by Mike Shea on 12 May 2003
I was interested in the new Matrix game even before I heard it was 1080i HDTV. I found this quote off of an interview with the ETM developer on EB Games.
And then on top of all of that, we added a hacking system, which is the most complex cheat system ever put in a game. You can hack your character, download new fight styles, hack the levels, etc.
There is also an <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3021461.stm">interview with the Enter the Matrix producers</a> at the BBC.
Microsoft is <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1083283,00.asp">taking a huge loss on the Xbox</a>, losing up to 750 million US. This is probably due to an <a href="http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/xbox1.htm">expensive system architecture</a>, taking a loss on every console sold, and having few must-have games. Even though the <a href="http://liquidtheater.com/editorials/82">Xbox is the only system</a> to meet almost all of <a href="http://mikeshea.net/archives/000165.html">Mike Shea's criteria for home gaming</a>, it has only 12 percent of the market.
The <a href="http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/xbox1.htm">architecture of the Xbox</a> and a recent article about <a href="http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/10/1319247&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=198&tid=137&tid=156">MySQL's visionary mind discussing RAM-based databases</a> had me thinking. RAM is now so cheap that the elimination of hard drives may not be far away. It would seem to me that game consoles could be entirely based on RAM and very large storage mechanisms like DVD drives instead of requiring more hard drive space. Stick a CPU, GPU, Audio, and IO and you'd have yourself a nice little game system for not a lot of money. I'm probably oversimplifying or at least stating the obvious. After all, that is the exact architecture of a PS2, but with a lack of HD resolutions, no built-in networking, and a lack of voice support, the PS2 just simply can't live up to <a href="http://mikeshea.net/why_computers_suck.html">my standards</a>.
It would appear Sony has made some good decisions on the growth of the Playstation 2. Here is a clip from Sony's Press Conference at this years E3.
Kaz Hirai then came back on stage to discuss hardware innovation and some of Sony's future hardware plans. First, he said that Sony will release the revised version of the PlayStation 2 (which contains progressive DVD playback support, reduced fan noise, an IR port for the remote control, and more) and that it will be bundled with the network adapter. The entire bundle will go on sale in June and will costs $200. Hirai then discussed the success of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs and the resulting success of the headset communicator, indicating that the device will become a major part of Sony's online plans. If more games come out at 480p widescreen, offer Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and use the network adapter and headset, the PS2 will be in a better position than the Xbox. We can only hope.