With the arrival of next generation consoles, consumers have always matched the evolutionary pace. However I am uncertain that this trend will be maintained with the arrival of online gaming on consoles. The ability to take part in an online game is already available on PCs. Numerous times I have heard friends telling me how amazing it is to play Unreal Tournament against a group of people you do not know, and will probably never meet. The question is, �Will this work on consoles?�

It has been quite interesting to watch each of the new consoles and how they look at online gaming. Nintendo and Sony have taken different views, unsurprisingly, each one convinced it is going in the right direction. Sony long ago decided that online gaming was the way to go, and have been heading in this direction from the start. Whilst they may not yet have released all the online equipment for us to get started, their plans are well underway to getting the Sony world online. In complete contrast, Nintendo have decided to keep going in the traditional console direction. Their new Gamecube is a gaming machine, for games, and games alone. They intend to provide the best choice for pure and simple gaming fun. Whilst perhaps this makes Nintendo seem afraid of progress, at least it shows that like Sony, they are willing to put forward a point of view and stick with it.

The weakest of the group seems to be Microsoft. With not a single original thought in their heads, it seems the console is destined to follow in the footsteps of any of the other consoles it can keep up with. This slightly unfair method has actually given them strength though. Wherever they decide they should follow, they always ensure that when they do, they do it with a lot more money. Wherever there is a promising footprint left by Sony or Nintendo, Microsoft find a bigger boot and step on the original print, claiming it as their own. Despite being the last console to announce its online decisions, it is suggesting it is the first console to go online. By releasing the console fully equipped from the box, Microsoft managed to claim they were the first online. However, how many reports have you heard about Microsoft�s online success? I haven�t heard a single thing, suggesting perhaps they got stuck in a little early.

This will seem like a biased view towards Sony, but I truly believe they have taken the most sensible approach. Personally I am unsure about online plans, and it seems Sony take into account that most average gamers are like myself � interested in progress, but a little cautious at first. Rather than dismissing online plans before they have begun like Nintendo, or alternatively hurling themselves at it simply to be there first like Microsoft, Sony have allowed time to let people think about the idea. The Playstation 2 has a compartment in the back that we all know means it can be upgraded. The modem add-ons are at an extra cost, approximately �30, but this is simply so that it can be left as an option, rather than a decision fixed by the manufacturers. It�s a nice gentle way of letting us become accustomed to the idea.