[jw]

With the turn of the century came the evolution of new and more advanced Gaming platforms.

• 2000: Sony PlayStation 2
  • The U.S. launch of the $300 PlayStation 2 saw it become the fastest-selling console of all time. It quickly overshadowed the Sega Dreamcast and more than held its own against the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox. Even today, vendors sell more slimmed-down PlayStation 2 units than they do Xbox 360, Wii, and even PlayStation 3 consoles. The PS2 uses a multiprocessor design, including a 128-bit "Emotion Engine" CPU, co-developed with Toshiba. Though such power contributed to the console's success, it took game developers some time to harness (early PS2 games didn't look as good as later Dreamcast games, for instance).
• 2001: Microsoft Xbox
  • After supplying the operating system for Sega's Dreamcast console, Microsoft ventured directly into the console race--with the PlayStation 2 squarely in its sights. Unlike the PS2, the $300 Xbox boasted a built-in 8GB hard disk and was broadband-ready out of the box (the Xbox Live Online gaming service launched a year later).
    
    The powerful Xbox had a PC-like design and used a modified Pentium III processor (running at 733 MHz). One of its launch titles, Halo: Combat Evolved, ranked as the best-selling game of 2001.
• 2001: Nintendo GameCube
  • The GameCube arrived in the United States just days after the Xbox; and at $200, it was $100 cheaper than either Microsoft's offering or the PlayStation 2. The GameCube was notably compact (it even had a handle) and featured a 128-bit "Gekko" CPU designed by IBM.
    
    Though Nintendo had finally stopped using game cartridges, it again bucked the prevailing trend by choosing a unique 8-cm disc format that could store only half as much information as the DVDs that rival consoles used. For the same reason, the GameCube couldn't play DVD movies or music CDs either. Even so, it more than held its own in sales against the Xbox (though both lagged behind the PlayStation 2), and Nintendo subsequently released separate dial-up and broadband networking adapters.
• 2004: SSD Company XaviXport
  • Two years before the Nintendo Wii's bundled sports title had gamers bumping into furniture and playing Van Gogh tennis, the XaviXport console used sensors and game-specific controllers (shaped like such implements as golf clubs and fishing rods) for a variety of games including golf, bass fishing, bowling, tennis, and boxing.
• 2005: Microsoft X-Box 360
  • Microsoft had slowly gained traction with its original Xbox, and its more-attractive successor reached stores a full year before either Sony's or Nintendo's counterthrust. The Xbox 360 features a 3.2-GHz Xenon CPU (with triple IBM PowerPC-based cores) and a custom ATI graphics chip; both of which share the system's 512MB of RAM.
    
    At launch, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations. The complete Xbox 360 package ($400) included a detachable 20GB hard disk, a wireless controller, a media remote, an Xbox Live online gaming headset, and component video cables (for 720p high definition). The Core System ($300) came with a wired controller and composite video cables.
    The Xbox 360 possesses Media Center-geared abilities and accessories such as an HD DVD-ROM add-on (for playing high-definition DVD movies), a wireless networking adapter, a wireless steering wheel, and a wireless Webcam.
• 2006: Nintendo Wii
  • Arriving just days after the PlayStation 3 swaggered into town, the Wii has already proved to be a hit with casual gamers and longtime Nintendo fans alike. It costs $250 and builds in Wi-Fi (but not ethernet). Like the PS3, it has an SD Card slot and can display photos, but its standard-definition DVD drive can't yet play movies (Nintendo and Sonic Solutions are working on that shortcoming).
    The Wii's most noteworthy innovation is its motion-sensing controllers. To throw a pass in Madden 07, for instance, you mime the movements of a quarterback. A joystick-style controller called the Nunchuk connects to the Wii Remote for further game control. In practice, it's addictive, and everyone wants to try it. Nevertheless, the $20 "classic" controller is quite handy for retro games.
    
    My favorite Wii feature is its friendliness toward consoles of yesteryear: Through the Wii, users can go online and download games from the Nintendo 64, the NES, the Super NES, the Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx16.
• 2006: Sony PlayStation 3
  • Sony's latest console hit the United States in November 17 like the marketing spawn of Tickle Me Elmo and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Though observers criticized the PS3's high cost, supply has not kept pace with demand. The console has next-generation features such as HDMI output (for 1080p HD) and a built-in Blu-ray disc drive. It's available in two configurations: The $599 version features a 60GB drive, 802.11b/g wireless networking, and media slots for Memory Stick, SD Card, and CompactFlash. The $499 version lacks wireless capabilities and has a 20GB drive.
    Okay, what's up with the creepy baby in this ad, Sony? Maybe it's an homage to the end of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Maybe it symbolizes rebirth. Maybe it's evidence of the aforementioned Elmo/Cabbage Patch tryst. Whatever the particulars, it's pretty twisted.
    
    Though the PS3's updated wireless controller lacks force feedback, it's lighter than the PlayStation 2's controller and improves on the older model's L2 and R2 triggers. And because the PS3's controller can sense motion along six axes, you can turn and tilt it to steer in driving or flying games.
    The dulcet voice of Lance "Bishop" Henriksen explains the PlayStation 3's six-axis controller:
    
    Both PS3 models feature a 3.2-GHz Cell Broadband Engine CPU (developed jointly by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM). Additionally, both include gigabit ethernet and built-in Bluetooth, and both let users copy photos, MPEG-4 videos, and music files to the hard disk.
    • SixAxis Advertisement