On Friday, 12 March 2001, many important things happened across the gaming industry, but the hottest topic by far was the clash between Apple, Microsoft, and ZAGE. Today, Apple would finally hold the full showcase for their iPlay console with Steve Jobs personally presenting it to the world. Meanwhile, Microsoft would release the final trailer for Xbox since its official release date was already tomorrow. At the same time, ZAGE YouTube had also announced a special trailer event for ZAGE's March game lineup.
The entire internet was practically in chaos.
Forums, gaming websites, television channels, magazines, and online communities were all discussing which showcase would dominate the public's attention. Some people were excited about Apple entering the gaming industry seriously, others believed Xbox would become the strongest new competitor against ZAGE, while many ZAGE fans were simply waiting to see what kind of insanity Zaboru prepared this time.
Thankfully, all three broadcasts were scheduled at different times instead of directly overlapping with each other. Because of that, people could still watch every event properly without needing to choose only one.
And honestly?
That made the anticipation even bigger.
In the morning, the first major event among the three companies was Apple's showcase. Steve Jobs was already standing in front of the camera, ready to present iPlay properly to the world. Compared to the first trailer, this showcase was far more detailed. It did not only show the console design again, but also explained Apple's vision for gaming, online play, digital purchases, profile customization, and the overall experience they wanted players to have.
Steve Jobs spoke with his usual confidence, making iPlay feel less like a simple game console and more like a stylish entertainment device for the modern household. The presentation had that clean Apple feeling, with bright visuals, smooth transitions, and dramatic pauses that made even normal features sound important. Every time Steve touched the console or mentioned how simple it was to use, the camera made it look like he was revealing some sacred object instead of a gaming machine.
Then Apple finally revealed the launch games. Apparently, iPlay would have five titles available around launch, and while the lineup was not huge, each game clearly had a different target audience. Apple was trying to show that iPlay was not only for hardcore gamers, but also for families, casual players, racing fans, RPG fans, and people who wanted something more relaxing.
The five launch games were White Wand, a JRPG with bright fantasy visuals, magical kingdoms, and a story focused on a young mage trying to restore a broken world. The gameplay showed turn-based battles with stylish spell effects, and the graphics looked surprisingly polished for Apple's first serious console lineup. The second game was iRace 2001X, a racing game using real cars, glossy tracks, and clean city environments that looked designed to show off iPlay's graphical power. It was clearly made to compete with other serious racing titles while still carrying Apple's clean visual identity.
The third game was Pippin, a colorful platformer with a small mascot character exploring bright stages filled with gadgets, bouncing platforms, and toy-like enemies. Zaboru would probably laugh if he saw that name, because Apple somehow still managed to save the old Pippin name by turning it into a mascot instead of using it as the console name. The fourth game was Boxing Mutants, a fighting game focused on strange mutant boxers with exaggerated designs, heavy punches, special moves, and over-the-top arenas. It looked ridiculous, but in a fun way, and the impact of every punch seemed surprisingly satisfying.
The final game was Relaxio Village, a peaceful farming simulator clearly inspired by the ZAGE Harvest Moon style of gameplay. The trailer showed players planting crops, raising animals, fishing, decorating houses, talking with villagers, and slowly building a calm countryside life. It was very different from the other launch titles, but that was exactly why it stood out. Apple clearly wanted iPlay to feel softer and more lifestyle-oriented compared to Xbox's heavier action-focused image.
These games honestly looked quite interesting. Not only did they have surprisingly strong graphics, but the overall iPlay features and specifications were also very similar to what Microsoft was offering with Xbox. The biggest difference was not really raw power, but philosophy and presentation.
Apple clearly wanted iPlay to feel more personal and stylish.
One of the features that immediately attracted attention was the ability for players to add custom music playlists directly into their profiles. Users could organize their favorite songs, show them publicly, and even customize how their profile pages looked. Compared to Xbox, iPlay's profile customization system looked far more advanced and visually expressive, at least from what the public currently knew.
Players could change themes, profile colors, backgrounds, icons, and music presentation layouts.
And surprisingly?
A lot of younger audiences loved it.
Then Steve Jobs finally revealed the price.
289 USD.
The moment the number appeared on screen, gaming forums immediately exploded.
Because compared to Xbox's planned price of 299.999 USD, Apple had intentionally made iPlay around eleven dollars cheaper.
Honestly?
It almost felt like a direct insult toward Microsoft.
Not a massive difference financially, but psychologically?
People immediately noticed it.
Especially because Steve Jobs revealed the number with a very calm expression, as if the pricing decision had absolutely no hidden meaning behind it.
Still, despite the obvious rivalry, many people admitted that iPlay genuinely looked like a solid console overall. The collaboration between Apple, ZUSUGA, and Philips had clearly produced something far more serious than most players initially expected.
According to the showcase, iPlay itself would officially release on Monday, 15 March 2001.
Not long after Apple's announcement ended, Microsoft released its latest Xbox trailer. Unlike Apple's polished showcase, Microsoft's presentation was shorter, louder, and much more focused on impact. It was not a full stage presentation with long explanations. It was a trailer designed to hit players directly with graphics, explosions, gameplay cuts, and the feeling that Xbox was built for power.
The trailer showed that Microsoft would have six games available for Xbox at launch. The first and most obvious highlight was HORI, a post-apocalyptic FPS shooter with impressive graphics, heavy weapons, ruined cities, mutated enemies, and a bleak atmosphere that immediately made it look like Xbox's main killer app. The footage showed large open battlefields, detailed weapon models, and smooth shooting animations that made many viewers immediately understand what Microsoft wanted Xbox to represent.
HORI was not trying to look cute, stylish, or relaxing.
It was trying to look powerful.
After that came ELF Adventure, an RPG-platformer with colorful fantasy environments, magic-based movement, and a young elf protagonist traveling through forests, ruins, and floating islands. Compared to HORI, it looked much softer, but the trailer showed strong level variety and enough charm to attract younger players or families.
Then Microsoft showed X Miracle Race, a racing game using real cars and sharp-looking tracks. The trailer focused on speed, reflections, weather effects, and detailed car models, clearly trying to prove that Xbox could handle realistic visuals better than most players expected. After that, Furious Fight appeared, showing monsters and robots fighting each other in destructible arenas with heavy punches, energy blasts, and extremely loud impact effects. It looked chaotic, but also very fun for players who simply wanted to beat strange creatures with even stranger machines.
The fifth game was Agent Jordan, a third-person shooting and stealth game about a secret agent infiltrating enemy bases, using gadgets, silencers, disguises, and environmental takedowns. This one immediately attracted attention because it looked more cinematic than the others, almost like Microsoft wanted to show that Xbox could handle serious spy-action storytelling too.
Finally, the trailer ended with Madden 2001, an American football game clearly aimed at the United States market. The footage showed stadium crowds, player tackles, team formations, and commentary-style presentation. It was not the flashiest game in the lineup, but for many American players, having a strong football title at launch mattered a lot.
Overall, Microsoft's six launch games were HORI, ELF Adventure, X Miracle Race, Furious Fight, Agent Jordan, and Madden 2001. The lineup felt more aggressive than Apple's, with a stronger focus on action, sports, racing, and graphical power.
These were the games Microsoft prepared for the Xbox launch tomorrow, and honestly?
They did not look bad at all.
In fact, many viewers were genuinely impressed.
The trailer heavily emphasized graphical power, lighting effects, smoother animations, larger environments, and more aggressive action scenes. Compared to Apple's calmer and more lifestyle-oriented presentation, Microsoft's showcase felt louder, heavier, and far more intense. Xbox clearly wanted to position itself as the "power console" of the new generation.
And from a technical perspective?
A lot of players admitted Microsoft had succeeded.
Between Apple and Microsoft, both companies had managed to showcase surprisingly strong launch lineups. Apple arrived with five launch titles, while Microsoft pushed six games with a stronger action-focused identity. Because of that, many players online immediately started debating which console they should buy first and why.
Honestly, both systems looked genuinely interesting.
iPlay attracted players who liked stylish interfaces, customization, casual-friendly experiences, and Apple's clean ecosystem approach. Meanwhile, Xbox attracted players who wanted raw power, stronger performance, action-heavy games, sports titles, and a more aggressive gaming-focused atmosphere.
Still, from the overall public reaction so far, it seemed the majority currently viewed Xbox as slightly superior.
Part of that came from performance. Even if the difference was not massive, many people felt Xbox had slightly stronger hardware overall. But another important reason was the UI presentation itself.
While iPlay's interface looked clean, smooth, and elegant, Xbox's UI somehow felt more "cool" to gamers. It had darker aesthetics, sharper sound effects, metallic menu designs, and a more futuristic feeling that many younger players found extremely appealing.
It felt less like a home entertainment device...
And more like a gaming machine.
Meanwhile, Zaboru was genuinely excited about the eleven games revealed between Apple and Microsoft. Knowing him, he would definitely buy both consoles and play every single one of those titles himself, not only as a businessman observing competitors, but also as a gamer who simply wanted to enjoy new games and ZABORU THE GAMER will come back soon..
For now, Zaboru was still in the United States, watching the industry react in real time. Apple had shown style and personality through iPlay, while Microsoft had answered with power and aggression through Xbox. Both companies had done well enough to make players seriously consider their choices.
However, the day was not over yet.
That night, ZAGE would release its own March game trailer event on YouTube, and unlike the recent trailers from Apple and Microsoft, this one would be completely different.
To be continue
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