X-BOX
Microsoft's Entry Into The Game Console Market

The X-BOX unveiled by William. H. Gates at the Consumers Electronic Show in Las Vegas has officially marked Microsoft's entry into the video game console market.

At first glance this black box seems muscular in appearance. It is equipped with a 733 MHz Intel microprocessor, by far the most powerful chip in any game console. Microsoft has roped in many major game developers such as Konami to create popular games, which claims to have one of the most advanced graphic chips. This chip will give highly detailed three dimensional characters and environments. It should also be able to enhance the realistic settings and characters. Taking tips from Hollywood, Microsoft's X-BOX is to have pixel shading that fakes the eye into seeing objects as rounded, when in reality they are not. Moreover this console can accommodate four players where usually two is the accepted norm. The game will also provide for an Ethernet connection thus enabling its entry in the Internet too.

Cynics opine that the X-BOX may fail to deliver because the players tend to be much younger in a video game console market. However the success seems to rest on two key aspects, the design of the console and how well this design is made use of by game developers. The final verdict will also rest on the games it offers players. As Mollie Smith a spokesperson for Sony Entertainment of America succinctly put it, " He who has the best game wins."

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