Playstation 2: A System for the Millennium?

Sony's clearly gunning for the numero uno position in the next-gen console wars. Although it remains to be seen how the public will accept its initial asking price and how large Nintendo's Dolphin or Microsoft's X-Box will loom in the background, the PlayStation 2 should be able to take on all comers.

Sony would like to begin a new age in digital entertainment-and after reviewing the speci?cs of its next-generation gaming console, the PlayStation 2, you have to like its chances. The PS2 will launch on March 4, 2000 in Japan. The 39,800? price tag (approximately $370 in the U.S.) will cover the system unit, one DualShock 2 analog controller, one 8 megabyte (MB) memory card, an AV Multi cable, and a PlayStation 2 demo disc. The U.S. launch date for PlayStation 2 has been set for fall 2000.

In terms of processing speed and graphics capability, the PS2 will blow the doors off its predecessor. The 128-bit "Emotion Engine" CPU will run at 295 megahertz (MHz), the main memory utilizes 32 MB of Direct RDRAM, and the graphics chip runs at 148 MHz. The silicon's supported by an additional 4 MB of embedded cache VRAM. By comparison, your current PlayStation runs at 33 MHz with 2 MB of main memory and 8 megabits of VRAM. In fact, the PS2 uses an enhanced version of the current PlayStation's CPU as an I/O processor, just one small part of its overall processing design. All this explains why backward compatibility will be simply no problemo for the PlayStation 2.

More Than Games
Tekken Tag Tournament for the PlayStation 2 flexes its graphic muscle with spectacular visuals that easily rival those of the arcade version.After endowing the PS2 with such raw processing power, Sony is surprising no one by positioning the PlayStation 2 as more of a "home entertainment system," instead of just a game machine. The PS2 will be DVD-compatible-and, yes, you will be able to watch DVD movies with the unit. The PS2 will support CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and PlayStation CD-ROMs, along with audio CDs and DVD-videos. It'll read CD-ROMs at 24X speeds, and DVD-ROMs at 4X speed.

Looks Aren't Everything, But...
That's on the inside. PlayStation 2's design has so far garnered mixed reactions. With its black color and grooved face, the unit looks more like a traditional stereo system component than a new gaming systemBouncer Screenshot. Instead of a flip-top unit, the PS2 will sport a loading tray in the front. At 12 inches wide by 7 inches long by 3 inches deep, the unit is wider than the current PlayStation and sits higher. It can function while placed on its side, and there will be an optional stand. As for input and output, the PS2 will be state of the art with two controller ports, two memory card ports, two USB slots, one firewire slot, and a Type III PCMCIA card slot.

Hardware Extras
Another intriguing aspect of the PlayStation 2 will be its peripherals. The DualShock 2 (DS2) controller looks identical to the old model, but every button (except Start and Select) and the directional pad are analog-that is, each button responds differently depending on the amount of pressure exerted on it. The PS2's memory card will also be a step-up from the one used for the old system: It's Ridge Racer V Screenshotan 8 MB card that can store more data than a Nintendo 64 Controller Pak, and, according to Sony, it can move data to and from the PS2 system 250 times faster than the previous PlayStation memory card. The DS2 and memory card will retail for 3500? each (approximately $35 in the U.S.). While the system lacks a built-in modem, you'll be able to hook a modem to the system via a PCMCIA slot located on the back of the unit, and the system will support cable modems. Sony is working on a network setup, too, but that service won't be up and running until 2001. That's one of the reasons no modem will be bundled at launch: Connectivity requirements will almost certainly have changed by the time the service is working.

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