PlayStation 2 Arrives--but It's Going Fast

Next in the PlayStation 2 Saga: Got Games?

It's tough enough to get your hands on a PlayStation 2. Despite Sony's release of 26 new games with this product, the latest software may be as tough to get as the hardware.

The PlayStation 2 is a particularly complex machine, and making new games for it is a difficult task, Enderle says.

Despite that complexity, a huge number of vendors are offering new games for the launch, Iwanasa says.

"This launch library is phenomenal," she says, noting that everything from sports to role-playing games are represented. The number of games is significantly larger than was available at the launch of the original PlayStation, she says.

The original Sony PlayStation, which recently received a face-lift and now sells for $99, has sold more than 27 million units in North America since its September 1995 launch, Iwanasa says.

Another 20 or more titles for the PlayStation 2 are expected to be available by the holidays, estimates IDC's Olhava.

The Competition Goes Online

Sony competitor Sega beat Sony to the 128-bit punch with its 1999 release of the Dreamcast console. Dreamcast lacks the DVD player expandable hard drive bay and snazzy processor that the PS2 boasts. But Sega is delivering on the promise of online connectivity by Dreamcast, with its SegaNet service, Olhava points out.

"Dreamcast has a dial-up modem built in," Olhava says. "Although it wasn't much at first, Sega now has 100,000 people signed up to play on the SegaNet service."

Although many of those people registered under free trial offers, Sega charges $21.95 monthly for the service after the introductory period, Olhava adds. "But you can download software for your PC and use SegaNet as your full ISP service," she says.

Sony Eyes the Fast Track

Sony meanwhile, seems to have broadband connectivity in mind for PlayStation 2.

"It doesn't ship with a dial-up modem, but Sony plans to make something available, probably in the form of a hardware broadband connector," Olhava says. Sony is not yet revealing details about the cost and specifications for such a connectivity add-on.

Meanwhile, hot on the heels of PlayStation 2 will be Microsoft's X-Box, which is due for release in 2001. The X-Box is built on a Windows PC-like platform, making it easier to port PC games to the game console. PC game developers may flock to X-Box in order to reach customers who don't have access to PC games, either because don't have a PC or because their system isn't fast enough, Enderle says. (See "PlayStation 2 Due in U.S. in Fall" and "X-Box Promises Glittering Graphics.")

With plans to develop PlayStation 2 into everything from a home entertainment console to a broadband gateway, Sony has high hopes for its latest consumer offering. But keeping up with the enormous demand may be its biggest challenge.