James Assignment 1

Unit 20: Computer Game Platforms and Technologies

Assignment 1 - Understanding game platforms types

 

in my assignment i will be talking about each generations hardware differences and why each console is listed into its own generation.

Generation 1

the first generation contains the first ever publicly released consoles such as the Magnavox Odyssey. this generation of consoles was very simplistic as they were little games such as pong. also the Magnavox came with coloured filters for your TV which then gave the game colour as the TV would just be in black and white. this also allowed for the console to have different games to play as the console itself only displayed 2 dots, which were player controlled, and a vertical line. this shows how basic consoles started off and how far we've come from just 2 dots and a line.

the controller for the game was a simple box with 2 dials and it was wired. one dial would control one dot and the other would control the other dot. there was also a wire stopping players from being able to move about. the console was bulky and did not really have any hardware inside it as all it did was display 2 dots and a line which did not really need expensive processors and graphics cards and also these weren't available at the time. also the consoles in this generation did not have any internet access which meant no multiplayer or even apps such as YouTube.

Generation 2

the second generation brought in the Atari and the Magnavox Odyssey 2. this generation brought in CPU's and memory. this was big for the gaming industry as it brought in better graphics such as 8-bit and the memory increase allowed for more sophisticated games with level designs and characters. also, the controllers for this generation made a big jump they moved into joysticks which were much more comfortable and allowed for more control over what they were doing. along with all this was also the first time you could by games which were stored on cartridges. this allowed for more games for people to buy and play.

Generation 3

in the third generation came Nintendo with their first ever console which was the Nintendo entertainment system (NES) which was released in 1983 in japan and then released in the EU in 1986. this was also a an 8-bit console which revolutionised gaming with hits like Donkey Kong and the famous Super Mario. also this was the first console to have an actual controller, although it wasn't the most comfortable controller, it started off the trend of controller we see today. so this generation came with controller advancements and also brought in higher resolutions of up to 256 x 192.

Generation 4

generation 4 started in 1987 and brought in consoles such as the Sega genesis and the super Nintendo entertainment system (SNES). this generation introduced much better graphics with higher resolution (320 x 224), 16-bit gaming and also a 512 colour palette. this meant that games got much more detailed compared to black and white and 8-bit. ROM cartridges also allowed quick load times and savable data became a thing so you could pick up where you left off. also, controllers got a lot more comfortable for hand use due to the curvature of the controllers which was a big improvement from the cuboid shaped controllers from the previous generation.

Generation 5

in the 5th generation of consoles brought us the PlayStation 1, Sony's first console, the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn. all these console competed with their new hardware. the PlayStation 1 had 1Mb of VRAM which allowed for it to have 16-bit graphics and smoother frame rates. also the controller was a lot more comfortable and for the first time controllers had dual shock. this was a feature that meant players got feedback from their game through vibrations and now an easier way to play your games as they were now on DVD/CD's. these ran faster and were easier to put in and play.

Generation 6

generation 6 introduced Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's second console, the PlayStation 2. this generation brought in new processors of up to 700MHz and graphics cards like the Nvidia NV2A which was 233 MHz. also this generation was the first generation that brought in internet connection through a 100Mbit Ethernet connection. this allowed online connection to servers which let players connect over the internet to play their favourite games together.

Generation 7

generation 7 is where gaming really kicked off with the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. these consoles brought in whole new graphics as they played at 720p and could be up-scaled to 1080p. this meant that the games looked a lot more crisp and the hardware upgrades meant faster frame rates of up to 45 fps. also these new consoles allowed wireless internet connection (WiFi) and much faster connections. this meant players could play together on better tick rates with less lag and more fun with games like call of duty and battlefield. finally the new consoles brought out the wireless controller. this let players have more space to play their games as they weren't held back by the wires. as well as this, the Nintendo Wii also had motion controls with their Wii remotes. this let the players get more immersed into their games.


like the image to the right shows how that the motion controls allowed you to join in in just dance as you could dance with the game and it would give you a sore on how well you danced.

Generation 8

finally, the present generation of gaming which allows for amazing HD 1080p gaming with 60 fps. consoles such as the Xbox 1, PS4 and the Nintendo switch all use new, super fast processors and graphics cards to get the best experience for the player. now we have wireless controllers with comfortable grips and button placements as well as super fast internet connections to our favourite games. also, with the hardware nowadays we can play in 4k which is 4 times the amount of pixels as 1080p. this means games look even more crisp as newer models use 2.3GHz AMD 8 cores. they also use things like the kinect to keep motion gaming going and a newer motion gaming accessories is the VR headset. this piece has been released for the PlayStation as the PS VR and 2 versions, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have been released for the PC.  This piece of hardware allows players to enter their games as the player and uses motion controllers and motion sensors in the headset to allow the player to view, move and interact with the games environment.