Instead of hacking Doom, gamers soon will have a chance to invent the next great shooter ... or take the industry in a new direction altogether.
Available last year in Japan, Sony's Net Yaroze - "The Black PlayStation" - will be introduced to American and European markets in March. This US$750 programmer's version of the popular 32-bit game system comes complete with a Mac/PC serial interface, plus the coveted set of C compilers/debuggers used in more than 200 PlayStation titles. With limited code capacity, Net Yaroze emphasizes mechanics over glitz, assuring it an underground following.
Standard PlayStations will not play Net Yaroze games, but Sony may release compilations of the best work from the new platform. Not to be outdone, Sega reportedly has a Basic-language developer's kit in the works for its Saturn machine. Who knows - the gaming industry may yet foster another homespun code culture similar to the mid-'80s reign of the Commodore 64.
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