Consoles features

There are a number of consoles that have been released over the past 20 years but I will be be discussing the 3rd generation console features which include:

-Xbox 360
-PS3
-Nintendo wii
-PSP

All of these consoles are the latest console with the latest technology to run smooth graphics, produce high quality sounds, real time gaming, on-line gaming and built in hard drives to store the games files.


Xbox 360 s Features:

-Sound
-High resolution output
-Optical output
-Wireless controllers
-4 controllers at once
-Built in wireless
-Built in hard-drive 250gb
-Ethernet
-multi-player

The Xbox 360 s is a brilliant 3rd generation console it allows numerous users to play simultaneously on one console whilst playing on-line, streaming movies and music, importing images, importing videos, importing pictures and soon the ability to search the world wide web as well.

Limitations of the Xbox 360 s:

When the Xbox 360 was first released it had a major flaw called the red rings of death and Microsoft was forced to recall thousands of consoles, the Xbox 360 doesn't support blueray either so games size and graphics are lower than the PS3's. Online gaming also cost £40 per year and the play-station 3 has had the ability to surf the web for a number of years.


PS3 Features:

-Sounds
-High resolution output
-Blue ray
-Wireless controllers
-Optical output
-4 Controllers at once
-Built in wireless
-Ethernet
-Built in hard drive 160gb
-Surf the web
-Multiplayer

The Playstation 3 is high end gaming console just like the xbox 360 it offers all the online features such as videos, music, pictures, online gaming and downloads however the Playstations 3s network is free and the playstations 3s controller offer a wider 6 axis motion support also with the bluray player it offers higher resolution and a higher storage amount on the bluray disc can hold compared to regular CD's


Limitations of the PS3:

When the PS3 was first released it was very expensive and cost nearly £500 pounds therefore sales were slow and because of the PS3 using blue ray the console had few games for it and didn't support PS2 games at first. The PS3's controllers also didn't have the shock feature (vibrations). PlayStation's reputation has also been hurt because of the hacking incident where thousands of PlayStation account details were stolen.


Nintendo Wii features:

-Sound
-Low end resolution
-Wireless controllers (supports game cube controllers)
-4 Controllers at once
-Ethernet cable
-built in wireless
-Motion sensing controllers
-surf the web
-multiplayer

The Nintendo Wii is a low resolution gaming console which offers gaming for the more casual gamin market, they offer a wide range of games that are aimed for young kids such as Mario, Wii sports and Cooking Mama. The Wii does offer online gaming however its nothing like the hardcore online gaming such as the xbox 360 or playstation 3. Surfing the world wide web is also possible on the Wii however it costs extra and the experience is very low resolution and not user friendly. The main reason the Wii has had such an impact on the market is because its the first console to bring in a motion controller which felt good to use and was accurate.

Limitations of the Nintendo Wii:

The Nintendo Wii had very poor graphics only supporting up to 480p (standard definition), the Wii also didn't gain any respect in the hardcore gaming market as shooters and multiplayer online was slow and boring. although the Wii could surf the internet you had to buy the browser for extra money of the store.


PlayStation portable-

-Sound
-Low resolution
-Built in memory
-Portable
-Wireless built in
-Surf the web
-Multiplayer
-UMD Discs

The Playstation portable was the first hardcore gaming device which allowed mobile gaming, by using its own UMD discs you could run high resolution games on the move alongside the options to pause the game go back to the home screen and then continue playing from where you left off.


Limitations the PlayStation portable:

The PlayStation portable had a very poor screen in sunlight resulting in bad viewing angles and in bright sunshine the screen was nearly impossible to see. The PSP also had a low amount of built in memory so a memory card was crucial to store music, photos and videos on there, also the browser didn't support flash and could only handle small internet sites.