Home Video

LOS ANGELES - Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft introduced new game consoles that double as entertainment hubs, signaling a new front in the battle for the digital home.
These devices, making their first appearance at the annual E3 videogame industry conference here May 16-19, could have a major impact on all forms of entertainment, including music.
Microsoft's new Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 are primarily videogame devices aimed at the gamer demographic. But to broaden its appeal, each product also includes DVD and CD playback, as well as a hard drive, removable media, wireless connectivity and broadband networking capability.
"There's a real battle for the hearts and minds of the consumer going on between these guys," Jupiter Research games analyst Michael Gartenberg told Billboard. "They're positioning game consoles as a real critical component of the digital home."
As a result, these new game platforms are expected to affect the distribution and creation of content other than games, including music.
While online music stores and subscription services struggle to gain an audience, Internet-connected game consoles provide direct access to an already established base.
When accessing 360's Xbox Live feature, gamers could find offers for exclusive music tracks, live performances and unreleased music videos on the main menu, in addition to the ability to create and buy custom playlists for their favorite game.
As chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach said during the Xbox kickoff press event May 16, "We'll integrate all digital entertainment experiences into one device. In the next generation, videogames will become the center point of global pop culture."
The new Xbox 360, available this holiday season, can serve as the central connection between PC-based digital media and home entertainment systems. Those who subscribe to the Xbox Live service can access on-demand games, movies, videos and music from the Internet; save downloaded content to the console or PC; and even synch it with portable media players, including the iPod.
Although fewer details are available about PS3, which will be released in spring 2006, it will support similar connectivity capabilities with removable media like compact flash, SD memory card, USB ports and the Memory Stick, as well as built-in WiFi and Bluetooth support. Sony also hinted at on-demand media commerce capabilities, and a wireless link to the PlayStation Portable console.
"The network is a core element of the PS3's DNA," said Masa Chatani, chief technical officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. "Every aspect of the system is developed with connectivity in mind."
These new consoles also feature processing speeds exceeding that of today's home computers, allowing for near-realistic, jaw-dropping graphics. Additionally, just as DualDiscs were created to include music and DVD content, so may future CDs include interactive elements not currently thought of as a "game."
One possibility is an interactive, customizable music video option that allows users to play director by choosing the camera angles, background, even importing their own captured images, controlling it all in real time and recording the resulting file for future playback.
"We've got to come up with a CD product that's not just music," said Greg Harper, senior strategic adviser for Trans World Entertainment, highlighting retail's concern over _ and hope for _ evolving digital media. "This is where packaged media is still going to have a play."