Xbox 360 v PlayStation 3: Let battle commence

[Mr T.]

Xbox 360 v PlayStation 3: Let battle commence
By David Derbyshire
(Filed: 18/05/2005)

The battle for the next-generation of computer games consoles began yesterday as Sony unveiled the first details of its long-anticipated PlayStation 3.

The machine, due to reach the shops next year, runs on a computer brain 35 times more powerful than anything now on the market.


Playstation 3: Cell processor will provide an edge over rivals

Not only is the gameplay described as "astonishing", it features the sort of realistic graphics previously seen only in Hollywood special effect blockbusters.

The unveiling comes days after Sony's rival Microsoft announced its next generation console, the Xbox 360. Nintendo is expected to reveal its contender for the console throne today.

Computer games are no longer the preserve of teenage boys. Increasingly games companies are targeting adults in their 20s and 30s for a share of the lucrative market. Nearly one in two homes now has a console, while more is spent on games than on video rentals and cinema tickets combined.

But the electronics industry believes the stakes are even higher and that games machines will evolve into entertainment "hubs" of the home, handling DVDs, music and television through broadband internet connections.

Sony dominates the console market. Its first PlayStation in 1994 introduced three dimensional games to the world, while more than 80 million PlayStation 2s, introduced in 2000, have been sold.


Xbox 360: will profit by being launched first

Its newest model is similar in size to the PlayStation 2. It will be available in black, white and silver.

The brains of the unit is the new Cell processor, created with Toshiba and IBM. Sony claims it is twice as fast as the chip used to power the rival Xbox 360.

Its controllers are connected wirelessly using Bluetooth. Existing PlayStation 2 games will work on the new machine which also plays CDs and DVDs. The console allows owners to access their media from anywhere over the internet, make video calls using a high-definition camera or download upgrades for games.

The huge computer power means individual blades of grass on a football pitch can flutter in the wind. Players can take pictures of themselves and put their faces on games characters. They can play in real time with friends around the world over the internet.

Alex Croft, buying director of the games store Game, said: "It's clear that phenomenal technology is on the horizon. From what we've seen the new Playstation 3 looks astonishing. The intensity and quality of the games, the power of the machine, the range of things it can do - all look incredible."

The PlayStation 3 will be launched in America in spring 2006. However Sony has yet to confirm its British launch date or its price.

Its main competition will be Microsoft's Xbox 360. Although it has around half the computing power, it will be available months earlier.

Unlike the first, black and chunky Xbox, the new version has a softer design and a curved, white, clean look. Up to 40 games are expected to be available for the new Xbox by the end of the year.

Dan White, of Millward Brown, the market research company, said Microsoft had been determined to get the Xbox 360 in the shops months before the new PlayStation.

"Getting a head start really counts and that will give the Xbox a huge advantage," he said. "But the PlayStation 3 is more powerful. All Sony need to do is promise to deliver something tangibly better and come up with just one game that proves the point. They then need to promote it heavily between the two launches so that people hold off on the promise of superiority."

Nintendo's machine, which has been given the code name Revolution, is also expected next year. Details were due to be announced at an American trade show today.