If NEC is going to launch a future game console they better stack the chips up real high and prepare to do some serious knockdown-dragout explosive jawing with M$, the Big N, and Sony. With Sony already leaking bits here and there confirming that the PS3 is in the works and shall be far greater than the PS2, which BTW was a total disaster, they really blew it when they rushed its delivery and made it so difficult to program for. Nintendo has pulled firmly into second place, leaving Micro$oft treading in the wake, and they seem to be sinking fast. NEC might be another M$ in the making as Micro$oft thought they could build a cheap computer and pass it off as a high-end console. Well, gamers don't want cheap computers for video games.
NEC must not rush into anything without making a plan. The Turbo-Grafx 16 was a wonderful system, but the PC-Engine was better, and ports from the PC-Engine looked watered down on the TG-16. The TurboDuo was a sweet package but it was too late when it finally hit U.S. shelves. NEC helped make the Dreamcast an overnight success for Sega, and even though it wasn't enough to save Sega's future in sales of console hardware, it was enough to take a large piece of the pie from the PSOne between the few months after the DC launch and the advent of the PS2. NEC has practice at this. They were partners in the creating of the greatest consoles in video game history, the Nintendo GameCube.
Video game systems are far advanced over where they were when NEC rolled out the PC-Engine, the SuperGrafx, TurboDuo, PC-EngineFX, TurboExpress, and such... SNK found that out when the 64-bit MVS was released in the arcades and basically flopped completely, leaving the company straggling in red ink and empty pockets. In the 16-bit wars the SNES reigned supreme, only topped by the Neo-Geo, period. The Genesis was inferior, the TG-16 was inferior, the 64-bit Atari Jaguar was inferior, Mode 7 and the FX chip were some of the cool tricks the Big N pulled out of their hat to wring every last drop of quality and amazement out of their cherished 16-bitter. Try doing Donkey Kong Country on the Genesis, or hell I don't even think the Neo-Geo could pull off that trick.
And considering the NES was built in 1983, makes it damn near amazing that it can even be compared to the likes of the PC-Engine, etc... Granted the PC-Engine and the Turbo-Grafx 16 had one of the best lineup of games in the history of video games, such a huge variety was out there, and for gamers who love shooters, the TG-16 is your wettest dream come true 7 nights a week for 12 months.
What all this means is, NEC can top Sony, M$, and Nintendo, NEC could run circles around the competition, but they must do it cautiously, and be prepared for a dogfight. I wonder who they would contract to help with the manufacturing of the units, what the system would be clocked at, how many CPU's and GPU's would be within, what proprietary format the machine would use... and what kind of controllers would NEC create? So many questions... now you see why it takes so damn much type and meticulous planning to launch a system, and why the thin line between success and failure is so easy to cross.
For now let's cross our fingers and hope NEC has taken all this into consideration and is one step ahead of the game at every turn. I'd love to see the Turbo-Grafx 256 gracing shelves next Christmas.
Topic: The Next Turbo? (Read 322 times)
