Mike Ricco asks, I have a question that I

have mailed to many Nintendo sites none will speculate on this. Do you believe the NGC

will support LAN gaming. Playing Perfect Dark 2 next to my friend on my own TV would be a

dream come true. It's common knowledge the NGC has a couple of high speed serial ports on

the bottom, add this on top of the fact that Nintendo has that party game Mantra (everyone

playing in same room) --- I think equals a fair question. What do you think?

Jonathan Says: I think technologically, it's

absolutely possible on Gamecube. But don't hold your breath. Of course, you're right about

Nintendo's "party game mantra". They do like to have everyone in the same room,

and for that matter, so do I. However, console LANs have never taken off, and they

probably never will. One reason people play consoles instead of PCs is the relative

simplicity; setting up a LAN requires at least two copies of the game, two TVs, two

consoles, and a special cable sold separately. I'm not saying it wouldn't be great

fun...surely it would be. I just don't think that enough people would be using the feature

to warrant asking developers to support it. Then again, if the GameCube becomes as popular

as the PlayStation did in the last generation, the possibility for niche peripheral

support will increase, and you may get your wish.

Billy Says: I doubt it. LAN's are for PC's.

After seeing Sega's flop with the Broadband Adapter it should be real interesting how

Nintendo handles online games as a whole. I'm sure Nintendo will be online, but LAN...I

doubt it highly.

I'm not saying it's not possible...I just don't

think it will happen.

Rick Says: Since there will be a Broadband

adapter for the Gamecube, YES, there WILL be LAN gaming. Think about it ... you can be in

the same room, or across the world, it doesn't matter. All you'd need for LAN gaming is a

multi-port hub or switch, and a TV, game, and console for each person. No special

high-speed cable will be necessary. Just plug it into your existing LAN, or just rig one

up with cheap parts. It's all standard stuff.

Come on, people. Just think about these things for a sec.

Jonathan Says: Most people don't already have

a LAN setup in their homes. ;-) I think Mr. Ricco is referring to some sort of very simple

link device, like PS2 and GBA have. Besides, doing it with the broadband adapter would

require having to drudge through server lobbies to find your buddy who's sitting three

feet away, etc. etc. It's more hassle than you make it out to be.

Rick Says: If you have multiple TV's,

multiple Gamecubes, and want to LAN game ... you should do it RIGHT. Besides, you'd be

able to use the exact same setup for some righteous PC LAN gaming too. It's not really

that difficult (kids catch on faster than us old guys anyway), and it's a LOT of fun.

If there's any interest out there, maybe I'll write up a feature on how to create a cheap

LAN gaming network. Let me

know.

Michael Cole Says: Actually, this would be

quite simple to do with broadband if you have two IPs. Just play over the internet!

Nintendo is promoting the Broadband Adapter as an Ethernet card that hooks up to a

consumer's Broadband modem, so signals should already be compatible with LAN.

Therefore I don't see any problems this, as long as Nintendo allows it. The GC would have

to be able to assume an IP address and contact other IPs directly without going through an

internet hub. (The internet connection determines the IP address in games.) The only

reason for not allowing LAN gameplay is that one GC would have act as a server as well as

a console.... This problem would exist an any direct connection, though.

Zosha Says: Considering that the original

"serial port" on the PSX was hardly ever used (there is only a handful of games

that had that option,) I doubt that Nintendo would include such a thing in Gamecube. Rick

is right however about the Ethernet Card. That might be a possibility, I suppose.

Max Says: As Rick points out, LAN will likely

be possible just by default of the online connections and there's a chance a hardware

company might make a peripheral to allow it too... But think about it, if the NGC has four

controller ports and hooks to the Internet, I gotta wonder if we really even need a

LAN device? The function seemed way underused on PSX and the whole cost of multiple

systems, TVs prevent LAN gaming from being commonplace. It's possible though...

Mike Sklens Says: I see LAN gaming as

possible. I would probably work best as an optional feature. So, in Perfect Dark 2 you'd

have the option to play with everyone on the same screen in case you don't have more than

on TV or GCN, or you could tell the game to go LAN mode and link a couple GCNs together

(with some kind of adapter) and play on separate TVs. But it would most certainly not be

the only way to play. Too many people don't have more than one TV to devote to a game

machine.

Daniel M asks, Is Nintendo the only people

with business sense? Sony and Microsoft are/will be selling their consoles at a loss of

profit. The PS2 has been described as agonizingly hard to develop for. A friend of mine

works at Paradigm, and he hates it. I guess the XBox won't be as hard, (cough) PC ports

(cough). PS2 and XBox are/will be high priced. Microsoft holds no power over the Japanese.

PS2's are selling in Japan as DVD players. The PS2 was released too quickly with hardware

problems.

There is a point to this e-mail. It seems to me that Nintendo is poised to rise to the top

once again. They are releasing a low-priced, easy to develop for, games-only console. I

feel the Japanese will embrace the Cube. We know their market is important to succeed in

the console business, as Sega knows too well. Americans will definitely latch onto the

Cube. There will be quality video games, and quantity. They have a Miyamoto designed

controller. It is good to be cautious, but barring natural disasters, things look good for

the big N. What are your thoughts?

Mike H. Says: This is a harsh, competitive

market. Sony, and soon Microsoft, have been/will be spending a lot of cash for market

share at the expense of profit.

The idea is that Sony/MS hope the market dominance and games sold will offset the costs.

It did in fact work for Sony with the PlayStation. So I guess to answer your first

question, Sony DOES have business sense. It's hard to argue with success.

To date, though, it hasn't yet worked for the PlayStation 2. That may be attributed to the

short supply of compelling games, economy downturn, etc.

I recently read a ZDNet article suggesting that MS doesn't expect to turn a profit on the

XBox for 5 years. Someone better inform them that they might need a new system in 5 years.

So much for that! But obviously Microsoft knows about good business, overall, or else they

wouldn't be the monstrosity they are today. I believe MS is entering the game console

market only to appease shareholders, and show them that they are a growth company. I

highly doubt it’s because of a real passion for gaming.

Nintendo is willing to sacrifice market share for profit. They know that they can't

compete with the competition's iron-hot cash flow. It's not that they don't have the cash

resources. They have shareholders to appease, and as a game company with no other

divisions to subsidize expenses, they'd prefer to go the opposite route as their

competitors-- as they should anyway-- and ensure profitability. After all, having money

left in the bank is the only way to guarantee they'll be around for the next fight.

However, all of the internal business aside, it's not easy to summarily suggest Gamecube's

dominance just because Nintendo will be selling it at near-cost and position themselves to

be more easily profitable. The market will decide whose strategy ultimately works.

Hardware makers will have their own spin on the topic--

Sony could claim be #1 due to having the most consoles sold.

MS could claim to be #1 due to game quantities and 2nd and 3rd party support.

Nintendo could claim to be #1 for turning a profit.

Justin Wood Says: As far as business goes,

Nintendo has always remained number one. Nintendo has been the number one publisher in the

world for several years now, and has only been challenged by EA. Nintendo has also earned

much more profit than any other console manufacturer in the world, and continues to do

that on a regular basis.

Nintendo does have great business sense, but they do

make some mistakes.

One of their biggest mistakes has been to not court

third party developers in a more pro-active way. Nintendo also does not share news about

its consoles or games until the very last second. This becomes a problem because all the

competition is getting free adverts in the press through news coverage. There are a ton of

people already excited about XBox and a bunch of people that have never even heard of

Gamecube! It's true, take a trip to any retail store, and you'll find it's a sad truth.

Despite that, I think Nintendo will once again rise

to be a dominant player in this generation.

How can you resist the price of the system or the games themselves.

GBA will be a HUGE part in GCN's success as well.

The connectivity of the two systems is brilliant and will urge GBA owners to get even more

out of their system through buying a GCN. Brilliant!

I can't wait to get my GBA next week, and I'm even

more excited to get my GCN this summer from Japan!!!!

Rick Powers Says: While I don't know about

being poised for the top, it certainly seems like Sony has flubbed this battle big time.

Nintendo's hardware looks great, but their developer relations can be less than desirable

at times. Microsoft, on the other hand, is doing EVERYTHING right at this point, so much

so that it's scary. Sure, any 800lb. Gorilla can throw money at a project, but developer

relations and creating hype require a certain amount of finesse, and Microsoft is NAILING

it.

I go into further depth in my recent Editorial

href="http://www.planetgamecube.com/editorials.cfm?action=">X Marks the Spot. Read it

... your Mom did.

Jonathan Says: Mike has some excellent

points. I would add that the best, cheapest, and most practical products aren't always the

most successful ones. It all depends on hype and spin, and both Sony and Microsoft happen

to be quite good at that stuff. But, I have my fingers crossed. There isn't much that you

or I can do about it, other than buy Nintendo's systems and games and tell our friends

about them.

Michael Cole Says: Although I hate to say it,

I'd have to agree that Microsoft is doing an impressive job so far. Why else would I feel

intimidated?!

Anyway, I don't know much about this tactical Mumbo Jumbo, but I do know that

number of sales is inversely proportional to the price of the item. (read: Nintendo is

guaranteed many GC sales because it will be DIRT CHEAP). And later in the life, the GCN

will have an advantage due to no DVD playback: in a few years, no one will want to buy a second

DVD player just to play a game.

Ed Says: Okay, my 2 cents...first, while

Microsoft and Sony will sell their hardware for a loss, that's pretty much been the

standard business model for the industry, though I don't know if anyone's sold for this

much of a loss before.

Will Nintendo rise to the top? Well, Sony's left the door open, but they could still keep

it from flying wide open. If they can keep a steady supply of exclusive software, I could

see them remaining on top. Of course, I can also see Microsoft courting many of Sony's

once exclusive third parties with lower royalty rates and an easier development

environment. And then there's Nintendo, who could make a nice profit without being the

market leader...but who could also define what "next-generation" gaming is

really about and take the market by storm once again. My prediction? Nintendo will make a

nice yen in a very competitive 2nd place to either Sony or Microsoft. Add in a

continued monopoly on the handheld front, and Nintendo should do quite well.

Zosha Says: E3 is coming, and then we will

find out the truth of the matter.

Remember this: Nintendo holds 20% of the Software market alone. That's right, one out of

every five games sold are by Nintendo.

The PS2 and XBox will be fine competition, both companies know how to hype their products

well. But it is not as though Nintendo has any lackings in that area. I'm sure come May

Nintendo will have the Hype Machine steaming along at quite the clip.

Makes you think.

Max Says: Frankly, I am giddy about the

next-generation of Nintendo. Covering the N64 for a few years was a bittersweet task, as

developer support was weak, great games were few & far between and add-ons like the

RAM-Expansion pak & 64DD were brilliant ideas executed horribly. Now, Nintendo has

learned from its mistakes in so many ways and is capitalizing on all of its strengths to

create amazing hardware and conditions that make it hard for any developer to resist

making games for.

I think my devotion to this site speaks volumes about my excitement for Gamecube. All in

all, I'm pretty stoked we've got the set up and staff we do now. We've been preparing for

these systems for a long, long time and covering them since they were first whispered

about.

I am almost more excited about the Game Boy Advance than the Gamecube. The Game Boy is by

far the most successful game console to date and it will live on through this amazing new

hardware. Not only that, it will actually serve as a part of the NGC and the

connections between the two systems could be exploited and explored in a variety of ways.

It will be backward compatible, have souped-up versions of many of the old games and plug

into the NGC for all kinds of cool stuff, least of which is interacting with NGC games.

The GBA's role in NGC is one reason I feel coverage of both systems should be side by side

and not broken up into a couple different sites (we'll let GameSpy spend loot on

PlanetGBA.com or whatever).

To top it off, I've not been impressed by the competition. The PS2 is overpriced and

overhyped. Microsoft is faking screenshots for X-Box and even when it's not - screens for

other games popping up lately don't seem up to what we saw NGC do back at SpaceWorld. Not

to mention that neither Sony or Microsoft have the franchise power that Nintendo does. In

an almost bizarre turn of fate, both Sonic & Crash Bandicoot will appear on Nintendo

systems and even if they weren't - Nintendo's Zelda, Mario & Pokemon titles always

generate popularity.

Nintendo's future is certainly bright. The hype for the Gamecube is already good in Japan,

while GBA preorders are through the roof. Simultaneously, many (developers & fans) are

disappointed with PS2 and despite the hype in the U.S. not many Japanese are enthused

about the X-Box. Things certainly will be interesting... and it's just getting started.

Bakker asks, With Sega out of the hardware

loop, do you think that Sony now is in the same position that Sega was for many years, in

terms of the new hardware cycle? Sega was first to market with next generation consoles

only to be trumped by the competitors that followed, having seen the success or otherwise

of the Sega units configuration. But at least Sega made some rockin' software so they have

a fall back position, does Sony?

Mike H. Says: This relates somewhat to the

previous question.

When you're first to market, you can set yourself up for a beating because your

competitors can duplicate or surpass your product. No question. I believe Nintendo

intentionally waits to see what their competition is doing before they make any specific

moves known to us.

Specifically regarding the hardware cycle, it seems pretty evident that, overall, the PS2

isn't especially better or worse than Nintendo's or Microsoft's. The PS2 is a contender

even though it is first to market (excluding Dreamcast, which is dead for all intents and

purposes here, since no more will be made). As I've said before, PS2 is not Candy Land to

develop for, but I don't think that will turn developers off as much as other media

suggest. Generally, they'll go where there's money to be had.

In a more broad sense, Sony has a backup, because they have divisions in electronics,

broadband, computers, pictures, music, and more, totaling over $60 billion in sales last

year. They aren't going anywhere.

Their gaming division? Who knows. :) They don't have any stellar product lines like Sonic,

Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon. Neither does MS. Strictly in gaming, they don't have a fallback

other than to subsidize their losses and hope for the best.

Rick Says: Sony isn't going anywhere any time

soon. They're learning an important lesson with PS2. Sony will always have Square, 989,

guys like that to pad their lineup.

Sony's going to lose this battle, but they NEEDED this failure to show them that they

can't rest on their laurels. They need to design hardware that is ACCESSIBLE, and they

need to keep the developers happy. They are failing miserably on both counts. The only

thing keeping PS2 desirable right now is DVD playback and backwards compatibility.

Jonathan Says: Sony is a far different

company than Sega. I won't presume to know how they'll turn up after this generation of

consoles, but I don't think they'll be relegated to a third-party publisher or be

announcing losses for half a dozen quarters in a row. I wouldn't be massively surprised to

see Sony and Microsoft team up in the generation after this one, if neither PS2 or XBox

lives up to full expectations. The two companies seem to have very compatible philosophies

about the gaming industry.

Michael Cole Says: Jonny's right. The two

companies are VERY similar in philosophies. But 2 companies that are the same can not BOTH

survive, as they cater to the same group. This is why there will be a full out battle

between the two. Fortunately for Nintendo, many dramatic competitions are for second place

:-)

Ty Says: Also, look how many (financial)

hardware flops Sega took before they gave it up - Sony could afford to do that, and for

much longer ^^.

Ed Says: Sony may be in a similar position to

Sega by being the first of the next-generation consoles (not counting the soon to be

defunct Dreamcast), but their hardware isn't terribly inferior to the competitions'. Yes,

it's hardly the ideal platform to work with, but it can certainly be competitive (MGS2,

GT3, FFX). Still, Sony is riding pretty much riding on the PSX's success as my fellow

staffers have alluded to. If they fail to deliver next-generation gaming experiences, then

they're likely to lose any momentum they had from the PSX and have a rough ride ahead of

them...with some "not-as-rockin'-as-Sega" software to fall back on.

Max Says: Three cheers for this good volley

of responses from the staff. Many good points are covered & I especially like Rick's

point that Sony needed this failure. Nintendo has swallowed much of its pride from the

days of domination and taken some hard knocks that made it work harder. Sega put up a good

fight but is now settling into a role of developer, where it will no doubt earn the

widespread respect & success it has long deserved. Sony PlayStation 2 failed to move

heaven and earth, is hard to develop for and doesn't have much software to coo about.

Thanks to Ty & our readers, Planet is one of many sites that reported Sony reps are

bullying retailers to not support competing systems (and you thought Micro$oft faking

screens was bad...) and Fatbaies' latest

update indicates this scandalous behavior is still happening. Nintendo and Microsoft

are in a bit better position simply because can work to outclass what Sony has already

offered & (hopefully) learn from the mistakes made with PS2. Let's hope Sony will also

learn some things as they move on. (I hope we can rely on Son Gohan to take out Sony/IBM's

"CELL" if it gets outta control - sorry DBZ humor).

My verdict is still out on Microsoft & X-Box but as much money as Bill Gates has, I'd

almost rather have a PS2 over a X-Box (if/when the PS2 drops in price). I'm not buying

into any hype just yet and look forward to seeing both systems in action at E3.

Meanwhile, Nintendo's next systems are nearly upon us. It has milked its current systems

for all they are worth (and with Conker, Paper Mario and Zelda: Majora's Mask, can we

complain too much?) and has utilized the time to develop some heavy duty hardware that

should provide more than a match for Sony & Microsoft. Regardless of hardware, for me

it's all about the games. I think the NGC & GBA will have enough to keep me satisfied

without having to look to investing in any other consoles. I already have a DVD player and

almost developer is making stuff for Nintendo's consoles.

MCLive2000 asks, The N64 release list gets

shorter and shorter in favor of the Gamecube. First it was Resident Evil 0. Now Dinosaur

Planet. Considering Dinosaur Planet is Gamecube bound, do you think Eternal Darkness may

take the same path?

Billy Says: I am pretty sure ED will be

heading towards GameCube. It's been rumored everywhere. The title isn't even on the N64

release list anymore.

Coincidence? I don't think so. Nintendo's quickly phasing out the N64 games. It's all

about GBA and N64 now!

Justin Wood Says: Eternal Darkness will be

made on GameCube. No doubt about it. Anyone who saw this game at E3 last year will surely

understand why. It was a very promising game, but was just really too much for the N64

hardware. I personally, think it was the best decision to move these games over to GCN

development.

Rick Says:

href="http://www.planetgamecube.com/previews.cfm?action=">Eternal Darkness IS a Gamecube

game. It made the switch a LONG time ago. Where the hell have YOU been?

Jonathan Says: I guess I'm the in-house

Eternal Darkness expert, and I'd say there's a 99.9% chance that the game is now in

development for GameCube. I don't expect it at launch, but maybe by Christmas if we're

lucky. I do have to disagree with Justin W. though; in my opinion, ED was the most

impressive N64 title at E3 2000, and in fact one of the most impressive games at the

entire show in terms of maxing out its platform and pushing the medium's boundaries. It

would have made a fantastic N64 game, but that's in the past. I can only hope that it

loses none of its design genius in the transition to GameCube, and on that issue I'm quite

optimistic.

Michael Cole Says: I have mixed feelings

about the switch, but I'm pretty sure its up and running on the GameCube.

David "Rize" Says: I'm sure the

game has switched. If not, it surely would have been released by now. The N64 becomes a

less viable platform every day. In fact, two of my friends have sold off their N64's to

get Dreamcasts. I think they would have bought games like Conker and ED, but they don't

have the system anymore. How many others are doing the same thing? How many people have

put their N64 in a closet and forgotten about it? This move will ensure that Eternal

Darkness gets the attention it deserves... and although we have to wait, you can't argue

that the game will look much better on the GameCube. With GBA and the last batch of

N64 games (not to mention the Diablo II expansion this summer) I'll have plenty to do

between now and October.

Ed Says: Well, yeah, like everyone's said,

expect Eternal Darkness on GameCube. And, I'll second Jon's praise of the game in it's N64

form...and while it wasn't my favorite N64 game from E3 2000 (Conker won that) it was one

of the most impressive titles. Going to GameCube should help make an already promising

game even better.

LOUIE the Cat Sez: YO MANG! Don't read my

target="_top" href="http://www.planetgamecube.com/rumors.cfm?action=">RUMAR bout this Gut

Shiz?!? Gets a clue! Rrow!

Max Says: Be nice Louie! Some people were

hoping (including our own Mr. Metts) that this would indeed make a late appearance for

N64, helping soothe the wait for GameCube. Now it looks like that the highly anticipated

Silicon Knights game will be on NGC. Denis Dyack has been hinting the game will be coming

to NGC for awhile and the game has pretty much been moved off N64 release lists. Kinda a

bummer for N64 fans but definitely a good thing for the game and for NGC. Eternal Darkness

should be another great example that Nintendo are taking mature gamers seriously.

Chris Funks asks, Do you think the media

will take Nintendo's Gamecube more seriously after E3? It seems like in everything I read

it is XBox vs. PS2. What about the Cube?

Mike H. Says: I've wondered about this also.

Sony this. Microsoft that.

I think the intrigue there is simply that Sony and Microsoft are the two monster

companies. Both are willing to shell out cash in hopes of market dominance, and both

consoles are being marketed more an entertainment units, Goliath vs. Goliath. Meanwhile,

Nintendo-- though certainly NOT playing the role of David-- is getting second fiddle with

their "game only" strategy.

Media spin aside, Nintendo will earn their respect when they prove to everyone that they

are fighting back with a vengeance on all fronts -- price, development, content. E3 will

play a key role, and I expect heads to turn starting then.

Billy Says: I really would hope to believe

so. Last year, it was PS2 PS2 PS2 everywhere you went. Then when you got to the PS2

area...it was like...blah. All hype and nothing delivered.

The media is a rather fickle thing. I know this, because I am media for my real job. If

it's new, and it's hot...it's to be talked about. Plain and simple.

I believe Nintendo will look a lot differently after this years E3. Maybe I should say...I

hope. Nintendo's not only unleashing one system, but two. They have some serious

competition this year. And you just know Billy Gates is like going to freakin' buy E3 this

year.

I hope the media is a little more open minded this year. They made Sony out to be Gods,

and all it did was basically fizzle.

Justin Wood Says: I have a feeling that

Nintendo will BLOW AWAY EVERYONE at E3 this year. They have been so quiet. Unfortunately

that has also been the reason why everyone talks Sony vs. XBox. There is next to NO

Nintendo news with the exception of GBA. E3 will change this and Nintendo will be riding a

mountain of positive and excited press all the way through the launches of the GameCube in

Japan and USA. Our poor European friends will have to wait another 6 months after the US

Launch for the system.

Rick Says: The Crayola look of the machine is

going to hurt it. I don't know wtf Nintendo was thinking on that point. But once the GAMES

are displayed at E3, well, then the story should change.

Frankly, the media doesn't know how dead the PS2 is. X-Box is rightly gaining a lot of

press, but Nintendo has been in hardcore stealth mode for months now. E3 will change a lot

of people's views.

Jonathan Says: The media is ignorant of

Nintendo's strategy because Nintendo wants them to be, plain and simple. I don't feel bad

for the company. They've created this information blackout themselves, and any praise or

blame for it lays entirely on their shoulders. I guess we'll find out soon enough if it

was the right decision.

Michael Cole Says: This question has popped

up in my head over and over. Whenever I met someone at the USC conference, (sorry to refer

back to that again, but it's my only experience so far) he/she would not express much

interest in the GC. I heard lots of people saying that the battle was between M$ and $ony,

with Nintendo on the sidelines. Of course, this all could change, as all bad

comments about the GC have either been from competition or speculative analysts. Let's

just hope that the public sees sweet games like Too Human and become stunned when the

commercial says NINTENDO GAMECUBE and not XBox at the end :-) Use next-gen hype from other

consoles to fuel Nintendo's system!

David "Rize" Says: I think the

media can't pay attention to Nintendo because Nintendo hasn't released anything. The

mainstream media needs awesome screenshots and major stories (like a real low price).

After E3, the media will have more than enough information to begin giving the GameCube

fair treatment, and I'm sure they will. In fact, the more I see of Nintendo's competitors,

the more sure I am that they are in for a serious arse whoopin!

Ed Says: If Nintendo's E3 showing is as

impressive as we hope, the media will certainly start paying more attention to GameCube.

Up until now, pretty much everybody is focusing on PS2 and XBox because Nintendo really

hasn't given anything for them to discuss. Sure SpaceWorld was nice, but the fact is

there's much more information about Sony and Microsoft's systems. E3 should change all

that. Until then, remember the words of Sega's Charles Bellfield, "don't write off

Nintendo."

Zosha Says: What, do you expect the media to

write "hey we don't know anything yet so we'll just run this filler story"?

Sarcasm aside, it's hard to report news when there simply isn't any. Nintendo did

get media coverage around SpaceWorld, since there was actual footage to show.

Anyone notice that MS basically pulled out of E3 by having the XBox's games unveiled at

GameStock? What's that smell? I think it's fear.

Max Says: I think E3 will be Nintendo's big

debut - we'll get to see the GameCube & Game Boy Advance, play both systems, learn

more about the games coming out and who will be providing software for them...

Sure, there hasn't been much attention given to these systems (especially GameCube) in the

media but Nintendo has intentionally been holding out. Come May, the floodgates are going

to open wide! The PS2 fizzled & although I'm interested in X-Box, what I've seen so

far still doesn't impress me. The fact that Micro$oft is lame enough to fake screenshots

troubles me also. I really am uncertain if the X-Box can be a true contender, no matter

how much hype it can afford.

If you ask me, despite Nintendo not officially

building hype since SpaceWorld, the demos shown back in August of 2000 have yet to be

surpassed by anything seen on PS2 or X-Box. When Nintendo actually starts actively

hyping both its new systems - Sony & Microsoft may be the ones getting the short end

of the attention stick.

LOwens4070 asks, Is it possible that for the

Gamecube to read multi-layered optical disk?

Mike H. Says: There's been no word from

Nintendo on this, and considering the console's ever-nearing debut, signs point to no. 1.5

gigs is all she wrote. I think we would have heard for sure by now if the Cube could

refocus its lens for multi-layers.

However, discs can be swapped if 1.5 gigs of space isn't enough.

Justin Wood Says: Actually, I believe I heard

something about this from Nintendo's technical director...

I believe is speculated that it would be possible to

do if it was deemed necessary, but I may be imagining things.

In any case, it really doesn't make much of a

difference. Discs are so cheap to manufacture, so it probably more cost effective to have

a double disc game. I don't have a problem with that. Most games won't even use the 1.5

gigs anyway. CG movies have traditionally been what was filling CD-ROMs to capacity, but

they (CG movies) will become less and less used with this new generation. The game engine

graphics are now so good that they are virtually indistinguishable from a CG movie.

Rick Says: While technically possible,

Nintendo won't allow it. It would be harder to make the machine refocus the laser, and to

manufacture dual-layer discs than it would be to simply add a second disc to a game.

Jonathan Says: Amen to what Justin said about

filling these babies up. I personally would prefer dual-layered discs, because I don't

think it's hard to implement in the hardware, and it will lower game prices in the long

run. Any PlayStation owner can tell you that regardless of how cheap CDs are to

manufacture, most multi-disc games cost at least ten bucks more than regular ones. I can't

explain it, but those costs add up after a while. Still, going back to Justin, it won't be

too much of an issue. 1.5 GB is a lot of space to fill, unless you suck or have your own

CG studio in Hawaii. ~ahem~

Michael Cole Says: I just wanted to add That

David Trammell has already addressed the entire issue of the storage medium in his latest

editorial, "The

8cm Solution". Here's a good quote from the article:

"There has been no official word on multiple

layered disks yet, but a little bird whispered the number three to me... that is

definitely no more than a rumor at the moment though."

Zosha Says: I never understood the big deal

about the size of the Discs. I mean really. You don't have enough room? Press another disc

for .02$ already!

Aisha can gradne, humans these days...

*continues to mutter in Shoru..*

Max Says: I think everyone else has done a

pretty good job covering this and discussed the main points pretty well. Zosha has once

again done a good job of showing how CRAZY she is too. I think I've even read a quote from

Shiggy saying that additional discs, not additional layers would be utilized should the

storage medium not be enough. However, when you realize that the 1.5 would allow games

several times the size of Mario 64, you'd think that most NGC titles could fit on one

disc.