Overview Video game consoles are consumer devices that deliver electronic games-based entertainment to the household. They feature proprietary hardware and software design. They require AC power as the primary energy source and need an external video display such as a TV. Some current generation gaming consoles have analog modems to provide email access and Internet browsing capability for online gaming. Next generation devices being proposed by vendors are likely to have capabilities to provide broadband access and even act as the residential gateway to the home. A subset of gaming consoles is handheld gaming devices which are primarily for mobile and household use. They rely on battery (DC) power as their primary energy source. These devices include an embedded video display such as an LCD. Market Research An August 1999 report from International Data Corporation (IDC) shows gaming consoles to be the fourth most purchased consumer device in the U.S. household, behind TVs, VCRs, and PCs. According to a separate IDC (International Data Corporation) analysis, the U.S. household video game penetration has increased from 38.0% to 41.7% from 1999 to 2000, but the growth rate is seen to be lower going forward with the growing popularity of on-line gaming. Popular vendors and products for gaming consoles include: Sega (Dreamcast, Saturn) Sony (PlayStation 2) Nintendo (N64, N128) Microsoft (X-Box) Popular vendors and products for gaming consoles include: Sega (GameGear) Ninetendo (Game Boy) Market Trends Growth accelerators include the introduction of several next generation products and the capability to access the Internet using gaming consoles. Growth inhibitors include the limited success of on-line gaming and the growing presence of low-cost, high-performance PCs. Also the high cost for the gaming consoles remains a key growth inhibitor for this market. Xilinx Solutions The Xilinx's Spartan-II programmable logic solutions offer the flexibility to build products that can be reprogrammed in the field at costs far below any other programmable solution. Residential gateway products will support multiple broadband access points and home networking interfaces. Spartan-II FPGAs provide system integration and interconnectivity to these interfaces, hence providing decreased time-to-market, increased time-in-market and the rapid product proliferation in this market. Please view the presentation to see how Xilinx solutions can help you build products for this fast evolving market place.