Although it will not be available in Europe until early 2002, Microsoft is already hyping up its forthcoming new games console, X-Box.
Earlier this week, a number of Irish journalists were given the opportunity to hear about the continuing development of XBox and to test games consoles still at the prototype stage.
Microsoft's long-awaited answer to the popular Sony Playstation 2 is an Intel Pentium III-based console that it claims will be over three times faster than other games consoles. The product will also feature Net access to online games.
The company also struck a deal with Sega Corp to create 11 Sega titles for X-Box by the time it launches in the US and Japan in the autumn. The deal was good news for Sega, which recently pulled out of the games console market due to poor sales of its Dreamcast console.
Microsoft has said it will spend $500 million (€555 million) on marketing the X-Box in its first year on the market, but Merrill Lynch analysts have suggested that the new product could cost the company $2 billion in losses before it manages to break even.
Microsoft's European Product Development Centre in Dublin is responsible for adapting and testing X-Box games for the 85 markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. There were no details forthcoming about the expected retail price of the X-Box but Mr David Mulligan, director of product development, said that it could expected to be competitive with the Sony PS2.
Although Microsoft Ireland Sales and Marketing Group say they do not anticipate the same supply problems that dogged the launch of Sony Playstation 2, Irish games console fans and suppliers may be disappointed that the X-box will not reach European shores in time for the 2001 Christmas market.
Although this writer is no games freak, attempts at playing some of the games being designed for the new console generated some mixed impressions.
The graphics, particularly in terms of its quality, colour, and texture were extremely impressive. Allied with the quite realistic sensations of movement, it's easy to imagine users getting absorbed in the lavish fantasy worlds that provide the backdrops for these games. Mind you, it probably helped that some of the televisions had 32 inch screens.
In terms of "playability", some work still needs to be done, particularly judging by the lack of control sensitivity in the motor racing game prototype.
However, it should be added that the prototype machines had less of the capacity that finished production models will have and that the designers had only been working on some of the games for a few weeks.
