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The so-called, "Gamers," those 12-20 year old males playing video games in their basements, may have more influence in picking our next video format than anyone gives them credit for.

With both sides hording a powerhouse of corporate sponsorship, the industry is looking for anything to produce the tie breaker, a tie breaker that could come in the form of video games. Video games account for over $1.75 billion dollars spent annually, according to the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. There are two top end game consoles on the market, X-Box 360 and Play Station 3,each backed by large corporations, and each supporting a different format. Microsoft and HD DVD; Sony and BluRay respectively.

Sony's Play Station 3, costs about $599 and has a built in BluRay disk player, Microsoft's X-Box 360 costs about $399 and has an optional HD DVD player that sells for $199.

Adam Weinberg, who works at Best Buy as a home media technician said, "Well the [X-Box] 360's are selling more than the Play Station 3's, but we have been selling more BluRay disks, than HD DVD's."

Matt Nash, sales associate for Wal-Mart, speculates that since Wal-Mart is adding off brand HD DVD players this coming fall, and is letting Play Station 3 handle BluRay, that Wal-Mart is effectively choosing HD DVD. "While I don't have any physical proof, I can tell you to wait, and you'll see that I'm right."

The companies supporting HD DVD are: Toshiba, Sanyo, NEC, RCA, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Niveus, and Acer. Making the bid on BluRay is: Sony, Apple, LG, Dell, Sharp, and TDK.

Format wars are nothing new in the entertainment industry. The first conflict over formats was in the late 19th century, where Thomas Edison's tin cylinders were confronted by Emile Berliner's disk. Though Edison's tin cylinder provided a more consistent velocity for sound recordings, the disk, which was easier to produce and distribute, won.

This was just the beginning of the format wars. In recent history, perhaps the most heated format war came in the form of VHS vs. BetaMax, with the higher quality BetaMax losing to, a more flexible, VHS.

The fight continues to rage onward, both formats refusing to give up. In this war, the only casualties are the consumers. The men and women held on the brink, waiting for a clear victor to emerge. Eventually one format will win, but just how much time and money is wasted till we get to that point is anyone's guess.

Learn more about this author, Nolan Peterson.
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