Game Information

Next Generation Games Consoles - Separating Fact from Fiction


Over the next 18 months the 3 giants of the Games Console world will be battling it out in stores and homes across Europe, America and Asia for the title of the world greatest Games Console. The stakes are high in this multi billion dollar business, not just for the console sales but for the games sales that go along side it. Since the launch announcements of all 3 consoles in May at the E3 conference in LA. The 3 combatants have been vying for the millions of column inches that have been written about the Next Generation Consoles. Each Press release has been hotly followed by another press release from a rival company so much so that extracting the facts from all the hype has been nearly impossible. At the launch press conferences Microsoft boasted that the Xbox 360 could do 9-billion-dot-product-operations per second. Sony then came out and said that the PS3 could do 51-billion-dot-product-operations per second however Sony had combined the CPU and GPU performance numbers whilst Microsoft only reported its CPU performance number. When the consumer is up against this sort of publicity blizzard it is best not to believe a thing until you can check the facts for yourself.

So what do we know?

Well for the Xbox 360 and the Sony Playstation 3 we have lots of lists of hardware and specifications which actually don't mean very much in isolation. The main thing that need concern us are the processor speeds and they are both stated as being 3.2 GHz The only time that the hardware will mean anything is when we get to run them side by side and then if experience is anything to go by the difference in real life performance won't be noticeable and will just be used by the press departments to battle it out.

Despite all the press releases and information that has been spewing out of the headquarters of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo we actually know very few facts. We know that in all likelihood the Xbox 360 will be on the shelves in time for Christmas, Amazon are currently taking pre-delivery orders and are quoting a release date of November 28th. The prices have been set at $299 for the Core System and $399 for the Xbox 360, the difference being that the Core system doesn't have the external hard drive required to save games and download new content or the headset required to play online on Xbox Live! Why 2 prices? and why a version that hasn't got everything included? This looks very much like a product of the marketing department trying to get a product at the historically important sub $300 level more than anything and this may backfire on them in the long run.

Next to hit the Shelves will be Sony's Playstation 3 supposedly in spring next year once again we have very few facts to go on, Sony are continually releasing press releases and mentioning in public that the price will be high and the figure of $500 has been mentioned but many industry experts suspect that this is a ploy so that when they release it at $300 or $350 it will look like a bargain. The final console to hit the shelves will be the Nintendo Revolution some time late in 2006 and 2007. Since the "launch" at E3 this year very little has been said about it by Nintendo. It seems at this time the "Launch" was just a way to deflect some of the publicity away from Microsoft and Sony. One fact is certain, If Microsoft do get the Xbox 360 onto the shelves before Christmas it will be this year's biggest selling Christmas gift. So until you get your hands on one of the consoles?.Question everything!

Mark Thompson ran an IT consultancy in London for many years. He now live in Spain and runs an number of websites including NextGen Consoles and World of the Weird


MORE RESOURCES:

AFP

Stern considers NBA games in London possible before 2012 Olympics
The Canadian Press, LONDON - 1 hour ago
LONDON — NBA commissioner David Stern said Sunday the league likely would play regular-season games in London before the British capital hosts the 2012 ...
NBA begins expansion into China Examiner.com
AEG and NBA China Form Joint Venture MarketWatch
NBA Commish: London On Radar for Regular Season Game Cleveland Leader
BBC Sport - Basketball 24/7
all 223 news articles


The Associated Press

A Latino edge for 2016 Games?
Chicago Tribune, United States - 10 hours ago
In a 25-minute showcase, officials reiterated that they have stayed true to the global template for a successful Games with a compact set of venues, ...
Ueberroth goes on offensive in IOC money dispute The Associated Press
The Buzz: Ueberroth goes on offensive Kansas City Star
Next president may sell Chicago 2016 bid to IOC International Herald Tribune
Newsweek - USA Today
all 160 news articles


New York Times

OT: College Football games discussion, Oct 11th
SF Illustrated - 1 hour ago
OK started a fresh thread to discuss this weekend's games- there are some really good ones on the schedule for tomorrow with oklahoma-texas (#1 versus #5! ...
Video: No. 5 Texas Upends Top-ranked Oklahoma AssociatedPress
Saturday's top TV games San Francisco Chronicle
QBs for Longhorns, Sooners at top of their games Fort Worth Star Telegram
USA Today - Barre Montpelier Times Argus
all 1,467 news articles


Bleacher Report

Phils' Manuel won't miss any NLCS games to attend services for mother
ESPN - Oct 11, 2008
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will not miss any NLCS games to attend the funeral of his mother, June, who passed away before Game 2 on Friday ...
Phillies Notes: Phils' Manuel won't miss any games Philadelphia Inquirer
Manuel won't miss any games Cherry Hill Courier Post
Manuel, Victorino won’t miss any games The News Journal
Contra Costa Times - Philadelphia Daily News
all 685 news articles


NOTEBOOK: Big games agree with Youkilis
Newsday, NY - 13 hours ago
BY KAT O'BRIEN | kat.obrien@newsday.com Youkilis went 3-for-4 in Game 1 Friday, marking his third straight three-hit game in ALCS play. ...
Francona tweaks the lineup Boston Globe
all 41 news articles


odishatoday.com

C’wealth Youth Games begins
Hindu, India - 1 hour ago
LEADING THE WAY: Ace swimmer Virdhawal Khade was India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games on Sunday. ...
EDITORIAL All the best C’wealth Youth Games envoys ThisDay
National Games changed city's face Times of India
Commonwealth Youth Games The Statesman
MyNews.in - Hindustan Times
all 77 news articles


Vancouver Sun

Olympic Games not losing its shine despite worldwide credit crunch
Daily Mail, UK - 1 hour ago
‘The Games are resilient and people rally around them because of the good that they do. It is a big,big brand,’ said Michael Kontos, a senior adviser. ...
Cricket's inclusion is key to Indian Olympic Games popularity Courier Mail
Sprinter Chambers welcomes IOC re-test move AFP
IOC to retest all doping samples from Beijing Games Reuters South Africa
USA Today - The Press Association
all 832 news articles


Monsters and Critics.com

TGS 08: Microsoft Holding Off on Delisting XBLA Games
1UP.com, NY - 4 hours ago
But at the Tokyo Game Show earlier this week, Xbox Live corporate vice president John Schappert told IGN that won't be the case. ...
Xbox 360 New Xbox Experience Preview 2: Games Marketplace Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows
Educational games coming to the Xbox Seattle Post Intelligencer
XBLA may not delist games after all Ars Technica
eFluxMedia - Game Daily
all 197 news articles


CTV.ca

Pan Am games bid kickoff 'hit right notes'
Toronto Star,  Canada - 14 hours ago
After formally throwing Toronto's hat into the ring to host the 2015 Pan American Games, organizers have less than a year to bring home the big prize. ...
Toronto's formal bid for Pan Am Games received well in Mexico ... The Canadian Press
Rival to Canada drops out of PanAm Games bid Globe and Mail
Toronto closer to getting Pan Am games 680 News
Hamilton Spectator - CTV.ca
all 134 news articles


The Associated Press

Sharks stay perfect after two games
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 6 hours ago
Which is why Todd McLellan wasn't planning any speeches before Saturday night's game with the Los Angeles Kings, even though a letdown loomed after his ...
Sharks, Kings conclude home-and-home set in LA Sports Network
Patrick O'Sullivan expects to make season debut Sunday for Kings Los Angeles Times
Plihal, Nabokov star in Sharks' 3-1 win over Kings The Associated Press
CBSSports.com - San Jose Mercury News
all 279 news articles

Games - Google News

home | site map
Web Site Development - Search Engine Marketing: Dream Team Media