Sega Delivers Amid
Sony and Nintendo Hype
This year Sega made a big splash with the Dreamcast, and Sony and Nintendo announced real plans for their next generation systems. It is an exciting time for the console market. The big three are unrelenting, and this generation of consoles looks better than ever.
Nintendo was the most ethereal of the companies, which is par for the course. They are currently developing a system around IBM’s 400MHz copper chip, the Gekko. The chip is a PowerPC, RISC based processor, which may indeed give Nintendo an edge on the conversion of PC games to consoles; this year they premiered Starcraft and Command and Conquer on the N64. The graphics processor is being designed by ArtX, and it will utilize DVD-based technology developed by Panasonic. The project is being called the “Dolphin,” and Nintendo is shooting for a worldwide release date of Fall 2000.
Sony had a prototype of the Playstation 2 running graphics and processing demos, and also had a port of Gran Turismo 2 available for limited play. The new machine looks promising. GT2 was gorgeous, the play looking even better than the replays in the current versions of the game. The various graphics demos showed off the real-time rendering capabilities of the new machine in a deceptively simple way. Overall, the demonstration was very impressive.
Sony has announced that their new 128 bit system will use a revolutinary new 300MHz processor called the “Emotion Engine.” This processor is not only incredibly fast and powerful, but allows the system to simulate thoughts, emotions, and actions of characters in a game. It’s hard to imagine how this capability will manifest itself, but it sounds great. The unit will use DVD-ROM, and will be backward compatible with old PSX games. The graphics processor will run at 150MHz, and is being developed by a new company created in a joint venture between Sony and Toshiba. All of these hardware specs bode well for the muscle of the system, and if it has the kind of software development for it that the Playstation currently has, it will surely be a formidable presence in the market.
Of course Sega, the perennial frontrunner in console development, is making an early move into the market with the Dreamcast system. The console itself is comprised of a 128 bit, 200MHz Hitachi SH-4 processor, a NEC Power VR graphics processor, a Yamaha Audio engine, and features a 56K modem. It uses a GD-ROM, which allows a gigabyte of storage, and runs two operating systems: Sega API, the Sega console OS, and a customized version of Microsoft Windows CE. All of this power gives Sega an early edge over the current Sony and Nintendo systems.
Sega is really working on software support. The dual operating systems are expected to attract developers from all over the computer gaming industry. The US launch will be accompanied by the launch of the Sega Dreamcast Network, an online gaming site developed by SegaSoft, which brought you HEAT.NET. Baldur’s Gate will be released on the Dreamcast, and will feature an online multiplayer mode, as will Sega Rally Championship 2. Sega expects to follow these titles shortly with Slave Zero, a mech action adventure game, and Frontier, which sounds like a Sci-Fi version of Everquest.
With 15 titles launching with the system, including some impressive titles like The House of the Dead 2, NFL 2000, Sonic Adventure, and Power Stone, the future looks bright for Sega. They have also just acquired Visual Concepts, the design house that brought out sports games like Madden Football, NHL ‘97, and NBA Action ‘98. The company that invented edgy, abrasive advertising (Sega!) is also gearing up for a huge commercial blitz. They are sponsoring the MTV Video Music Awards and propogating eerie ads that make use of the signature Dreamcast swirl in spooky ways. Sega is making a comeback, that’s for sure, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the Dreamcast.
The next year of gaming will be full of anticipation and speculation. Dreamcast sales could be hurt by speculation about the Playstation 2 and the “Dolphin,” but Sega’s tangibility in the marketplace will count for a lot. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more info from Sony and Nintendo, but we’ll be content to be impressed by Sega for a year.