Sega, Sony and Nintendo go to market this autumn

Do your little eyes pop out with excitement every time you see videogames advertised on TV? Would you like to 'conquer worlds?' This autumn sees the biggest marketing spend yet as Sega, Sony and Nintendo all attempt to promote their consoles for the Christmas rush. TV advertising will play a major role, and Sony follow up the 'conquered worlds' campaign with a new 'Mental Wealth' ad. Similar to the previous campaign, 'Mental Wealth' promises a lifestyle bent.

Undoubtedly, the Dreamcast will be the keenest to please, and Sega will no doubt concentrate on the machine's Internet capabilities. However, Dominic Mills of Campaign magazine has already suggested the campaign could be rather "tame and predictable" in comparison to Sony's.

And Nintendo? They are thought to be concentrating their efforts on Rare's eagerly awaited trio Perfect Dark, Jetforce Gemini and Donkey Kong 64. Heck, we're looking forward to those games as much as some of Sega's.

So, £18 million will be spent on advertising alone before Christmas. No wonder the bloody games are so expensive.