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by the NWR Staff - September 16, 2000, 5:06 pm EDT

Some excellent weekend reading for you! Our favorite not-so-disgruntled postal worker Mike just threw me a huge edition of The Mailbag! Head on over to our latest batch of our Q & A. In yo face cube-GBA questyin' ansin'. Shonuff!

Tony asks, With all this talk about

the future of game consoles working together with broadband connection, it gets me quite

excited wanting to play games like Mario Kart, Madden NFL, etc. over the net with little

or no lag and running at a fluid 60fps. So, I am planning to get such a connection. My

question is to you guys is that will the future/current Nintendo/Sony/Sega/MS consoles'

broadband connection be only supported by cable modem type connections or will it also

support DSL/ADSL too? Or are there other types that it will support?


Mike Says: Short answer... Yes. Yes. and Yes.

Long answer... Evidence from

Spaceworld, courtesy of Conexant, shows that at least Nintendo is preparing for multiple

connection forms and speeds. If you're wondering which connection will win out; dial-up,

cable, DSL, satellite, power lines, telekinesis, your guess is as good as ours. The need

for speed will always continue, so there may not be an answer for a long time. In the

meantime, Sega, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have to offer some networking solutions, and

they are-- some better than others.

Currently, there are games on the PC

platforms like Quake 3 Arena that support multiple connection speeds, and I think that

will likely be the method of smart console programmers so they don't have to worry about

what form the gamer's connection takes.

Nintendo seems intent to use technology

as an accessory to their next round of game systems, and not the other way around, so I

question whether Nintendo will offer a full-blown internet solution at all. Rather, they

may likely make something strictly for network gaming purposes.

Jonathan Says: Well, when

Nintendo says that GameCube will have a broadband modem, I'm sure they using the term

collectively...in other words, it only makes sense for them to support the various types

of connections. Currently, broadband access is severely split among the cable, DSL, and

ethernet standards, so it's unlikely that any one of them will become completely dominant

in the near future. I wouldn't worry about the differing speeds of each type...chances

are, most of the online-enabled games will be designed to run pretty well on a simple 56K

modem, since that's what most people still have anyway. So the broadband adaptor will be

available for those who have such services, but high-speed access will only be absolutely

necessary for a handful of games, if any.


Mike asks, Hey, I'm 15 years old an I was wondering about your job. What exactly

do you do? Do you work on planetn200.com all day, and exactly what do you do for it? The

reason I ask is I am interested in a job like yours. It must be cool to review video games

and travel to Japan to check out new systems. Also, I was wondering what kind of pay a job

like yours is and what the requirements for a job like yours is.


Ed Says: Well, there's lots of phone calling and e-mailing of various

industry people, writing reviews/previews, creating editorial content, answering

questions, interviews, and plenty of game playing. Pay is enough to get by ($34K).

Travelling is generally fun. The benefits package is nice with plenty of stock options and

the atmosphere in the office is great.

Mind you, all of that was a description

of some other game media job and not what happens here at PlanetN2000. For you see, Billy

Berghammer is a truly malicious individual who forces me serve the every whim of his evil

pet cat, Louie. Occasionally he will allow me to sit in front of a keyboard and write for

the site. Why do I do this? Because the s.o.b. kidnapped my pet llama and will kill it if

I don't do as he says. Bastards! If this keeps up, Louie might find a special surprise in

his dinner one night. Now if you'll excuse me, I have litter box to clean out...

Huh? What's that? Oh, sorry Louie, I

didn't notice you. Oh, that...that's just me kidding around...I love you, really...and,

and, Billy's a cool guy. I'm just having fun...wha...no no! Oooomph! I'd never do anything

to hurt you! Agh, please, don't get mad, I um...no...don't! Aargh! I'll be good, I

promise...no...not that...aaahhhhhhhh!


Ty Says: My entire income comes from pitching Diablo II gear on eBay, so I'm all

set. Any contributing to the site is the result of an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Kosta Says: I vill not answer zis

quevstion! My salary iz nun of your buizness! Mein Fuhrer Billy Berghammer iz the most

wunderful man inshnt da virld!

Das is all...

Mike Says: I would

answer but my case worker is holding a riding crop in one hand and a cattle prod in the

other, right over my head. He said to tell you I love my job, get paid handsomely, and I'm

not from outside the legal boundaries of the United States nor am I working in sweatshop

conditions. I submit that 120 degrees is room temperature to me. Bill, err, my case worker

asks what you have heard?? Who sent you? Are you with the INS?

Jonathan Says: Basically, unless you work for

IGN or some other really huge site, you get paid entirely in benefits. For instance, you

may not get a weekly check, but can get access into E3, and have the phone numbers of all

kinds of important developer people (MUAHAHAHA), and if you’re lucky, maybe get a few

free games from time to time. It just depends, but I can definitely say that the main

incentive to take up this kind of work is love for the industry and simple love of

gaming...when you absolutely love what you’re doing, it doesn’t seem so crazy to

think that you work for free.

Bored Insomniac asks/says, In general, I was very

impressed by everything I observed regarding the Gamecube, but several things concern me

very deeply. First off, I saw the expected release dates and it comes out almost a year

after PS2! So many things could happen in that time it scares me. First off, it's pretty

obvious Sony won't just be twiddling their thumbs when the Gamecube comes onto the seen.

I'm sure they're going to lower their hardware and software prices substantially, perhaps

even match Gamecube's launching price (which at first glance made PS2's launch price look

laughable). Second off, most of the people in the US who planned on getting a PS2 (and

feeble Nintendo fans who we're weren't willing to wait) will have bought one by then, and

they'll look at this new system and say "I don't need two 128 bit systems, I have a

perfectly good one here that plays DVDs and has most of the 3rd party support." While

Nintendo may have drawn many of those developers by that time, Sony is still likely to

have the vast majority within their tentacles. And the next problem is a double edged

sword: by that time, the infamous Pokemon fad may not exist any longer. And then all the

money Nintendo invested into making new Pokemon games may be for naught and all the little

kids who were going to buy the system for Pokemon will look elsewhere. While I would love

for Pokemon to end, it serves my purposes by helping Nintendo gain money and adding

popularity to the system.


Also, I seriously think that Nintendo made a grave mistake not including a DVD player.

Every one of my friends I've talked to plans on buying a PS2. I tell them that Gamecube

has superior technology (I even bestowed upon them proof!!) but they always say, "So

what? PS2 will have a DVD player and that's all that matters." Then I always tell

them (we've gone though this drill many times) "It won't feature nearly as many

features as a conventional DVD player and is unlikely to function nearly as well. And

don't forget, that CDR for television may be legalized and you'll be stuck in the gutter

with crappy VHS recordings off TV!!" But they just shrug and say they don't care. I

own a DVD player, and I'm sure it works much better and contains more features than

anything Sony could ever crap out.


Third, my heart sank when I saw that the lowly 56k modem was going to be included with the

system. Although I'm not sure, I believe I heard that PS2 was going to include a cable

modem. If they do, I'd say Nintendo's best bet is to put together a DAMN good network (and

I do mean damn good!!; i.e. heat or any other pay network) where the modem speed may not

matter as much. But the fact remains, anyone who plays on the net knows to avoid a 56k

modem like the plague (if they can help it).


And last of all, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks "Gamecube" isn't

exactly the greatest name out there (In fact, it's probably the worst except for

"X-box".) Couldn't they have come up with something more catchy or something

that exhibited qualities of the system (besides the shape!! God I wish they kept Dolphin!

It applied so well to the system!!)?


These are the bad omens of the future that plague my soul. Please tell me I'm wrong in

your response and tell me all the good things that will happen. I've been a diehard

Nintendo fan since I was five, and I don't want Sony to win ( I hope the rich scoungers

rot in hell personally.) I simply don't like the majority of 3rd party games (perhaps one

in ten is worth looking at) and if people like my imprudent friends would support

Nintendo, we'd have better technology and 2nd ,1st and 3rd party developers all in one

system! Long live Nintendo!


Mike Says: You bring up a number of good points, though some corrections

should be made also. Certainly, if there is a flaw in the Gamecube's strategy, the release

date could be one of the largest. One year of sales can equate into a very large

headstart. Just like Sony did with the PSX, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they

dropped the price to match Nintendo's launch price.


This doesn't, though, suggest Nintendo's failure with the product. I know so many of us

are diehard Nintendo fans and we want Nintendo to be #1 at all costs, but even Nintendo

itself has sent the suggestion that they aren't trying to be #1, they're just trying to be

the best, and hope the marketplace sees the difference. Sony is obviously gunning for #1.

Good for them. Nintendo is following a different philosophy looking into the future. How

it works out for them remains to be seen. If it ultimately means they're #2 in the

marketplace, that doesn't make the Gamecube a failure. It's only a failure if it's not

profitable ::cough::Dreamcast::cough:: We expect, as gamers, that Gamecube will probably

be the system with the largest number of hits. That's the bottom line to me.

Another part of that philosophy is keeping their

focus on their strength -- gaming. As Nintendo's Peter Main discussed, the Cube's primary

AND secondary function is gaming, the second being the GBA linkup. Sega is grabbing at

straws trying to market the Dreamcast as an internet hookup -- almost to the point where

it outshines the games. Sony is making the PSX2 out to be an all-in-one with its secondary

purpose of DVD playback. It's not necessarily a mistake, but it ain't a slice of heaven

either. I've seen the side-by-side comparisons with true DVD players, and the PSX2

playback quality... well, sort of sucks. The PSX2/DVD combo is a cheap alternative to

buying 2 different units, and you'll get what you pay for. If friends of yours are buying

a video game system for its video playback, you can see the hole in Sony's plan right off

the bat. It'll be up to Nintendo to expose that hole and make it Sony's weakness by

driving home the point that Sony isn't as serious about gaming.

I wouldn't count Pokemon down just yet, or even a

year from now when the Gamecube arrives. The media is most responsible for giving the

impression that Pokemon is a fad that had its 15 minutes in the spotlight, but the

evidence is to the contrary. It alone represented some 12% of the first half of this

year's total game sales, and that was with only 7 games. The Gold and Silver games are

coming in October with over a million pre-sales. With the TV show, the toys, and other

products... this isn't something that's dead. Far from it. As kids grow out of Pokemon,

demographically there seems to be new kids growing into it. I think there will be a couple

years left in this dog. Long enough to give the Gamecube some much needed gas at launch.

Nintendo actually isn't including any connectivity

WITH the Gamecube. The connectivity adapters are optional just as they will be with the

PSX2. Sega is the only one that includes a connection, for the above mentioned reasons.

Conexant is releasing both 56K and broadband flavors for the Gamecube, so the specific

type of connection can depend on what's available in the gamer's area. Nintendo's not

forcing a specific connection path on you. I think it will work to Nintendo's advantage,

not disadvantage them. As mentioned above in another question, you can play games like

Quake 3 Arena on your PC with a 33.6K modem just as you can with a cable modem. As long as

you have some type of connection, you aren't locked out.

Gamecube probably isn't the greatest name, but

everyone has their own feelings on the name. I like Gamecube more than StarCube, so I will

settle for that. However, there was also a time when Project Reality was officially named

Ultra 64. Anything can happen from now 'til next summer.

Max Says: I agree that the Game

Cube being over a year away is probably its biggest "weakness." We've

previewed this amazing system and have to wait! It's hard to swallow fellow

Nintendophiles, but hang in. Fan bemoaning aside, it gives both Sega and Sony a lot of

time to continue to gain ground. I know there's a lot of DC software I want... Still, the

GBA should help keep Nintendo in the fold and help break up the wait, as should some of

the N64 titles coming. It won't be enough to stem gamers away from competing systems all

together but should help.


Of course, Nintendo have brazenly pooh-poohed the competition and now it's clear why.

They're making a system that everyone will want to develop for and every kid will want to

own. Same with the GBA, though its popularity is more certain. The fact the two systems

will interact will definitely help.


The DVD capabilities of the PS2 are really neat and are definitely helping people get

interested in the system. Most of my friends don't have DVD players, so getting one

built-in to the system helps add to the PS2's allure. So does its backward capability. But

those things weren't implemented without some cost. Not to mention, when I invest in a

"next-gen" game system, I want it to play some pretty kick-ass

"next-gen" games; not play movies or "last-gen" games. Even if the PS2

is cheaper next year, I'll still want a GC & any launch titles a lot more.

Eventually, I'll pick up a PS2

though... and I'm sure many PS2 owners will eventually feel compelled to buy GCs.

Nintendo's got a shot alright.

I like Mike's point that the name may

change yet again, though I'm not counting on it. There's already been too much hullabaloo

on that front for my tastes. Game Cube ain't bad I think & I'm sure it will grow on

us. Especially as DC is pretty liked, despite all the initial groaning many of us did

about it.

Ed Says: While the Gamecube's

late launch is definitely a cause for concern, I still think it'll be cheaper than PS2 at

launch. PS2 debuts at $300...I find it highly unlikely that Sony can shave $100+ off that

to match the Gamecube's probable price range. After all, Sony is losing between $100-$200

per PS2 at the $300 launch cost (according to Next-Gen mag). Sure production costs will go

down, but I don't think they can drop that much in that short a time to warrant a $100+

price drop.


Another factor to consider will be Gamecube's competitive price (whatever that ends up

being) and its exclusive (1st and 2nd party) titles. If there are enough great games that

can only be found on N-Cube and if the console doesn't cost too much, PS2 owners could

very well pick up a second console.


As for playing DVDs, well, if Nintendo is trying to pick up PS2 owners, then DVD movie

compatibility won't matter. Also, having a machine that can play DVD movies would put an

additional cost (fee to the DVD consortium). And, don't forget that Matsushita/Panasonic

plans to put out a DVD/Gamecube player... though they haven't made any official U.S. plans

yet.


Now about broadband, there's a decent article in the 10/00 issue of Next-Gen that talks

about broadband and what it'll do for gaming. You know what the conclusion was? There are

no concrete plans announced that will revolutionize gaming through broadband. Sure, it's a

quicker connection...but no projects have been announced that haven't been done already.

Sony and Microsoft talk about these lofty visions of revolutionizing entertainment, but

offer no concrete examples.


Sure, you can have massive multiplayer RPGs, but that's been done before, and can be done

through dial-up modems. Network sports leagues? Definitely a new twist to the multiplayer

formula, but do you need broadband to do it? Sega seems to be proving that you don't. How

about offering extra data online (items/characters/maps/etc.)? Sure, that's nice but

again, a dial-up modem can handle that fine.


Broadband provides more information at faster speeds, but right now no one has announced

plans to use this advantage for revolutionary gameplay. It will make things quicker, but

it won't change any gameplay patterns yet. However, in the future, I'm sure there'll be

some cool revolutionary ideas out there...but how far off is that? While Nintendo may seem

indecisive with having both narrow and broadband network solutions available (instead of

choosing only one), it may actually be a wise decision to wait to see what becomes of the

playing field. Broadband probably represents the future, but Sony and Microsoft seem to be

forcing the issue, rather than letting the market develop on its own. Who knows, maybe

they have some things up their sleeves to facilitate the broadband revolution...but how

many of these will be related to gaming? Wow, that was like the longest Mailbag reply I

ever did...hope you feel better now. :>

Jonathan Says: First off, I'm

not at all worried about the broadband thing. As I said in another mailbag response,

pretty much all games in the foreseeable future will be designed to run just fine on a 56K

connection. Sony's plans for a "broadband revolution" are practically ludicrous;

they're not even including the modem to support this "revolution", and the hard

fact remains that a lot of people still don't even have access to broadband, even if they

did want it. DSL connections require that you live within a certain proximity to the

provider, and cable is offered mostly in metropolitan areas.


I'm not terribly worried about the launch date either. Just yesterday, a friend of mine

told me that he was getting really excited about the PS2's release. I said, "Really?

What games are you excited about?" and he replied, "Well, it's not really the

games, just the potential of a system like that." Suuuuure. I hope they all have fun

playing with their "potential". Let's face it, even by the time GameCube

launches next October, most PS2 owners are not going to have a significant library of

games, simply because there won't be that many worth owning. They'll be using it a lot for

watching movies, and because of that, I don't think they'll mind shelling out for the

(cheaper) GameCube and taking on the responsibility of buying stuff for another system.

Plus, there'll be a whole other group of people who didn't buy a PS2 because of the $300

price tag. Considering how much money Sony is already losing on every single unit sold,

the most they will drop the price by next fall will be fifty bucks...which still makes

GameCube the cheaper system.

SS4Gogita asks, Which colors of the

console and controller are you favorite and least favorite? What colors would you like to

see added?

Ty Says: Everybody seems to like

gold and silver, although I'd pick up a black if it was extra glossy, heh. I suppose these

aren't gonna be final colors. I'd like to see N64-colors (ice!), or maybe combination

colors (teal and steel, red and black, etc) ... or better yet, character themed 'Cubes,

like the Pikachu N64...

Kosta Says: For the Gamecube

color range I would most definitely like to see "mood" cubes. Much like mood

rings the systems color would change according to the relative "karma" in the

room. Mistreat it, or if you're in a generally bad mood and the cube will reflect this. Be

happy and treat your cube with the love and respect it deserves your cube's

"mood" will change accordingly. That or the silver one.

Mike Says: If I had to select

from the current colors, I would have to go with the black Cube. Nintendo has rubbed the

purple one in our faces quite thoroughly, but I am avoiding the temptation to say I prefer

that one because purple on anything else I own is forbidden.


I think a cool way to go would be to offer some colors that would match current TV/Stereo

equipment (black, charcoal) and also an iMac-like approach for some other units. I'll take

a translucent system any day. I wonder why they chose these colors to display instead of

their standard black/blue/red/yellow/green?

Max Says: If I had to make a

split decision, I'd say black. It's a good color that matches my other entertainment gear,

including N64. So black is familiar and safe. Pink's not for me, but I bet my niece would

love having her own pink Game Cube. It's not a bad color to have, some folks'd buy one.

The purple looks more like a deep blue and I dig it. Hey, we've got the traditional

boy/girl pink/blue combination. Gold is neat & should appeal to Zelda fans who lobbied

for gold carts. Silver is probably my second pick, 'cause it looks slick.

I'd like to see other colors though

too. Viva variety! Maybe more traditional red/blue/green would be cool Tendo box made some

pretty cool controller mock ups in this

href="http://www.tendobox.com/features/controllingfuture/">feature based on these

colors.

And like everyone should know by now,

these aren't the final colors, so there's a few that could be added/subtracted and I'm

glad to hear Nintendo is listening to the public on this front.

Ed Says: Bridge Keeper:

"What is your favorite colour?"

Sir Galahad: "Blue. No! Yellow....aaahhhhh!" :>

I think black with silver or gold would be cool.

Though I kinda like Ice, Smoke, and Fire from the Funtastic colors, too. On the whole, I'd

think a nice variety of cool "masculine" colors would work along with some

bright "kiddie" colors and even a few "feminine" colors. That'd offer

a nice mix for everyone. And actually, Ty's idea for character themed cubes could work,

too. Metallic red, orange, and yellow Samus cube, anyone? Or how about a black and gold

cube with a nice Tri-Force on top? Just some ideas...

Jonathan Says: Honestly, I don't have a

favorite color. I'll probably get a black one, just because black looks good for

electronic equipment in general. Mostly, I'm just glad that Nintendo is offering a choice

of colors from the get-go...something they should have done with both N64 and GBC.

Mr. Optomistic asks, I was wondering

if the Game Cube be able to output in 5.1? Will it have a digital/optical output? What do

the specs of the sound chip and the 16MB of A-RAM really mean when it comes to games?

Secondarily, do you really think we can expect games like Wave Race, Mario and Zelda to

look as good as those demos looked? While I trust Nintendo more than those other guys, I

would hate to get my hopes up and be disappointed.

Max Says: With

the DVD format and Factor 5 helping out on the sound front, I'm sure the Game Cube will be

capable of 5.1 output & from what we've heard it will be digital. I'm not sure all the

specifications on sound/RAM though having a good chunk of RAM dedicated to sound is

definitely a good thing. I can't wait to "hear" the results.


Do I think the games will look as good as the demos? Well, no. Mainly because I think we

can expect Mario, Wave Race & Zelda to look better.

Ed Says:

Hrmm... I'm not positive about the significance of the specs for the sound chip (not a

tech heavy guy), but decoding Dolby 5.1 in real-time should be pretty tough on the

processor, and I was thinking that the gurus over at Factor 5 had come up with a cool way

to implement this. However, after reading recent posts in our forums and having remembered

an article on 3d sound in Game Developer mag, I'm left to doubt that GameCube will be able

to do Dolby 5.1 in games. Dolby Surround Sound, yes. 5.1, probably not. Mind you, this

isn't really bad news, as PS2 can do 5.1 fine with DVD movies, but it remains to be seen

whether it can do it in real-time with games. While there will be a digital video cable

peripheral, there's no optical output on the GameCube. I suppose that could change, but

according to the official info at Nintendo's web site, there's no optical output port. And

yes, I expect games to look excellent.

Jonathan Says: Looks like the

other guys have already answered the sound part of your question, so I'll just address the

graphics. Do I think the final games will look as good as the demos? Absolutely. We're

already seeing a few Playstation 2 games that look almost as good as CG-rendered

graphics*, and unless Nintendo is lying through their teeth to us, GameCube will be a good

bit more powerful than PS2 in the graphics department.


*Don't believe me? After watching the footage of Metal Gear Solid 2 at E3, I heard one guy

say something like: "Man, that's so stupid to just show the game's FMV. I wanted to

see some actual gameplay." Of course, the entire display was rendered in real-time on

the PS2 hardware, and this dude just couldn't tell the difference.


Daniel asks, Someone once said that we should begin to see diminished returns in

respect to graphics probably in the next-next generation of home gaming consoles, around

2005 or so. My question is, is it possible that we may begin to see that in this

generation? From a basically logic standpoint I don't see how it can be avoided. I know

this isn't really a good way to determine where gaming graphics are going, but I did a

quick bit of calculating and this is what I came up with:

Most people are going to have a

standard 640x480 analogue TV this generation as HDTV is still prohibitively expensive. So

if we take the max resolution into consideration at being 640x480 which equals 307,200 and

then multiply that by 60 (as in frames per second) we get 18,432,000 PPS which is right

around where everyone expects these next gen consoles to max out. Now even if we take the

max resolution of HDTV into account, which I heard is going to be around 1920x1080 or

something to that effect, then the max number of polygons that the screen can even produce

at 60 FPS is only 124,160,000. Simply stating that's less of a jump from the last gen to

this one, and even less than the XBox can supposedly produce.

What I'm getting at is will PPS

finally become a useless number as console developers decide instead to focus on graphical

enhancements to add to those polygons simply because it's impossible to display any more?

I'm not sure if my logic is correct or not and that is why I've decided to ask you. If

this is true then it will be IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to even attempt to use the XBox to its

full potential. so what's the use of releasing specs that grandiose knowing full well that

they will never be used except for those few who can afford HDTV today? This would also

make a valid point as to which of the next gen consoles really is the most powerful.

Apparently the one with the most graphical extras and NOT the highest PPS counts. Anyway,

if you can explain this to me, I would be forever grateful.


Mike Says: Ah, I love questions like these because it brings up some great

points and I can think of some counterpoints and side issues all in one. It also helps to

be PN2K's resident Mailman that can post these emails with prejudice to give myself the

opportunity to spout off. :-)

Including your question(s), there are 3

key issues this directly or indirectly touches on.

1. Will we see diminishing graphic

returns in this generation?

2. Will polys per second become a useless number?

3. When graphics lose their selling power, what will replace it? (mine)


I will say this, and anyone that knows me knows that I have felt this way for a long time

(even pre-N64). To me, polygon counts mean dick. Sure they offer some detail of power, but

there is a point when pure numbers mean nothing. Miyamoto said it best. Those

"total" polygon counts can be cut in half when you do light sourcing. They can

be cut in half again if you do texturing. Add another feature, it's cut again. Throwing a

blind number of maximum polygons out there for the public to gawk at is fine, if hollow.

If you want to impress me, you have to show me what you can do with those polygons, not

tell me how many there are.


That said, the more number of total polygons a system can push out, there are

theoretically more features that can be applied without running the CPU into the dirt.

That I will give them. Still, however, the proof is in the functionary, not volume. The

PSX was capable of spitting out more polygons than the N64, but the N64 could do lots more

with theirs, thus many finer-looking games. This answers question #2.


Getting to question #1, I think it might be somewhat possible to see diminishing returns

in this cycle of console systems. I have to exclude Dreamcast here, because it is nowhere

near as capable as PS2 or Gamecube graphically. Developers will get to know the systems

and will push out more amazing-looking games. Many thought Mario 64 was a graphical

phenomenon, and that was just N64's first game. It we can go from Mario 64 to Majora's

Mask, imagine what can happen from Luigi's Mansion (a mere demo ::cough::) to something 5

years from now. If not in technical limits (never), polygon counts will someday reach

their practical limits. We will get to a point when developers are no longer limited by

polygon and feature restraints, and all games can be matched graphically by all other

systems. Will it happen with this generation? Maybe, but I think that the next round of

consoles will be the real deal.

Perfect setup to question #3, which I

admit I injected into this discussion to keep things going. When graphic (and sound)

performance no longer sells video games, what will? I ask everyone to share there thoughts

on this for the next edition of the Mailbag. Send your thoughts to

href="mailto:mailbag@planetn2000.com">mailbag@planetn2000.com about what you think

TRUE next-generation video gaming will be all about.

Kosta Says: As Mike pointed out

polygon counts do not mean much in the grand scheme of things. Sure high poly-counts are

cool and the game will definitely have more eye-candy for those who settle for good

graphics. But the thing is polygons are only a small part of the graphical implementation

of a game. There's lighting, AI, sound, texturing, 3D effects, animation, a solid frame

rate, plus many more that help contribute to what the overall "look" of the game

will be.

Do not think for a second that you will

be playing games on X-Box that will push 100 million ploys on screen at 60fps. That's just

numbers in the air. Nothing more.

Also do not think that graphics will

cease to get significantly better. Technology is a rapidly growing field where

advancements and breakthroughs happen all the time. Remember back to the time you first

saw Unreal running on a PC, or Mario 64. You thought, how the hell is it going to get

better than this? Well it will. You may not be able to picture it in your head but believe

me when I say the graphics in games are in no way near the "perfect point". They

still have a ways to go yet. It's not only poly-counts that define graphics.

If you only take one thing away from

this response (other than you general distaste for me) let it be this. Graphics and

eye-candy wear thin after a short time span. If the game doesn't play good then you'll

soon find out that its crap. Gameplay is number one. Graphics is a distant second, if

that. Initially its the graphics we see but when you get down to it, its the gameplay that

you walk away remembering. Good looking games on DC that play crap are a dime a dozen, as

will be for the PS2 as well. Gamecube wants to be the machine that's best for games, which

will put gameplay above everything to try and ensure that developers give the gamers what

they want. Hey but it'll still have the pretty visuals so its a win-win situation.


Have I rambled on long enough? Yes I have.

Ed Says: Well, I think Mike and

Kosta covered this pretty well. The only thing I have to add about graphics in the future

is that if there is a practical PPS limit reached, then we'll just see more and more

effects added (as you suggested). Hopefully, though, we'll see better AI, physics, sound,

game control, story, and interaction before more effects are added. After all, once the

graphics end reaches a practical limit (assuming there really is one), then the focus

should shift to other areas of the gaming experience... with occasional extra-special

visual effects added where necessary.

Jonathan Says: Well, your

reasoning is a bit off, although your math is good. The fact that most TVs have a

resolution of 640x480 says nothing of how many polygons they can display. You will find

that screen resolution falls under the law of diminishing returns much more than other

graphical watermarks do. I expect virtually all GameCube titles to run in 640x480 mode,

which is considered "hi-res" for consoles because of the TV as a limiting

factor. However, I'm sure GameCube is quite capable of putting out higher resolutions, and

if Nintendo decides to release a PC monitor hook-up, like Sega did, then some games might

even support higher res modes like 1024x768. But, beyond that, 3D graphics don't really

get visibly better with each step. Many PC games have to run in such high resolutions to

look their best, but then, most PCs don't have full-screen anti-aliasing and other such

tricks like N64, Dreamcast, and GameCube do. Anyway, even with a max resolution of

640x480, as HDTV won't likely become common until the NEXT generation of systems (circa

2005, 2006), you can display a practically unlimited number of polys on the screen. Poly

limits are determined by the graphics chip and RAM much more than by the television. I'm

not terribly worried about advances in graphics slowing down, because developers will

always come up with new techniques and special effects...five years ago, who ever heard of

bump-mapping, or texture skinning, cartoon lighting?

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