Alex Santos

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Alex Santos
TCOM 101H Michael Spillman

• Battle of the Best
• Holiday Gaming System Showdown

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Heres a Hot Topic!
Battle Time
Where do the new gaming systems fit in this
holiday season?
Battle of the Best This holiday season three comp
anies go head-to-head for your money. Microsoft
releases the Xbox and Nintendo releases the
GameCube this November, but will they be able to
trample Sonys Playstation 2? Prepare to see one
of these names on every childs wish list this
year.
Video Game History The Specifications The Game P
lan
The Winners
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Video Game History
First Generation 1972 - 1977
1972 Magnavox Odyssey Atari Pong (Arcade Versi
on) 1974 Atari Pong (Home Version) 1976 Fair
child Channel F
1977 RCA Studio II
Ataris Home Pong
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Video Game History
Second Generation The Golden Age
1977 Atari VCS/2600 1978 Bally Professional A
rcade Magnavox Odyssey2 1978 Bally P
rofessional Arcade Magnavox Odyssey2
1979 - Mattel Intellivision Milton-Bra
dley Microvision 1981 - Emerson Arcadia 2001
Frogger
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Video Game History
From 8-bit to 64-bit 1982 - 1996
1985 Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Master System 1988 Nintendo Game
boy 1989 Sega Genesis 1991 Super Nintendo 1
995 Sega Saturn Sony Playstation 199
6 Nintendo 64 1998 Sega Dreamcast
Nintendo Entertainment System
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The Present
Battle of the Best
The Personal Computer (New game systems now only
catching up to PC games) 2000 Sony Playstation
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2001 Microsoft Xbox 2001 Nintendo GameCube
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The Battle Begins
Your Holiday Match Up
Sony Playstation 2 vs. Microsoft Xbox
vs.
Nintendo GameCube
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Sony Playstation 2
The Breakdown3
75 Million Polygons/sec 300 MHz Processor DVD/CD
Compatibility Dual Shock Controller Memory 8 MB
(Extra Purchase) 2 USB Slots 48 Audio Channels
Price 299
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Microsoft Xbox
The Specs1
733 MHz Processor 10 Million Polygons/sec 250 M
Hz Graphics Processor DVD/CD Compatibility Ether
net Adapter Internal Hard Drive (8 GB) 256 Chann
el Dolby Surround HDTV Support Price 299
Retail Price of the console. Will not sell
separately for a while. Must purchase package.
(Approx. 500)
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Nintendo GameCube
The Word2
405 MHz Processor 9 Million Polygons/sec 162 MHz
Graphics Processor Digital AV Output Sleek Desi
gn (4 inches tall) 64 Audio Channels 2 Serial Po
rts / Parallel Port Price 199
Retail Price of the console. Will not sell
separately for a while. Must purchase package.
(Approx. 400)
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The Game Plan
Whats Available in 20017

Xbox 41 8 10 5 7 4 6 1 0
GameCube 20 6 5 2 2 1 3 0 1
Total Number Sports Action Adventure Racing F
ighting
Extreme Sports Role-Playing Other
Games in the future may reveal GameCube with more
potential. Bringing titles like Mario, Zelda,
Star Fox and Metroid. Xbox will be bringing
sequels to Metal Gear and Silent Hill.
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The Winner Is?
Who Ends Up Under Your Tree?
This is going to depend on the age of the users,
your holiday budget and what you expect from your
console. All systems are going to give you great
graphics, quality sound, and hours of
entertainment. Each system has their own thing
that puts them above the rest in one category or
another.
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The Winner Is?
The Budget Buy
Sony Playstation 2 Already making it through one
holiday season, you wont have to worry about
paying for the system in an expensive package.
Plus you are also getting a Sony DVD Player out
of the deal. Although it may not be as tricked
out as its new friends, Sony always means quality.
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The Winner Is?
The Performance Buy
Microsoft Xbox Although it is going to cost a bun
dle for the bundle, this system is the best of
the best. For the faster, louder, more intense
gaming this is the system. The games are so
packed they come on DVD discs and you wont have
to worry about buying memory cards, bringing
Microsoft one step closer to taking over the
world.
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The Winner Is?
Ages 6-16
Nintendo GameCube For more child-friendly gaming
options, heres the one. The GameCube takes you
close enough to the superior Xbox, but with newer
versions of their acclaimed games. If you have
more kids in this age range then this is your
best bet, there will be enough titles for mature
audiences to appease your 17 year old.
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The Winner Is?
Ages 10-26
Microsoft Xbox The Xbox is the one with the fast,
bloody, loud action this age group will be
looking for. Juvenile enough to please a
pre-teen, but nice and intense for those
post-college, living with their parents, ever so
demanding gamers. Once again the Xbox claims
superiority.
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Money Talks7
Who Cashes In?
Microsoft XboxProjected Sales at Years End
1-1.5 millionMarketing Budget 500 million
Nintendo GameCube Projected Sales at Years End
1.1 millionMarketing Budget 75 million(not
including money paid by promotional partners)
Sony Playstation 2New games promote the system.
Expect a price drop after Christmas.
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Is This Going to End?
So who wins this battle?
Microsoft Xbox With a system that out-performs th
e rest, a name people trust for quality, more
games than GameCube, and enough dirty money to
put ads in your dreams, Xbox is going to conquer
its holiday foes. Dont be surprised when this
one shows up on 60 of letters to Santa Claus.
Bill Gates One step closer to dethroning Satan.
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Your Holiday Season
Where do the new gaming systems fit in this
holiday season?
This means that you will be putting up with
endless marketing whether or not you have kids.
If you have them, then you have to put up with
begging and pleading to get you to spring for one
of these systems. In other words, this battle
will have an effect on you no matter what. That
means that these new gaming systems are going to
fit under millions of homes this holiday season.
But remember something better will come out next
year.
Santa is going to be shelling out around
700,000,000 on video games this Christmas.
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Works Cited
Primary Sources 1 www.xbox.com 2 www.nintendog
amecube.com 3 www.us.playstation.com Secondary
Sources www.gamespot.com 4 (http//gamespot.co
m/gamespot/features/video/gamecube_dossier/) 5
(http//gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/x_box
_dossier/) 6 (http//gamespot.com/gamespot/misc/
platforms/playstation2/) 7 Battle Boxes Xbox v
s. GameCube. Electronic Gaming Monthly.
December 2001. pp 156-221.