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Seventh generation - a brief history
Video
Games and Consoles
The evolutionary site for
Video games
The Seventh Generation
Seventh
Generation Video Games – What is it? Here's a brief
history.
We are now
all experiencing The
Seventh Generation of video games. You might say that we are
Children of the Seventh Genration and this includes all ages. One
wonders how many have even heard of it!
The Seventh Generation brought the arrival of new disc formats, albeit
that only one format seems to have survived to this day: the Blue-ray
disc as used by the PlayStation 3 and the HD DVD as used by the Xbox
360. The XBox HD DVD was used through an optional accessory
but
this later fell by the wayside in the format war that ensued. Not
Microsoft’s finest moment!
One really significant feature to arrive on the scene is the use of
motion as an input medium. This is of course used extensively
by
the Nintendo Wii and also by different means, the Playstation
3.
The Wii of course also utilises Infra Red tracking; perhaps the
mainstay of the Wii concept. Last but not least, all Seventh
Generation systems support standard wireless controllers.
Of course, only the biggest players in manufacturing have been able to
develop the Seventh Generation games systems:
XBox 360
Microsoft are behind the XBox 360 and believe it or not,
this was
launched as long ago as November 2005. Their HD DVD drive
didn’t really take off and although originally available as
an
accessory, the format has been dropped.
The XBox Live service can be connected to the internet
either
through its built-in Ehternet port or its Wi-Fi accessory.
Currently available in three versions, the XBox can be bought in the
entry level "Arcade" version; a Standard version using a hard drive and
an "Elite" version, also using HD. The biggest difference between these
versions is their storage capacity.. The Arcade edition has
256MB
storage, the Standard version has a 60GB hard drive capacity, whilst
the Elite comes with a 120GB drive. They all come with
wireless
controllers and to make it clear if one has splashed out on the Elite,
the console and controllers are in Black, so your friends will
definitley know! The other differences relate to what games
are
bundled, cables etc.
The Xbox 360 is capable of outputting full 1080p through
HDMI and component cables.
Sony Playstation 3
The Sony Playstation 3 was launched in Japan and the USA in
November 2006. Europe had to wait for the PS3 until March
2007.
All PlayStation 3s come with a hard drive and are able to
play
Blue-ray disc movies and games, striaght from the box. The PlayStation
3 was the first video game console to support HDMI out of the box,
utilizing full 1080p. For the anoraks out there,
“HDMI”
stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and the
“1080” refers to the number of lines of vertical
resolution
and 1080 horizontal scan lines – those who remember the old
CRT
televisons will remember being able to see the lines as there were far
less. The bottom line with HDMI is fabulous resolution!
It is possible to connect up to seven devices to the
console
through Bluetooth, including the controllers with tilt-sensing
capabilities.
There are a number of versions of Playstation 3 on the
market but
they appear to vary according to the region in which
purchased.
No doubt there is wisdom in the regionalised marketing but to go into
the various specifications extend beyond the scope of this brief
article. Anyway, in the writer’s opinion, they are
all good!
The Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo Wii was launched in the USA in November 2006
and in Japan, Australia and Europe in December 2006.
At odds with the other Seventh Generation
systems, the Wii
does not utilise an internal hard drive. One can argue that
the
lack of moving parts for a system that is expected to take a few
knocks, might be regarded as an advantage as the Wii uses 512 MB of
internal Flash memory and removable SD card storage. SD stands for
“Secure Digital” and you have most likely used one
of these
in your mobile telephone or even your camera or video recorder.
Although a fan of the Wii, one has to admit that the
maximum
resolution output of only 480p is a slight disappointment, making it
the only seventh generation console not outputting high-definition
graphics. However, the fun to be had and lower price is generally
regarded as more than adequate compensation.
Central to the Wii experience is the Wii’s
cutting edge
controller, which afficionados will know as “the Wii
remote” and it does indeed resemble a TV remote control unit.
The
players face the system sensor, which also emits infrared
light.
This is captured by an infrared receiver in the Wii remote and is then
translated by the brilliant software to interpret orientation relative
to the source. People used to think one would need to use Virtual
Reality headgear to experience this sensation. It was the
stuff
you would see in Sci-Fi movies. The Wii has brought this into
the
average family’s living room.
The Wii is the first Nintendo console to be back-compatible
with
previous Nintendo consoles and will be seen as a bonus for owners of
GameCube games; in fact the Wii will support four GameCube controllers
and two memory cards.
All in all............. It is fair to say that Seventh Generation has changed the
way
people see Video Games. Previously the exclusive territory of
children and adolescents, the Seventh Genration console systems are
being purchased increasingly by mature adlults.