Gaming Consoles Go High-Tech

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Written by Anannya Nath

Tuesday, 29 May 2007 00:00

Gaming consoles have come a long way from being devices whose only function was to enable the user to play games on television. Today, they are evolving into multimedia devices that are even threatening PC territory. Here's a closer look at the technologies that drive them.

Love them for the entertainment they provide, or hate them for turning a significant section of humanity into couch potatoes, but you cannot be indifferent to the world of gaming consoles. The past few years have seen these devices evolve from being the gaming equivalent of DVD players, into sleek machines that are powered by their own processors-complete with memory, graphics cards and other paraphernalia that one generally associates with PCs.

Mind you, back in the 1970s when the Magnavox Odyssey was launched, no one could have predicted consoles would come this far. Most of the initial consoles were only moderately successful, and it was not until Atari's arcade game PONG popularised video games that the public began to take more notice of this emerging industry. Although their market crashed in 1977, consoles survived and have since gone from strength to strength, notwithstanding the rise of the PC.

Recent times have seen consoles more than match the PC in terms of technological advancements. There are many who consider consoles to be the 'real' gaming platform, and rare indeed is the gamer who does not dream of owning a console, even though the options available are limited. There are just three major players in the market-Microsoft (the Xbox, Xbox 360), Sony (PlayStation 2 and 3) and Nintendo (Wii). Of these, Nintendo does not yet have an official presence in India, although one can get it from the gray market.

Let's take a closer look at the different technological changes that have made consoles gain this position of eminence, not just in the field of gaming, but in the IT industry. In particular, we will focus on the three consoles that many consider to be 'next-generation' devices-the Xbox 360, the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

Displays-bigger and clearer than ever before

A big debate that rages among gaming enthusiasts before the launch of any console is with regard to the resolution at which it can display games. Conventional gaming consoles could be attached to traditional TVs like CRTs but to get the most out of the new breed of consoles, one needs HDTVs (high definition TVs), which have a high colour resolution and improved picture and sound quality. To get an idea of the difference an HDTV makes, just consider the fact that a normal television offers an effective resolution of close to 400i, whereas a HDTV offers a resolution of 720 to 1080i.

According to Mohit Anand, country manager, entertainment and devices division, Microsoft, "HDTV potentially offers much better picture quality than standard television. HD's greater clarity means that the picture on screen can be less blurred and less fuzzy. HD also brings other benefits such as smoother motion, richer and more natural colours, surround sound, and the ability to allow a variety of input devices to work together."

For all their benefits, HDTVs do cost a fair bit. Are Indian users open to the fact of spending so much on top of shelling out money for a console? Anand is optimistic. "We all know our economy is booming and the middle income group is doing extremely well, so shelling out those extra bucks on something that ensures quality and satisfaction won't be much of a burden," he says.

Media and storage-playing with more

Traditional consoles came with cartridges that had to be inserted into the system to be able to play the game. However, the pins used in the cartridge were very vulnerable to damage. With the arrival of CDs, consoles started coming with CD drives and games were incorporated in CDs, providing the advantages of ease of use, a longer life and more storage capacity.

Predictably, the trend has now shifted towards DVD drives, which offer more in terms of storage and longevity, when compared to CDs. While other console manufacturers make use of normal optical disc technology, Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) supports Blu-ray storage technology. "The biggest structural difference between a Blu-ray disc and HD-DVD is the width of the protection layer. The protection layer of the Blu-ray disc is 0.1mm, whereas that of HD-DVD is 0.6mm. The thinner the protection layer is, the more data it can store," says Ken Nakazawa, gaming division, Sony India. A single layer of a CD/DVD disc using Blu-ray technology can store five times more data than normal discs.

As many games span dozens of hours, playing them from start to finish is impossible. It is also not feasible to keep going back to the first level every time and starting from scratch. And this is where storage comes in. Microsoft and Sony have incorporated hard drives in their consoles to provide more storage space. The hard drive is used to store saved games, user profiles, and act as a cache for the DVD drive to store frequently-used data that needs to be made available more quickly than the DVD drive can deliver it. Nintendo, on the other hand, provides the facility of memory cards -- one just has to insert the memory card and store the game.

Xbox 360 games are written from the outside of the discs to the inside, which means that most discs will actually have most of their data stored around the outer perimeter of the disc. Since the DVD drive in the Xbox is a Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) drive, it can read more data per second off the outermost tracks, making it a highly optimised way of storing data. The Sony PS III offers a storage capacity of up to 60 GB, which is the highest in the console category. Nintendo offers an internal storage capacity of 512 MB and an expansion slot via an SD card. Microsoft, on the other hand, offers storage of 20 GB. Although most consoles incorporate the latest technology, all of them attempt to provide backward compatibility, allowing users to run games that were designed for older versions.

Incidentally, these consoles can play normal CD/DVDs too, making them complete entertainment systems. So you do not have to bother about purchasing a separate DVD player to watch movies or listen to music. The PS3 has a front-loading slot for discs, as opposed to the Xbox 360's tray loader.

Input devices: The art of issuing commands

Most commands on a console are issued through a gamepad or a controller, as opposed to a keyboard in a computer. Initially, these were big in size and looked drab. One had to use both hands to manipulate them. However, they have now changed in terms of both appearance and technology. They look sleek, are lighter and are becoming wireless and motion sensitive. Technologies like Bluetooth and infrared are also being incorporated in them to reduce the need for wires.

Sony calls its controllers the Sixaxis. They are wireless and operate using Bluetooth technology, although they come with a USB port, for battery charging and wired play. The Microsoft Xbox 360 also has similar features. What makes Sony's controller different is that it can be manipulated on six different axes (pitch up and down, yaw left and right, roll left and right) as a natural extension of the human body, all in real-time and with high precision. A new feature of the controller is the ability to sense rotational orientation. Motion sensitivity in the PS3 has been increased to 10-bit precision from the original 8-bit precision used in the PS2.

Nintendo's Wii has two controllers-the NANCHUK and the Wii Remote (also referred to as the 'Wiimote'). The main features of the Wii Remote are its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with the console and manipulate items on screen via movement and by pointing. The controller communicates wirelessly with the console via short-range Bluetooth radio, and must be used within five metres (approximately 16 feet) of the sensor bar. It also features a PixArt optical sensor, allowing it to determine where the Wii Remote is pointing. So if one has to kill the opponent in a game, one just needs to point the NANCHUK at him.

The Xbox 360 differs from the Wii and PS3 to the extent that one can use the wired version of the controller as a PC gamepad. Another technology incorporated in this controller is the Guide button, which tells the user the status of the battery, and whether or not it needs to be recharged.

The Internet: Taking the game online

When consoles were introduced, only one person could play a game on them. Then came a period when two people could play the game simultaneously but they had to be sitting across each other. But now consoles are providing online capability, and the trend of game rooms is gaining popularity. This is similar to the concept of a chat room, where gamers can chat with each other. It is now possible to play a game with someone you don't know and who might be sitting thousands of miles away. The consoles come with a built-in Wi-fi capability and provide online services that are usually free of charge. Only downloads are charged for. This allows users to compete online, create a user profile, join message boards and form forums to discuss just about everything related to gaming.

"We already have a technology called Xbox Live, which is the premier service for online console gaming. Whether you want casual, fast-paced arcade action, new game content, or multi-player frag-fests, Xbox Live offers everything. Xbox Live Marketplace lets you download game demos for free. You can even download new content, game trailers, arcade games, and more, so you can always keep your game experiences fresh and exciting," says Anand.

Processors-going super!

At the heart of the console is the processor. All the technological advancements would be of no use if the processor is slow and takes too long to convert bits to images. Although advancements in changing the look and the working of consoles have generated more interest, the processors driving them have also improved considerably. Console manufacturers have now turned to 32-bit processing from the original 8-bit. Also, the floating performance (speed of GPU + CPU) has been increased to as high as 3 teraflops. While the PS3 has a floating performance of 3 teraflops, the Xbox 360 provides a performance of 115.2 gigaflops.

One consequence of increasing processor speed has been the increase in the amount of heat generated. Console manufacturers have countered this by adding aluminium heat sinks to cool the GPUs.

Game for the future?

Given the rate at which consoles have been progressing, what would a console look like in 2020? Many feel that it will be infinitely more powerful than today's versions and will, in all probability, be no larger than a portable disc-man. But before we go that far, some immediate issues need to be tackled. Noise is something that still affects the gaming community. Manufacturers are trying to incorporate new technologies to reduce noise. Consoles are also likely to include convergence technologies and become more like entertainment hubs-Web cameras could well be the next possible additions. And of course, while all this happens, processing power and graphics will continue to improve by leaps and bounds.

"The gaming industry has just started booming in India. Parallel to the advancement in technology, the consumer universe is witnessing a thrust on interactivity, which has resulted in making gaming the hottest thing around. With technology moving at whiz speed, gaming consoles today have unmatchable graphics and animation capabilities. Although miniscule, the gaming industry is a sure indicator of the vast commercial and social potential of the segment. Early interventions like Sony's can enable the industry to achieve maturity in a short time span. The future of gaming consoles in the country seems bright and we are positive about the success of our gaming consoles in India," says Nakazawa.

There is also a lot of talk of bringing in 'real time physics' into gaming, providing for a more realistic experience. There are technologies being worked upon wherein you just move yourself to move an object like a car on the screen. Similarly, if the car slams into a wall, you will feel the jolt. There might come a time in the future of gaming where you just have to look at your opponent to kill him or her instead of raising a finger. That would take motion sensitivity to a new level.

Meanwhile, do consoles have the potential to replace DVDs and computers in the near future? Anand thinks so. "Of course, it has the potential. Consoles are soon to become complete home entertainment systems. They are for the serious gamer who is looking for the ultimate console. The thin line between the PC and console gaming will soon be dissolved as they are now coming up to a level where they have similar hardware specifications,"

he says.We don't think it is time to throw away your PC or DVD player yet. But well, it might just make sense to start saving up for a console...even if you are not too much into gaming.

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The Story of a Game

Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry that many claim is bigger than Hollywood in terms of the revenues generated. But how exactly is a game made? We asked Anupam Verghese, CTO, Tinfo Mobile, to walk us through the life of a game.

First, a game idea is born and is documented as a game concept. It also carries a storyboard with rough sketches on how it might look as an end product.

The concept grows into a design nurtured by a seasoned designer, who decides on optimisations for the devices, in-depth analysis and planning of each feature, graphic, story, plot and strategy. A lot of details are looked into at this stage, such as levels, graphic themes, colours to be used based on the brand/title, target market and the target device list. Then the skin and all the artwork is developed based on the design.

Normally, at this stage, a prototype is put together by the developer to actually 'see, touch and feel' where this is all heading! Changes are then made to the design to make sure that the fully-grown (developed) game would look exactly or better than the concept.

The developer now gets to work on the design and does her coding job (usually based on a game engine that she might already have). At this point, the artwork is also integrated and out comes the alpha build, which is basically a build that is almost fully baked but with significant scope for improvement. Hundreds of tweaks and internal bug-fixes later, it develops into a beta build.

A beta is akin to an adolescent who leaves the comfort of the family and is thrust into an unfamiliar college hostel. It gets reviewed and debugged further with the help of outsiders (a select team at the publishers, at times). Finally, after all the QC tests are cleared, the beta graduates into the real world! You as a developer, sit back and relax. You have done your kartavya and there isn't anything much else you can do - it is literally out on its own now. Now the game is called the gold build.

Unfortunately, the world is so full of different consoles with different specs that your gold build has to take different 'avatars' to make sure it is compatible to each. This process is called porting. There are different porting and testing houses out there where the gold build gets sent to be ported, and at times the porting and testing gets done in-house also.

Depending on how good the game turns out to be, the vagaries of the market, the reviews, the critics and how many people espouse it, your game becomes a hit or hits the dust-or lands somewhere in between. And that's the life of a game.