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Gamesmanship, Online!
Computer games aren't child's play anymore.
Broadband's power has added lightning-fast speed, sophisticated graphics and out-of-this-world realism to games found on Web sites such as www.shockwave.com. Broadband also will transform such traditional gaming titans as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, which are building high-speed adapters for their next-generation game consoles.
Indeed, it's quite likely that broadband will do for online gaming what MP3 has done for music over the Internet. That is, foster new applications that will continue to grow more advanced as the hardware and software spheres get to know each other better.
Today, there's still some distinction between game consoles -- platforms, or hardware, that play video games, much like Windows, UNIX and Macintosh are platforms for computing applications -- and online games, which can be played over the Internet with little or no downloading, or over a console.
But in the next few years, the lines between traditional game consoles and online computer games will continue to blur as consoles incorporate broadband Internet connectivity. Consider:
- Sony attached an Internet connection to the first release of its well-received PlayStation 2 in Japan. A broadband adapater will be available in the United States in November 2001 and will retail for about $40.
- Sega's Dreamcast now has a broadband adapter for sale.
- Nintendo is expected to move into the online gaming arena when it releases its next console, the GameCube.
- Microsoft Corp. has indicated that the autumn 2001 release of its X Box console will vault it into big leagues of gaming. The much-hyped platform will include a built-in broadband adapter according to the latest reports.
For an excellent source on Internet-enabled game console news, visit Consolewire.
Thanks to broadband, players will be able to play more games against more players in other locations, either over the Internet or with consoles. Want to play some multimedia basketball? Round up four of your pals to play a video game against five other players across the country. Or how about 30-player adventure video games over the Internet?
Those kinds of sophisticated applications are still in the distance. But broadband is beginning to foster a new wave of gaming opportunities, as well as dramatically enhancing some of the old standbys. Among them:
- Macromedia lets users play arcade, sports, parlor, adventure and jigsaw games using the shockwave browser plug-in. The site may be of particular interest to those who enjoy such classic 1980s arcade games as Spyhunter, Joust, Rampage and Defender.
- For classic board game lovers, www.pogo.com is a great option with an online twist: You can play backgammon, chess, hearts, bridge, poker, solitaire, cribbage and spades against others who visit the site.
For more on this exploding space, link to Who's Who in Online Gaming.
