KaZz'S NeW MeDiA TeCh

Essay

2007-04-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

New Media Technology and Game Consoles

There is a vast market for video games today and it is estimated that it worth nearly £17 billion. This game industry is divided in to two major groups like games available for PC and games for Consoles. In today’s market there are three dominant companies who rule the game industry. If I mention the names they are Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. All these companies always trying to introduce a new games console which can challenge the other company, at the moment there are three latest products from these three companies, they are Playstation 3, XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii. If we compare these three consoles Sony PS3 is an all rounder, because it has some good features that we can not see in other two consoles. It contains a good graphic card and another special feature which is called blue ray (A blue ray disc can store up to 25GB).

If we talk about the history of the games consoles the former game companies were Sega and Nintendo. They used a cartridge system to play games. As Sony introduced Playstation in 1995 the technology shifted in to compact disk system. In 1997 Nintendo launched N64 which challenged Playstation, but in 1999 with the capability of reaching to the internet Sega launched Dreamcast games console.

Games consoles also have the capability to provide other facilities rather than gaming. Now it is developed as an entertainment system. Developing the central control mechanism of a games console can be more effective, because people can use their games console for many other purposes as well. For example PS2 is more advanced than PS1, because it can play DVDs and people can play online games using PS2, but I think that PSP is the most advanced game console which dominated market during past 3 years. It is introduced to market with a new technology which is called UMD, also it covers a wide range of new media technology because it can act as a portable MP3 player, Photo slider, Movie player and a games console. So it is named as the best handheld games console in the world. Even though Nintendo produced Nintendo DS it was not a challenging Portable Games console, because it was unable to provide good graphics. Now Sony has produced their new games console which is called PS3. As this is an all rounder it challenged XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii. It opens a new way of gaming through its HD graphics and controller.

But there are some problems with these games consoles, Even they are advanced consoles they do not support with the product which are created by the other companies, productions like Nintendo Wii and XBOX 360 can not even play their own previous products. But Play station is different from them as PS3 can play PS2 disks as well as PS3.

One of the most heated areas about the game consoles is the content of the games. If we take a sample of games from today’s market many of them contains violence. GTA San Andreas is a good example for that, it contains blood violence, nudity and drugs which is not suitable for children, even they got a age restriction, it was a popular game between boys who are under 18 and Manhunt is another game like that, the success of the game depends on violence. When player gets more violated he can win the game easily, but these games are not suitable for children. Super Mario, Raymond, Donkey Kong and Sonic were some games designed for children. People tempt to create games like GTA because the 3D technology is in a higher place now. But my opinion is that they must be more concentrated on the example that this game gives to the world, as many of their customers are little children.

Nintendo DS

2007-03-07T03:44:00.000-08:00

Nintendo DS is a really good handheld games console. But it doesn't contain many features we can see in the Sony PSP. We can listen to music, watch videos and surf through the internet using PSP. But Nintendo DS is only desogned to play games. but it has a special feature. IT IS A TOUCH SCREEN ONE. The games for this console is really out standing.

NINTENDO Website

2007-03-06T01:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.nintendo.com/home

Sony PSP

2007-03-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Sony PSP is a georgous device. Which contains so many facilities that you can see in ordinary portable game console. This device is special because it contains so many advanced features that we can't see in any other games console like Nintendo DS or Gameboy Advanced. But this device is not a lightweight one. You can use it as a MP3 player, Photo viewer, Video player or to surf through the internet. the centre piece of the device is a 4.3 ince wide screen display. Screen is flaked by the controls. Which is same as the past play station devices. The directional keypad is on the left side of the screen, and the familiar buttons which are circle, triangle, square and X are on the other side of the screen. We can see a analog stick below the directional buttons, this stick is not rised up like the analog sticks in the PS2 or XBOX 360. PS2 controles contains 4 shoulder buttons. we can see that feature in this games console too. It contains two shoulder buttons which are named as R and L. PSP uses the Sony's media bar. Even though it is there we can use directional buttons to go to the icons. All in all, it's a simple and elegant way to access the PSP's many features. Games and Films for thuis console comes like Universal Media Disks(UMD) which are housed in protective cartridges. You can find the UMD drive on the back of the console and only thing you have to do is insert the UMD in to it and push it in to side while you are pushing the UMD down. This is same as the process in a camcorder. You can use your headphones to listen to music. Only thing you have to do is pluging the headphones to the plug which you can findout on the bottom of the console.

The official website of Playstations

2007-03-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.playstation.com

XBOX 360

2007-03-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has revealed its new console, the Xbox 360. As can be seen from the picture opposite, the console is smaller, curvy and more stylish than the console before it, with the addition of the PS2 feature of being able to stand vertically or horizontally. The Xbox 360 can be customised using a variety of faceplates to suit your style or furniture. As can be seen from the specs, the Xbox 360 boasts a custom-built IBM PowerPC CPU running at 3.2GHz with memory at 512MB RAM. The graphics chip is a custom-built ATI chip capable of advanced antialiasing and shader effects. This means that the Xbox 360 will have the processing power to deliver true 720p and 1080i wide-screen HDTV images for all of its games - similar to what the PS3 can achieve. Microsoft are set to continue and improve their Xbox Live feature, being available in silver and gold tiers, with the addition of a new feature: Xbox Live Marketplace where users can access a multitude of demos, maps, skins etc. for download. However, there are no details of an additional cost for this service. Probably the most interesting feature of the Xbox 360 is the Media Center Extender where you can stream video, audio and photos from networked PCs running Windows Media Center Edition. also media can be streamed from portable music players, digital cameras, and Windows XP PCs. Also the Xbox 360 will have a video camera attachment, possibly similar to Sony's Eye-Toy. Currently the Xbox 360 retails for around £200. You can have the choice of whether to buy your system with a 20 GB hard drive - its necessity is up for scrutiny but is a useful addition for caching etc. The Xbox 360 uses the main gaming format, HD-DVD technology compared to the slightly more advanced Blu-ray technology (BD-ROM) used in the PS3. The Xbox 360 is backwards compatible with the top XBOX games. The Nintendo Wii finally had its details announced, and is an interesting alterantive to both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. For many though, the Wii will be seen as the "family" console rather than the graphical realism and power of the big two.

My Pic

2007-02-22T01:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Guyz. Welcome to my blog.

My name is Kasun. I'm 17 years old. I'm a sixth former in Oaks Park High School.

Some latest games consoles

2007-02-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

Games consoles and online gaming

As we know there are so many game consoles in the market today. Many people are playing games to entertain them selves. Actually most of these people are interested in 3D games more than 2D games. So there are so many games consoles in the market today. There are many varieties of games for these consoles. Games consoles are designed for these games. There are three games consoles which can be introduced as new generation games consoles. They are actually new to the market. These game consoles are introduced by three famous electronic companies. They are Sony Play Station Three (Sony), Xbox 360 (Microsoft), Nintendo WII (Nintendo). People used to buy Xbox 360, because they think that it is the best console among these three consoles. Most expensive console among these consoles is PS3. Because it includes the Blu Ray technology, which is introduced to the world during last three months. PS3 contains best 3D graphics from all these games consoles, another special thing about it is people can save games, movies and songs if they want, because PS3 contains a 80GB hard drive. Nintendo WII hasn’t got good graphics but it contains a different type of controller, which represent the future of gaming. All these games consoles include online gaming feature, which people can use to play multiplayer and they can even chat while they are playing the game.

Photos of Wii

Wii console with remote

Wii new generation remote

Best family-friendly game console.

Critics agree that the new Nintendo Wii is addictive, intuitive and fun. Nintendo chose not to compete with Xbox or PS3 when it comes to realistic graphics. Rather, the focus is on the Wii Remote an innovative motion-sensitive controller that gets players off the couch, waving the controller around in the air. Reviews agree that hard-core gamers will be disappointed in the Wii, but that's not the Wii's intended audience. Rather, experts say the Nintendo Wii is great for families and groups. If you prefer intense first-person-shooter games or epic fantasy gaming, you'll be happier with an Xbox 360. But reviews agree that the Nintendo is more of a crowd-pleaser, and it's a lot cheaper than Xbox 360 or PS3. For the Wii, Nintendo took a completely different direction from the Xbox and Play Station. Wii remote is completely different from other controllers. People can use this controller by moving it in different ways rather than pressing buttons on it. For example to play a tennis game you actually swing the controller over your head to simulate a serve. To play an action game you move the remote like a sward or fighting stick, stabbing and jabbing the controller in air. But many people say that Wii remote is not the best first person shooting controller. The other thing is that Wii doesn’t contain good graphics. The Wii right now doesn't play CDs or DVDs, and online gaming also isn't a possibility right now. The Wii comes with a composite cable for connecting to a standard TV or HDTV. If you want to get good graphics on this game console you need to have a HD ready TV, because it hasn’t got a good graphic card like the graphic cards in Xbox or Play station 3. The system can also play games in smoother 480p (about DVD quality). A LAN adapter, for connecting to the Internet with an Ethernet port, is also an option. You don't need to be online to use the Nintendo Wii -- Internet is only needed if you want to download legacy games or get online updates. Nintendo has about 60 games available right now, including Need for Speed: Carbon, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Call of Duty 3, and Excite Truck, along with the latest titles in the Zelda series.

Photos of PS3

Game console

Best new generation game console

This is the most expensive game console at the market today. You can buy PS3 console for just £600 pounds. After years of promises, (some true, some false) the PlayStation 3 is here. But only for a lucky few though, since launch numbers were far below the PS2's Day One tally. Although small numbers of units are coming in each week, the launch left many eager shoppers without, to say the least. But is Sony's new system worth your £600? That depends on a lot of variables, I am afraid. It is difficult to look at this from only one or two angles. If you want to watch Blu-ray movies and play games, then this is an easy choice. You are not going to find a £600 Blu-ray player any time soon. If you are a PS2 owner and are upgrading to a PS3, there are a lot of advantages. If you own a PSP, there are even more features that integrate with your PSP, sweetening the deal even more. However, if you are like me and have owned an Xbox 360 for the past year, you are only going to find a couple things to like, and that might not add up to the hefty asking price. But let’s open the box and see what we got. Strike number one comes fast. Sony says that HD gaming "begins" with the PS3, yet they ship it with a composite cable. I can forgive Nintendo for not shipping the Wii with component cables, but not Sony. Go ahead and add on the cost of component or HDMI cables so you can experience the PS3 as Sony indented. For those who thought the original Xbox was big and heavy, think again. At least the PS3 feels like it cost £600. The SIXAXIS controller, on the other hand, feels very light, as it has no motors. After about a week of playing, however, the weight of the controller is not an issue. These controllers charge over USB, so you get a mini-USB cable for that. It also performs double duty if you want to connect your PSP to your PS3 too. Other things in the box include an Ethernet cable, and if you are lucky, a Blu-ray copy of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Not only does this BD movie not utilize the features of the BD spec, it doesn't really show off the enhanced high definition video that well either. I could have though of better choices to include as a pack-in. Initial setup was a breeze. I chose to use HMDI and it automatically picked 720p as the optimal format. Although there have been some reports of odd HDMI handshaking issues with both BD movies and games, I have had no such problems. The only hiccup I had been when trying to get the Remote Play functionality to work with the PSP, and that was just because I was doing things out of order. But this becomes the most popular game console in this year.