Gaming industry: It's not child's play

Gaming industry gears up

While the PC industry suffers, gamers have a lot to be excited about. New consoles--Xbox and GameCube--have the industry in a frenzy, just ahead of the holiday season. Microsoft is the new kid on the block, and analysts wonder whether it can take on the established titans, Nintendo and Sony.

Xbox, GameCube play well with consumers
Consumers may be counting their change, but they apparently don't mind splurging on two new video game consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft.

Sega cuts prices to unload Dreamcasts
Want to buy a discontinued game console? With Sega trying to sell its remaining 270,000 Dreamcast systems, you can get one for the price of a single game.

U.S. video game sales up for year
The U.S. video game industry generated $4.3 billion in revenue in the first nine months of 2001, up 34 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Game makers profit from console fight
Game software publishers stand to gain no matter how market-leader Sony, challenger Microsoft and favorite Nintendo carve up the market for game boxes.

Nintendo readies console counterpunch
Thanks to unusually strong brand loyalty, savvy marketing and a price tag $100 lower than competing machines, Nintendo fans should have no problem ignoring Xbox noise.

Consoles aplenty for Xbox launch
But away from the hoopla surrounding Microsoft's Xbox debut, some avid game fans grumbled about how a few retailers were cashing in on demand.

Microsoft plays for keeps
special report Just when people thought they had figured out Microsoft's hardball tactics to dominate any market it desires, along comes Xbox.

Comdex 2001: Gadgets, game boxes
special coverage A cell phone married to a PDA? How about a video camera that connects wirelessly to the Net? Game consoles were also the rage at this year's tech confab.