However, as the PS2 date gets closer and closer the certainty surrounding its market dominance seems to be waning. It is no longer the sure bet that Newsweek led you to believe that it was. In Japan PS2 software sales have been less than stellar. It seems that many people are using it primarily as a DVD player. And now with Nintendo’s bid to control the console market with their GameCube we, the consumers, are left wondering, "Do I really need a Playstation 2 on October 26^th?" I’m not making any predictions here. Playstation 2 could very well be the system to get, but you don’t have to get it right away. In fact, I see very little reason to get it right away. The longer you wait the cheaper the system will be and the games will get better.

There are three factors to consider when buying a new console: hardware, price, and software. There’s no question that the Playstation 2 has it down in the hardware category. Nothing even comes close, yet. But there are so many rival consoles on the horizon that it won’t be king of the hill for long. I, for one, would not want to release a gaming console knowing that Bill Gates is coming out with the X-Box. There is just something about a man who dominates every field that he enters (except the courthouse) that really scares me. Then there’s the Indrema, the indie entry into the console rumble. With its linux based operating system it could upset the big boys like Miramax often does at the Oscars. With all of the competing platforms, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Atari, Coleco, or Intellivision tried making a comeback in the console royal rumble that will be 2001.

Price. This is where things get a little tricky. A lot of people are justifying (to themselves) the high price of the PS2 by saying, "But it’s a DVD player too." But with DVD players getting cheaper and cheaper everyday (remote control included at no extra cost) there seems to be no need for an all in one system. It might save a little space in a dorm room, but so would picking up your socks.

I ended up using those pennies I had started saving to get a Dreamcast (for less than half of what the PS2 would have cost me). Sega has proven itself and there is no title on the PS2 that interests nearly as much as Shenmue or Ecco. In fact, most of the software for the PS2 has a "been there, done that feel" but with better graphics. In the end, no matter what the system can do, if it doesn’t have the software, it will not fly. The N64 is clearly superior to the Playstation, but without the games ya got nada.

Last, but not least, there are the aesthetic considerations. For $300.00 you’d think that there would be a level of coolness associated with the design of the PS2 that rivals the iMac, but it’s design is about as creative as most waffle grills get in this day and age. There will be no oohing and aahing until you turn the thing on, and even then it’s not guaranteed.

So, don’t do it, not right away at least. Save your money. Invest. Internet stock would be a surer bet than the Playstation 2. Remember, no console has maintained market dominance over consecutive generations and there is no reason to believe that Sony will be able to break that trend. It will be tempting. The graphics will be pretty and the desire to be the first one on the block is hard to overcome, but patience in a world of immediate gratification is always rewarded with the ability to say, "I told you so!"