The generation that grew up playing Pac Man and Space Invaders never lost the itch for digital mayhem. But they were forced to share the joystick with today's enthusiasts of handheld and console-based shooters, racers, sports and, of course, Mario-type games. According to research, 145 million Americans play some type of video game-from solitaire to online games like Everquest or Star Wars Galaxies. Nearly half of all gamers are women, and more than half are between the ages of 25 and 44. Gaming is very big business.
That is why a lot of people are installing games in their trucks. Almost every truck seen at a show these days has a PlayStation 2 or an Xbox in it. Games have now joined DVDs as one of the favorite pastimes in America's back seats. There are tons of options for truck gamers, starting with the latest handhelds like the red-hot Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Gameboy-maker Nintendo's new DS. Both systems have their adherents: Whether you value the DS' secondary touchscreen more highly than the PSP's big 4.3-inch LCD or the PSP's game selection over the DS', you're definitely in for some awesome handheld gaming with no other mobile video hardware required.
Setting portables aside, video supplier Rosen claims to be the first to offer games integrated into a vehicle's audio/video system. The Rosen A10 features a 10.2-inch LCD flat-panel monitor and built-in, old-school classic games: Pac Man, Dig Dug, Rally X, Bosconian, and Galaxian. (Yes, cynical marketing once again rears its ugly head, as yet another company plays the Baby Boomer nostalgia card.) Then there are the big guns: Game Cube, PS2, and Xbox. Provided you already have video monitors, all you need are a 12-volt adapter and some RCA cables, and you're ready for full-tilt, full-bandwidth gaming.
But consoles and handhelds are not just for gaming anymore. Packed with multimedia features, they have become hubs of audio video entertainment and multi-friend interactivity. PS2s and Xboxes have long substituted as DVD players in automobiles and at home, and have become centers for multiplayer or online action. But now, the handhelds are flexing their technological and marketing savvy with WiFi connectivity: the DS' ability to send hand-drawn sketches and notes to your pals, and the PSP's music and movie playback capability.
So what's next? While PSP's and Xboxes set the stage for a radical redefinition of home (and inter-home) audio/video/gaming entertainment, will they or their handheld counterparts convert the mobile electronics faithful from their traditional in-dash, hard-mounted A/V systems? Determining the answer to that may take a while. But in the meantime, maybe it's Halo time.