Next Generation Weight In
The next generation is officially here! With 2006 almost behind us, we finally have a clear picture of the major players, and their offerings coming at the end of the year.(In Sony's case the beginning of next for the UK).The console manufactures all have a lot to prove this time out, and for the first time in a generation, it’s truly looking like a three horse race. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, first off the line in late 2005, Nintendo’s Wii (formerly known as the Revolution) and Sony’s Playstation 3 all have the opportunity to gain ground this generation.
Could we for the first time since the Playstation see an erosion of Sony’s dominance in the console wars? It’s a great time to be a gamer, promising more power, more options and with it more fun than ever before. But what is the current state of next generation gaming? What come Christmas 2006 are we going to have to choose to spend our hard earned money on?
The Feisty Forerunner : Does coming first out of the gate give Microsoft the edge?
XBOX 360
Release Date: Out now
Price: Premium package £279.99
The Trail Blazer
The Xbox 360 was the first to usher in the next generation, with a pomp filled launch in late 2005. The aim of course, to build up that crucial installed user base, getting as many 360’s into the hands of gamers before Sony and Nintendo launched their new systems. And here in the UK gamers snapped up the 360 in droves, when we could actually get our hands on them. Being first to launch might have been tactically sound, but Microsoft was plagued by a number of problems at launch. Nothing frustrates gamers more than not actually being able to get their hands on new hardware when it’s promised and massive shortages didn’t make getting hold of the new machine an easy proposition. It might make for good mainstream press having your system sell out across the board, but Microsoft was failing to actually put systems in the hands of early adopters.
No matter how much Microsoft might have touted titles like Perfect Dark Zero, the important killer app that should have sent gamers rushing into stores was no where to be seen. There were problems with broken hardware, a less than stellar reception in Japan and the general perception that some launch titles were technically unimpressive ports of Xbox games with slightly prettier graphics ; you can see why many gamers up to this point have adopted a ‘wait and see’ policy.
Prefect Dark Zero, far from perfect ? For all the power of the 360, the next gen prequel failed to reach the heights of it's predecessor
