With a good few months to go before Europe gets hit with some of gaming's greatest hardware, you may be considering heading down the 'grey import' route. US or Japanese, or should you just sit back and be patient? Steve Boxer explains all
Console gamers have never had it so good - at least, if they're American or to a lesser extent Japanese. Across the pond, an unprecedented array of new-generation consoles graces the high-street outlets. One can almost pity the poor Yanks as they wrack their brains in an attempt to decide between buying a PlayStation 2, Gamecube or Xbox. It's a given of modern society that whatever happens across the Atlantic reaches these shores soon afterwards, and Xboxes and Gamecube s are beginning to filter over to the UK. We're all keen to get stuck into some new-generation console action, but should we hold our horses for the UK releases of the Xbox and Gamecube ? Or is it worth entering the grey import fray?
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Which console? The first dilemma hardcore, early-adopting, console gamers must resolve concerns which console to buy - just ask anyone who bought a Dreamcast or even a Nintendo 64. But this dilemma is the easiest to resolve.
If your over-riding concern is to avoid a machine that might turn out to be a commercial flop, shunned by developers, then buying a PlayStation 2 will ease your mind. Sony's latest console is already an unmitigated success (more than 1.3 million have been sold in the UK alone) and a large number of publishers will continue pumping out PS2 games until long after any PS2 successor has arrived. But most hardcore gamers have been disappointed by the PS2's games portfolio, which is padded by too many sequel games and easy-option bankers like driving games. That's set to change next year to an extent, with the arrival in February of Metal Gear Solid 2, plus efforts like The Getaway and, hopefully, the first PS2 instalment of Tomb Raider.
But while the PlayStation 2 looks set to acquire an impressive portfolio of adventure, platform and sports games, genre gaps persist. A few ports of PC first-person shooters (FPS) have appeared (notably Half-Life), but it seems clear that if you're an FPS addict, you need look no further than the Xbox. The mighty Halo will be available at launch, and the ease of porting to Xbox from PC means you won't have to wait too long before Xbox takes on the likes of Return To Castle Wolfenstein and Soldier Of Fortune 2 arrive. Add the Xbox's built-in networking to the equation (which, Microsoft claims, will render adding an Xbox to a PC network a breeze) and you have a winner if FPSes are your poison. The Xbox's games portfolio is surprisingly well-rounded at launch, with the likes of Dead Or Alive 3, Project Gotham, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (the best PS2 game available this Christmas will be a European Xbox launch title) and Munch's Oddysee covering a wide variety of tastes.
A question-mark hangs over the Gamecube 's developer support - as ever, Nintendo has concentrated on getting as much as it can out of Shigeru Miyamoto and Rare Software, rather than schmoozing the industry (particularly in Europe) for software support. But Miyamoto is an unquestioned genius, and the brand loyalty of Nintendo-lovers borders on the fanatical. If the prospect of Luigi's Mansion, the weird but wonderful Pikmin, plus the likes of a new instalment of the Mario legend and the odd cel-animated Gamecube Zelda get you going above all else, you'll want to buy a Gamecube . You Nintendo-freaks know who you are and with 15 or so Gamecube games on sale already in the States, it looks as though the Gamecube won't be afflicted by the one-game-every-three-months drip-feed that dogged the N64.
When to buy? The question of whether to wait for European launch or to snap up an import is more vexed. Currently, London's Computer Exchange will sell you an Xbox for a jaw-dropping 600 (although the company maintains that prices are likely to fall soon as US supply begins to outstrip demand), or a Gamecube for a much more wallet-friendly 350. Imported Xbox games from CEX generally cost around 70, with Gamecube games around 60.
The Gamecube looks a much better import buy than the Xbox. Apart from its friendlier price-point, CEX will, for just 20, upgrade Gamecube s so that at the flick of a switch, they will play both Japanese and American games. Of which you'll be glad, as reading Japanese menu systems is about as easy as reading Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It would be nice to imagine that a similar after-market mod would allow such import machines to play European games, but, alas, that's wishful thinking, as both Japan and America adhere to the same TV broadcast standard - NTSC - whereas we use the PAL system which differs in terms of scan lines and refresh rates. With the Xbox expected to struggle in Japan, such a feature would be irrelevant on Microsoft's machine, although its PC-like nature and hard disk raise the theoretical possibility of software BIOS updates which could, theoretically, bring about the availability of cross-region Xbox mods. You can bet that Microsoft will fight such mods tooth and nail, though, and it has some serious lawyers...
If the prospect of dabbling in the dodgy grey market is too scary, then just hop down to your local high street and buy a PlayStation 2. It's already down to 200, of course, and post-Christmas, you should be able to find some tasty bundling deals. We would imagine that it may be even cheaper than 200 by the time Christmas 2002 arrives.
We know, of course, that Xboxes will be on sale in the UK from March 14 2002 onwards and at least Nintendo has committed itself to a "Spring" launch - which will probably translate to May 2002, rather than the rumoured September.
The wait for an Xbox, then, is less than three months, so we'd strongly advise patience. If you're set on a Gamecube , on the other hand, a five-month wait will be difficult to bear. Because of the ability to play Japanese and American games, we'd advise that, on balance, it probably is worth getting a grey import Gamecube . Particularly as it's rumoured that a mere 300,000 Gamecube s will be available at launch for the whole of Europe. Most high street outlets like HMV and Virgin - plus the likes of Special Reserve, Amazon and Telegames - already let you pre-order an Xbox or Gamecube (generally for a 20 deposit), and we'd strongly suggest that's your best means of being sure to get an Xbox as soon as possible.
How to buy? In an ideal world, you'd be able to buy Xboxes, Gamecubes and their games from amazon.com or similar sites. But, sadly, amazon won't ship hardware or software to the UK. So, if you must take the import route, you're stuck with the likes of Computer Exchange or your local second-hand games exchange shop. The good news is that most such shops have Gamecube s in stock, although the availability of grey import Xboxes is very patchy across the country.
Even CEX, though, won't currently say whether it will continue to keep its stock of American and Japanese new-generation console games comprehensive and up-to-date once the consoles have launched in the UK, so it's a lottery as to whether you'll be able to get all the games you want for your grey import machine in a year's time. But judging by the number of Japanese and American games for defunct consoles still on sale at CEX, the company is being a bit coy.
And remember, the economics of buying grey import consoles are gruesome. Currently, an import Xbox plus five games will set you back a toe-curling 950, and a grey import Gamecube plus five games 650. When the machines launch, a PAL Xbox plus five games will cost 525, and a PAL Gamecube plus five games - presuming the machine comes in at 199 -- 425. Think hard about just how desperate to get hold of a next-generation console you really are. And take a long look at your bank balance.
