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Microsoft unveils Xbox 360. Sony unveils PlayStation 3. 2006 will be the year where the console giants meet and fight out one of the biggest battles since Super Nintendo succeeded over the Sega Mega Drive almost 15 years ago. So who will win? First come, first served like the Xbox 360 which will probably ship in Winter 2005 or the console with the supposed better gaming power? Lets make one thing clear very early: Its not just about gaming power or the release date. Pricing, handling, accessoires and most of all the variety of games will also decide whether the PlayStation 3 will win the gamers heart or whether Xbox 360 makes the race. Come here with us, take a closer look and decide for yourself...

Arent we missing someone?

Stop. Wheres Nintendo? some of you might ask. Back in the 90s their console generations have lead the way with a new gaming experience (remember Super Mario 64 or Secret of Mana?) but ultimately had to take off their crown and hand it over to Sony. In late 2004, there have been quite a few rumours about the Nintendo Revolution, Gamecubes successor. So with Sony and Microsoft revealing their specs and dates almost at the same time, Nintendo apparently took a step back and didnt talk about the future gaming platform. Instead, they showed off some even smaller GameBoy (Micro) without differing technology from its GameBoy Advanced brother. Nintendo explained that the Revolution wont feature totally new technology (e.g. Media Center) but will focus only on gaming. The japanese company promised 512 Megs of RAM, a wireless controller and specific network capabilities - all of them quite promising in terms of gaming. But the most intriguing fact is yet to come: Revolution owners will be able to download every Nintendo game - from NES over SNES to N64. A bright move. But still, everyone might agree that Nintendo has to do a lot to be Number 1. It remains to be seen if the Revolution will be what the name implies.

Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3- A first glimpse

It seems that both Microsoft and Sony are shipping a great amount of appeal for gamers in late 2005 (or early 2006). First of all, the consoles are much more powerful than todays computers in terms of CPU, memory and graphic power. So down-sized textures, minimum resolution, limited 3D-distance-view, slow FPS with too many objects on the screen or general slowdowns will remain a relic of the past. Have you ever had the chance to play GTA San Andreas on your PlayStation 2 and a computer? The difference is huge.

Second, and this is somewhat new for Microsoft, the Xbox closed deals with third-party game manufacturers from Japan. For instance, we might be seeing a new Final Fantasy adventure for Microsofts next-gen console in 1-2 years from now. A fact that drew most people to Sonys little black box in the past. Both companies stocked up their online features so we will have an expanded community, online payment (e.g. for new games) or free downloadable content and of course new multiplayer features.

So we have all the key ingredients for two fine consoles...

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - The hardware

This page will take a close look at the new specifications of both consoles. One thing is for certain: They will outweigh any currently available Computer which is quite astonishing. Lets take a first glimpse at the most important factors for performance: The CPU and the GPU!

The CPU
The Xbox 360 processor is an IBM 3.2 Ghz Power PC with 3 dual-thread cores. Each of those cores is capable of handling two threads or two separate applications. It is not quite comparable to Sonys Cell processor which has 8 single-threaded cores. 

          
  Both processors are more powerful than todays computer CPU: Watch impressive screenshots over at winsupersite.com

The Graphics Processor
Microsofts new XBox will ship with an advanced ATI chip (500 Mhz) and an incredible amount of 512 MB graphics memory. Not only have we 8 or 16 shader and pixel pipelines but 48 of them which are destined to increase the overall image quality and performance for high-end games. To propely see those features you might want to hook up your Xbox 360 to a HDTV projector or a 16:9 HDTV screen - no problem for this console since all games will be in 720 HDTV quality (and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround bye the way). The PlayStation 3 however has the Nvidia RSX with equal graphics capabilities. It is supposed to be 35x times faster than the PlayStation 2.

Bottom line: Well keep this up to date!

Windows-Tweaks will update this page on a regular base with more information step by step. So far, nothing is decided - neither Xbox nor the PlayStation 3 seem to be the better product but we will keep our eyes open day by day and update you on any news. Finally, when the products become available you will find extensive reviews about the consoles here!