NOT ONLY FUN, GAMES PLAYSTATION 2 MODEL DEBUTS IN L.A. WITH INTERNET, DVD CAPABILITY.Byline: Jason Z. Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Staff Writer With music blasting and demonstrations projected on two giant screens, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. gave North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. its first peek at the PlayStation 2 game console See video game console. during a media preview Wednesday in a downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or studio. The second in a new generation of game systems driven by 128-bit processors, PlayStation 2's North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. version will be slightly different from its Japanese counterpart on sale since March. Sega's Dreamcast - which also uses a high-performance 128-bit processor - hit the market last September. Sony's console goes on sale Oct. 27 for $299, in time for the holiday shopping season. It carries the same price tag as the original PlayStation introduced in 1995. The company said it will be the biggest consumer electronic launch in history, with 1 million units initially being shipped into North America. An additional 2 million units will ship by March 2001. PlayStation 2 is expected to command the attention of professionals attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which begins today at the Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. and features 400 exhibitors. It is expected to attract 55,000 interactive entertainment professionals and an estimated 1,900 software titles will be on display at the show, organizers said. Sony estimates 50 game titles for PlayStation 2 alone will be introduced at the show. With its improved graphics, Internet connectability and the ability to play digital video discs, PlayStation 2 is being billed as the hub of the wired entertainment center. ``PlayStation 2 is not the future of video game entertainment, it is the future of entertainment, period,'' said Kazuo Hirai Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (Japanese: 平井 一夫 Hirai Kazuo, born 1964) is the current President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. , president and chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of Sony Computer Entertainment America. ``It's an entirely different platform that will serve as the catalyst for the broadband revolution.'' Unlike the Japanese version, the PlayStation sold in the United States will have a port for a 3.5-inch hard disk drive. The American version also is able to play DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. video without the need for additional memory. Sony officials denied the addition of the port was a reaction to Microsoft's proposed game console, X-Box, which will have a built-in hard drive. Currently, there is a PlayStation in one of every four U.S. households, said Andrew House, the company's vice president of marketing. The target audience for PlayStation 2 is broader than that for the original system, House said. PlayStation 2's audio and video capabilities will appeal to music and film buffs, and its Internet connectability will bring in people interested in the cutting edge of technology, he said. And the system's compatibility with existing PlayStation games will encourage users to graduate to the new system, House said. ``We're able to bridge the gap between hardware that has dogged our industry in the past. It's absolutely crucial that we validate the platform with content,'' he said. Sony has encouraged outside game publishers such as THQ THQ Toy Headquarters THQ Territorial Headquarters THQ Tehsil Headquarters (Pakistan) THQ The Holy Quran THQ Theater Headquarters Inc. of Calabasas to develop titles for the new system. THQ enlisted the help of game developer Volition vo·li·tion n. 1. The act or an instance of making a conscious choice or decision. 2. A conscious choice or decision. 3. The power or faculty of choosing; the will. Inc., which normally builds games for the more powerful personal computer. But the more powerful processor in the new generation of game consoles is making it possible to develop higher quality games, said Jim Boone, senior producer for the role-playing game Summoner, the first game THQ plans to release for PlayStation 2. ``We didn't have to compromise on any of our technology. It's been a lot of fun to develop the console game,'' Boone said. He said Summoner will lend itself well to multiplayer online play, making it a good match for the PlayStation 2, which in the future will connect to the Internet via a broadband connection. The type of broadband connection by which players can connect has not been determined. WHAT'S COOL? Here are some key features of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.'s PlayStation 2 system: --Suggested Retail Price: $299 --Media: PlayStation 2 CD-ROM/DVD-ROM --Formats supported: Audio CD, DVD-Video, Dolby Digital, DTS (1) (Digital Theatre Sound) A digital audio encoding system used in movie and home theaters. Popularized by the movie Jurassic Park, the six-channel (5. --Interfaces: 2 controller ports, 2 memory card slots, optical digital out connector, 2 USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. connectors and expansion unit for network interface. --Peripherals, sold separately: DUALSHOCK 2 Controller, $34; 8 MB memory card, $34. --Software Support: More than 270 titles in development worldwide. --Software Pricing: PlayStation 2 software, $49. Source: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (All prices suggested retail.) CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Known as the father of Sony's PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi was on hand for the debut of the second-generation console. (2 -- 3 -- color) Two players test their skills Wednesday at one of Sony PlayStation 2's most popular games, Grand Turismo 2000, above, will go on sale Oct. 27 for $299 in time for the holidays. John Lazar/Staff Photographer Box: THE COOL STUFF (See text) |
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