Systems upgrade: the next installment of the gaming wars

A new generation of console games will begin arriving next spring, but the initial details of the new systems have already been revealed. While Sony attempts to hold its dominant market share with the new Playstation 3, Microsoft will battle for control with the Xbox 360.

Each system is boasting better statistics than its counterpart in a bid to one up each other, though some of the hardware specifications might mean little to the lay consumer. Playstation 3 boasts a 3.2 Ghz processor—which, compared to Xbox 360’s two symmetrical 3.2 Ghz core, seems pathetic. Yet the PS3 provides two teraflops of performance while the Xbox 360 only provides one.

While these technical specifics might make your head spin, some of the other numbers offered up are more straightforward: Sony has increased Playstation 2’s measly two-controller system to seven for the PS3, while Xbox has simply maintained its four-controller system. Both systems provide Wi-Fi Internet connections and have half a gigabyte of RAM.

The battle between these two systems rages on: Microsoft and Sony are following the same concepts in their new systems, searching to build a bigger, better machine. Yet as the past has shown, the end results may be the same. Despite Microsoft’s boasts of the original Xbox’s superior power over the PS2, when third- party game developers began creating games, they agreed that each system was capable of supporting exactly the same game. Thus the massive differences announced before the release of the systems proved overblown.

If power differences do prove negligible, the massive price differences could swing purchases: While Xbox 360 will sell for a (relatively) reasonable $300, Playstation 3’s price is sky-rocketing to over $450.

In contrast to Microsoft and Sony’s early release of the Xbox 360 and PS3 technical specs, respectively, Nintendo has remained tight-lipped about its new system, the Nintendo Revolution. It has said only that Revolution is a smaller, more affordable alternative to the other two systems. The new system’s “revolution” comes with a new controller design—one they are unwilling to describe at the moment.

Though the systems have differences, the most decisive factor in a purchase should probably be the console-specific games like Xbox’s Halo series, Playstation’s Final Fantasy series and Nintendo’s classic Mario and Zelda series.

One final issue for the new consoles is backward compatibility—the ability to play games from old systems. Playstation 3 will be able to play PS1 and 2 games, while the Xbox 360 will not be able to play Xbox games. This missing quality is surprising in the battle between the two juggernauts.