The newly-revived home video game industry, led by a behemoth electronics firm called Nintendo, has spun a series of competitors in recent years. SEGA launched the 16-bit Genesis, and several toy companies are trying to dip their toes in the water with consoles of their own, including NEC, Bandai, and Philips. But despite their best efforts, Nintendo still makes up approximately 90% of the market share for the video game industry. Amidst the competition, one tech firm has already made big progress on a deal to work with Nintendo on a system that could change the world of gaming as we know it.

Sony is perhaps most famous for bringing us music on the go with the Walkman, as well as the less-than-successful competitor for VHS, Betamax. But they’re hot on the heels of a deal with Nintendo to make a disc-based video game console currently codenamed “Nintendo PlayStation.”

It’s currently unclear how the PlayStation will fit into Nintendo’s next-generation gaming strategy. Some rumors suggest that it will launch as an add-on to the upcoming “Super Nintendo,” the 16-bit successor to your current Nintendos. Others suggest that it will entirely supplant plans for Super Nintendo and work as a standalone machine. This rumor seems unlikely, as the Super Nintendo has already launched in Nintendo’s home country of Japan. Others, still, suggest that both the Super Nintendo and the Nintendo PlayStation will exist at once—the former to play Super Nintendo cartridges and the latter to play both cartridges and CD-ROMs.

Sony is gearing up to unveil the Nintendo PlayStation during their presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this summer. For more PlayStation news, keep your eyes glued to the World Wide Web, and visit www.gamnesia.com.

Source: Fool’s Digest

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