Nintendo versus Sony versus Sega

by Gary Bodily

There are three "next-generation" systems on the market this Christmas, the Nintendo 64, the Sony PlayStation, and the Sega Saturn. Each currently sell for about $200 in most stores. Which system should you buy? Different gamers will have different "gaming needs" that should determine which system to buy.

First of all, there are some major differences between the Nintendo 64 and the other systems. Most noteworthy is the fact that the Nintendo 64 is a 64-bit machine, whereas the PlayStation and Saturn are 32-bit machines. The Nintendo has more processing power than either of the other machines. Not only that, but the Nintendo 64 is also engineered for "3D" games. These two facts make the Nintendo 64 capable of producing very impressive graphics that the PlayStation and Saturn simply cannot hope to match. Although, that isn't to say that they can't compete, because they can.

Another big difference between the Nintendo 64 and the 32-bit systems is the media on which the games are stored. The Nintendo uses cartridges to store its games while Sega and Sony's machines are CD-ROM based. Which is better? That depends on the individual game player's preferences. A cartridge provides superior access times (which means you don't have to wait as long while levels load, etc.). However, a CD-ROM is far less expensive to produce (a CD-ROM game is usually about $20 less than a cartridge game), offers much greater storage capacity (allowing games to be more in depth and to contain more game data), and provides CD-quality audio during gameplay. The Nintendo 64 can produce high-quality audio, but it isn't quite as good as CD-quality audio, and it uses more processing power.

Okay, so what are the differences between the two 32-bit systems. One difference between the PlayStation and the Saturn (hardware-wise) is that the PlayStation is completely 3D oriented, internally. The PlayStation's main chipset is designed to handle 3D data and the hardware processes this data to generate the visual representations on-screen. This means that developers can achieve impressive 3D and lighting effects easily on the PlayStation, because the hardware does the "tough" 3D work.

On the other hand, the Saturn does have a 3D chipset (as well as a 2D chipset) that is more efficient and faster and handling 3D data, but does not produce any lighting or major rendering effects. This means that the visual effects for the Saturn must be handled through the software instead of the hardware. Using software to handle effects such as lighting and transparency (or any other effect) means that developers must write the code for their visual effects. This is not as easy as developing for the PlayStation, but is provides more flexibility and allows for a wider range of possibilities.

Another difference between the Saturn and the PlayStation, is that the Saturn has multiple CPUs (central processing units). The Saturn uses two CPUs to handle calculations and the execution of game code. Programmers can have one CPU perform one task while the other performs another task. In this way, one CPU can be dedicated to creating visual effects while the other processes input from the users and game execution (or any other combination of tasks). Again, it is not as easy for developers to program for two CPUs as quite a few developers have never worked with multiple processor units before. The Saturn also has more RAM than the PlayStation, this allows more sprites (actually, the Saturn can display a virtually infinite number of sprites on the screen) and more detailed backgrounds, etc. This additional RAM is what made Street Fighter vs. X-Men an exclusive title for the Saturn.

Finally, the games. Of course, hardware capabilities mean very little if they aren't utilized or are utilized poorly. In fact, a game can have incredible graphics but if it has no game play it will not be worth spending $10, let alone $50, $60, $70, (or more). Each system has some advantages when it comes to games. The Nintendo 64, for instance, has games that have very impressive graphics. However, there are only a few games available for the Nintendo 64 right now. Also, these games cost more than Saturn or PlayStation games and hold less game data. The PlayStation has a much larger game library (150+) games with many 3rd party developers (due to the fact that it is easy to program for the PlayStation - this has caused a few low-quality games from inexperienced developers, however). The Saturn has the largest library of the three (300+) games, and may have the greatest weapon in this area (games). This weapon being Sega's arcade titles. This means that the Saturn gets games like Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop 2, Sega Rally, Daytona USA, among other Sega arcade giants. Also, Saturn owners can expect future titles from Sega's AM1, AM2, AM3, AM annex, and other divisions. Virtua Fighter 3 is even scheduled to be released for the Saturn (the game will probably be shipped with an additional cartridge to handle the processing of the backgrounds, however).

If a gamer wants sports titles, the system is unclear (in the past, the Genesis had been the obvious choice for sports titles). The PlayStation has a wide array of high-quality sports games. The Saturn has World Series Baseball (I and II), which are considered the best baseball titles available on any system, but the Saturn doesn't really have a killer football game. As far as hockey and basketball, the systems are basically evenly stocked with good and bad games. The Nintendo 64 really doesn't have any sports titles (yet). We will have to give the system another six months to a year to see what shows up in the way of sports titles. For RPGs, the Saturn is the obvious choice. The Saturn's major presence in Japan (where RPGs are a larger part of the market) means good news for RPG fans. Also, the CD-ROM is the perfect media for RPGs. The enormous storage capacity (especially since games can span multiple CDs - some current RPGs are as large as 6 CDs!!) allow RPGs to have amazing depth to them. The PlayStation has some RPGs, but the RPG support for the PlayStation is not the same as it is for the Saturn (Final Fantasy VII is coming to the PlayStation in late '97, though, and is expected to be an excellent title). Another area in which the Saturn is system of choice is arcade games. As stated previously, Sega's killer arcade lineup is a tremendous asset to the Saturn. Saturn owners have AM2's Virtua Fighter and Virtua Cop series (in addition to Fighting Vipers and Fighters Megamix, due out for the Holiday season) and other great arcade titles such as Sega Rally Championship and Daytona USA CCE.

So it depends whether you are willing to spend a little more per game and get the Nintendo 64's graphics (with it's storage restriction, too), if you want large 3rd party support (PlayStation), or if the type of games you play are arcade titles, RPGs, and sports games (but are willing to wait for a really good football game), in which case, you would probably want to go with the Saturn. You need to determine exactly what type of games you want to play, then decide which system to go with.