While the graphics and game line-up will still probably be the most important factor for success in the next generation gaming consoles, integration of other entertainment options is obviously going to be a very big deal.
When you pack Intel's blazing new Core 2 Extreme processor and a pair of top-of-the-line nVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX graphics cards into a single gaming desktop, you can pretty much expect it to post impressive benchmark numbers.
Sega's machine will also ship with a 33.6 kps modem, 16 MB of memory and a host of technical tricks that will make its graphics ability comparable (or even better) than a-top-of-the-line desktop PC, even one decked out with special 3D graphics hardware.
Unfortunately -- as demonstrated in recent hearings conducted by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation and Federal Affairs, chaired by Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)(1) -- what companies like Silicon Graphics have deemed to be good for their bottom-line is manifestly not good for U.S. security.