Game Storage Medium

Storage media is used in a number of ways the most popular way is in the case of gaming, being used to store different games ranging from football to shooters. Since the start of gaming platforms the consoles has often had a different type of storage device like in the case of magnavox odyssey which had pong installed onto it, the Atari 2700 having cartridges that were inserted into the game console itself, while in the case of the Playstation 3 which used blue ray disks.
They use different storage media because they use the best possible storage media from when they were built meaning that as time progresses that the storage media will always change. This is made very clear when you look at the Sega Genesis using CD-Roms while its main rival the SNES used cartridges.
 This was mainly due to the SNES coming out before the Genesis so cartridge was the best possible but by the time that the Genesis came out CD-Roms had began to be seen as the most better media storage.

ROM cartridges themselves have been used for game consoles since the start of home gaming in 1972 with the Magnavox Odyssey, which had a removable circuit board that could be used to change the game elements (this wasn't paid much attention to because not many people have the software to recode the console to do anything other than simple pong).
Cartridges as a game storage device made its stride with the birth of the Atari 2600, this console had an huge library of games all stored on cartridges. This was because the technology used to create these advances cartridges was a lot cheaper so anyone that had the equipment was able to create a game (this did lead to a large number of bad games and because Atari hadn't kept any sort of track of the games that were used on these consoles many had huge glitches).
As the generations of consoles went on, one company continued to use cartridges right up till the fifth generation. Nintendo were the last company to use cartridges with these console Nintendo 64.

The piece of technology that replaces the ROM cartridge is the CD-ROM. CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc - Random-Only Memory. This worked by a small laser being reflected of the disc. The disc itself would have a large number of tiny different indents. These indents were meant to work as the same way as binary works with a simple yes or no result. The only difference is instead off 1s or 0s it was either risen or indented but the computer reads it the same way. These CDs took over from ROM-cartridges due to them being much cheaper and have the ability to store between 650mb - 700mb. This new way of storing games first began replacing game cartridges with the SEGA Genesis. This console was the first of its kind because to try and increase its like span SEGA created a large number of different attachments for it, in an attempt to keep it up to date with the model and rapidly increasing technology. This storage media failed to last as many generations as its predecessors the cartridges.

As time went on technology once again improved. The next big jump for game storage devices was with the Digital Versatile Disc or DVD for short. This storage device became well known during the 6th generation of consoles with the PlayStation and the original Xbox. This device worked the same as a normal CD-ROMs. The reason that they were much better than there predecessors is because while CD-ROMs storage around 650mb to 700mb but the much more advanced DVD stored 4.7GBs on both sides of the disc meaning that companies were able to store much more detailed games on there consoles. This storage device is still used today but only in one major console  the Xbox 360.

As of late 2013 the largest time of storage media is the Blue-Ray disc much more advanced than any DVD it was capable of storing 25GBs on each side. The first time this was used in a console was during the 7th generation in the PS3, with the arrival of the 8th generation of consoles both sony and Microsoft both instead for the Xbox one and the PS4 to use Blue-Ray.

Connectivity

Connectivity is a new concept that came around with the start of the sixth generation of consoles but really took off with the launch of the seventh generation.  There are several ways that a console can be connected with another.

LAN

The most simple is using LAN/Ethernet, this is usually done with two or more consoles/computers in one building. One computer is set as the File Server and the rest of desigiated to the clients. This allow everyone linked into this system to then be able to play games together.

Peer to Peer Networking

Peer to Peer networking is a lot like using LAN but instead of one computer being set in charge of controlling everything that is goingon instead all computers are considered File Servers meaning that all computers in the system have console of what is going on. This is the best way taht two players would be able to connect using different consoles.

Ethernet

Ethernet was designed to help follow a system of rules for when consoles link together like when using LAN. This is used for gaming because playing a game with your friends takes up a lot of data (around 100GB a second) so the Ethernet cable should be able to handle the vast amount of information being passed through it at anyone point.

WIFI

Wifi is in all mobile phones and several different other machines in order to give the player the option of playing without the use of wires. The average range of wifi is 32metres in orders and 92 metres outside.  The average speed of WIFI is 2.4GHz to 5.8GHz. A great example of WIFI is that it is used for every single wireless controller because it is a very effective signal.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a lot like WIFI but not as advanced the range is around 100metres but works at a much lower speed so the fastest it can possiblely reach is 2.4GHz. This is standardly used for 2D games because it would be unable to handle 3D games.

As you can see under the disk tray slot you are able to see a small button and
the logo button on each controller.

Connecting a Wireless Controller to a Xbox 360
Connecting a controls to microsofts xbox 360 is one of the most basic functions that the xbox is capable of. To do this you very simplely need to press the small circle button on the console (just under the right side of the disk tray slot) and hold it. While doing this you also need to hold the Xbox logo button on the controller itself. The lights on both logos should begin to spin around it until one single light remains light up and that indecates what player you are once the game has begun.


Connecting a screen to an Xbox 360Connecting an xbox to a screen is a very simple process. The first that that you would have to do is find the A/V cable that comes with all premium Xboxs. (if you didnt buy a premium then there are three other cables that you could have: A HDMI Cable, a VGA HD AV Cable or a Composite AV cable) Once you have found this you then need to look at the back of your xbox and look for the right slot for it to fit in. Once you have taken this step and the back has been fitted into the back of the xbox 360. You then need to attach the front end of the cable to your television set. There are 6 Adaptors at the front of this cable. A Red,Green & Blue that look for the display and should be inserted into the slot in your televison set that matches. On the other part of the cable there is another 3 Adaptors, if you are working with a low end tv then you will have to plug in these 3 to get both video and sound. In the case of Smart/HD ready televisions then you need to only use the White and the Red and this is how you get sound and display.

Connecting a Wired Controller to a Xbox 360

This is the easiest process to do. To do this you first need to find a wired controller. Once found look at your Xbox at the very botton (if stood up) or on the far right(if on side) there will be a flap. Under this flap there is 2 USB slots. This is what you have to connect the controller you. You simplely plug it into one of these slots and the console will configure itself to the controller. The main advantage of this is that you are able to charge your wireless remotes using the USB slot.

Connecting a Game Console to a WAN line

To connect a game console to its respective online services, depends on the console. For the purpose of this project am i going to use my example from how to connect the Xbox 360 into an Xbox live account.  To begin with you must have a wireless adaptor in order to begin the process. I intend to use the Black Wireless adaptor.

Installing a game on a console
To install a game on a console, its rather simple because all you have to do is insert the game into the console and the program will automaticly install the game and integrate the software needed to run the game. Usuaully the console informs you of the installation.

Installing a game on a PC
Installing a game on a computer is pretty much the same as how you would go about installing a game on a console. You start the installation by inserting the game into the PC and it will begin with the installation usually as a way of preventing privacy the program will have ask for a code usually found inside the box.
The computer will inform you that it is updating itself to install the game.

CPU,GPU and Memory

CPU

The phrase CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. The main Function of the CPU is to handle everything all the different processors of the PC/game console. The CPUs main purpose changes if it is in a PC or a home console. this is because they both have different functions, while the game console only has to handle playing games so most of the CPU is used to control memory, graphics and store other bits of information. While in the cause of a CPU in a PC then it has to handle a lot more tasks so it has to be changed to meet all these demands. 

A CPU works by in side is a very large number of switches that turn on or off so for it to preform certain actions certain must already on. For example:

The first switch would only active when you were close enough to a door, once it had been switched on you would then be able to access the second layer of switches deciding if the door was open or not.

Computer motherboard

CPU of xbox 360

Even though the CPU preforms nearly the same function in a PC as in a home console. They are in different places on the motherboard. The CPU on the computers motherboard is places below the heat-sink because it is the most effective place for it to be. while in the case of a home console it is usually places next                                                                                           to the heat-sink and near the GPU.

Differences in systems of ps1 and ps3

There is a huge number of differences between the CPUs of the ps1 and the ps3, this is mainly due to the several years difference between them. So it is only natural that the Central Processing Unit would have improved a great amount. 

In the case of the PS1's CPU is it a 32 bit RISC microprocessor,  This sort of processor worked at either 20,25 or 33.33 MHz, this was able to handle up to 4kb cache. The most impressive part of the CPU is that it had a geometry transformation engine allowing 3D animations, the features of this engine are:

operating system at 66 MIPS (million instruction per second),

360,000 polygons a second,

& 180,000 textures mapped and light sourced per a second.

While as expected due to the increase of technology the PS3 works a lot faster because of its CELL micro-processor, it works at a much higher speed than these predecessors CPU working at a incredible 4GHz.

Multiple Core Processor

A Multiple Core Processor is a process with more than one CPU this means that it is able to run a considerable number more instructions at any one time making it overall faster and smoother. The main reason that a Multiple Core Processor is able to work faster and smoother is because they are able to handle a lot more different instructions.

GPU

GPU stands for Graphic Processing Unit and its main function is to handle the immense calculations involved with rending the 2D/3D image. The processor would have special instructions to handle a number of things like Modelling transforms,lighting ,animation, texture and the overall rendering process. The processor can be found on the motherboard of any console while in the case of a PC it can be bought as a graphics card, allowing your to make the overall gaming process on a PC a lot smoother and better.


Every electrical device that has come kind of screen will have a Graphics processor (phones,consoles,computers,laptops and several smart televisions). Out of all these devices computers normally have the most powerful GPUs because you are able to upgrade them to get more out of them, shortly followed by the GPUs in consoles which are top of the range when they are first made but being unable to be upgraded mean that they become out of date rather quickly. Phones most likely have the weakest GPUs because high end graphics are not needed in a phone, just enough to play a few simple games.
Arguably the best graphics card on the market is the AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz edition, which was made to celebrate the Radeon HD 7970's 6th month birthday.  The vital stats for this graphics card are a GPU powered by Tahiti XT and an impressive clock speed of 1,050 MHz with an equally impressive memory capacity of 3GB. This one of the best graphics cards on the market and it is because of upgradeable parts that PC has always and always will have an advantage over consoles and other graphic devices.
Due to the fact that home consoles can't be upgraded then the xbox 360 falls in comparison to the modern PCs so to try and make people forget that the xbox is nowhere near as good as a PC the best possible GPU has to be added to mean that the console at least stands a chance of keeping up with the rate that graphics are improving. So when the Xbox was realised in 2005 it was given the Xenos graphic chip, this isn't as impressive as the Radeon but still has a clock speed of 500 MHz.

Memory

Memory is often referred to as RAM which stands for random access memory, the whole point of this is that you are able to access this at any point your please. This works brilliantly on computers because it allows you to access different saved files when you pleased, while in the case of gaming consoles it works as checkpoints allowing the player to return to any point they please if they had reached it yet. This makes it quite important in the case of gaming because if we didn't have it the player would have to restart the game every time you were too insert it into the game. There is a different memory in the case of the CPU and GPU because it is where all the save states and files are saved too while in the case of the CPU stores the programs and the GPU handles and stores the graphic pipeline.

Interfaces devices

Game interfaces



A old version of a computer mouse
without a scrolling wheel

For as long as there as been computers,Home consoles and even arcade machines. there has always been an away to interact with, this is the computer interface. Normally in the case of the computers it is most likely going to be a keyboard and a mouse, while in the case of controllers and arcade it is normally an analog/digital control stick and several buttons.
No matter how you play your games you are always using some form of an interface.

Magnavox Odyssey controller

The first home console the Magnavox Odyssey had a simple controller that was a analog potentiometer, this meant that the player controlled the line by turning the dial and this would change the resistance causing the line to move up. This controller had two potentiometers allowing the player to move left right up and down giving a wider range of games that just pong.

As controllers had become more and more popular then analog became a lot more advanced allowing the player to move in more than just four simple ways at the speed. The player now has a lot more control being able to control how fast the character actually moves around the map. This changed games because they were now able in the third dimension due to the character being able to move in a multiple of different directions. This system is better more most genre of games because it gives the player a more immerse game play with the freedom of movement and speed control.



A digital controller is different to analog controller because an while an analog gives you the freedom of speed and direction, a digital controller makes the player go the same speed and normally one of four directions (up,down,left and right). This system if now mostly used for buttons on controllers because they simply have to be on or off there is no middle point. This kind of control is best more platform games because you don't need the freedom in direction.

While in there industry today there is a mixture of these input devices because the PS3's controller is both due to its digital buttons and its analog sticks. While in the case of the Xbox 360's controllers they are all digital because of a lawsuit made when the control was originally made due to Sony copyrighting   the way that their analog sticks work, this meant that Microsoft had to change the way that they made their analog sticks so under it is another more sensitive D-pad which means there is a tiny bit less control.


As the technology in consoles began to increase as did the interface devices this is meant that the player would have new and interesting ways to interact with the games, a popular way is when a steering wheels and pedals when playing a driving game, i like this way of player because it makes the game feel a lot more realistic.
Another very popular interface device is the light gun, used for gun games such as duck hunt. The gun works on the simple way of when you pull the trigger the screen flashes black and the targets become white squares for a faction of a second far too fast for the player to even notice and the gun detects these white squares and if is aimed at the white square then sends a second signal to the console saying that they made a hit.

Nintendo has an incredible amount of different interface devices several were amazing feats of technology for there time while others failed horribly, The first interface I came across was the Nintendo Power Glove this worked much like the Wii does today but instead of two controls the player wears a glove that the motion sensors would focus on. This wasn't receive with great reviews because it had a habit of not working like it should.

As technology in the actual consoles increased so did the actual interface devices too the point where the 7th gen consoles have wireless controllers and in some cases motion control cameras allowing the players body to control the character. In the case of the Xbox 360 the motion sensor is the Kinect, this is a device that has 3 cameras and voice recognition in order to give as high gameplay as possible and make the games more immersive.