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08-25-2002, 11:46 AM
Xbox to Join Fray in Online Gaming Market
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• Artesia Software to Track DreamWorks Files (The Washington Post, May 29, 2002)
• Court Dismisses Suit Against Disney (Newsbytes, May 28, 2002)
• Online Games Still the Next Big Thing (The Washington Post, May 26, 2002)
• Spider-Man' Creeps Around Web, But Obi-Wan's MIA (Newsbytes, May 21, 2002)
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By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 21, 2002; Page E02
LOS ANGELES, May 20 -- Microsoft Corp. today outlined plans to launch an Internet gaming service for its Xbox game console, as video-game companies prepare to battle for customers online.
Starting this fall -- the firm did not specify a date -- Xbox owners who also have a high-speed Internet connection will be able to play each other through an online service called "Xbox Live."
For $49.95, Xbox owners in North America, Europe and Japan will be able to purchase a year's worth of access to the service and a headset-style communicator device that connects with the Xbox.
At least three games are scheduled to debut with the launch: a football game, called NFL Fever 2003; the sequel to a popular shooter game called Unreal Championship; and a robot warfare game called Mech Assault. All told, there are 50 games in development for release by the end of next year.
Internet connectivity for video game consoles such as the Xbox or PlayStation 2 has been the subject of a great deal of industry discussion and hype, but so far the only game console to let users play online has been the since-discontinued Sega Dreamcast.
Sony is planning to announce Tuesday an online version of the bestselling Sims computer game for the PlayStation 2. The third major console maker, Nintendo, recently announced that it will start selling Internet modems for its GameCube this fall.
Microsoft detailed its plans on the eve of the video-game industry's annual expo here. While video games companies regularly jostle for attention at the show, the competition started earlier than usual this year when both Sony and Microsoft announced a price cut in their respective consoles, from about $300 to $200.
Not to be outdone, Nintendo also announced a cut in the price of its GameCube console, from about $200 to $150.
Microsoft released the Xbox a year behind Sony's PlayStation 2, and it has been playing catch-up ever since. Microsoft has sold 3 million Xboxes, compared with PlayStation's 30 million units worldwide. Some gamers have complained that there is not enough original content for the Xbox.
"Whatever the game is, it plays better on the Xbox, whether it's an exclusive or not," said John O'Rourke, director of games marketing at Microsoft's Xbox division, pointing out that many reviewers who have tried a new Spider-Man game from publisher Activision observed that the Xbox version of the game looked slicker than others.
Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley, a video-game veteran who helped give Microsoft some much-needed credibility during development of the game console, surprised many in the industry by leaving Microsoft in April. Blackley has started a new venture, Capital Entertainment Group, which will fund and supervise development of games and then sell them to publishers.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47711-2002May20.html
_____Related Links_____
• Timeline: U.S. v. Microsoft
• Post Profile: Bill Gates
• Current stock price
_____ Web Special _____
Take an online tour of Windows XP, the newest version of Microsoft's operating system. New features are highlighted, along with a discussion of why certain features of XP are being criticized by Microsoft's competitors. (Flash 5 Required)
_____Media/Content News_____
• Artesia Software to Track DreamWorks Files (The Washington Post, May 29, 2002)
• Court Dismisses Suit Against Disney (Newsbytes, May 28, 2002)
• Online Games Still the Next Big Thing (The Washington Post, May 26, 2002)
• Spider-Man' Creeps Around Web, But Obi-Wan's MIA (Newsbytes, May 21, 2002)
Latest news and updates Select an Industry Biotechnology Defense Energy Financial Services Food Hospitality Insurance Internet Legal Media Pharmaceuticals Retail Telecommunications Transportation
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version
Subscribe to The Post
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 21, 2002; Page E02
LOS ANGELES, May 20 -- Microsoft Corp. today outlined plans to launch an Internet gaming service for its Xbox game console, as video-game companies prepare to battle for customers online.
Starting this fall -- the firm did not specify a date -- Xbox owners who also have a high-speed Internet connection will be able to play each other through an online service called "Xbox Live."
For $49.95, Xbox owners in North America, Europe and Japan will be able to purchase a year's worth of access to the service and a headset-style communicator device that connects with the Xbox.
At least three games are scheduled to debut with the launch: a football game, called NFL Fever 2003; the sequel to a popular shooter game called Unreal Championship; and a robot warfare game called Mech Assault. All told, there are 50 games in development for release by the end of next year.
Internet connectivity for video game consoles such as the Xbox or PlayStation 2 has been the subject of a great deal of industry discussion and hype, but so far the only game console to let users play online has been the since-discontinued Sega Dreamcast.
Sony is planning to announce Tuesday an online version of the bestselling Sims computer game for the PlayStation 2. The third major console maker, Nintendo, recently announced that it will start selling Internet modems for its GameCube this fall.
Microsoft detailed its plans on the eve of the video-game industry's annual expo here. While video games companies regularly jostle for attention at the show, the competition started earlier than usual this year when both Sony and Microsoft announced a price cut in their respective consoles, from about $300 to $200.
Not to be outdone, Nintendo also announced a cut in the price of its GameCube console, from about $200 to $150.
Microsoft released the Xbox a year behind Sony's PlayStation 2, and it has been playing catch-up ever since. Microsoft has sold 3 million Xboxes, compared with PlayStation's 30 million units worldwide. Some gamers have complained that there is not enough original content for the Xbox.
"Whatever the game is, it plays better on the Xbox, whether it's an exclusive or not," said John O'Rourke, director of games marketing at Microsoft's Xbox division, pointing out that many reviewers who have tried a new Spider-Man game from publisher Activision observed that the Xbox version of the game looked slicker than others.
Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley, a video-game veteran who helped give Microsoft some much-needed credibility during development of the game console, surprised many in the industry by leaving Microsoft in April. Blackley has started a new venture, Capital Entertainment Group, which will fund and supervise development of games and then sell them to publishers.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47711-2002May20.html