No longer will FMV sequences and in-game sections appear so ridiculously divorced. Remember playing Final Fantasy VII? (Of course you do). Do you recall the ‘fuzz’ that accompanied the transition from static backdrop to movie sequence? You won’t get that pronounced disparity in image quality with NGPS.

Much fuss has been made over NGPS’s mooted price point. In the absence of an official total from Sony, other than a ‘less than $400’ mumble, pundits have seen fit to suggest that NGPS will debut at a worryingly high price. Future Gamer scoffs at such naivity. Almost every console prior to Dreamcast launched at a price designed to fleece the ‘early adopter’. It’s common practice for hardware manufacturers.

Just as it was with the PlayStation – Sony will drop the price of the machine to tempt a wider audience. After a year or so on sale, Sony will be trimming and refining the hardware to cut costs, thus precipitating further price drops. Eventually, after three years, it will realize its true ‘mass market’ potential with sub-$100 and £100 retail costs. Does that sound far fetched? Thought not.

Over the past week, hard ‘facts’ from Sony have begun to dispel, replaced by an irresistible line in speculation. Although much of this relates to Sega, and ease of development, many are suggesting that PlayStation 2 could be a Trojan Horse for the millennium. Its raw power is such that even the high-end PCs of next year will struggle to match it. Tellingly, it has the expandability to match.

During the first few days following Sony’s official announcement, few noticed a relatively innocuous addition to the NGPS’s hardware. Mac enthusiasts (and technology buffs) will already be familiar with the term FireWire. It’s a new connectivity technology – and a labour of love for Apple – that carries its own power. This enables manufacturers to develop devices that can be connected with one simple cable. Sounds interesting? You are, of course, wondering what this has to do with NGPS.