Spotlight: The State Of The Industry: 1998 Edition

Slashing through the noise and funk of contemporaneous headlines and hype machines, we cannot ignore that the videogame industry is remarkably healthy in its present state. And yet, another technological transition is fast approaching with the latest shake-up of the major players and their market offerings. Sony's PlayStation commands the largest install base with an enormous library of titles. Nintendo 64 stayed steady with a dedicated audience and mostly above-average software selection. Then, for Sega, with Saturn wrapped up and no future additions in the works, its eyes rest on the horizon as it prepares for what may be the most important launch in its history. These closing months of 1998 are the calm before the storm, as the next twelve may reshape the competitive landscape as we know it.

Sonic Adventure Teaser                             Dreamcast Gamepad                             PowerVR Potential on PC

November will initiate the most critical and consequential period for Sega all throughout its storied history. The 27th will mark the Japanese debut of Dreamcast, a system with the potential to either reinvigorate Sega as a superpowered console manufacturer and games developer, or doom it to sorrowful exile and put a swift end to Sega's hardware industry. It is rare for a company to rise to the stars as Sega once did in the Genesis era only to fall to extreme lows as a result of successive disappointments from the lackluster 32X to the cancelled Sonic X-Treme. Dreamcast is the make-or-break flagpole in this rhetorical climb back up the mountain, and the company knows this better than anyone. Learning from past mistakes, Sega is seeking to mend its wounds and press forward with developers at the center of its refocused strategy. Fostering strong third-party relationships, supporting easy-to-use development tools, and delivering powerful yet affordable hardware all makes up equal parts of this master plan. The combination of a cutting-edge Hitachi processor, PowerVR graphics technology, and Microsoft DirectX is expected to help attract new support from third party teams. This, plus an array of vigorous first-party apps, not to mention a $100 million marketing budget, should propel the console to a strong start, Sega is in a fine position, though its competitors will surely not stand idly by and allow their thunder to be robbed.

Ocarina of Time                             Nintendo 64DD & Accessories                             Perfect Dark

Nintendo is surely not one to stand idly by (and don't call it Shirley - Jet). The Big N's philosophy to remain aloof and pursue its objectives distinct from all competitors continues from the very beginning, when it committed to the use of cartridges despite the ravenous displeasure of third parties. They held firm on this point, and, to a degree, this business strategy has worked. Game releases on Nintendo 64 typically do sell very well and tend to outperform Sony. With its relatively slim schedule of titles paired with the reputation of high-quality software, Nintendo is playing its own unique strategy. That is, fewer games, but usually quite good! This tactic did, however, lead to an increased reliance on first-party software with certain partners abandoning ship to join with Sony. Rare is doing much of the heavy lifting in this regard with recent showings like Banjo-Kazooie boosting enthusiasm and media attention for the N64 significantly. High-interest projects like Perfect Dark alongside Ocarina of Time will provide a metric to demonstrate Nintendo's ability to sustain excitement through 1999. The system's technical specifications remain strong in the present field, with its SGI architecture and 64-Bit processor holding its own in the field, as well as the stand-out analog controller. Solid games and loyal fans will keep Nintendo in the running, though time will tell if tentpole titles alone will be enough to carry on competently in the year ahead.

Tekken Port on PS-X                             Metal Gear Solid                             Gran Turismo Hi-Res Mode

Just a few short years after it entered the console business with the introduction of PlayStation in September 1995, Sony captured a commanding industry position and is not set to let up anytime soon. It gained a reputation as the system to own with smart marketing highlighting the machine's 3-D capabilities and the all-important coolness factor. PlayStation hardware proved easy to develop for, and, in contrast with the Nintendo 64's limited storage facilities and the needlessly complex dual chips of Saturn, the software library for the device expanded rapidly with upwards of four hundred titles available at the time of print, and a continuous stream of worthwhile games on the way. Now, the quality of those games does range extensively from stellar to stinkwad, yet that is simply a natural consequence of Sony's mass encouragement of publishers to support the platform. Technological improvement is notably consistent since '95 as developers mastered the tools at their disposal. That said, time is starting to expose the hardware's age with certain upcoming games revealing the limitation of PS-X. If a title is on PC and PlayStation, it is a certain rule that the latter will have degraded visuals. But with over 10 million units sold in the U.S. and conversion a relatively simple endeavor, it is no wonder developers put a focus on a home console release. PlayStation is in a secure spot with advantages in nearly all avenues, including future prospects with highly awaited games like Metal Gear Solid showcasing dev ambition. Like Sega, Sony will certainly be moving toward transitioning its most talented divisions to next-generation hardware. As was the case with the Super NES before it, we are likely to see the PlayStation remain affixed to store shelves long after its successor makes landfall.

[Article from the September-October 1998 Issue of PPM]

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