Some think the best 3D game machine would be a high-end PC with a
huge monitor, 3D acceleration cards, controller pad, and, for
multiplayer games, a high-speed internet connection. However, what if I
told you there is a machine that could rival any computer that costs
around $100, is equipped with a seemingly obsolete processor, and has
no hard disk, no accelerator card, no 3D software, no monitor, no
operating system, and, get this, is 100% crash free?
Such machines exist. Video Game Systems (I'll refer to them as VGS's
from now on), including Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast,
produce output equal to (if not better than) any PC at a fraction of
the cost. (This, of course, excludes the use of emulators such as
Connectix Game Station, which emulates the PlayStation, basically
turning any Mac into a VGS.) Lets have a showdown. I'll start at the
beginning.
Installation
No contest here. On a VGS, all you do is put the game in and push a
button. There's no setup, no installation, no restarting.
VGS - 1, Computer - 0.
Compatibility
This is also rather obvious. Since video game makers know exactly
what machine the game will be played on, you don't have to worry about
your processor speed, amount of RAM, operating system, acceleration
cards, or current 3D software, such as OpenGL. Any game made for the
PlayStation will work on any PlayStation.
VGS - 2, Computer - 0
Loading Time
Computers offer a little competition for the PlayStation in this
round. PlayStation is infamous for the extended loading time due to the
use of CDs. However, the Nintendo 64 is instant, as is the Dreamcast,
although it also uses CDs. When the PlayStation 2 debuts soon, loading
time on any VGS will be instant.
VGS - 3, Computer - 0.
Versatility
VGS's can't compete here. They are made for one and one thing only:
to play games. Although soon, even that may change. Computer's are
almost limitless in what they can do. When the last time you did your
taxes on a Sega?
VGS - 3, Computer - 1.
Multiplayer
This is a toughie, but the VGS wins again. The internet is making
multiplayer games more common on the computer, but not as fun as a
group of friends can have playing Goldeneye on a Nintendo 64. Computers
can have many more players with the help of a site such as Battle.net
for Starcraft. However, these players are faceless, and can only
communicate by typing. Multiplayer on a VGS is a far better
experience.
VGS - 4, Computer - 1.
Display
This battle varies from household to household. The largest consumer
monitor is about twenty-one inches, and that's expensive. A VGS is
played right on your television. In a almost any household, the TV will
be bigger than the computer monitor. I have a 55-inch TV in my den, so
even the split four player screens equal the size of a very large
computer monitor. Not everyone has a big-screen TV, though. However,
the fact remains that a household's TV will be larger than their
computer monitor.
VGS - 5, Computer - 1.
Location
I would rather play games in a lazy boy or a bean bag than at my
computer desk. However, what if I have an iBook? Then I could play
anywhere: my bed, the kitchen, the front porch, or even the bathroom.
However, most computers are desktops. Therefore, this would have to go
to the VGS.
VGS - 6, Computer - 1.
Titles
I can count the number of successful 3D games still in production
for PC on my fingers; there are even less for Mac. Of them include
Rainbow Six, Half Life, and Quake. VGS's have hundreds of titles for a
lower price. From Mario 64 to Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo, there
have been dozens of successful and popular 3D games. The PlayStation
has the most, but I believe they are of lower quality than the
Nintendo. Computers still can't compete here.
VGS - 7, Computer - 1.
Longevity
Computers go obsolete as fast apples turn brown. I can't play the
most recent 3D games on my beige G3 without another RAM
upgrade (I bought an extra 32 MB awhile back), and its only two years
old! The Nintendo 64 has been around for four years, and the
PlayStation even longer. The only video game that has ever required an
upgrade is Donkey Kong 64. It requires a RAM booster that comes
packaged with the game. I wish Quake 3 would come with an extra 64 MB
of memory and a new 3D accelerator card!
VGS - 8, Computer - 1.
Price
If you buy a computer just for 3D gaming, you are simply stupid. If
you take 3D gaming potential into consideration when buying a computer,
I believe you are still a little crazy. I have never heard of someone
putting down a computer for entertainment expenses, although I'm sure
some people have.
To play the latest 3D computer games to their fullest potential, one
needs at least a base level G4 with a little more memory.
That's at least $1,599 for the computer. Add a monitor, you're up to at
least $2,000. If you want a computer that may not 
play
the latest 3D games flawlessly, and you don't need G4 speed for
Photoshop or other graphic applications, save $1,000 and get an
iMac. Spending an
extra thousand dollars, or even an extra $500 dollars, just for the
hardware to play a feeble number of 3D games at a computer desk for up
to two years is simply stupid. Unless, of course, you have money out
the wazoo and can afford to spend like that for games. However, for
most of us, 3D computer gaming is not economical.
VGS - 9, Computer - 1.
Reliability
I have never had my Nintendo crash. I have played thousands of times
and not once has it frozen. I wish I could say that about my Mac. This
one needs little discussion.
VGS - 10, Computer - 1.
Game Size
Okay, I had to think up something else for the computer to win.
Nintendo 64 has a major limit to game size. Dreamcast and PlayStation
don't have so much of a problem. The next generation of VGS's will not
have problem at all. The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 2000 (or whatever
they are going to call it) will be equip with DVD. However, for now,
computers win.
VGS - 10, Computer - 2.
Conclusion
VGS's are far superior for 3D gaming. This isn't to say that
computers aren't good for gaming. For simulation, such as Starcraft and
SimCity, the computer is better for obvious reasons, foremost the
mouse. I myself believe that the best games aren't 3D action shooters
at all, but simulations such as Starcraft and RPG's like Zelda.
Remarkably, my favorite VGS game is GoldenEye (a 3D game), and my
favorite computer game is Starcaft (a non-3D game).
If you want the best 3D gaming experience, don't look on the
Macintosh. In fact, don't look on a computer. Look on a video game
system. If you want the funnest games, you'll probably find them on a
Mac. I remember playing Shufflepuck on my sister's Performa 200 for
hours. Being 3D doesn't make a game fun. I'd take Tetris over Rainbow
Six any day.
