Research and Report

There has been 7 generation of video game consoles consisting of 76 video game consoles.(1) Each console being a highly specialized computer for its generation. Every console has some components that are the same. Every console has a CPU, RAM, video outputs, audio outputs, power supply, software kernel (which is the console operating system), and a storage medium for games (which is the memory that you save your game on).(1)

The very first consoles didn’t have a CPU in them, but as newer console started to come out CPUs were a must. The first console released with a CPU was in 1976, The Fairchild Channel F.(2) It had a speed of 1.79 MHz.(2) Today the Microsoft Xbox 360 has three 3.2 GHz CPUs in it.(1) That’s 5491.8 times faster that the Fairchild Channel F’s CPU.

Like the CPU, RAM was not even in the first generation of video game consoles. The first console with RAM was the Bally Astrocade which was released in 1977-1978.(2) It had 4KB of RAM. (2) The Microsoft Xbox 360 has 512MB(1). In 1MB there are 1024KB that means that there is 524288KB of RAM in the Microsoft Xbox 360 today.

Of course every console had a video output or else you wouldn’t be able to play. In the very beginning games were played in black and white because the console could not support color yet. With today’s consoles everything is in color. The video output can even be in High Definition. First generation consoles didn’t have sound at the beginning. Now we have surround sound.

7 generations, 76 consoles, each generation more advanced than the previous. Starting out with no CPU at all, the Magnavox Odyssey released in 1972 (3), and now have with three 3.2GHz CPUs in one console, Microsoft Xbox 360 released in 2005. Console went from having two colors, black and white, to having and endless amount of color that can be played in High Definition.

Sources

1)Tyson, Jeff. "How Video Game Systems Work." 16 October 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 17 October 2008.

2) XAdvance Web Publishing. "Video Game Consoles." Game Machines. 2008. 14 Oct. 2008 http://www.game-machines.com/consoles/>.

3) CompanyLongName. "Magnavox Odyssey." Computer Closet Collection. 17 Apr. 2003. 14 Oct. 2008 .

Survey and Summarize and Interpret

I made a survey about video games and gave it to 13 people. I asked them what gender they are, what age group they are in, if they owned a video game console (handheld or home console), when the last time they played video games, how much time per week they play, and if they play at their house or a friend’s house. Out of the 13 people that participated in this survey 6 were male and 7 were female. All of the participants were in high school or graduated from high school. Now I expected the guys who took the survey to say that they owned a console and that they played at least 3 hours per week and the girls to probably not own a console but occasionally play at a friend’s house once a week for maybe an hour.

From this survey that consisted of 13 people, 6 males and 7 females, I get the idea that gaming is no longer just for the guys any more. Out of 11 of the participants that owned a console or handheld console 5 of them were female and 6 were male. The other 2 that didn’t own a console were girls. Even though guys may play video games more than girls, girls still do play some games. The average boy played at least 1 hour of video games per week while the average girl played video games less than one hour. All of the girls played at a friend’s house even though 5 of them owned their own consoles, 5 out of the 6 boys play at their friend’s house with all 6 of them owning a console. 1 boy plays at his house and 1 of the boys that plays at a friend’s house also plays at his house.

This survey tells me that even though girls don’t play as much as boys they still play, that video games are not just for the guys any more. To expect more games for the casual video game player than for the hardcore gamer. A majority of the gaming population is still boys but to not be surprised when you run into a chick while playing online.

Website Review

The site that I reviewed is http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hov/index.html

This website is made by CNET Networks, Inc. a CBS Company in 2008. This website is an in depth history of video game. The site has a nice design to it, all of the facts are listed in order and there are links that can take you to a time period of about 2 to 4 where you can look up the information that you want to find. Anything that you want to know about the history of video games, not arcade games, is on this site. The history on this site is extremely accurate. From before Steve Russell made SpaceWars to the creation of the Sony Playstation 2, the Nintendo GameCube and the Microsoft Xbox. Everything related to video games is recorded on this website up to the year 2001.

This site is totally unbiased. It just states the facts about video game history. The site is credible because it is made by CBS, which is a credible company. The site doesn’t say when it was last updated but it is fairly new because it was created this year. Compared to the background blog that is on this blog all of the information was on this website. The source for the back ground blog was a CQ Researcher which is a credible and reliable source.

The site is easy to use and find information, but only on a certain time period of 2 to 4 years. It would have been nice if you could choose to look at the history of all the companies or the history of just one company. Other than that the sites setup is very nice and easy to use. The Links are in a bright green so that they are noticed by the reader.

Current State of Affairs

Current day video games are played on next gen consoles. There is the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3), the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. These consoles are like nothing before them. Each console has a built in hard drives, wireless controllers, and the ability to play online against millions of other gamers.

Both the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3 can play in HD and have hard drives in them. The Sony PS3’s hard drive is not exchangeable with another hard drive unlike the Xbox 360’s. The PS3’s hard drive can range from 20GB to 80GB, going up by intervals of 20GB. The Xbox 360’s hard drive can be one of two, a 20GB hard drive or a 120GB hard drive. The Xbox 360 also has 2 memory card ports. The Nintendo Wii has a very little memory built into it but it has an SD memory card, port for expandable memory. The Xbox 360 and PS3, but the Xbox 360 can only go up to 512 MB per memory card while the PS3 has multiple ports for expandable memory; USB ports and SD memory card ports.

All three console use wireless controllers, but the Xbox 360 can also use wired controllers. The Xbox 360’s controllers are like a normal controller just wireless, while the PS3’s controllers are motion sensitive. Nintendo used and entirely new concept for the Wii’s controller. Instead of the traditional hold with both hands controller, Nintendo made the controller like a remote. This remote is also called a Wiimote. You point the Wiimote at a sensor and it detects where it is pointing and it also has a hi-tech way of detecting your motions. The PS3’s controller is like the PS2’s controller with a motion sensor built into it.

The console can all play online, where you can play against anyone else that is online on the same console playing the same game. Playing online on the Wii and the PS3 is free as long as you can get an internet connection, wired or wireless, while it cost $50 to play online on the Xbox 360. You can download demos, movies, music and more from the online services. Some things will cost you money to download though.

The experience of gaming is unlimited by playing online with millions of other gamers. You are no longer restricted to a 6 foot distance away from your console because the controllers are wireless now. Download all types of media to your hard drive just waiting for you to take it. With these new next gen consoles almost anything is possible in the world of gaming.