of clean technologies. They are still tarred with the who killed the electric car brush by many environmentalists. That has only made it harder for GM to get out the message on things like its massive R&D effort in fuel cell cars, its push into flex fuel and ethanol with the Live Green Go Yellow campaign, and now hybrids. Having been to a number of their press luncheons on some of the new technologies they have been developing, I had some idea what to expect, but had not written about it before. The Vue is what is known as a mild hybrid, and its lack of bleeding edge, ultra green technology compared to a Prius had a few of my greener friends turning their noses up at it. But this didn't really phase me after I drove it. As a car and SUV, I found it quite impressive. It handled wonderfully, was extremely quiet, and quite comfortable. You can feel the regenerative braking, but only as a slight tug, so besides the lack of noise, it is like driving any other SUV. Saturn bills it as getting the best highway gas mileage of any SUV, and the cheapest hybrid SUV on the market (not to mention a little quicker than the conventional Vue). Like all hybrids today, the payback is real, but not so great. At the average miles driven per year for most Americans we are talking 9 to 11 years or so compared to the standard Vue, according to my conversation with the Saturn people. If you happen to a real heavy commuter 25,000 to 30,000 miles per year type of thing, the payback may be down towards 5 or 6 years. In short, despite the c. 20 percent fuel savings, a consumer is looking at 120,000 to 150,000 plus miles before reaching a payback, depending on your assumptions, for this or almost any hybrid. The real payback, as always, comes from just buying a smaller car, hybrid or not.

What I love is that the Vue Greenline is really just the first in the Saturn line of hybrids and cleaner fueled cars. GM is basically planning on making virtually the entire Saturn line as green as can be. It is rolling out something like 8 new hybrids or hybrid versions of existing Saturn makes as we speak over the next couple of years. And at a $24,000 price tag, I could actually see buying one of these.

So whether you have the pocket books to look for full EV conversion or just a mild hybrid to make a small difference like the rest of us, the choice is there.

California dreaming in the 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

While much of the county is suffering blizzards and ice storms, we counted our sunny stars today and hit the dry, open road for a first look at the 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line. Like the Pontiac Solstice, with which it shares its platform, the Sky soft-top roadster exudes bold body styling. Sleek lines, a bulging hood, and aggressively arched front fenders all give the Sky a mini-Batmobile character, an impression underlined by the fact that our tester came in onyx black (that's black to you and me).

Blue Sky thinking: the view of San Francisco with the top down

(Credit: CNET Networks)

As its name suggests, the Sky Red Line is a performance-tuned version of the regular Sky: in place of the 2.4-liter naturally aspirated engine on the garden-variety model, the Red Line gets a 2-liter turbo charged plant conjuring up a sensational 260 horsepower--enough to send us sideways a couple of times in spirited cornering. To complement the upgraded engine, the Sky Red Line comes with a couple of natty styling cues (hood vents and mesh grille inserts), as well as a list of standard performance features including: Bilstein monotube shocks, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, and Stabilitrak with competitive mode.

Our Sky Red Line tester also came with automatic transmission, a rather hefty $895 option. In general, we prefer our roadsters with manual shifters; however, we read that the Sky Red Line is actually quicker to 60mph with the automatic, and after our disappointing experience with the agricultural gearbox in the Solstice, we probably ended up with the best option. Cabin tech on the Sky is in short supply, although we did get the upgraded Monsoon Audio System, which gave us MP3 playback ability and a separate subwoofer. In the course of a one-hour drive around the streets of San Francisco, no fewer than four people complimented us on our car. When stopped in traffic at a stoplight, one guy asked us: "What do you do for work?" We told him: "This."

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Following the announcement this morning from GM chief Rick Wagoner that Saturn plans to bring to market a plug-in hybrid vehicle, the company continued its hybrid kick with the unveiling of the 2008 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid here at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Aura Green Line Hybrid makes use of the same belt alternator system (BAS) technology that we recently saw in the Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid, and will deliver a 25 percent increase in fuel economy over the gasoline-only Aura, according to Saturn representatives.

(Credit: GM)

Production of the Aura Green Line Hybrid is scheduled to begin in March 2007, and the car is expected to have a base price less than $23,000. While the BAS is entry-level hybrid technology, it represents just the first stage in GM's move toward alternative drivetrain technology: the automaker also used the first morning of the L.A. Auto Show to show off the GMC Yukon Hybrid, which will use GM's next-generation two-mode hybrid system.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

General Motors has begun development of the world's first plug-in hybrid production vehicle, which will be offered as a version of the 2008 Saturn Vue hybrid. The announcement was made at the kickoff of the 2007 Los Angeles Show this morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center by GM's CEO Rick Wagoner. The front-wheel-drive 2008 Saturn Vue hybrid will incorporate GM's two-mode hybrid system, which will make its first appearance in the Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid, due to come to market next year. Wagoner said that no definite timeline had been decided for the Vue hybrid plug-in, but he suggested that the car would make use of a lithium-ion battery pack. He added that the 2-mode hybrid 2008 Saturn Vue would deliver a 45-percent increase in fuel economy over the gasoline-only Saturn Vue. We expect to get more details at the GM press conference later this morning.