In the first of a two-part feature, Future Gamer examines the future of PlayStation as Sony unveil the vital statistics of their Next Generation console…
James Price

Be under no illusions that Sony have revealed the true identity of their prize protégé. This digital debutante-in-waiting could still surprise us all.

The recent revelations concerned merely the hardware the new console will boast, and no more. They are releasing few details on how PlayStation 2 – or the Next Generation PlayStation, as they are calling it – will actually look, or what games it will run. Sony are keen to stress that, until later this year, the PlayStation remains their primary concern.

At present, current speculation suggests a Japanese launch for this winter, followed by a Western release in the autumn of 2000. This early glimpse of its power, then, is a tantalising peek at a machine that Sony hope will join the VCR and TV as home entertainment requisites. Potentially, it could almost compete with the PC market, due to its expandability and lightning-fast CPU. It is, unquestionably, the most exciting and significant development in videogames for a frighteningly long time.

Under the bonnet
Without going into too much detail, here is a basic overview of PlayStation 2’s most salient attributes, and what they mean in real terms.

CPU: 128bit Emotion Engine
Running at 300MHz – 100MHz faster than Sega’s Dreamcast – the successor to the PlayStation is a very fast machine. Do not, however, compare the basic clock frequency with that of, say, a Pentium III. They’re very different beasts. The PlayStation 2, in straight statistical toe-to-toe, has the measure of Intel’s heavyweight processor in outright performance. Or so it is being said...

Memory: 32Mb
It may not sound like much to PC owners, but 32Mb is more than enough to store ample game data. It’s important to note, though, that PS2 is designed to spool graphical textures direct from its DVD-ROM. In effect, it doesn’t need to keep every detail in memory. This means that there will be ample space for play-specific code.