CompuServe Messages

Stuart, You know that I have become more interested and even excited about the multiplayers (I like this name better than 'game machines') in the last couple of months. It was I who has pushed our lagging Amiga retail store into this new venue as I think 'set-top' technology is going to boom this year or next. I think the reason is simple–people are finally ready for it, and the technology is finally here to deliver it. As I look at the CD32, CD-i and now 3DO in our store I become a bit perplexed as to which box is really the best. I look at CD-i as the 'fahter' of the concept. The titles I have for CD-i, especially the reference titles are excellent. Title availability on the whole is good and Phillips has done a lot to edcuate the marketplace. I think the age of the CD-i player is showing though. It's 16 bit engine really can't keep up with 3DO at all. It's lack of memory keeps it from doing the things that it could do even with it's limited CPU power. Yet, I can't count it out as the marketplace may learn to embrace this product regardless of the technical merits of the competition. Now enter Commodore with CD32. I _like_ CD32. What I can't decide is whether I like it because it is a 'stealth' Amiga or because it lights some form of enthuisasm within me. I would dearly love for Commodore to have a hit again in the United States–using our tried and true Amiga technology. Right now, with the only CD title I have I can't make a judgement about this machine. Of the three machines though, this machine could be the stealth product of '94 and '95, _IF_ the product gets distribution and if Commodore could somehow get the price down another $100. Remember it was not technical superiority of the Commodore 64 that won the early 8 bit wars–it was the price. Atari did have a better box. 3DO, this really is the killer product we have all been reading about. I couldn't believe it–in fact, I talked to a variety of people about 3DO before we ordered our first batch. The machine fired up with the Sampler CD and I saw impressive _FAST_ graphics that while not _high resolution_ in the pixel sense they were impressive. Impressive in a way that I can't truly describe. The object oriented graphics approach of the hardware become quickly evident when you play with some of the 'Diversions' included on the Sample CD. One 'diversion' in particular was a car racing game. I am not talking about Crash 'n Burn either. The demo I am talking about is called Road Racing and you can change your angle of view and the 3D graphics moved nicely and correctly. It was not me on a bitmap, but rather me on a 3D race track. It is hard to explain, it must be witnessed. Next I loaded Crash 'n Burn. This game disk is included with the system. This game while a typical shoot 'em up will dizzy you with it's speed and ability to emerse you in yet another 3D world. The new pricing of 3DO at $499 is going to hurt Phillips and Commodore. Like I said before pricing and title availability is the key. I can see entire new markets being created around these multi-players. Including a change in the music CDs that allows both video and audio (something better than CD+G) to co-exist on the same disk. You take the disk to your car and it just plays the audio, you plug the disk into your multi-player and you have both video and music. I do see CD based movies as the way movies will be distributed in the future. I read the earlier debate here a couple of months ago and decided that I would not comment in that thread until I have seen a CD-based movie. Folks, CD based movies is impressive–think of it as the laser disk for the masses. It is fast, convient and storage is finally reasonable. I have giant boxes of Video Tapes–I am tired of them. 🙂 I don't think VCRs are dead, rather they will be religated to the tasks of copying things from television instead of playing rented movies. If you haven't seen the CD based movie yet, you need too. It is more than you think. I also believe that magazines on disk (read CD ROM) will work. The problem with floppy based magazines is they can't get enough information on them, there was no real advantage to them. Now you could easily sell a $9 disk that includes video commercials as well as articles that are read.. multimedia presentations… game demos… product catalogs, etc. The advertising would pay for this as soon as the advertisers see the merits of the technology. This will be the defining _high tech_ publishing medium of the '90s. I am sure of it. So while some will look at the new 'game machine wars' as 'game machines' that should really be ignored I will look at it with keen interest. It is the 'next level'–and one that has taken a long time to come. -mark= Otto Pilot Engaged..