Revolutionary gaming
Sony and Microsoft are coming out with updated game consoles - the PS3 and the Xbox 360 respectively - within the next six months.
They'll offer a big boost in processor performance and support dazzling, life-like graphics, but won't drastically change the way you play games.
With all the hype surrounding the two rivals, it's easy to overlook Nintendo, the third major game console maker, which unveiled a new platform called Revolution several months ago. Like both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Revolution will come in a sleek design, play DVDs and connect to the internet. However, the Revolution will offer some revolutionary game play.
The key detail is the new Nintendo controller. Looking very much like a television remote control, it works with two small sensors that you place near the TV and can sense when you move the controller around or twist it sideways.
Designed to be used with one hand, the wireless Revolution controller works much like the virtual guns in some shooting games - there is even a 'trigger' button underneath.
The controller will not only know where you are pointing on the screen, but also how you are holding it and how you are tilting and twisting it.
For example, you can now control a virtual car or plane simply by twisting your wrist, wiggle a fishing pole by moving the controller up and down, and even zoom in on the onscreen action by moving the controller towards the television.
For traditional games, there is a slot on the bottom which connects to other accessories. They include a joystick which, when paired with the controller, resembles a standard game controller, with a joystick on one side and buttons on the other.
The bad news is that the revolution won't start until June next year, when the console is launched. A price hasn't yet been set and rumours on the street range widely, from $1,500 to $2,800.
PROS:
radical new way of playing video games
CONS:
you'll have to wait for game titles that support the system
