Sony, Sega tussle for gamers' dollars, free time

Here's a riddle for you. What has the ability to play DVD movies, music CDs, and the most highly advanced 128 bit video games in the world? Answer: Sony Playstation 2. All the recent hype over the Sega Dreamcast's release seems to have overshadowed the impending release of the new Playstation. While the masses rejoice at the marvel of technology that is Dreamcast, the Playstation quietly approaches, to smash its competitors into bits of silicon and plastic. So before you run and shell out 200 clams for the Dreamcast, let's see if it can stand up to a side-by-side comparison to the Playstation 2.

Let's start this comparison with the all-important processor and architecture. The Hitachi SH-4 processor powers the Dreamcast. It is a speedy little chip that runs at 200 Mhz and is about 10 times as powerful as the VR4300 which powers the Nintendo 64. The 3D graphics capability is strengthened by its 128 bit architecture which speeds up matrix calculations to a maximum 1.4 GFLOPS (billions of calculations per second). This basically means that the Dreamcast's graphics are much better looking than a 64-bit system. The Dreamcast also runs under a modified Windows CE operating system. Windows CE is the operating system used by many handheld computers and some PDA's like the Palm Pilot. Sega's involvement with Microsoft may or may not be a benefit in some people's opinions.

The Sony Playstation 2 uses the "Emotion Engine" processor. It runs at a brisk 300Mhz and is also a 128 bit architecture. But the big performance boost comes from the processor's ability to crank out an amazing 6.2 billion calculations per second. This is an amazing feat for any processor, which could be why Sony originally had problems with the chip overheating. However, now that this problem is under control, the PS2 will deliver the most realistic graphics ever.

After graphics, the next important item for a game console is great sound. The audio processor for the Dreamcast is high end, as expected. It has true 64-bit output ability, which can be thought of as a band that can play 64 instruments at the same time. With such a powerful processor, I was shocked to find out that the Dreamcast did not support Dolby Digital Surround Sound at a time when the home theater market is booming. Dolby Digital Surround, alias DDS, allows you to get theater quality sound out of five speakers. Sega said that adding this capability would have cost the consumer too much because of royalties to Dolby Digital labs and the coaxial output connector. They also said that the speaker system is expensive and most gamers would not be able to utilize this feature.

Sony, on the other hand, has no qualms about putting the most expensive technology into the PS2, which shows in the high sticker price. The PS2 will offer support for Dolby Surround and DTS (otherwise known as Digital Theater System) within its hardware. Sony has included an optical digital output socket that will allow anyone to connect an amplifier, tuner or another suitable audio device. The PS2 will also sport a multi-out port that will support mediums such as RCS-style phono jacks, high definition television (HDTV) and S-Video.

Now that DVD is becoming more and more mainstream, a big question was whether to use the standard CD-ROM or the new DVD-ROM as the drive for the Dreamcast. Although DVD has over four times the capacity of a regular CD, it reads information from the disc at a much slower rate. CD-ROMs are also much less expensive than their DVD counterparts. Therefore Sega decided to go with a modified CD-ROM called the GD-ROM. The "G" stands for gigabyte, which is how much the new CD will hold. This proprietary CD will not be sold as blank media in an attempt by Sega to stop software pirates from making illegal copies of Dreamcast games.

The Playstation 2 will have a full-fledged DVD-ROM on board. This will allow the PS2 to play its own games as well as DVD movies and music CDs. Sony hopes to make up for a high price tag on the PS2 by selling it as an all in one machine. Another huge bonus to the PS2 is the ability to play original Playstation games. How many times must we buy our favorite games, then have them become useless when the new system comes out.

The Dreamcast is being touted as a breakthrough in the console game market because it comes with a 56K modem. Now you can play your games over the Internet or surf the web from your game console. Sega came out with it first, so you have to give them credit for a great and long-overdue idea.

The PS2 will not come with a 56K modem installed. But don't fret yet because it will come with a cable modem that can transfer data over 50 times as fast as a 56K modem. With this high-speed connection Sony plans on implementing a way to purchase games online and a hard drive to store them on the system. If successful, this could revolutionize the way we buy games - no more preordering or running out of the newest game titles.

Dreamcast will feature a Visual Memory System or VMS. VMS is a memory card with a built-in LCD screen. It plugs into the control pad to add a whole new level of strategy to game play. Gamers can use the LCD to set up plays in sports games or plan secret attacks in fighting games without their opponent's knowledge. VMS is also a portable game device the size of a business card, complete with a directional pad, control buttons and an LCD game screen. Sony has not gone this far with its memory cards. They remain nearly the same as the current cards, but with increased storage.

There are several features found on the Playstation 2 that have no counterpart on the Dreamcast. The PS2 will have IEEE1394 and USB ports that may allow you to connect joysticks or a mouse. Not much information has been released from Sony regarding the ports, but we can speculate that they might allow for multiple game controllers or even full flight systems like what is available for computer game simulations.

The big advantage that Dreamcast has over Playstation 2 is that it's here now and only costs $199.99 retail. Unfortunately, the Playstation 2 will cost an estimated $360. The next big disappointment is that the PS2 will not be available in the United States until the fall of 2000. I guess that gives us time to save up for the hefty price tag.

If you can't wait a year to play the newest games or $360 seems like a lot of money then the Dreamcast is certainly a good choice. If you want the most advanced do-it-all machine and are content playing your old Playstation games, then wait for the PS2.

09-23-99