My take on the next gen consoles

Well, E3 is done and all three console manufacturers have had the chance to show off their feathers. I must admit I haven't read up on the specs of each machine. I don't really feel I need to, since the dominant console in any generation isn't determined by technical power. It's all about the games, and fan loyalty. The Sega Dreamcast is a perfect case-example.

Microsoft has shown that they are brilliant marketing strategists. Their Xbox was the last man out on the last generation, which guaranteed them the "best graphics" crown, then they made sure they're first out on the next gen to set up a "1-2-punch". Many people scoffed when they learned that Microsoft was breaking into the console business. Myself included. This tactic has guaranteed them a considerable spot in the next generation market, as well as in the generation after that.

I still believe that Sony will dominate the next gen. Three generations of games on one machine will most likely be too much for Playstation fans to resist, but the real wildcard will be Nintendo. Sony might be able to offer games from the PS1 and on, but even that game library pales in comparison to the entire history of non-portable Nintendo games. Many Playstation fans probably have a soft spot for really old Nintendo games they played when they were kids. How the global idea of downloading Nes, Snes, and N64 games onto your Revolution ends up being implemented will be a great factor in determining Nintendo's future in the console business.

Of course, there ARE a shitload of unknowns for all three consoles, which may tip the scales before even the 360 sees the light of day. But since everyone else is speculating away, why can't I?

Playstation 3

I just saw some screenshots of the Playstation 3 set to be released next spring. Although the Xbox 360 looks like it'll do quite well, the fact that the PS3 will be backwards compatible all the way to the PS1 will most likely cement Sony as the dominant console manufacturer of the next generation. I've said it many times: Anyone who owned an original Playstation and enjoyed it will buy every Playstation he/she can afford. Even if the Xbox 360 is backwards compatible (Microsoft has no choice IMO), it can't compete with that big a game library. There are still some Playstation1 games that I would play today, and I don't see pretty next generation graphics changing that one bit.

No matter who ends up dominating the next generation, IBM is gonna make a killing. All three next-gen consoles had their CPUs designed with IBM's help. That kinda teamwork CAN'T be free.

TV series addict

I've replaced one drug with another. In my attempt to buy fewer videogames, I've stumbled onto another goldmine that I can spend shitloads of money on: DVDs. Specifically, television series on DVD. It's been just over a week and I already have a sizeable collection of TV shows:

• Season 1 of G.I. Joe
  
• The entire series of Captain Scarlet
  
• Seasons 1 through 4 of Red Dwarf
  
• Season 1 of 24

Most of it is just stuff I watched when I was younger, but 24 is the crown jewel. I've heard so many good things about the series and never bothered to watch it. Now that I've started, I feel kinda dumb for having waited so long. There are a couple more boxed sets I have my eye on, but I'm not in any hurry. I already have plenty of hours of entertainment to go through. Looks like I'll be spending even less time playing videogames for afew more weeks...

Gran Turismo 4

The first time I ever played a Gran Turismo game I was in the computer science department of the University of Montreal. Some students had hooked up their Playstation to a classroom projector and I played a couple arcade races on a HUGE screen. After that night, I didn't touch GT until some friends of mine bought it and showed me the Simulation Mode. I was so impressed by the idea that I had to get myself a copy. It didn't take long for me to be impressed by the large amount of things to do.

As much as I loved the GT1, I played GT2 once, and only once. The differences between the sequel and its predecessor were just too small for me to be impressed. If there WERE more significant differences, they were not apparent quickly enough for me to get a feel for them. When Gran Turismo made its leap into the current console generation, I got to play a demo of GT3 at Siggraph 2001. Again, I enjoyed the brief experience, but the graphics weren't enough to reel me back in, and by then my memories of GT1 were so blurry that I never had any reason to dig deeper into the game.

About a month ago I bought a copy of Gran Turismo 4 without even trying it. It was a spur of the moment kinda purchase, which is rather typical of me. I can honestly say that was a great move. After several hours of gameplay, and a couple licenses, it's like I've learned how to play it all over again. I had forgotten how much fun GT can be. In fact, I had gained the false impression that something BUGGED me about the gameplay. I'm a big time drift freak when it comes to racing/driving games, and controlled drifts are quite a challenge in Gran Turismo. That's actually a GOOD thing, although I couldn't remember why.

Gran Turismo's driving engine puts alot of emphasis on weight transfer. You can't just hit the brakes as you enter a curve and expect to corner it perfectly because you won't have enough weight on your front wheels. You really have to brake early enough to maximize your car's handling. Rear wheel drive cars have the added challenge that if you start accelerating too early, you'll spin out because all your weight will be on the front wheels as you burn rubber. This makes the driving experience very different from other driving games where going through a hairpin curve can be as easy as hitting the handbrake.

Simulation Mode takes this tight driving system and slaps a nice little "career mode" onto it. The things you do off the track are just interesting enough to keep the endless cycle of "Win races, get money, upgrade car, win more races, get more money..." from getting boring. Of course, if you have a clear cut preference for arcade style controls that are very forgiving, you'll probably hate this game. Otherwise, it's worth at least a rental.