COMPUTER GAME PLATFORMS AND TECHNOLOGIES

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Unit 15

• COMPUTER GAME PLATFORMSAND TECHNOLOGIES
• L/600/6610

LO2 - Understand hardware technologies for game
platforms
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LO2 - Assessment Criteria
Learning Outcome (LO) The learner will Learning Outcome (LO) The learner will Pass The assessment criteria are the pass requirements for this unit. The learner can Pass The assessment criteria are the pass requirements for this unit. The learner can Merit For merit the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass criteria, the learner is able to Distinction For distinction the evidence must show that, in addition to the pass and merit criteria, the learner is able to
1 Understand game platform types P1 Describe game platform types with some appropriate use of subject terminology M1 - Describe how computer games platform types have developed over time D1 - Explore potential future gaming platform types
2 Understand hardware technologies for game platforms P2 Describe hardware technologies for game platforms with some appropriate use of subject terminology M2 - Describe mobile technologies for game platforms D2 - Evaluate the suitability of mobile technologies for game play
3 Understand software technologies for game platforms P3 Describe software technologies for game platforms expressing ideas with some appropriate use of subject terminology M3 - Discuss the different software technologies for multiple platform usage D3 - Justify the choice of platform on which to run an identified software technology
4 Be able to connect and configure platforms and devices to enable gameplay P4 Apply techniques to connect and configure platforms and devices with some assistance M4 - Explain the different connection types for multiplayer gaming D4 - Justify how the connection types are appropriate for the different multiplayer gaming experiences
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Assessment Criteria P2, M2 and D2

• Assessment Criteria P2
• P2 Learners will need to describe at least six of
  the hardware technologies identified in the
  teaching content for learning outcome 2
  describing their features. This could be for a
  range of platform types which may include mobile.
  This could be presented as a report or
  presentation.
• Assessment Criteria M2,
• For merit criterion M2 learners will need to show
  they have explored the mobile technologies for
  game platforms. This means they need to describe
  at least 3 different mobile technologies. This
  could be an extension of the evidence for P2, or
  a separate document. Annotated screenshots and
  photos will help evidence this.
• Assessment Criteria D2
• For distinction criterion D2 learners will need
  to evaluate the suitability of mobile
  technologies. This should include the cross
  platform usage of software or repurposing. They
  should consider at least five mobile technologies
  which may include those within the learning
  outcome or include new technologies. They will
  need to evaluate the suitability of them for game
  play in different formats and giving clear
  descriptions of the technologies including
  connectivity and costs.

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LO2 - Understand hardware technologies for game
platforms

• Here the learners will need to understand the
  hardware technologies available for the game
  platforms and in particular to explore the
  expanding market in mobile technologies, looking
  at comparing the different technologies in terms
  of playability. Due to the vast range of options
  and the speed of technological developments
  within this sector, group working will ensure a
  depth and breadth of research and group feedback
  will inform the wider group with the variety and
  choice. This could be a mixture of lectures,
  investigations and practical exercises which
  could involve handling the technologies
  available.
• Learners should then be able to evaluate the
  different mobile hardware technologies and their
  suitability for game play. Group discussion will
  identify areas for further discussion or
  consideration.

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P2.1 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Graphics

• Graphic Development Pong was two colours, white
  and not white, Pacman was 8 with no shading, the
  hardware to run either of these games was limited
  to memory, Jamma Boards contained back them 4k of
  memory, this is the equivalent of 4096 characters
  of code. By the time of Street Fighter in 1988
  the colour depth was now 16 colours with shading.
  Similarly consoles like Magnavox was two coloured
  and came with four games. Atari VCS started the
  same way but moved to 4 colour, then 8. NES and
  Master System was 8 colour, SNES 16 colour. Each
  generation after that multiplied as technology
  changed. Similarly with PCs, we had monochrome,
  then CGA, 4 colours by 1985, EGA by 1988, VGA by
  1992 and SVGA to this day. Analog got replaced
  recently by Digital, TV socket by HDMI and
  Blu-ray.
• The first adventure games on PCs did not even
  have graphics, text only, hit Gandalf with
  wand, now they have high definition colour and
  video quality cut sequences. Each of these
  developments has allowed games to get better in
  the Arcade, the Console and Computer. Look at the
  different generations of Mario as an example.
• Nowadays it is all about the Nurbs, Pixels and
  Polygons. Faster cards, faster Nurbs, more
  polygons. Everything is measured in how many per
  second.

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P2.1 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Graphics

• Similarly, 3D games often rely on a powerful
  graphics processing unit (GPU), which accelerates
  the process of drawing complex scenes in real
  time. GPUs may be an integrated part of the
  computer's motherboard, the most common solution
  in laptops, or come packaged with a discrete
  graphics card with a supply of dedicated Video
  RAM, connected to the motherboard through either
  an AGP or PCI-Express port. It is also possible
  to use multiple GPUs in a single computer, using
  technologies such as NVidia's Scalable Link
  Interface and ATI's CrossFire but all this takes
  money, time and effort and not all games will
  take advantage of these, depending on the way a
  game is programmed.
• Game compatibility and development however does
  not immediately recognise this hardware and games
  may need downloads and bug fixes from the game
  sites to take advantage of these technologies.
  The standard graphics card used as a template has
  changed over the years and used to be NVidia
  GeForce. Without this the graphics were worse,
  lower quality, lower speed. Better cards brought
  the game up to a level and downloads made the
  game better. Doom when it was released used a GL
  download for Pentium machines with a Graphics
  card to improve the screen quality and for a
  number of years GL technology was the standard.
  Now every PC has a unique card which can be
  specified by the user.

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P2.1 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Graphics

• Graphics cards handle all of the visual data
  within a computer, interpret it and display it
  via a VDU.
• Components on a Graphics card include
• GPU Graphical Processing Unit is a dedicated
  microprocessor making calculations in order to
  display both 2D and 3D graphics.
• Motherboard interface This is the method of
  connection and transfer of information between
  the motherboard. These include PCI, AGP and PCI
  express.
• Video BIOS - basic program that governs the video
  card's operations and provides the instructions
  that allow the computer and software to interface
  with the card.
• Video memory if the card is integrated onto the
  mother board it may use the computers RAM,
  otherwise it will have a dedicated amount of
  memory for use for storing other data as well as
  the screen image such as object co-ordinates.
• Random Access Memory Digital-to-Analogue
  Converter This coverts the digital signals
  produced by the computer processor into an analog
  signal which can be understood by the computer
  display
• Output connectors this is how the graphics card
  connectors to the VDU. This can include DVI,
  HDMI and component.
• Cooling device Video cards may use a lot of
  electricity, which is converted into heat. If the
  heat isn't dissipated, the video card could
  overheat and be damaged. Cooling devices are
  incorporated to transfer the heat elsewhere.
  Three common methods are heat sink, fan or water
  block.
• P2.1 Task 1 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Graphic capabilities in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.2 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Storage

• Storage Limitations Storage limitations along
  with graphics has been a big hindrance to the
  market moving forward. The Gameboy dominated the
  market for 10 years without moving forward
  because the technology was not there to replace
  it (ignoring the Lynx, Gamegear and Nomad). The
  first arcade machines had 4k of memory, expanded
  by the end of the golden era to 64mb with games
  like Colin McCrea rally. In terms of storage they
  only had enough memory to recall the last race to
  show the user and store the high score table.
• Home Consoles Machines like Odyssey, Magnavox and
  Atari 2600 left the memory capacity up to the
  cartridge with 48k on board to store scores.
  Every generation of console since has doubles the
  memory capacity on release. ZX80 had 1k, ZX
  Spectrum 48k, Commodore 64 had 64k, Amiga had
  512k, Megadrive and SNES had the same capacity
  and left it up to the cartridges. By the time of
  the first Xbox there was a hard drive of 20gb.
  This was a revolution in itself, unless you are a
  PC owner.
• And the cartridge and game discs were an issue,
  the Nintendo 64 had 8mb of storage and the
  cartridge had up to 16mb for the later games. To
  store a whole game in there on this amount of
  memory meant compromising, not as much as earlier
  consoles. Graphics could not be realistic, cut
  sequences could not be photo realistic, games
  could not have hundreds of different levels with
  different graphics so there had to be repeats.
  And sprites had to be limited to bitmap or vector
  but rarely both in the same game. Look at Doom,
  characters were always face on, Mario Kart, the
  trees were not solid but x shaped, not 3d
  modelled.
• This storage is important in the development of
  games. When the Playstation and Saturn came out,
  the gaming world had moved to CD, 660mb of data.
  They could have cut scenes, more levels, vector
  and bitmap, they could have realistic voices and
  sounds, CD quality. When games like FF7 came out
  it had 20 hours of filmatic sequences added,
  realistic faces, CGI graphics, character modelled
  figures. They could have what PCs had, that was
  the difference. Then DVD, BluRay, capacity for
  more, bigger, better, more sequences, more film,
  more realism with barely a restriction.

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P2.2 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Storage

• Storage Limitations Storage limitations along
  with graphics has been a big hindrance to the
  market moving forward. The Gameboy dominated the
  market for 10 years without moving forward
  because the technology was not there to replace
  it (ignoring the Lynx, Gamegear and Nomad). The
  first arcade machines had 4k of memory, expanded
  by the end of the golden era to 64mb with games
  like Colin McCrea rally. In terms of storage they
  only had enough memory to recall the last race to
  show the user and store the high score table.
• Home Consoles Machines like Odyssey, Magnavox and
  Atari 2600 left the memory capacity up to the
  cartridge with 48k on board to store scores.
  Every generation of console since has doubles the
  memory capacity on release. ZX80 had 1k, ZX
  Spectrum 48k, Commodore 64 had 64k, Amiga had
  512k, Megadrive and SNES had the same capacity
  and left it up to the cartridges. By the time of
  the first Xbox there was a hard drive of 20gb.
  This was a revolution in itself, unless you are a
  PC owner.
• And the cartridge and game discs were an issue,
  the Nintendo 64 had 8mb of storage and the
  cartridge had up to 16mb for the later games. To
  store a whole game in there on this amount of
  memory meant compromising, not as much as earlier
  consoles. Graphics could not be realistic, cut
  sequences could not be photo realistic, games
  could not have hundreds of different levels with
  different graphics so there had to be repeats.
  And sprites had to be limited to bitmap or vector
  but rarely both in the same game. Look at Doom,
  characters were always face on, Mario Kart, the
  trees were not solid but x shaped, not 3d
  modelled.
• This storage is important in the development of
  games. When the Playstation and Saturn came out,
  the gaming world had moved to CD, 660mb of data.
  They could have cut scenes, more levels, vector
  and bitmap, they could have realistic voices and
  sounds, CD quality. When games like FF7 came out
  it had 20 hours of filmatic sequences added,
  realistic faces, CGI graphics, character modelled
  figures. They could have what PCs had, that was
  the difference. Then DVD, BluRay, capacity for
  more, bigger, better, more sequences, more film,
  more realism with barely a restriction.
• P2.2 Task 2 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Storage needs in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.3 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Sound

• Sound cards are also available to provide
  improved audio in computer games. These cards
  provide improved 3D audio and provide audio
  enhancement that is generally not available with
  integrated alternatives, at the cost of
  marginally lower overall performance.
• The Creative Labs SoundBlaster line was for many
  years the de facto standard for sound cards,
  although its popularity dwindled as PC audio
  became a commodity on modern motherboards. Newer
  developments in PC technology meant 8bit to 16
  bit sound cards an, d now 32bit and sixty four
  bit technology is available.
• Sound cards used to be separate from the
  motherboard but are now part of the on board
  system taking away some of the compatibility
  issues but the quality will not be as good as a
  separate card.
• Then along came the modern consoles and the push
  for better sound as a USP. Stereo became 5.1,
  7.1, HD output. Now we can barely tell the
  difference between sound within a game and sound
  within a film. Now it is all about how you can
  make your speakers dance to the music as sound
  quality has reached its realistic peak.
• P2.3 Task 3 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Sound and Audio needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.4 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Memory

• Memory demands on a Gaming have grown
  exponentially over the years and doubles every
  time a new version of windows or a console is
  released. Currently 2gb of memory is enough to
  run Windows 8 smoothly but not enough to play
  good games well. 3gb is good, 4gb is better.
• 15 years ago with Windows 98, 256mb was the
  standard for a good game on a PC, 512mb for
  hardcore gamers.
• But memory is necessary, the more there is, the
  faster a game will be.
• There are three standards for memory and all of
  them are speed based. DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. They
  have a clock speed, the faster the clock speed,
  the faster the processing time. And this improves
  games, the more processing power that is taken
  from the CPU, the faster the CPU can deal with
  the instruction code of the game.

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P2.4 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Memory

• Similarly for consoles, the memory capacity,
  separate from storage, is now 8gb on board for
  PS4 and Xbox One, an indication of the on screen
  capacity of the games. With consoles like SNES
  and Megadrive it was 2mb (16mbit) hence the
  reason why most games were vector based
  (mathematically calculated rather than graphical
  based, less storage but more processing power)
• And for handhelds, 8gb of storage is not memory,
  the iPhone only has 1gb of memory compared to 4gb
  and 8gb offered on Android tablets. All this
  translated into what a game can do.
• Unified ram is ram that is shared by the graphics
  processor allowing on-board ram to be set aside
  for graphics when it needs it. This is new and
  though it is not pure graphics ram, will allow
  memory usage by the core processor so that
  graphics cards can do their good stuff without
  the burden of boring routines.
• P2.4 Task 4 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Memory storage needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.5 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
CPU

• Whatever Platform type is used for game playing,
  there are internal hardware considerations which
  will have an affect on the speed and quality of
  the game, nothing more important than the CPU,
  the brain of a machine. Every Console if
  different and each generation that comes along
  uses a different CPU. On a PC we are used to
  Intel, AMD and Celeron, each with a variety of
  names that go with them, Xeon, Athalon, Pentium
  etc. For Consoles they have always had variants,
  the current standards are AMD and IBM core,
  previous generations were Xenon and 68000.
• Processor this is the brain of the computer,
  the more powerful the CPU the faster a a game
  will be generate and move and the result
  processed to the screen. This means it will apply
  CUDA processing faster, rendering images more
  effectively (especially 3D images), batch
  processing and scrolling around an environment
  when the resolution is very high or zoomed in
  quite close. Apples and PCs have different CPUs
  but the function and result is still the same.
• The Processor is not something that can be
  changed easily on either machine. On a PC this
  could mean removing the motherboard and paying a
  lot of money. On an Apple do not bother.
• The number of cores is now more important, Xbox
  One and PS4 both have 8, a good PC has 4, a
  handheld generally 1 but Android Tablets often
  have 2.
• P2.5 Task 5 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of CPU needs in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.6 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Interfaces

• The one thing that has not changed in gaming in a
  generation is the use of menus. They have gotten
  more intricate, more memory intensive, more
  interactive with more selections but they are
  still there. But with the rise of the joystick
  and specifically with more intensive PC gaming,
  the use of menus and the customising of keyboards
  for speed of access has grown.
• Good Starcraft II players measure their key
  presses per minute rather than their skill level.
  They customise the menus and the groups by
  keystroke, just from action to action across the
  board like a chef might stir the soup while
  cooking pasta. Whole actions are set to a
  key-press, function keys are set as guides,
  customised buttons like macros control whole
  battalions. On a PC this has always been the case
  since the first FPS game but now menus allow
  Joypads on Consoles to be customised for the
  user.
• This added level of user interaction gives the
  player more control, more responsibility, user
  centred. And players who get more into the game
  through interaction are more likely to come back.
• P2.6 Task 6 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Human Interface needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.7 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Display
Monitor Vga 16 bit colours 14
screen Graphics Card None but Open GL or 16mb
for optimum effects. Processor Pentium
1 Memory 8mb , minimum, 64mb optimal Sound
None or 16mb optimal. Controller Keyboard,
mouse or joypad controlled.
Monitor Vga 16 bit colours 14
screen Graphics Card Processor AMD 64
3200/Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or better Memory 8
GB free hard-drive space, 512MB RAM (XP)/1GB RAM
(Vista) Graphics Shader 3.0 or better, 256MB
Nvidia GeForce 6600GT/ATI Radeon 1600XT or
better Monitor 17 minimum
Monitor Vga 16 colours 14 screen Graphics
Card None Processor - 286 Memory 1mb ,
minimum Sound Internal speaker. Controller
Keyboard or mouse controlled only.
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P2.7 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Display

• PC Monitors started off as 2 colour, green and
  not green, 1-bit colour. Then came CGA in 1980,
  2-bit colour, four colours and with it the first
  colour game that could take advantage of this
  amazing technology, Zork. In 1984 came the first
  VGA monitors, sixteen colours, 4-bit, and with it
  the first versions of Wolfenstein. VGA moved up
  to 8-bit and with a graphics card, finally to 16
  bit, 16.7 million colours.
• Consoles however had the benefit of using the
  television as the display screen. The technology
  was always there to the point that arcade
  machines were simply a Jamma board connected to a
  televisions screen in a box. The resolution was
  the same, only the quality of output differed.
• Then life adapted, UHF signal output became
  SCART, then HDMI, resolution deepened,
  Televisions went to 1080p and will go higher.
  Games took advantage because they could. As PCs
  struggle to keep up with 1900dpi output and 250
  graphic cards, consoles push it through the
  connector to a SMART television happy to accept
  1080dpi.
• Handhelds on the other hand had a slower
  progression, bit depth is only a recent thing,
  the PS Vita has the same resolution as a SNES, an
  iPhone has the same resolution as a Gameboy
  Colour. Small screen technology has not changed
  that much, it just feels like it did.
• P2.7 Task 7 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Visual Display needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

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P2.8 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Controllers

• First there was the paddle, it could go in two
  directions, up and down. Pong, space invaders,
  all the classics from childhood used them. They
  were the last thing you thought about and the
  first thing you held.
• Then came the wheel, driving games where you
  literally moved the car with a wheel, left, right
  and if you survived, left again. They got more
  sensitive, Sega Rally for instance felt like real
  driving but still the car moved left then right.
• Then the Joystick, suddenly there were four
  directions and the world became perspective. To
  this day the technology has not changed, it just
  got more buttons. A generation wanted VR, human
  Interaction, physical controls, one console after
  another with the keyboard and buttons there still
  in the background.
• Then came Kinect, sort of, a novel idea that is
  still trying to catch on. We now have 3D
  movement, gestures, multiple sensors. Soon we
  will have Occulus Rift and the world of VR will
  once again loom.
• Voice interaction is all that is left to master,
  Kinect can hear but cannot understand, Siri can
  understand but not comprehend, Google Glasses can
  comprehend but not see. At the end of the day the
  gaming generation will adapt to new technologies
  in the hope that it benefits play.
• P2.8 Task 8 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Controller and Input needs
  in terms of history, purpose and benefits to
  gaming.

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P2.9 Hardware technologies for game platforms -
Mobiles

• Mobile game play is not a new thing but the push
  towards Phones as a game playing device has been
  consistent since screens first went to colour.
  Snake was popular but since then the generation
  of game players uses Smartphones as a substitute.
  Now every gaming household has some device that
  is portable, PSP, DS, iPad etc.
• They are small, they have a limited battery life,
  they have less capacity of gaming, they have less
  memory, screen size, sound capability, they have
  everything going wrong for them but we love them.
  What they have is an addictive quality, gaming on
  the move. Games for them know thins so the games
  are aimed at the short term memory audience, the
  short attention span.
• Candy Crush, flappy Birds, Temple Run, short term
  games, into the game within seconds, take on from
  where you left off, little capacity for memory or
  past achievements and no memory to go back to
  where you came from and see the devastation. And
  the USP is their cost, small games and a small
  cost.
• Along with the wide range of Apps, all these
  devices have a capacity to outgrow, another day
  another App, a new game, a new craze, the old one
  as forgotten as easily as the current one.
• P2.9 Task 9 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Mobiles Devices in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

19
P2.10 Hardware technologies for game platforms
- Connectivity

• Back in the days gaming was stand alone. You
  could have 4 players, each player a corner of the
  screen. Goldeneye, Mario Kart. Today games are
  still stand alone but that is no longer why we
  buy them. We play COD until it is done, 6 hours
  or so, and then we go online and spend weeks or
  months at it. We play Skyrim all the way through
  and then go online and get more. The solitary
  play and nature of games has always been there.
  Two player games have been around since Pong, 4
  player games came in later with Sega Rally in the
  arcades and 4 way splitters on the SNES.
• There is nothing like a game of FIFA with
  friends, controller ports have allowed more
  players, the Sega Saturn was the first console to
  take this as a standard followed by PS2 and
  Dreamcast. Now a games machine without
  multiplayer is unheard of. The ports and
  connections changed with each generation until
  USB became the standard but the 4 way option
  makes gaming a group thing.
• Even on handhelds it became accepted on the
  Gameboy Advance that two players connected with a
  wire was better than one and games companies took
  advantage. The player became an AI on the other
  screen, more processing power to the CPU, less
  storage and thinking in terms of movements.

20
P2.10 Hardware technologies for game platforms
- Connectivity

• Network play came into place with games like
  Doom, Quake, ROTT, Heretic, FPS shooters where
  midnight gaming in clubs became fashionable.
  Today the network play is global with the
  Internet but before that the rise of multiplayer
  games and multiplayer contests grew to the point
  of Blizzcon proportions.
• Game playing on the Internet as a group is the
  current wave of team playing proportions. WOW
  with 6m user, Starcraft with 3.3, DOTA, COD, EVE,
  Battlefield. Every FPS game that comes out has
  Internet play as its hope, the more players the
  more loyalty. The communication lines that are
  available allow for mass play within games, new
  games expect 30,000 players battling against each
  other in a single conflict. The crashing of GTA
  online is an indication of the amount of players
  who believe that online play is the only play.
• Wireless and Bluetooth are more subtle ways of
  compensation for the Internet and Network play.
  To link to someone close with wireless or
  Bluetooth like DSi and Vita allows for private
  play, games like DrawIt took advantage of the
  instant, private communication, the speed is
  acceptable for all but the higher level of
  graphic games.
• P2.10 Task 10 Using appropriate terminology
  and examples, describe hardware technologies for
  game platforms in terms of Game Connectivity in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

21
P2.11 Understand hardware technologies for game
platforms

• What limited down most of the above and what
  limits mobiles, handhelds and phones is the use
  of power. Handhelds rely on their internal power
  supplies, same with mobiles, and the advances in
  battery technology has improved game playing and
  portability but this is still a limitation. The
  Kindle with its 80hrs battery life infers black
  and white, low level viewing. Put a movie on the
  Kindle Fire and this gets reduced down to 2hrs. A
  phone charge can last 3 days without charging but
  play a game, watch a film, surf the internet and
  the charge runs down quickly.
• The restriction of the external supply limits
  down the distance and portability that makes
  mobiles and handhelds so appealing. With the WiiU
  there is the best of both worlds, a portable
  device that is also a full console. PCs have
  always been restricted by their 230 power supply,
  shrink a machine down and it is still there,
  smaller but limiting. Consoles with their
  internal supplies made them as reliant on power
  as PCs.
• P2.11 Task 11 Using appropriate terminology
  and examples, describe hardware technologies for
  game platforms in terms of Power Supplies needs
  in terms of history, purpose and benefits to
  gaming.

22
M2 Understand hardware technologies for game
platforms - Mobiles

• Mobile game play is not a new thing but the push
  towards Phones as a game playing device has been
  consistent since screens first went to colour.
  Snake was popular but since then the generation
  of game players uses Smartphones as a substitute.
  Now every gaming household has some device that
  is portable, PSP, DS, iPad etc.
• Phones themselves are pretty much the same,
  limited screen resolution, small amount of
  memory, limited storage capacity, reduced access
  speeds and compatibility issues. Other than this
  we love them. Similarly with tablets though they
  are getting steadily more like a PC in your hands
  with dual core and increased memory. Screens are
  better, memory capacity s improving and all but
  the graphics capability is getting more compliant
  with a computer.
• For the Merit Criteria you need to access 3
  mobile devices for their suitability in game
  playing. You will need to describe and compare
  the specifications, their Operating Systems,
  their Suitability for gaming, their technical
  limitations and with examples describe their
  achievements in terms of gaming ability.
• For this task you should select one mobile,
  either an iPhone, a blackberry, an android phone
  or Microsoft OS phone or a hybrid. You should
  also select one tablet, an iPad, Surface, Galaxy
  or Android tablet. And thirdly you should select
  a handheld with its own OS such as a DS, Vita or
  other of your choice.
• M2.1 Task 12 - Describe and compare with
  examples three mobile devices in terms of
  specifications, OSs, Suitability for gaming and
  their technical limitations.
• M2.2 Task 13 Using a comparison table,
  compare the technical features of each of the 3
  selected devices to their direct rivals.

Specification OSs Suitability for gaming Technical Limitations.
23
D2 Understand hardware technologies for game
platforms - Mobiles

• Other than gaming, mobile technologies span
  further than button pressing, achievement
  gaining, scoreboard comparison, time consuming,
  puzzle solving entertainment. Subtle technology
  is all around us, replacing old skills and old
  forms of usage with new.
• The person who comes to your door has a PDA for
  you to sign, RFID tracking in the van means they
  cannot stop off at home for a cuppa on the way to
  a delivery, the jogger who just ran past you as
  you signed with a digital pen has a tracking
  monitor that is measuring their heart rate
  against their running speed. The car that pulled
  suddenly to a stop did not see him on the GPS but
  the anti locking brakes and engine scanning
  measured how good it is as it lowered its output
  and emissions. The children in the back of the
  car barely broke a sweat as their DVD of Toy
  Story 3 played on. The driver swears to
  themselves and wishes the work was as easy to
  control as his Occulus Rift so they check with
  their Google glasses if there is any emails
  waiting because he really wants to get on and
  finish Black Ops.
• D2.1 Task 14 - Evaluate the suitability of
  other mobile technologies including the cross
  platform usage of software or repurposing of the
  technology.
• For Distinction you will need to consider at
  least 5 mobile technologies, 3 of which you may
  have used in the Merit Criterion, and at least 2
  new technologies.
• D2.2 Task 15 - Evaluate the suitability of them
  for game play in different formats and give clear
  descriptions of the technologies involved,
  connectivity and costs.

Suitability for adapting to Game play Technical Description of the Technology Connectivity ability Costs
24
Assessment Task List

• P2.1 Task 1 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Graphic capabilities in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.2 Task 2 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Storage needs in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.3 Task 3 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Sound and Audio needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.4 Task 4 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Memory storage needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.5 Task 5 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of CPU needs in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.6 Task 6 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Human Interface needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.7 Task 7 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Visual Display needs in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.8 Task 8 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Controller and Input needs
  in terms of history, purpose and benefits to
  gaming.
• P2.9 Task 9 Using appropriate terminology and
  examples, describe hardware technologies for game
  platforms in terms of Mobiles Devices in terms of
  history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.10 Task 10 Using appropriate terminology
  and examples, describe hardware technologies for
  game platforms in terms of Game Connectivity in
  terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
• P2.11 Task 11 Using appropriate terminology
  and examples, describe hardware technologies for
  game platforms in terms of Power Supplies needs
  in terms of history, purpose and benefits to
  gaming.
• M2.1 Task 12 - Describe and compare with
  examples three mobile devices in terms of
  specifications, OSs, Suitability for gaming and
  their technical limitations.
• M2.2 Task 13 Using a comparison table,
  compare the technical features of each of the 3
  selected devices to their direct rivals.
• D2.1 Task 14 - Evaluate the suitability of
  other mobile technologies including the cross
  platform usage of software or repurposing of the
  technology.
• D2.2 Task 15 - Evaluate the suitability of them
  for game play in different formats and give clear
  descriptions of the technologies involved,
  connectivity and costs.