We have definitely come a long way since Willy Higinbotham, hero to all children and enemy to all parents hoping to spend quality time with their children, created the first video game ever in 1958. We were amazing with such amazed graphics as those of Pong when the Atari gaming system was released, one of the first of its kind. We were introduced to Colecovision in 1976 and ever since then the war between gaming systems for time in front of the television has been waged in the living rooms of every small child and game lover all over the world.

The next generation of video gaming is upon us and the battle rages on. After a period of stagnation, the game market is tingling in anticipation of the upcoming race for supremacy in the heats and minds of worldwide gamers.

People were blown away by Playstation 2, with units on backorder for months after its release at the end of 2000 and the revolution in gaming is expected to explode with the upcoming releases of Gamecube by Nintendo and the X Box from software giant Microsoft. Both companies are already jockeying for release date position.

A battle the companies wage amongst themselves. Learning from PS2's mistakes, both gaming companies hove vowed to have more than enough units of their consoles available for sale on the day of their releases.

Other issues at the vanguard of contention are the availability of peripherals and their pricing. For example, the PS2 was not released with a modem or hard drive for internet connection as the other two will be, but for $40 you can purchase one, with the additional requirement of purchasing hard drive space, which will run you about $100 (advantage Gamecube and X Box). Functionality is essential to these gaming systems as well, as mentioned, they are all internet compatible, but the PS2 and X Box are also DVD players, though the X Box does require a $30 remote in order to activate this feature (advantage PS2 and X Box, in that order).

All of the systems do attempt to correct the mistake of previous consoles and allow for greater multiplayer capacity, with ports for four controllers on each, so game fans everywhere can play Monster Truck Madness and become closer through friendly competition.

Improvements like this one make gaming more enjoyable and illustrate the benefits consumers reap from such a cut-throat system of competition.

Though improved graphics and game play factor in as huge parts of the success or failures of these systems, programmer friendly consoles will be able to offer more titles, something every gamer covets. Failure to produce vast quantities of games will disappoint gamers and drive prices for systems higher, damaging the console's appeal.

Though other systems have provided high- quality graphics, some seemingly ahead of their time (remember Neo-Geo and the Atari Lynx?) the ultimate endorsement of a system's appeal is given by the programmers.

While Nintendo boasts that its new system is very easy for programmers and undoubtedly the X Box can claim the same, being created by the patriarch of programmers himself, PS2 has already received complaints from gaming companies for being a harder platform for which to write games (advantage Gamecube and X Box).

Still, the titles will undoubtedly come for the PS2 as it enjoys the luxury of being the current king of the hill, it was released a full year before its competitors. The question remains still, regardless of who came first, who will have the last laugh?

One huge advantage that might establish PS2 as the ultimate gaming machine is that, on top of improved game-play and graphics, you can still use your original Playstation controllers and games with the new system.

Taking into account that its predecessor is still the platform with the most titles ever (the number of titles for playstation is upwards of 700) this added feature definitely earns major brownie points for PS2 in the hearts of gaming fans the world over.

Nintendo has changed controllers and game cartridges for every system it has ever created, making the change of systems somewhat inconvenient if you're looking to hold on to just one. X Box, Microsoft's first venture into video game consoles, is in this respect at a decided disadvantage because gamers, though assured games will undoubtedly be of high quality because of the Microsoft name, have yet to sample actual game-play and get time logged on at the joystick.

Nintendo has already cornered the market on handheld games with Gameboy and the recently released Gameboy Advance, it boasts hundreds of titles. In the market for home consoles, the battle will undoubtedly be won by the gaming system with the best range and quality of titles.

PS2 comes equipped with a 300-megahertz processor, DVD reading capability and the added bonus of being able to play original Playstation games. X Box, has by far the most innovative added features of the three, a large internal hard drive and a 733-megahertz processor in order to make saving games easier than the current standard, which involves memory cards.

It also comes with a DVD player and an Ethernet connection for connecting to the internet and online gaming communities. Gamecube, switching over from game cartridges to cd mini-disks, does not boast a DVD player, stating that their platform is meant for gaming, not watching movies. The Gamecube runs a 485-megahertz processor.

Which system will give you more bang for your buck? While Gamecube and X Box are expected to retail at $300 apiece, Playstation 2, in a move to keep fickle gamers everywhere still straining at the leash to buy a system, is expected to slash its price from $300 to maybe even as low as $150. With the expected price cuts, PS2 basically makes up the difference of buying their peripherals. Lack of a DVD player and inability to play music cds diminishes Gamecubes versatility and gives the other two systems a big leg up. X Box, with its hard drive for saving games, pushes its value over the top and to the spot of highest value, saving you money on numerous peripherals.

Regardless of if you are a Sony fan, rooting for Microsoft's effort, or a solid Nintendo supporter, the fact of the matter is that gamers everywhere will have the delight of being able to try all three.

So there you have it, the three gaming giants have slugged it out in the ring, the facts are before you, what remains to be seen is the public's reaction. Let the games begin.

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