Consolation prizes: though the next-gen game consoles aren't here yet, current offerings provide plenty of engaging play and graphics.(Hardware)

The "big three" next-generation consoles--Microsoft's Xbox 2, Nintendo's GameCube 2, and Sony's PlayStation 3--are expected to ship in 2005, or perhaps even in 2006. Though these units are frequently discussed and anxiously awaited by the gaming community, hard details are limited; the consoles' names and even their existence are officially "unofficial." A few particulars are considered common knowledge (see "Machines of Mystery," pg. 37), but for the most part, information about the next generation is being gleaned from a number of uncertain sources such as the companies' job postings for software engineers and the like.

At press time, software development kits ...