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| | The Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette |
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Going Places No Man Has Gone Before! |
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This fortnights edition of the Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette conincidentally falls into the middle of the greatest gaming show in the world - E3! With ALL 3 big players in the game (Unfortunately there's no SEGA announcement of a new console) unveiling their next generation console, you'd no doubt be confused over each of them, and there's nowhere you can find on the web to compare them all and give you the lowdown on each one... well until now that is! The question is... which of these three consoles would you like to see Phantasy Star on in the next generation? |
With the PlayStation2 having clearly won this generations console wars, what can they pull out from a rabbits hat this time around to make sure they keep that crown nice and shiny above their heads? Well, at their E3 Press Conference, they told us exactly what, detailing the specifications below: CPU Cell Processor PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz 1 VMX vector unit per core 512KB L2 cache 7 x SPE @3.2GHz 7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs 7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE * 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU RSX @550MHz 1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines
Sound Memory System Bandwidth Main RAM 25.6GB/s VRAM 22.4GB/s RSX 20GB/s (write) 15GB/s (read) SB< 2.5GB/s (write) 2.5GB/s (read) System Floating Point Performance 2 TFLOPS
Storage I/O USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0) Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1 SD standard/mini x 1 CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1
Communication AV Output Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p HDMI: HDMI out x 2 Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1 Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
Disc Media CD PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation 2 CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD, DualDisc, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side) DVD: PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD R, DVD RW
Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, BD-Video, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE
If that means anything to you, congratulations, you're either a well tought young man who has just graduated from University with a degree in confusing the rest of the world, or you just spend to long looking over other peoples shoulders. What it means to you and i is that its upto 35 times more powerful the the PlayStaion2, its wireless, it plays one hell of a lot of disc formats, and Terraflops is the funniest technical word ever created! Here's what else you can expect from Sony's next generation console: PlayStation 3: The Features |
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- The console styles a new 'shiny' silver metallic look.
- It will also be avilable in other colours from its launch.
- Games are stored on discs similiar to those of PlayStation2's, containing HDD technology allowing them to hold excessive amounts of information.
- All games are produced in very high definition pixelling format, with 1080p being the standard for all PS3 games. This is developed as it will tie in with the newer television sets while games will still play in lower pixelations on older t.v's.
- The console will also be backwards compatable alike the PlayStation2 by playing both PlayStation2 and PlayStation games all from the same drive.
- Sony are also making the PlayStation3 an entertainment system again alike previous consoles by giving it the ability to play DVD's and CD's, aswell as rewritten and home made discs.
- Online play will be possible with the console from its launch through Broadband enabled telephone lines.
- Sony's PSP Handheld will also be able to interact with the PlayStation3 via. Infr-Red Wi-Fi features, being able to interact in certain games alike the Nintendo Gamecube allows the GameBoy Advance.
- Games can be saved on Sony Memory Sticks, similiar to those used in the new Sony Digital Camera's and Sony PSP Handheld console.
- The Controller has been re-made into a boomerang-esque shape with no new buttons being added compared to the PlayStation2's controller.
- Controllers support rumble facilities (DualShock) and will be wireless only.
- Launch titles include: TBA
- Other titles in development include: Tekken (Namco), Killzone (Guerilla), Vision Gran Turismo (Sony/Polyphone Digital), Formula One/F1 (SCEE, Liverpool), Oh-Ni (Koei), Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam World (Bandai), Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom), Metal Gear Solid 4 (Konami), EYEdentify Voice Recognition (SCEA), Fifth Phantom Saga (SEGA), Heavenly Sword (Sony), Warhawk (Incognito), Killing Day (UbiSoft), Motor Storm (Evolution).
The new system will launch by Sony's word aparently at the beginning of 2006, and with the launch line-up already taking shape in big numbers, this console is going to sell big no doubt. In my opinion however, if the controllers stay the same as they are shown by Sony, then sales may not reflect the dominance stance Sony has now with the PlayStation2. Those controllers are definately horrible, and going to be hard to hold. If they dont have grip pads on them aswell, you can see them being very slipful after an hour or two on, say, Phantasy Star Universe! I know i am not alone in this, and if the controllers are not changed, it will harshly affect sales from launch. 
Its not Xbox 2, its not Xenon, its Xbox 360. Why the awful name? Well, its because you can play the console anyway around you like. Stand it up, sit it down, spin it on your finger (Caution: Spinning Xbox Consoles on your fingers may damage your finger, or/and foot, and is not advised). Xbox is foreseen as a console thats very well built, strong, and heavy, all because of whats inside it! The Xbox is easily the most powerful console in this generation of consoles, and Microsoft and slowing down with the specs just yet: - Custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU
- Three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each
- Two hardware threads per core; six hardware threads total
- VMX-128 vector unit per core; three total
- 128 VMX-128 registers per hardware thread
- 1 MB L2 cache
- CPU Game Math Performance
- 9 billion dot product operations per second
- Custom ATI Graphics Processor
- 10 MB of embedded DRAM
- 48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines
- Unified shader architecture
- Polygon Performance
- 500 million triangles per second
- Pixel Fill Rate
- 16 gigasamples per second fill rate using 4x MSAA
- Shader Performance
- 48 billion shader operations per second
- Memory
- 512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3 RAM
- Unified memory architecture
- Memory Bandwidth
- 22.4 GB/s memory interface bus bandwidth
- 256 GB/s memory bandwidth to EDRAM
- 21.6 GB/s front-side bus
- Overall System Floating-Point Performance
- Storage
- Detachable and upgradeable 20GB hard drive
- 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM
- Memory Unit support starting at 64 MB
- I/O
- Support for up to four wireless game controllers
- Three USB 2.0 ports
- Two memory unit slots
- Online
- Built-in Ethernet port
- Wi-Fi ready: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g
- Video camera ready
- Digital Media Support
- Support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
- High-Definition Game Support
- All games supported at 16:9, 720p, and 1080i, anti-aliasing
- Standard-definition and high-definition video output supported
- Audio
- Multi-channel surround sound output
- Supports 48KHz 16-bit audio
- 320 independent decompression channels
- 32-bit audio processing
- Over 256 audio channels
No doubt after reading that... you're just about ready to bang your head on that PC monitor crying out for help on what this all means. Well, it doesnt matter what it means, except for that the Xbox 360 can... - New Metallic and smaller look then Xbox with green light displays.
- Plays games from the disc drive loading bay.
- Plays games on DVD sized Disc with technology allowing it to store more then average Xbox games.
- All games come in high definition pixel playback giving the gamer the best graphics available no matter how old the television set being used is.
- Game Data is stored on either the internal Hard Disk of 20Gb
- The Hard Disk is removable and can be upgraded for higher storage capacity.
- Plays DVD's and CD's controllable using a specially designed Remote Control allowing you to control your console and its activities from fair distances with control over playback, system power, and television functions such as channel selection and volume.
- Xbox 360 controllers are all wireless, but wired controllers are available and can be used at anytime on any game. They also contain the same amount of buttons and functions as current Xbox control pads, except with a re-shuffle with regards to the shoulder buttons, now designed for maximum effiency and ergonomical feedback.
- Controllers are also designed with rumble features.
- The Xbox 360 console and controllers are able to be personalised with the use of cases that you can clip onto your console and control pads.
- The Xbox 360 can also be personalised in its system menus with the use of downloadable skins.
- The console also features Wi-Fi interface with your PC and Microsoft Windows XP Media Center by allowing you to send data such as music (.mp3's), videos, digital photographs, and so forth from your PC to your Xbox 360 console so you can playback the music, videos, and pictures on your television set.
- Music Playlists are also customisable in every Xbox 360 game using music stored on your Hard Drive.
- New and improved Xbox Live features mean you can access all new features online, aswell as playing your games in multiplayer online.
- Xbox Live Silver: A free package offered to all online Xbox 360 owners who can access the Xbox Live Marketplace online to download new content for games, and other such features.
- Xbox Live Gold: A subscription package similiar to Xbox Live allowing you to play Xbox Live enabled titles online in multiplayer against friends across the world, aswell as chat freely in online lobbies using either an Xbox Live Headset with a Microphone, or through a Xbox Live Webcam allowing you to see who you play.
- Xbox Live Marketplace: An online store where you can buy certain new downloadable content for certain games, or download other features, such as trying out new games on demo.
- All Xbox 360 games will have Xbox Live features.
- The console also allows you to listen to FM and Internet Radio while you play games.
- Launch titles include: Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft/Rareware), Gears of War (Microsoft), Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft/Rareware), Project Gotham Racing (Microsoft), Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Electronic Arts), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 (Electronic Arts).
There's no doubt about it, the Xbox 360 definately has got a lot going for it. However, with all this going on, you know there's a price to pay. Microsoft have had the Xbox 360 alive and finished (So many believe) for a long time now, and Microsoft believe that the console is definately all ready to go when they launch it across the world at the end of this year in time for christmas 2005 (Japan, North America, Europe, Australia ). The newest additions come in the form of the Xbox Live refurbishment, with Microsoft clearly believing that online is the future. They've already seen it in motion through the Xbox, so lets all look forward to an even better generation of online gaming at the end of this year no less. 
The Nintendo Revolution is the working name for Nintendo's next home entertainment console. Of course, using some of the biggest names in gaming history to sell games, can you blame Nintendo for bringing out another console, even after the performance of the Nintendo Gamecube console in sales when compared to the PlayStation2 and Xbox (Or just PlayStation2 in Japan!)? Unfortunately, Nintendo dont seem to have actually built one completely finished Revolution yet, so the console is very much still in the production stages. That doesnt mean Nintendo cant make intentions, as here's what they guarantee you will see within the next console: Nintendo Revolution: The Features |
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- The console has a slick new look thats stylish and will appeal to anyone.
- The console is about the size of 3 DVD cases in width and height, and doesnt weigh much either, making it the smallest home entertainment system that Nintendo have ever produced. You can also use the console anyway up, whether it stands, or lays down!
- It will accept games from an open CD slot on the front of the machine, not a disk tray.
- Games are stored on 12cm Optical Discs (Similar to other standard sized discs from CD's/DVD's).
- The Revolution will also be able to play DVD's and Music CD's with the use of an accessory.
- Nintendo Gamecube games can also be played by inserting the disc into the same slot as Nintendo Revolution games are run from.
- The console will be online playable from the box without the use of an accessory, with use for Broadband enabled connections.
- Wi-Fi will also play a part in the consoles compatability with its online features.
- The Nintendo DS will also be compatable with the Nitendo Revolution using Wi-Fi from both the console system and the handheld console.
- Revolution also allows for Nintendo Gamecube controllers (Wireless Wavebird/Standard Wired) and Memory Cards to be used when playing Nintendo Gamecube games from ports on the top of the machine.
- Two USB 2.0 Ports are also included on the machine when using accessories or other features which have yet to be announced.
- Specifications-wise, the system will boast at least a flash memory of 512Mb. It will also contain the latest input from power house and graphic card developers IBM and ATI Respectively. Other specifications have yet to be announced.
- When released, the system will be available in various colours.
- Aswell as being backwards compatable with Nintendo Gamecube games, the Nintendo Revolution will also allow people to download titles which have been released on previous Nintendo video game machines, such as those from the Nintendo64, Super Nintendo, NES, or GameBoy, and possibly more, all via. Nintendo's new Online games service.
- Launch titles include: Super Smash Brothers Online (Nintendo/HAL).
- Other titles in development include: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles 2 Online (Square-Enix), Metroid Prime 3 (Nintendo/Retro Studio's), and new Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda titles.
With Revolution a console still in production, Nintendo have said many times that the item thats going to give the console its name (I.e. whats going to be so 'revolutionary' about this console) is the controller. Nintendo however have not shown the controller at the time of going out to you guys, and from their words, they don't intend on doing so until possibly E3 next year, despite the fact its the only part of the console thats actually been built already! Why? Shigeru Miyamoto tells you after an exclusive interview with IGN.com. "It has been determined. I'd love to show it to you. I'd love to be able to show you the features of the Revolution controller and tell you about them. However, unfortunately if we do that too early those ideas would be stolen. We know that from past history. Analog stick. Boom - gone. Rumble Pak. We bring it out and everybody has to have rumble. We got the wireless out first and now there's wireless everywhere. So we have to keep it under wraps." Whats also worrying is that Nintendo are only talking to certain games development companies concerning the Revolution. As quoted again from the words of Mr. Miyamoto, he states that Revolution Development kits have not been sent out yet, and wont be anytime soon, until the console is more set in stone with regards to its specs. Is this going to limit the amount of games we see altogether on the console? Lets hope not! "As far as when we're going to be sending out development kits, we don't have set schedule at this point. But I think that if you look at it, the "development kits" that a lot of other companies are sending out, are those really the ones with the latest chips? Are those the ones that have all the latest technology? It's hard to say. I don't think we're going to be that much different from other companies when they are sending out their actual finished development kits. I think we'll be able to send the development kits in a timeframe that pleases the developers. It's going to be in a time when it fits their development schedules well." If anything does attract developers though, it will be the fact that the Revolution will be a much easier console to develop for. This will mean that not only the console will most likely be cheaper then other competitiors, but games will be cheaper to develop and retail at. Despite all this, the Nintendo Revolution has a great look to it that makes you wonder whether Nintendo have indeed learnt from their mistakes on selling the Nintendo Gamecube. With the console due out possibly mid-2006 earliest, we look forward to seeing a lot more of it at other trade shows throughout the year. We dont really want to wait until E3 2006 to see more! Well... theres not much to conclude about this edition really, except that all 3 are no doubt going to be ridiculously powerful when it comes to running new games. With all these Terraflops, who knows what the next Phantasy Star game could look like. Oooooooooooh! If you'd like to comment on this editions main article, then do it in our forums, in this particular Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread! Share your point of view with the world! Do you agree, dont you agree, DO post on our forums!  Our Chao has been incredibly busy this fortnight searching over eBay for some incredibly auctions currently being held with Phantasy Star goodness at stake. I think next year he'd just rather go to E3 mind, but then again, who wouldn't!  Some neato items there, so if you're interested - click on the item! All prices were correct as of 19th May 2005 (Evening GMT)
Chao, for now! - Episodes I & II Recieves Battle Rules 7 & 8 (2004)
- Episode III: New Cup? New Map! New Quest Aswell! (2004)
- Episode II, Challenge Stage 4 for Xbox (2004)
- SEGA Japan announces an all new PSO Album! (2004)
- Blue Burst goes on Sale for BETA (2004)
- Phantasy Star Universe Unveiled at E3! (2004)
- Reach New heights at the East Control Tower (2003)
- Battle and Challenge Triples with Rules 4, 5 & 6, and Episode I Stages 7, 8 & 9 for Xbox! (2003)
 | | The Ragol.co.uk Hunters Gazette |
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Credits May 20th 2005 Hunters Gazette Edition by: Lee-yoshi
Images: Lee-yoshi
© Ragol .co.uk |
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