G2K - 2000 is the year of the GameShark
By Goldwater
InterAct Accessories announced plans this week to make 2000 the year of the GameShark with the release of the GameShark CDX for Dreamcast this spring, followed up by a series of product enhancements and add-ons to InterAct's venerable video game enhancer.
According to John Hays, InterAct's Director of eBusiness (and guru of the group formed to extend the GameShark product into new outlets) the GameShark CDX for Dreamcast will be modeled loosely after the recently-released GameShark CDX for PlayStation. Hays said that the new format of the GameShark CDX for PlayStation has been wildly successful and that InterAct's customers have been asking for a Dreamcast GameShark since the launch in September.
"Our vision is to push GameShark into some new territory with the launch of the GameShark CDX for Dreamcast," Hays said. "We plan to add a whole new way for Dreamcast gamers to reach the Internet and join the growing and thriving GameShark community at GameShark.com. For the first time ever, gamers will be able to access that community from their consoles."
InterAct's Hays says the GameShark CDX for Dreamcast will support every game available on the system when the product launches this spring. Because of that level of support, GameShark CDX will be a must-have for every Dreamcast gamer.
Hays also laid out plans for how InterAct might work to spread the "GameShark fever" even wider with a new subscription service for GameShark, "I see a point this year where we can deliver an updated version of the GameShark CDX every three months or so-new codes, game saves, tips & cheats-all accessible through the GameShark device. I think that it would be a great product for gamers that would be available at all of our retail partners and through our online community at gameshark.com."
According to Hays, over 750,000 GameSharks have been sold since the product first debuted in 1995. But what will happen after Dreamcast?
Hays says that InterAct is looking at launching a complete line of GameSharks for PlayStation 2, Dolphin-based systems, new handheld units, and probably even Microsoft's X-Box: "If there is a gaming system that gamers love, we will build a GameShark for it."
To support that product effort, InterAct has built a new eBusiness group around the GameShark product line. "Our focus is on developing great gaming content every minute of every day, and accessing that content through GameShark. In 2000, GameShark will be the way gamers make gaming more fun!"
