With this kind of competition, you can expect each company to look for the hippest and hottest “new thing” each year to increase their market share and popularity. Some people expected it to be a game, others a peripheral, but 2002 is definitely the year of the online experience. PC users have had the ability to challenge other players for years, with massive communities and fan bases springing up around titles. Plus, the ability to get fresh updates to game content gave players even more value to their game play. It would seem to be a natural fit for console players to leap onto the bandwagon. The largest hurdle was the technology. Sony and Nintendo have already unveiled their approach to the online realm, but on Friday, Microsoft will launch what could very well be the next generation of online console play with Xbox Live. I’m sure that last statement will raise an air of incredulity. Next-gen online play? We just got the first generation a few months ago! The online revolution for consoles has just begun! True, but Xbox’s online capabilities are so easy and packed with features that it re-engineers the concept, bringing it to a whole new level.

If you take a look at your PS2 or Gamecube, you’ll notice nowhere to plug in a dial-up or broadband cable. Going online requires the purchase of a network adapter, which can interpret either a dial-up or broadband cable. While easily installed, you may find, depending upon your level of network expertise, that it may take you anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour before you’re online with other players. You’ll also discover that the inclusion of both formats can lead to horrendous ping rates, especially on titles that require near-instantaneous speed. This contributes to either games crashing outright, or tons of frames being dropped as the connection struggles to keep up with the in-game action. Additionally, you’ll discover that registering and setting up each game takes additional time, as login names don’t confer to each title.

The Xbox and Xbox Live thankfully avoids these pitfalls thanks to careful planning in their concept stages. In fact, when Microsoft was planning on the initial design specs for the Xbox, they built the system with the idea of online capability naturally included with the system, so you won’t have to worry about keeping track of additional network disks or peripherals. The Xbox won’t let you attach a dial-up line to the system, so you will need a broadband connection to experience Xbox Live. While this is a disadvantage for players that with modem connections only, it actually makes sense, considering the high ping rates that an Xbox game would generate. However, specializing in broadband only simplifies your online connection, ensuring that players will be able to jump into a game in less than 5 minutes. In fact, Microsoft has made partnerships with twelve of the leading broadband companies to guarantee that players will have no problems accessing the service.

Connecting is a very simple process. Once you’ve plugged in your broadband cable, you merely need to enter your specific connection settings. If you’ve got a static IP, you’ll have to input your DNS, Subnet Mask, and other vital net stats. If you own a dynamic IP, detection of your settings is almost immediately recognized. From there, you enter your personal information and your screen name for your account. Each account created is unique, and works throughout the entire Xbox Network regardless of the game you’re playing. No need to re-enter screen names, passwords, or other hassles with the keypad, because it’s saved on your Xbox hard drive, or, alternately, an Xbox Memory Unit if you want to bring your account to a friend’s console.

Once you’ve loaded up a game, there are a few basic features you’ll find across the board in each game. You’ll have the ability to leap into a quick match with just about anyone else on the servers if you’re hungry for a game. Newbies to a title need not worry about getting crushed, because each player gets rated every time they play a match on the service. If you’ve never been online with the game, you can match up with a player who has similar skills. Or for those who want a larger challenge, you can pick a fight with higher ranked opponents, so lookout if you become skilled at a specific game. You may find people gunning for you.

An included buddy list allows each player to keep track of friends and favorite competitors with ease. This feature is really cool because not only can you keep track of when certain people log into the service, but you can also invite players into games with a messaging system. For example, if you were playing MechAssault and a friend wanted to bring you into a Team Deathmatch round of Unreal Championship, they could send a message that would appear on your screen along with an alert sound. Once you decided to accept the invitation, you would be prompted to switch out titles, log back into the service, and you’d automatically join your friend’s game. This is a phenomenal way for clans to be formed and tracked for practice sessions or tournaments.

Communicating with players is not done via a keyboard, but instead is carried out in real-time by a headset that you receive along with your purchase of the Xbox Live network. Very light and flexible, the peripheral fits around your head comfortably, and once it’s plugged into your controller, allows players to effectively talk to each other with no line noise or distortion. That is, if you choose to actually use your own voice. There are multiple sound effects that you can place upon your voice, turning your tone into that of a robot, a baby, amongst others. Obviously, the freedom of speech can be abused, turning the game servers into a setup for rampant trash talking or foul language. Take heart, because you can internally mute offensive players so you won’t hear their comments. Additionally, if you discover that someone is abusing the speech function, you can ban him or her from ever having the ability to challenge or play with your account again, safeguarding you from any mistreatment. This will be a godsend for parents worried about what their children might hear as they play games online, allowing them to set parameters for gameplay, such as who their kids can play with. If they have any questions, comments or complaints, they can also dash off a quick comment to the Xbox Live staff members, who pay attention to every message they receive.

Players shouldn’t take this feature for granted, because it can help establish popular features into newer versions of the Xbox Live service. Microsoft decided when they were creating the online service that they wanted to focus solely on providing the backbone of the gaming experience, allowing developers freedom to program and amaze their audiences. However, since the programmers and techs behind the scenes of the Xbox Live service are gaming fans as well, they keep their eyes out for cool ways to make the service better. For example, there was an API that was created for Moto GP that regulated the voices of the three closest competitors nearest your racer. This function was so lauded that it will probably find its way into other racing titles, allowing for minimal aural clutter while still providing a great gaming experience.

The Beta for Live is quickly coming to an end, but the titles that will be able to support the Xbox Live service upon launch will be rather impressive. Mechassault, Unreal Championship, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Moto GP, Whacked, Splinter Cell, NFL Fever 2003, NBA 2K3, NFL 2K3 and NHL 2K3 look to be the first round of titles available on Friday. Additionally, you’ll notice that certain games, such as Mechassault and Splinter Cell, will receive additional downloadable content, such as new weapons, levels, or features. This also bodes well for sports titles that may receive up to the second statistical updates. For those hesitant of entering the online console realm, you shouldn’t be too concerned about losing your investment. See, many veterans of PC Online titles have experienced the disappointment and frustration of shutdown servers and games due to bankrupted companies. This won’t be a problem with Xbox Live, because the company plans to pump over 2 billion dollars over the next 5 years into gaming alone, so the service won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. (Besides, can you actually see Microsoft going bankrupt?)