Straight to the point... Gateway2000 and Phase 5 HAVE to team up. They are absolutly crazy to compete against each other AND against the PC. REASONS... Phase 5 are unknowns in PC land, they arent big enough and they are a development company, not a marketing company. G2000 have a MASSIVE PC user base, they have LOTS of cash, they are very well respected, and have everything already setup. G2000 will lose LOTS of money if they continue with the standard Amiga. I love Amiga's but they should drop it and work with Phase5 to really get the A\Box moving. The Amiga's reputation is irriparably damaged no matter how many upgrades are available and the only option left is the A\Box. I think we should all tell them! Amiga users are to proud to admit it, but the Amiga is commercially dead. We should definatly start a campain of our own to knock some sense into them. At LEAST G2000 could license the A\Box and see from the sales figures that the Amiga just isnt viable anymore.

One last thing, I hate to admit it, but if Phase 5 really want to get the worlds attention, they should SOMEHOW manage to get Id software to develop Quake2 and (fat chance I know) release it BEFORE the PC! 'Id will NEVER go for that!' I hear you scream, so to solve the piracy/no profit argument, Quake2 should be bundled with the initial units!!! and Id can get a nice %age of the profits. Sure its a game but EVERYONE would relate to the shear power of this computer buy seeing quake kick the PC's butt. IMAGINE, every single magazine IN THE WORLD (PC/AMIGA/CONSOLE EVERYTHING!) would have the A\Box on the front cover! FREE advertizing from a non-bias source ALWAYS gets the public's attention. If not Quake then some other graphically intense game. You may roll your eyes, but if the A\Box is to succed then the FIRST release is the big one and people who shelled out on one need to be able to drive PC'ers crazy. You may think this is childish (I'm a professianal), but humans exist to be competitive. I've known an alarming number of people spending thousands for just Quake. (anyway someones already ported Quake to the Amiga on his own, it is C++ after all, so its VERY possible)

ps. Heres a thought. Maybe Id software could do the built in standard 3D libraries!!! Games developers would absolutly flock! They would be better than anything Phase5 could do and would really show off the A\Box for ALL 3D applications (NOT just games). Just give LOTS of money to Id for the licence, I'm sure they would take it seriously!

pps If the Ultra64 can sell UNBELIVABLY on just 10 titles!!, quantity means nothing!, marketing means EVERYTHING!, G2000 & P5 TEAM UP!!

CAMERON BONDE "DONGLE" - cbonde@lawson.appcomp.utas.edu.au