This week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta, Microsoft will unveil 14 new products, including 11 new games, two new game devices and a set of digital speakers. These introductions demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to tying the PC gaming experience together. Microsoft now offers everything gamers need, from great games, innovative line of SideWinder game devices, new Digital Sound System 80 speakers and the Internet Gaming Zone for multiplayer action.
When combined with Windows 98, which will offer further support for the latest gaming hardware, these new products deliver the ultimate gaming experience.
Highlights of this year’s E3 show include Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator and Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. Combat Flight Simulator, set for release this fall, builds on the 15-year legacy of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the best-selling simulation game to date. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, which is scheduled to ship in spring 1999, is a sequel to Age of Empires, the best-selling PC-game strategy title during last year’s holiday season. Microsoft will also demonstrate the long-anticipated SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel; its new, irresistibly fun, free-motion PC game controller, SideWinder Freestyle Pro; and the Microsoft Digital Sound System 80.
Microsoft also recently announced plans to collaborate with Sega Enterprises Ltd. on Sega’s new Dreamcast home video game system, slated for release in Japan on Nov. 20, 1998, and in the rest of the world in 1999. Microsoft will provide an optimized version of the Microsoft Windows CE operating system with integrated DirectX services as the operating system for use with Dreamcast.
The Microsoft and Sega collaboration marks a leap forward in game console technology. Dreamcast will include advanced hardware technology in 3-D graphics, sound and input devices, as well as an on-board modem to support Internet access and network gaming. The inclusion of Windows CE with DirectX provides a flexible, versatile development environment, supported by Microsoft development tools. The result is a powerful platform that enables creative and technical advances in video games to reach entirely new levels.
Links
SideWinder homepage
MS Games homepage
Urban Assault homepage
Combat Flight Simulator homepage
Age of Empires homepage
Monster Truck Madness homepage
Internet Gaming Zone
Baseball 3D
Golf 98 edition
Revenge of Arcade
Electronic Entertainment Expo 98
E3Expo
Microsoft, Sega Collaborate on Dreamcast: The Ultimate Home Video Game System
Windows 98 Plays Better Than Ever
