Go get your gameware

Nintendo's GameCube

The 128 bit PlayStation 2 continues to build upon the legacy of the PlayStation and PlayStation 1 by taking gaming to heights which are merely unbelievable. At its heart is Sony's unique 300 MHz CPU -- the Emotion Engine -- that delivers amazing graphics and stunning sound effects that would let any 'gamer' feels like he is part of the game itself rather than just a spectator.

And with the new games, some of which incorporate the latest 'Dolby Digital' and 'DTS codecs', gamers can experience sound and music effects that will more or less satisfy their 'gaming needs'. But even with the new system, gamers do not have to worry much about their previous PS and PS1 games since the PS2 is fully 'backwards compatible'.

With the X-box, Microsoft has entered the gaming console scene and is having a tough time trying to compete with the likes of PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube. Even though, the X-box along with its 600 MHz CPU, 64 MB memory and 300 m/sec polygon performance is the best gaming console till date, it still cannot attract the already loyal gamers of the Sony PlayStation 2.

Nintendo GameCube has 24 MB's of unified-standalone 1T-SRAM, along with 3MB's on-chip, and a supplemental 16MB's of SDRAM(AKA A-RAM("A" for Auxiliary)for a total of 43MB's. GameCube, can stream textures in and out requiring less memory, and putting less strain on the CPU/GPU/MPU whose main job is to do calculations.

In terms of games, a comparison between X-box and PS2 shows the advantage that Sony has for being in the game market for longer period. The recent titles available for PS2 such as Devil May Cry are true second-generation Playstation 2 games and certainly don't look and play any worse than the new X-Box games. Nintendo has a smaller range of GameCube games available, but the ones that are available are of high quality. Most of these games are conversions from existing X-Box or PS2 titles.

With all the specifications, it is supposed to be a lot tougher for anyone to decide which is the best gaming console at the moment. The gamers of our country prefer Playstation 2 over its two competitors. "The games of GameCube are quite rare. On the other hand, the games of X-box, offer better graphics but the games themselves are inadequate." commented Barshan, an 18-year old gamer of the city.

"And whatever Playstation 2 lacks through good graphics unlike the GC or X-box, it makes up through its wide range of good quality games." said Barshan.

Playstation 2 is reportedly the popular gaming console in Dhaka alone, since the Playstation 2 games are widely found in the shops of Eastern Plaza and the Stadium Market. Even though, these are all pirated, such games are found the very next day, after their release in the US.

When one needs like to buy a gaming console like the Playstation 2 here, he can perhaps buy the 'pirated' PlayStation 2 of Eastern Plaza. The 'pirated' device is sold at Tk 25,000 and is more expensive than the 'original' PlayStation 2, which is Tk 15,000; this is due to the fact that the 'pirated' version contains 'mod-chips' which would enable gamers to play the pirated PlayStation 2 games. The price of any Play Station 2 game in Dhaka is around Tk 800 while the 'pirated' version of that very game is only Tk. 200.

But the 'pirated' game would not work in a PlayStation 2 until and unless it contains a 'mod-chip'. Such pirated PlayStation 2 games are sold as 'DVD games' in Eastern Plaza and at the Stadium Market. Reportedly, GameCube also costs Tk. 15,000 while the Microsoft X-box has a price ranging from around Tk. 26,000 to 30,000.

As was reported in Gamepro.com by Dan Elektro, PlayStation 2 was the best-selling game console during December 2001 when 1.4 million PS2s were sold despite the launch of GameCube and X-box. Microsoft had sold 934,000 X-Box consoles while Nintendo had sold 615,000 GameCubes. The decision is pretty much the same where our city gamers are concerned.