2) Communication. Online teamplay can't really expand, in terms of strategic complexity, until in-game communication systems are improved. In most current games, team members can only talk to each other via text input - a clunky and time-consuming procedure which makes planning intricate attacks almost impossible. However, higher bandwidth modems and better audio data compression will soon allow players to don mouth pieces and talk to other team members. Some developers are already toying with this concept. Multitude, for example, have developed a technology named Team Talk for its online game Fireteam. This works in conjunction with the Andrea Electronics NC-65 GameWare headset (provided with each copy of the game) and allows players to talk to each other in realtime.

Elsewhere, Microsoft recently bought a company called ShadowFactor, which manufactures BattleCom, a piece of comms technology that, again, allows multiplayer game participants to talk to each other while playing. Allegedly there are plans to include the software component in DirectX 8.0, making it available to every PC developer in the world. Digital Anvil are also set to support voice communication with their forthcoming titles.

3) Speed. There are several broadband (i.e. high bandwidth) communication technologies on the way which will make data transfer between home computers and external networks (including the Internet) much faster - in turn, of course, making online multiplayer gaming smoother and more reliable. Cable modems, for example, connect to a cable TV network rather than the standard phone network, and operate up to 100 times faster than today's standard 56kbps telephone modems. Several big manufacturers, including Intel, Toshiba and Motorola, are already selling the devices, but the technology has yet to filter down to consumer level, especially in Europe. Expect this to happen over the coming year as the service becomes more standardised and user-friendly.

Alternatively, there's ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), a rival technology to the above, supported by the big telephone companies. This system boasts similar performance levels to Cable modems and uses the standard phone line network, so users don't have to subscribe to a separate provider. Again, plenty of companies - including AOL and Microsoft - are showing interest in the technology, and corporate use is already a reality. However, among other factors, standardisation and pricing issues keep it out of the home. For the moment.