Who Will Win the Next Console War?

Who Will Win?? - The Finer Points Discussed

written: July 22^nd 2000

I'll admit, I'm very biased when it comes to videogame choice. I for one, am a total devotee to Nintendo. Always have been, always will be. As you all may know, a new generation of video gaming is at hand. Sega started us off with their Dreamcast system. Now, Sony, Nintendo, and even Microsoft of all people, are trying to get their fair share of attention with their own Next-Gen system. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...the 128-bit Console War...

A Flawed Dream?

Let us begin with Sega's console, the Dreamcast. It's been out for a year now, giving Sega plenty of time to gain popularity and sales. This was indeed the first of the next-generation 128-bit consoles, the rest arriving over the course of the next year. I wasn't too happy about a new contender to do batle with the N64, after all, it was (and still is) struggling to compete with the likes of Sony and their precious PlayStation.

Graphics: By far, the best of it's kind at this moment. Even compared to the 1^st generation of PlayStation 2 games, it still reigns as the better of the two graphically. Kudos to Sega!
Satisfaction: I have indeed played several games for the Dreamcast, and coming from a Nintendo fan, the games look pretty darn good. Another plus for Sega!
Outcome/Final Impressions: Although the system has a lot of strong points, there are also fatal downpoints which will ultimately decide the fate of this promising system. With lack of popularity in the motherland (translation: Japan),it could be the thing that spells the end for Sega's Dreamcast, a fate that was all too familiar to the N64.

An Over-Priced, Over Hyped, Waste of Plastic

Next in line, is Sony's follow-up to their first popular game console, the PlayStation 2. What I mean by over-priced is what it says: over-priced. Currently, Sony plans to lose about $100 for each console sold. Why one might ask? Because Sony's system takes a considerable amount of money to be produced and is currently slated for a release @ approximately $300-$350. Sony did not do their homework on this new system. Not only did they overlook a way to make their console cheaper, they overkilled the hype surrounding the system. Sony promised their loyal fans great capabilities like full Anti-Aliasing* (which it does not have), and a pushing power of 60 million polygons a second (let me check up on that number). Simply put, it will take a few years for developers to make games that even come remotely close to Sony's hopeful description of their system.

Graphics: The PlayStation 2's graphical limits are comparable to those of the Dreamcast as of now. In fact, Dreamcast graphics look better than anything you could find on the PS2. Nice try Sony, but not good enough this time
Satisfaction: I can honestly say I haven't played the system, nor any of it's games yet. I can also honestly say that I'm not planning to play the system or any of it's games. It just seems so disappointing
Outcome/Final Impressions: Stupid, ignorant people will eat this one up when it comes out, just because it's PlayStation. Even though we all know that Sony majorly sucks, every single PlayStation owner out there just doesn't see it. Unfortunatly, I see the PS2 as one of the reigning champions of the next console war. Let the hissing and booing begin!!!!

Too Good to Be True...

I personally don't know too much about the X-Box, Microsoft's chip-in to the console gaming world, so I won't down it too much. According to many articles I have read around the net, alot of X-Box's specs seem too good to be true. A processor that can handle 700 megahertz with it's processor, nearly 400 more than the current offerings by Sony and Nintendo, is just an example of something that seems a little farfetched.

Graphics: The demos don't look all that promising. It can be done on any of the next-gen systems. Quality is ok and anti-aliasing is available.
Satisfaction: Can't write much here. But it seems promising. Just picture a high performance PC's capabilities shoved into a smaller plastic container.
Outcome/Final Impressions: X-Box may become a pretty serious competitor, but like Sony, I believe they do not know how to make games very well. If all they'll be doing is porting PC games to the system, then everyone's in for a real disappointment.

In Hiding, But Is It For the Better?

Finally, Nintendo's project Dolphin/Star Cube. They still have yet to say ANYTHING about their system and that's what's worrying many Nintendo loyalists, like myself. But just because they haven't said anything, doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. I am confident that Nintendo will deliver in a big way. They always have.

Graphics: No pictures have been made available yet, but we can use our imaginations can't we? Looking at various pics posted on the net, and using my imagination, Dolphin will undoubtedly be as good as PS2, if not better, when it comes to graphics.
Satisfaction: Very little I can write here until Space World 2000 comes around. Keep your fingers crossed!
Outcome/Final Impressions: Nintendo made all the right choices with their pre-development matters. They chose the right people to design their chipsets, their sound, and their games. Nintendo is sitting pretty, that is, if they can deliver on August 25^th. The way everything has been laid out, I personally think Nintendo can dominate, if not win, the next console war.

*Anti-Aliasing is a process that developers used to smooth out jagged objects to make them less blocky and straighten them out.

Well, this was a long one, but I hope you've enjoyed my ranting. Feel free to leave any comments @ this place

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Graphics: By far, the best of it's kind at this moment. Even compared to the 1^st generation of PlayStation 2 games, it still reigns as the better of the two graphically. Kudos to Sega!
Satisfaction: I have indeed played several games for the Dreamcast, and coming from a Nintendo fan, the games look pretty darn good. Another plus for Sega!
Outcome/Final Impressions: Although the system has a lot of strong points, there are also fatal downpoints which will ultimately decide the fate of this promising system. With lack of popularity in the motherland (translation: Japan),it could be the thing that spells the end for Sega's Dreamcast, a fate that was all too familiar to the N64.

Graphics: The PlayStation 2's graphical limits are comparable to those of the Dreamcast as of now. In fact, Dreamcast graphics look better than anything you could find on the PS2. Nice try Sony, but not good enough this time
Satisfaction: I can honestly say I haven't played the system, nor any of it's games yet. I can also honestly say that I'm not planning to play the system or any of it's games. It just seems so disappointing
Outcome/Final Impressions: Stupid, ignorant people will eat this one up when it comes out, just because it's PlayStation. Even though we all know that Sony majorly sucks, every single PlayStation owner out there just doesn't see it. Unfortunatly, I see the PS2 as one of the reigning champions of the next console war. Let the hissing and booing begin!!!!

Graphics: The demos don't look all that promising. It can be done on any of the next-gen systems. Quality is ok and anti-aliasing is available.
Satisfaction: Can't write much here. But it seems promising. Just picture a high performance PC's capabilities shoved into a smaller plastic container.
Outcome/Final Impressions: X-Box may become a pretty serious competitor, but like Sony, I believe they do not know how to make games very well. If all they'll be doing is porting PC games to the system, then everyone's in for a real disappointment.

Graphics: No pictures have been made available yet, but we can use our imaginations can't we? Looking at various pics posted on the net, and using my imagination, Dolphin will undoubtedly be as good as PS2, if not better, when it comes to graphics.
Satisfaction: Very little I can write here until Space World 2000 comes around. Keep your fingers crossed!
Outcome/Final Impressions: Nintendo made all the right choices with their pre-development matters. They chose the right people to design their chipsets, their sound, and their games. Nintendo is sitting pretty, that is, if they can deliver on August 25^th. The way everything has been laid out, I personally think Nintendo can dominate, if not win, the next console war.