"The gloves are about to come off in the fight for the next-generation high-definition DVD standard, and this war may make the VHS versus Betamax battle of the '70s and '80s look like a school-yard brawl. The players this time around are Blu-ray and HD-DVD (High-Definition DVD), and manufacturers and movie studios are already dividing up to champion their favorite contender so they'll be ready when the first commercial discs are available by the end of 2005.
That's all well and good for movie buffs hoping to buy their favorite flicks in glorious high definition, but what are the implications for gamers? How do these new technologies work, how can they help make our games better, and how much do we need to worry about upgrading to accommodate whichever of the new standards emerges victorious?"