The High-Tech Zone: Making Video Games Part of Your Home Games Room

Video game consoles: The Big Three

There are three main video game consoles on the market today: Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube and Microsoft’s XBox 360. The names and version numbers are important, as they indicate the most recent version of the console (PlayStation preceded PlayStation 2, for example).

Each of the “Big Three” makes its own games, but there are also a number of third-party games manufacturers (Electronic Arts or “EA,” Activision, and Buena Vista Games are a few examples) who produce video games as well. Typically each game is produced in a slightly different version for each console, with the package indicating which system it’s designed for.

As with all things high-tech, the world of video games is constantly changing and is highly competitive. As a result, the typical life cycle of a video game console is around four to seven years. And as you’ve likely experienced with your PC, once the “next generation” of consoles hits the market, the preceding generation can become quickly dated.

That being said, however, finding a suitable video game console for your family doesn’t mean you must have the latest and greatest issue, and in most cases the newer consoles and games offer 100 per cent (or close to it) “backwards compatibility”—meaning that when you buy an Xbox 360, for example, most of the games you owned for your original XBox can also be played on the newer console.

Incorporating video games into your games room plan

It’s important to know where and how you’ll want to play video games. If they’re going to be a social activity for two or more players, you’ll want a space with comfortable seating. And while you can certainly set up an older TV in your games room with your video game console, if you have a home theatre system you may want to take full advantage of that technology by playing your games there. Many games rooms are already part of a larger rec room that also houses the home theatre, anyway.

Some console manufacturers are looking at video gaming from a similar angle. “We’re looking at all of the experiences that people want to have in these places [recreation spaces],” says Craig Tullett, platform product manager for X-Box Canada. As a result, the XBox 360 also includes two USB ports, allowing you to connect your MP3 player and play music through your home theatre system. The 360 also allows users to connect (via cable) to their personal computer—meaning you could access your personal digital library of photos and view them on your large-screen TV, for example.

“We refer to it as a lean-forward versus a lean-back experience,” says Tullett. “Many PCs are confined to a home office or small den, and that’s not where the family is likely to congregate to relax, play games or even view family photos.”

Choosing and setting up your console

Deciding which video game system is right for you is really a matter of personal preference. Prices vary slightly (see sidebar), and while there is a large selection of games available for all consoles, certain games have exclusivity—in other words, if you’re determined to play DonkeyKong, you’ll have to have a Nintendo machine.

Video game consoles are designed to by easy to set up and use, says XBox 360’s Tullett. “Most of the questions we get are pre-buy, because once people get home with the box they discover that it’s really quite user-friendly.”

If you’re looking to buy a console today, it’s important to note that we’re in the middle of a “changeover” in the life cycle of the Big Three consoles. The XBox 360 was the first of the next-generation consoles to be released in late 2005, and Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii (pronounced “we”) are slated for release in fall 2006.

Connecting to the online community

Like PC gaming, today’s video game consoles also allow you to connect to an online community (through your Internet cable connection), where you can play against other gamers, download some of the latest games and access tons of gaming information. (Unlike PC gaming, however, you can play only with other members of your console’s community.)

That online connection was reportedly a primary focus for the upcoming PlayStation 3 and for the XBox 360, which provides a more robust community and a free first level of online access. Those improvements have been well received by users: “We’ve gone from 1 in 10 XBox users being on XBox Live [the online XBox community] to over 60 per cent connected since we released the XBox 360 last fall,” says Tullett.

Coming soon to a console near you

While Sony and Nintendo’s new releases won’t hit store shelves for a few more months, there is much buzz about what they’ll do to try and carve out their share of this competitive and rapidly growing market. A recent TIME magazine article described both Microsoft and Sony’s next-generation strategies as focused on “faster chips and better online service,” while Nintendo, on the other hand, is looking to “turn nongamers into gamers” with an innovative new game controller that responds to a player’s hand movement.

Nintendo’s new system is expected to be like its predecessor in the sense that it will be strictly a gaming console. Microsoft, on the other hand, will expand on its already home-theatre-compatible system this fall by offering an external HD (high-definition)/DVD playback drive as an XBox 360 accessory.

Whether you’re looking for video game console that focuses solely on games, or a integrated addition to your home theatre system, there’s an option out there for you.

And once you get it set up for the kids, don’t be surprised if you discover a new favorite pastime for yourself, too.

What you’ll spend July 2006 at Best Buy PlayStation 2:   $129.99 US and CDN GameCube:      $99.99 US/$119.99 CDN XBox:              n/a on Best Buy; some available on Amazon.com for $129.99US XBox 360:       $299.99 US/399.99 CDN (core system); $399.99 US/$499.99 CDN (full system) Wii:                  Projected price for fall 2006 release: under $250 US PlayStation3:    Projected price for fall 2006 release: $400 US minimum

Cross-border pastimes

Three hockey titles ranked among Canada’s Top 10-selling video games in 2004; there were no hockey titles on the U.S.’s Top 20 list that year. There were, however, six football listings on the U.S. Top 20, while no football titles ranked in the Canadian Top 20.

Source: Entertainment Software Association of Canada

“Like rock and roll in the 1950s, games have been accepted by the young and largely rejected by the old. Once the young are old, and the old are dead, games will be regarded as just another medium and the debate will have moved on.”

From “Chasing the Dream,” an article in The Economist examining the debate about the social impact of gaming, August 2005