Imagine a video-game system that is so diverse that you can play games and watch your DVD movies on it. It includes a system so revolutionary, that you can play all of the new releases that just came out, yet still enjoy the games from your last video-game system.
Well, the system that most video-game fanatics have been dreaming about for years has finally come. The Playstation 2 is here, but they may be a little hard to get your hands on.
Most stores that sell them put you on a waiting list, and ask you to pay for the system in advance.
“We have not received any specific reasons from Sony about as to why they are slow with manufacturing them,” Sid Babin, manager of the Babages software store in Houma, said.
One unique feature of the play station is that it offers an expansion bay for a hard disc drive/network interface, so that gamers from across the globe would be able to interconnect and play games together.
Developers of the system are also trying to find ways to deliver applications through connection to computer and AV technology.
This means that digital cameras, microphones, and printers will be able to be hooked up to this hardware.
The Playstation 2 incorporates both DVD and CD formats to its hardware to offer the video-game player a range of computer entertainment options that combines games, video and music.
The Playstation 2 also includes the capability of backwards compatibility, so that the loyal fans of the Playstation (Sony’s previous video game system) will not have to throw their old video games in a pile of junk.
“I like the Playstation 2 because it is a DVD player, it also plays old Playstation games along with the new ones and the control pads are basically the same, so you don’t have to learn how to play new games,” Luis Alcazar, education junior from New Orleans, said.
It is the only video-game system on the market that can perform this function.
The designers of the Playstation 2 have also released a new arsenal of games that have enhanced graphics, including John Madden Football 2001, Ready 2 Rumble and Tekken Tag Tournament.
Dolby Digital Sound, along with a few other components, leave the video-game player with amazing sound effects.
At the heart of all of this technology lies what the designers of the Playstation 2 call the “Emotion Engine.”
In simple terms, the “Emotion Engine” is a 128 Bit CPU that enhances 3D graphics. The “Emotion Engine” also processes high-resolution 3D graphics at the same time as high-quality DVD images.
The Playstation 2 may be in a class by itself for the time being, but it has a close opponent in the Sega Dreamcast. For about $100 cheaper, the Dreamcast’s graphics come up just as good as the graphics on the Playstation 2.
The only difference between the two systems is that the Sega Dreamcast does not play DVD movies, but it does play video games and CDs.
So, if you are an avid video-game player, and also love to listen to CDs and watch movies, the Playstation 2 might be a good investment. Although there are a lot of video game systems on the market, the Playstation 2 seems to be the most diverse video game on the market at the moment.
