Let the Game Begin...

We hereby solemnly pledge that if smashing cars, killing
villains and spilling blood gets you into a frenzy, we shall not declare you a
state evil. We shall only and only judge you as a serious gamer.

There are a few things that every young member of the male
sex can safely be assumed to be doing. While some of them should not ideally be
mentioned here, watching TV and playing are the other indispensables of boyhood.
And while the TV fad may or may not wear off, playing is something that very
often accompanies the transit to manhood. Although for India at large, playing
is synonymous with their nearby cricket grounds, for the privileged few, it
means gaming.

It all started some thirty-four years back. And gaming
came home, literally, when Pong was released for home use back in 1975. Little
did the father of gaming Nolan Bushnell (founder of Pong) know then that his
creation will have the multiplier effect that shall bring up a multi-billion
dollar industry.

Roots and Routes

So how did it all begin? And how did gaming make its Indian debut?

What began with Pong reached the next level with Nintendo
Entertainment System (NES), that was launched in Japan in 1983 and in the US and
European markets in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Then came names like Super Mario
and Legends of Zelda, and gaming was never to be the same again.

And while gaming oscillated between the PC and the
consoles all these years, the decisive shift happened in 1994 when Sony came out
with its PlayStation. The next year Nintendo came out with its Nintendo 64 and
3D graphics and the blend of story telling and visuals finally came to the fore.

The next big card was again played by Sony in the form of
PlayStation 2, that hit the market in 2000. It went on to become and still is
the best selling video game console of all times and has grossed close to 135 mn
pieces in sales so far.

The major developments, in the gaming consoles market post
the PS 2 are the ones that we are well acquainted with today. Microsofts entry
into the domain though expected to display some fireworks didnt really tip the
balance all that much. Xbox, even though it was Microsofts first hardware
product and came bundled with its software expertise failed to excite too much.
As of now the advanced versions of boththe PlayStation and XBox are the
consoles ruling the market today.

And if a serious gamer is out on the prowl for a video
console, he really has only three choicesthe PayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and
the Nintendo Wii.

Apart from some interesting turns and the clear survival
of three giants, if there is one trend that has clearly been a highlight for the
gaming market it is the exclusive association of developers with one of these
consoles. Dedicated and exclusive deals with developers for designing games for
particular consoles has been a regular feature of the gaming industry.

Fun@ Hand

Hand-helds changed the necessity of being stationary and sitting in front of
a big screen. The revolution perhaps started in 2004 when the PlayStation
Portable was first released in Japan. Its phenomenal success ensured that its
base form goes through many more evolutions and modernizations to become the
sleek, suave device that the PSP is considered to be today.

That it is a must for every ardent lover of gaming, is not
disputed. Says Waasil Jalal, a student for animation and a self confessed gaming
freak, "A PSP is this cool thing that every gamer ought to have. Leave aside
portability, I think it does great justice to the graphics and sound aspects.
And that had to be the case, because it comes from Sony. Their newest version,
PSP 3000 I think is a great improvement," he says.

The most laudable feature of the PSP of course is its wide
screen (4.3 inch LCD) that has a resolution of 480x272 pixels and displays 16 mn
colors! Then there is the Wi-Fi chip that enables connectivity with any live
connection and also equips the PSP to form WLAN connections. And the restriction
of memory (older versions of PSP supported nbo more than 4 GB) has been outdone
in the 3000 version, that can support unto 16 GB.

However, PSP is not the only hand-held option available
today. There is Nintendo DS. Its GameBoy ruled this segment today and its DS,
though not as popular a thing as the PSP is certainly a good option.

Nintendo comes with a clamshell design and a 3 inch TFT
LCD screen. DS comes from its Dual Screen. Its strengths however lie in its
touch screen that can double up for PictoChat and its delightful handling that
has a lot of gamers falling in love with the console.

According to gaming blogger Rajat Awasthi, "I would any
day trade a PSP for Nintendo DS. I think it holds greater charm and greater
excitement of the two."

Touch and Play

Gaming, lately, has received a new boost with the introduction of Apples
iPhone and iPod touch. Even though the iPhone is out of reach for most people in
India due to its exorbitant price, the iPod Touch has picked up really well. The
interface on both Touchscreen devices is derived from Mac OS X and is called OS
X iPhone. With a powerful processor at its core, the iPod touch has turned from
a personal media player to a gaming device, thanks to its App Store.

A large number of free and paid games are available on the
Apps store for users and 50% of the top downloaded applications are games! This
clearly shows that the device is being used by a lot of users for playing games
and not just listening to music. The Wi-Fi connectivity allows the user to also
connect with friends and play multi-player games with each other. The
combination of a touchscreen with an accelerometer has paved the way for the
developer community to provide games that can use either of the two or both
features for engaging gameplay. With the third generation iPod Touch sporting a
600 Mhz processor, it is able to run graphics intensive games on the device
without any lag or jitter.

Whats more, Microsofts Zune HD, which is expected to
arrive in India soon is powered by the Nvidia Tegra chipset. The Tegra chipset
combines a CPU and GPU onto a single chip and thanks to it the Zune HD is
capable of playing a 720p high definition video file without any issues. As it
sports a dedicated GPU onboard, it is not a surprise that the device has the
power to play 3D games. The initial reviews have compared the graphics on the
device to that of the PSP. Once it hits India, its pricing would be a major
factor in deciding its fate as the next hot portable gaming device or a bleak
failure.

Crystal Ball Gaming

As far as gaming consoles are concerned, the outlook for the next year or so
is pretty clear. Microsoft and Sony both clearly showed that motion gaming is
the next big thing they are focusing on for 2010 at the E3 2009 event.

Microsofts Project Natal is an accessory for the Xbox 360
console that would allow users to interact with the system through gestures and
spoken commands. The accessory is a 9-inch wide horizontal bar that has an RGB
camera, depth sensor and a microphone. It would come with a proprietary software
that allows for full body 3D motion capture, facial as well as voice
recognition. The initial preview shown at E3 clearly makes Natal one of the most
awaited things for gaming in the next year.

Expected to arrive in November 2010, Project Natal is
expected to change the way people game. Sony has also not been far behind and
showcased their own motion controller for the PlayStation 3. The controller that
resembles a wand with color changing sphere on top works with the PlayStation
Eye camera. Unlike Natal, this controller retains a couple of important
buttons on the controller and the sensor is said to be sub millimeter precise.

Also, Yoichi Wada, president of final fantasizer Square
Enix, the biggest Japanese game house added fuel to the rumor mill by predicting
that Nintendo Wiis next version would boast of HD graphics and a brand new
controller. The next generation of iPod Touch is rumored to have a camera
built-in and we are expecting some clever developers to come up with games
utilizing the camera as well.

Sony always had a ten-year lifecycle plan for each of
their consoles. The original PlayStation was discontinued after eleven years,
whereas the PlayStation 2 is in its ninth year and still going strong. Microsoft
has similar plans for its Xbox 360 and has claimed a ten-year lifespan of the
device. Considering these ten year plans and the latest accessories announced by
both groups, console gaming definitely seems to be heading toward a bright and
sturdy future.

Mehak Chawla

with inputs from Karan Bajaj

mehakc@cybermedia.co.in