The Box Meets the Cube

The occupation began a few weeks ago, the day the big parcel arrived from Microsoft. "The Xbox," said a co-worker we'll call Stein. He eyed the package hungrily, as if it were a hot pizza walking by itself down the hall. "Anyone want to play football?" asked his sidekick, JT. The two of them followed the thing into my office, where I uncrated it. It was a VCR-size video-game console, black with a dollop of mint jelly. I attached it to my TV. My friends elbowed me aside and booted up NFL Fever.

They played for what seemed like forever. I figured they'd had enough when they both chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played against each other. But Stein's Bucs humiliated JT's. So they rematched. And then again. When Stein suggested "it would be really cool to invite some other guys over and have, like, a sleepover and play all night," I threw them out. I had work to do. Nintendo's GameCube had showed up, and it also needed reviewing.

Just in time. The GameCube ($200) and the Xbox ($300) will both be arriving in retail stores this week. If you are of a certain age and inclination, you're probably wondering: Which one should I buy? And what about Sony's PlayStation2, which came out last year?

Having tried all three, I suspect that only the most experienced gamers will be able to tell the difference in terms of performance--they're all outstanding. So your decision should be based not on the machines but on the games they play.

That said, I'd recommend that anyone with young kids lean toward the cute and lovable GameCube. Nintendo has mastered that market, and by mid-December should have 20 titles ranging from new twists on old characters--Luigi's Mansion, a Mario spin-off--to Pikmin, the latest from Shigeru Miyamoto, the genius behind the Zelda franchise. The GameCube has abandoned its cartridge format; games now come on adorable mini-CDs.

Older (age 15 and up), more hard-core gamers will want that Xbox. The machine is Microsoft's beachhead in the console wars, and I predict it will be a big success, even though it costs 50% more. It's a gorgeous piece of equipment that includes an internal hard drive (so it can respond at blink-of-the-eye speeds to your every command). While Microsoft offers a few child-friendly titles, including Shrek, it's the adult-oriented fare that will distinguish this machine. I was particularly enamored of a surfing simulator, Transworld Surf.

Finally, longtime PlayStation users will probably want to upgrade to the P2, since they can still use their old PlayStation games as well as new titles that take advantage of the P2's increased horsepower. I'd love to chat more about this, but I have work to do.

Questions for Quittner? Send e-mail to jquit@well.com