The battle between the three dominant video game console makers – Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo – heated up this month at the E3 2006 conference in Los Angeles as new details emerged about the Sony Play Station 3 and Nintendo Wii (pronounced “we”) platforms, which are scheduled to hit store shelves this year. Microsoft also shed some light on the future of its 6-month-old Xbox 360 console.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re a die-hard gamer or the parent of a kid who will beg you to buy video gaming’s latest and greatest.
Sony, the No. 1 video game machine maker, says its PlayStation 3 will debut Nov. 17 in North America with a price of $499 (with a 20-gigabyte hard drive) and $599 (60GB hard drive). This next-generation console also will let gamers play high- definition movies on Blu-ray Discs.
Sony also showed its PS3 controller that looks and feels like its two predecessors but also employs a six-axis sensing system.
“The PlayStation 3 is what everyone wants,” says Dan “Shoe” Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly, an industry journal. “They have the strongest brand awareness, and it’s what all the kids will want this holiday.”
The PS3’s price tag – up from $199 for the PS2 console – isn’t deterring gamers who contribute to Internet message boards.
“The price is a bit steep for me, but I should be able to get one,” writes one poster in a forum at the GameSpot website (gamespot.com). “I’ll probably preorder it or try to get to the store real early so I don’t have to resort to eBay.”
Nintendo, currently in third place with its GameCube system, plans to fight back with a new console that promises innovation in game control, rather than cutting-edge graphics. The Wii is designed to make video games more appealing for new and casual gamers, rather than just hard-core fans.
The wireless Wii controller, for example, resembles a DVD remote and has internal sensors so it can be wielded like a sword, swung like a tennis racket or gripped like a steering wheel in racing games. The angle of the controller guides the onscreen action.
The controller also has a built-in speaker and a vibrating mode and can be attached to a peripheral for two-handed action.
The Wii is scheduled to go on sale near the end of this year. Nintendo says the console will be “affordably priced” and will launch with “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,” a new title in the popular franchise.
While Nintendo hasn’t announced the Wii’s price, at least one industry analyst says it probably will be less than the PS3 or Xbox 360.
“Before E3, I predicted the Nintendo Wii to be about $199, but now (it) can go as high as $299 and include two controllers and possibly a game,” says Billy Pidgeon with Go Play Research in New York.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates made a surprise appearance at E3 to reinforce the company’s commitment to the console wars.
He told an audience of industry and retail types that the Xbox 360 will have a 10 million- unit head start even before Sony and Nintendo launch their respective next-generation machines.
What’s more, roughly 160 Xbox 360 games will be available by the end of the year.
Gates also talked about “Live Anywhere,” an always-on cross- platform service that connects gamers between the Xbox 360 and a Windows Mobile-based cellphone or a PC running the upcoming Windows Vista operating system.
Scott Ellis, a 20-year-old from Gainesville, Fla., says he enjoys the game play offered by his Xbox 360 but is frustrated with ongoing hardware issues.
“I’ve had three defective Xbox 360s in a row, and I am going on my fourth,” he says. “Given this circumstance, I am probably going to buy another system, and after watching the three E3 conferences (online), it will probably be a Nintendo Wii.”
