PS2 thoughts... By: Tom Lane Have opinions of this editorial? Agree? Yes/No? Post them here! Having almost 20 years of experience following the video game industry closely has both its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that it's fairly easy to determine the fate of new hardware based on what you have seen happen in the past. This industry is certainly a dynamic one where strange and unexpected events loom around every corner, but even the unpredictable world of gaming isn't immune from history inevitably repeating itself. This insight comes with a price, however. When you have an idea of what to expect, elements of surprise are decreased. That means that you are less likely to be wowed by new and emerging technology. So was the case when I first laid my eyes upon the final specs for Playstation 2. It was about what I expected in every regard. The system is a monster to be sure, but will it take us to new ground or polish up what we already know? Consider the history of subsequent consoles. In the first wave, we had the early systems such as Atari. That was revolutionary simply because the very idea of video games was new. Following the great crash, Nintendo emerged with its powerful NES. This system introduced elements that are considered fundamental today, such as exploration, immersion, and actual plots. The 16-bit era expanded upon the market by introducing such graphic advances as Mode 7, complex parallax scrolling, and a wider variety of colors and audio channels. The current generation of hardware has brought about the 3-D revolution where might is no longer measured by how many colors can be displayed, but by how many polygons you can render. The point is that every new generation of hardware in the past has introduced a major leap in technology that has led to sufficient shifts in the way we play games. Upon viewing the preliminary movies of Gran Turismo 2000 and Tekken Tag Tournament, I wondered if this was about to change. Both games look absolutely incredible, but they don't seem to introduce anything that I would consider revolutionary. They are simply rehashes of what we have already seen with nicer finishes on them. This lack of revolution has been my major gripe against Dreamcast and something that I was relying on Sony to change. All of these thoughts crossed my mind upon viewing the information released by Sony when the system was introduced to the press. Then the Tokyo Game Show started and I began to see what I had wanted. It began when I watched movies of The Bouncer and continued with each of the other titles I explored. It's extremely difficult to make sense of any game that you have not actually played, but many of the titles in development for Playstation 2 look promising. The games look fantastic as expected, but what's more important is that some of them look as if they are reaching for new ground and introducing concepts never before seen. One example of this can be seen in The Bouncer. What Dream Factory is trying to accomplish with this is conveying the feeling of controlling a movie. Judging by the movies, the graphics are up to par with that goal and there are very dramatic camera moves and angles along with a variety of special effects to accomplish a very cinematic feel. If this is successful, the idea of controlling a movie could very well be a part of how this generation of hardware is going to change the video game landscape. If nothing else, it at least shows that the emphasis is on innovation and not simply improvement. My fears of Playstation 2 not having killer software have been calmed by these exciting new titles under development, but what of the console itself? Quite frankly, the thing that frightens me the most is Sony's attempt to make Playstation 2 an "all-in-one box". The gaming community was delighted to learn that PS2 will play DVD movies. To this I say that the original PSX could play audio CDs. How often did you use it for that function? I would venture to say almost never. If Sony wants PS2 to be an adequate DVD player, they will definitely need to introduce a remote control. Do you want to watch movies using your dual shock controller? My gut feeling is that dedicated DVD players are preferred by the majority of customers over a video game console that can play movies just as dedicated CD players are preferable to a PSX. PS2 might make a nice second DVD player, but I doubt it will eliminate the need for a dedicated unit. DVD movie playback is just one example of how Sony may be trying to accomplish too much. With 2 USB ports, Firewire support, and a PCMCIA type III interface, Sony obviously wants this machine to do more than play games. While a great idea, this type of thing has been tried in the past. Does anybody recall 3DO or CDi? True that those machines are history, perhaps too advanced for their time, but ask VM Labs how NUON is catching on or any Dreamcast owner how he likes surfing the web using that console. The fact is, no device of this kind has ever been successful in the past, or even present. If anybody in the world can make this work, then it is Sony; but is success even possible? At least Sony seems to be aware of the fact that games will drive their market. No silly useless applications or edutainment titles are on the horizon. The only way to ensure the success of a machine like this is to target gamers who will buy it for great software and also have an interest in the additional applications as opposed to marketing an all-in-one set top box that can also play games. The question is will gamers be willing to buy a PS2 when Nintendo's next machine and Dreamcast will almost definitely be a great deal less expensive? I don't know, but judging by the titles already in development and the excitement in the development community, great software is certainly in PS2's future. These titles are going to have to drive sales of the unit, and that's the only way it can succeed. That means that the software is going to have to destroy its competition. I know what you're thinking. What about the Sony fans who will buy the system no matter what? While those people admitedly exist, their number is way too small to ensure the success of the PS2. Hardcore company loyalists can not be counted on to ensure the success of any console and Sony is definitely in last place on this front. There are diehard Sega fans who love Sega's games just as there are the folks who love Nintendo's titles and will buy just about anything so long as Mario is in it. It's difficult to find Sony supporters of this kind simply because most successful Playstation titles have been developed by third parties. That means that the franchises can be developed for other platforms and are not Sony exclusive. Capcom or Namco fans don't have to choose a platform because their favorite games will be developed for whatever console is the most popular at the time. Company loyalists, however, are a moot point because their numbers are never great enough to guarantee success. Proof of this can be seen in the failure of Sega's Saturn. With the numbers that Sony is projecting for PS2, they have a lot more in mind than their fans. In fact, Sony has a lot more in mind than the video game playing public. They seem to want PS2 to cross over into the mainstream, to be a staple in every household whether they contain video game players or not. Is the market ready for that? Are your parents ready to own a PS2? No matter what happens, PS2 is going to be an incredible machine with a library of quality software. With all of the functions available on the machine, Sony is certainly taking an incredible risk. Risk. It's exactly what drives the market and breaks new ground; and you have to respect that. Have opinions of this editorial? Agree? Yes/No? Post them here!