The increase in sales of  interactive software is, in large part, the result of better hardware, which makes for better, more interesting games. Faster, cheaper processors enable manufacturers and developers to let loose their imaginations, or as is more often the case, release frustrations from their dark souls. Today the hardware found in such video-game consoles as Microsoft’s Xbox is comparable to that found in a PC—an amazing feat given that consoles range in price from $100 to $300.

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To help you make sense of your high-tech gaming options, we looked at the three major game consoles on the market—Xbox, Nintendo’s GameCube and Sony’s PlayStation 2—and some high-definition software that may look good on your high-resolution display.

Nintendo GameCube
The compact Nintendo GameCube, introduced in late 2001, is, as its name suggests, shaped like a cube. Games come on mini 1.5-GB disks, and GameCube can transfer data very quickly, lessening load times. For those of us with more than two friends, GameCube sports four controller ports, plus expansion ports for add-ons like a broadband adapter or 56K modem for online gaming. Unlike competing consoles, GameCube lacks a built-in DVD player. (You’d be surprised how many people actually use their game console as a DVD player. I know, not ideal.)

At the time of its introduction, GameCube was a marked improvement over its predecessor, Nintendo 64, and even Sony’s PlayStation 2. Unfortunately for Nintendo, a game console is only as good as the games developed for it. This is where GameCube falls short. Nintendo’s most popular game franchises, including the Pokémon, Mario Bros., and Zelda series, target adolescents (and not those of us who merely act like them at select times) despite the fact that Mario, the world’s favorite plumber, has long since graduated from his days in Donkey Kong. While there are some titles for more mature audiences—sports games are available, and the Resident Evil series, for example, is now exclusively developed for GameCube—on the whole, GameCube is the most family-oriented of the major consoles. This can present a problem if you’d rather race  against Porsches in Gran Turismo than fellow cartoon subcontractors in go-carts (Mario Kart).

Yet another ding in GameCube’s armor is its future capability. Today GameCube competes with Xbox rather well. In fact, thanks to its efficient processor, GameCube games look as good and load as fast as current Xbox titles. But as software developers take advantage of Xbox’s more advanced processors, its games will load faster and pack more punch.

GameCube’s most significant drawback for the home theater fan is its A/V upgrade pack. Like PS2, GameCube does not support resolutions higher than 480p (“p” stands for progressive). In terms of graphics, Xbox is the more forward-looking platform.

In fact, GameCube is losing ground to Xbox every day and, like Martha Stewart, Nintendo has seen the writing on the wall. GameCube’s declining sales prompted game developers at 2003’s video game conference, E3, in Los Angeles, to reduce the projected number of titles they were developing for the machine. Soon thereafter Nintendo dropped the price of the console to $99. In the long run, the existing GameCube system simply cannot compete with the horsepower under the Xbox hood.

Sony PlayStation 2
For years PlayStation has been considered the king of consoles for no other reason than its countless number of extremely popular game titles. (Sony PlayStation 2, or PS2, replaced the original PlayStation in 2000.) Titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Gran Turismo provide millions of us with limitless hours of entertainment … while single-handedly robbing us of career advancement, profound relationships and so forth. It’s been worth it. Sony made PS2 backwards compatible with original PlayStation games—a big plus for original PlayStation owners.

And to keep things fresh, the company recently gave PS2 read-support for DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW recordable and rewritable optical discs, and a progressive-scan video output. The console is limited to two controllers, but a peripheral hard drive eliminates the need for memory cards and a broadband adapter brings gamers online.

Have Sony’s efforts paid off? Suffice it to say that longevity, backwards compatibility and DVD capability have made PS2 the most popular of the three consoles in terms of sales. In 2003, Sony sold 24.5 million units of PS2 in North America alone. By comparison, Microsoft and Nintendo were expected to have sold 15 million units collectively in 2003. Final year-end sales figures had yet to be announced as of this writing.

But keep in mind that while PS2’s processor delivers enhanced clarity and compelling graphics, it is as dated as Tom Selleck’s Magnum, P.I. Ferrari. When it comes to graphics, GameCube and Xbox surpass PS2.

PS2’s reign may soon be over. Prior to the 2003 holiday season, market research suggested that Sony was losing market share to Microsoft. Reports indicated that despite Sony’s higher sales figures, sales of Microsoft’s Xbox console increased 6 percent over 2002’s numbers, while both Sony’s and Nintendo’s sales dropped 36 percent and 22 percent, respectively. At that time, Xbox held 21 percent of the U.S. market (according to NPD data) and was looking forward to the holiday season. Recent reports by Nintendo suggest that Sony is losing market share to Nintendo, not to Microsoft. But these numbers have yet to be analyzed in detail. The PS3, which is in development, will be an exciting piece of hardware. Until it hits shelves, though, those who know will go with Gates.

Microsoft Xbox
Microsoft became the world leader in computer software by making quality products, and the company has continued the trend with the design of the extraordinary game console Xbox. Fierce followers of Adam Smith economics will search the Internet for my e-mail address to tell me that Microsoft is an offense to capitalism. For the record, I am well aware of the many criticisms surrounding the company’s rise to power. But it’s not my job to save the world. I don’t know whose job it is, but I know it’s not mine. Besides, there is certainly no reason to sacrifice your gaming experience in favor of some vague economic principle like competition. Really, who was this Adam Smith guy anyway?

Xbox is a cut above the rest in terms of raw gaming power. In addition to the hardware advances already discussed, Xbox incorporates all the latest features to enhance the gaming experience, including S-video and component video outputs. The latter enables Xbox to talk to an HDTV display at 1080i (“i” stands for interlaced) and 720p resolutions. Also included in the Xbox package are four controller ports, a built-in 8-GB hard drive (which eliminates the need for memory cards), a DVD player and a broadband adapter to hook up to your network for online play.

While all three consoles support online play, only Microsoft provides Xbox Live, a centralized service that provides its users with a host of nifty features. These include one convenient place where multiple players can join the  games instead of having to go to each game developer’s site; integrated voice communication that allows for voice interaction with teammates and opponents; matchmaking, which allows players to enter games and find opponents based on similar skill levels; and high-speed downloads to the Xbox hard disk. Sony and Nintendo, in contrast, leave it to game developers to support online gaming and require that consumers use their own Internet service provider.

Dolby Digital 5.1
Have we talked about sound? I thought not. The best video games don’t just render breathtaking graphics seamlessly; they create a whole-body experience that sucks you into the gameplay. I’m not talking about rumble packs. I’m talking full surround sound.

For electronics geeks, Xbox features the Dolby Interactive Content Encoder. It dynamically encodes multichannel audio into Dolby Digital 5.1, allowing gamers to experience explosive, cinematic audio using high-quality home theater systems. While GameCube and PS2 utilize Dolby Digital 5.1 only during non-interactive “cut scene” playback, Xbox’s Dolby Interactive Content Encoder provides interactive Dolby Digital 5.1 during actual gameplay, immersing the player in surround sound when it matters most.

The Future of High-Res Gaming 
High-definition gaming is, no doubt, the wave of the future, and I don’t mean in the way that laser discs were the future after the VCR era. We are just starting to reap the benefits of HDTV, which adds tremendously to the gaming experience, and more exciting stuff is on the horizon.