As the headset crackles into life, Brighton-based gamer Jason Conduct, 31, is hooked. "Cover me" says his American team-mate as the two players, separated by 3,000 miles, seek out the enemy in Full Spectrum Warrior. Playing your favourite video games against human competitors from around the world is now the norm for millions of gamers. But this is online gaming with a difference - both players are using Xboxes rather than PCs.
Not so long ago, the PC was almost the only way to play online. This was fine for techies or those who wanted to play simple parlour titles, but if you wanted to enjoy the latest console blockbuster with friends you had to crowd around one TV. Not any more - PlayStation 2 and Xbox have joined the party. Indeed Xbox Live, the service that allows Xbox owners to play together online, recently celebrated its millionth user.
Online console gaming has a short history. The Sega Dreamcast blazed a trail in 2000 and had some success with Phantasy Star Online. However, the relatively low sales of the machine, combined with dial-up access (which limited the type of games and number of players) meant that the experiment was short-lived.
Sega's experience didn't put Sony and Microsoft off and both launched their online offerings in 2003. After a slow start, both are booming, leaving rival Nintendo in the cold.
Sony, the market leader, launched its service quietly, and in Europe the numbers of subscribers is still relatively small. However, in the US, the service has taken off, with 2.6 million players. Most are attracted to the American sports titles. But Microsoft is taking it even more seriously than Sony. "Online gaming is hugely important today and will be even more so in years to come," says Stephen McGill, UK head of marketing for Xbox. "In five years' time, people won't be asking if a game is online - all games will be online." Shawn Hargreaves, lead programmer at developer Climax, agrees: "Online will increasingly come to be where games are judged."
Xbox Live is owned and run by Microsoft: it looks after the technical support and, crucially, the customer relationship. This was why Electronic Arts, the world's biggest publisher, initially opted to run its online games on the more open PS2 service. However lengthy negotiations and, no doubt, some serious money, means that EA will be releasing Live-enabled games from this autumn.
But online gaming is still a minority interest, despite this recent growth. The barriers are quite high - you will need some technical knowledge, a broadband connection and, if you're using a PS2, additional hardware. Despite this, McGill is confident: "Home network kits such as routers are becoming more affordable and easier to set up."
There seems little doubt that the next generation of consoles - expected around 2006 - will be equipped for online gaming. Screen Digest predicts that the sector as a whole will be worth $2.2bn by 2007, and console gaming will make up a large part of this.
Key to this growth will be encouraging casual players to try it. McGill says: "We are launching content and services such as Xbox Live Arcade that will appeal to a wider audience and we are working with key partners such as retailers and broadband ISPs to excite a wider audience."
But players like Conduct are already convinced of the merits of online console gaming: "You feel slightly ridiculous when first donning the headset, but nothing quite prepares you for the first time you actually play online. Playing cooperatively with somebody you know is a true gaming pleasure and surely the way forward."
