GAME ON
For many players, original PlayStation is still number one
Some time in the next year or two,
"Playability is the key to a good game," Freeman says, "not the platform on which it runs." Lots of people must share Freeman's opinion, because the original PlayStation hasn't gone away, even though Sony's technically superior sequel has been available for more than four years. There are 100 million original PlayStations in the world, compared to about 70 million PS2s. Indeed, Sony has kept right on selling the original PlayStation -- more than a million every year. The most modern version, called the PSOne, has a slimmer case than the original and is available with its own flat-panel viewing screen. But inside, it's the same gaming technology that Sony introduced nearly 10 years ago -- Iron Age stuff by today's standards. But plenty of consumers just don't care. For one thing, it's cheap. A PSOne costs $49, compared to the $149 price for a PS2. That means a household full of avid gamers can afford one machine apiece. Besides, there are plenty of games -- more than 2,000 titles in the North American market alone. That's why Sony decided to take a gamble and keep on making the older game consoles even after the PS2 came out. "We felt that we could keep our existing consumers who were a little hesitant to step up and make the investment in PlayStation 2," says Jack Tretton, a Sony executive vice president. "That's clearly been the case." Players such as Freeman say PSOne gives them all the excitement they can handle. "My favorite game in the entire world is Twisted Metal 2, which is basically a game in which you drive around in heavily armored vehicles and blow stuff up," he says. "It's a great release after spending time on Route 128 or the Southeast Expressway." PS2 boasts a far more powerful processor that can render graphic images of superior quality. But this doesn't matter to many players. A good game, they say, is a good game, even if the graphics look crude. John Murray, 34, of Cleveland, an economist for the federal government, wants a bit of fun, not a lot of eye candy. "For someone who plays games for entertainment rather than aesthetic reasons," Murray says, "the PSOne is a satisfying and economical way to go." The games are cheap, too. While new PS2 titles often cost $50, many retailers feature a shelf full of old PlayStation games at bargain prices. Freeman recently picked up a copy of Army Men: Air Attack for $2.50 -- "about the price of a large Dunkin Donuts coffee," he says. Continued... |
