Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently in Salon Technology

Technology Log
Is VeriSign a network solution?
Will the security specialist succeed in providing soup-to-nuts services for Web sites?
By Damien Cave
[03/08/00]

Technology Log
Music to Napster fans' ears
A bandwidth management tool may help lift a ban on MP3-sharing software imposed by colleges across the country.
By Janelle Brown
[03/08/00]

Technology Log
Can't take a joke?
Web game site purveyor John Zuccarini declared war on a site depicting animal mutilation -- in cartoons. But is pet protection his real motivation?
By Damien Cave
[03/06/00]

Technology Log
Death of a David.com
Even free publicity in the New York Times, which portrayed a tiny Amazon.com competitor busily "Killing Goliath.com," couldn't save bookseller Positively-You.com.
By Scott Rosenberg
[03/03/00]

Technology Log
Who decides who's who in Silicon Alley?
Jason Calacanis creates an annual "it" list of New York new media -- but not everyone is intrigued by the eclectic digerati he sprinkles in among the CEOs.
By Janelle Brown
[03/03/00]

Complete archives for Technology

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The first titles released on the new console demonstrate the power of the "emotion" engine, as Sony has dubbed the guts of its PlayStation2. As the heart of the console, the emotion engine provides the processing power for the lifelike graphics: Strands of hair blow sensuously and realistically across the face of Ai Fukami in Ridge Racer V. Horses bob and sway gracefully in a sumptuous scene, as warriors ride into battle in strategy-simulation game Kessen. Kessen's gameplay, of course, is a complete mystery to me -- it speaks Japanese and I don't. Still, I'm impressed by the smooth mobility of the general's facial expressions as he speaks to his troops. And as developers learn to harness the power of the new engine, the gaming industry expects truly astounding second- and third-generation PlayStation2 games to emerge.

Sony sold 720,000 PlayStation2 units in its first three days on the Japanese market; gamers have pre-ordered another 200,000 online. Lotteries determined which lucky Japanese gamers would be able to purchase the PlayStation2 at retailers on the first day; American gamers either have to import the machine -- prices currently range between $700 and $800 -- or wait till Sony officially brings it to U.S. shores, with an expected price of $300 to $400.

The PlayStation2 games are beautiful, but so are titles like Soul Calibur that run on the Sega Dreamcast. The battle for dominance in the multibillion-dollar gaming industry is far from over. Sega got a head start by releasing the Dreamcast console more than a year ago in Japan, and following up with a $100 million marketing campaign for its September 1999 U.S. launch. But this week Sony got an incredible start in Japan with the best console launch sales to date; it will no doubt put serious muscle into the PlayStaion2's U.S. launch. But the battle will likely be fought and won with the next generation games, the titles that will release in the coming years once developers get a grip on the new consoles' engines. No matter which company comes out ahead, gamers seem to be winning thanks to the speed and beauty of the latest machines.
salon.com | March 9, 2000

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon