In the previous installment about video game consoles, we covered the origin of Sony’s PlayStation, the current models, and what they do. This time around, we’ll go over Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
If you’re wondering what the differences are between all the brands, you’ve come to the right place. So hang on to your game controller as we tackle Part Two of “Video Game Consoles: Which one should you buy?”
Xbox 101
Microsoft was considered a late comer in the game industry and didn’t offer its version of a video game console until 2001 with its Xbox. By then the field was led by Sony’s PlayStation, and Nintendo’s GameCube.
When the Xbox first arrived on the scene, it sported several milestones such as the first video console to offer an onboard hard disk drive, the first one to offer Dolby Interactive Content Encoding Technology that allowed real-time audio rather than going to pre-recorded playback while playing, and a superior integrated online gaming service called Xbox Live that allowed members to play interactive games with each other via a broadband connection. More...
Not everyone understands the differences between the various video game consoles that are currently sold at department and electronics stores. To the untrained eye, they all basically look the same—rectangular shaped boxes that are operated with devices called “game controllers.”
For those who want a little more light shed on this topic, we’ll go over the major video game consoles, what they do, their advantages, and who might be interested in buying one.
So get ready because it’s game on, dude!
Sony PlayStation 101
An interesting note in video game history is that Sony partnered with Nintendo in the late 1980s to develop a new CD ROM disk player for the Super Nintendo game machine. Up till then, the SNES was strictly run off of game cartridges that were plugged into the machine. The finished video game console was revealed at the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show and was dubbed the Super Famicom/SNES.
One day after the unveiling of the device, Nintendo broke its partnership with Sony and signed on with Philips Electronics instead. The resulting bad blood between the two companies ended with Sony forming Sony Computer Entertainment. Its first order of business was to develop a new video game console to compete with Nintendo.
In 1994, the Sony PlayStation was born and drove Nintendo SNES sales into the ground, and basically ended the life of the SNES. The first Sony PlayStation became a worldwide hit with over 102 million units sold. It was discontinued in 2006. More...
On Wednesday February 20 in New York City, Sony introduced its successor to its PlayStation 3 and from the looks of it, it may help Sony regain some of the lost ground it has given up to Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game consoles in the past few years.
Supercharged
For starters those who attended the press conference was told the new PS4 was similar to a “supercharged PC.” These words were not uttered in hyperbole as the PlayStation 4 sports an eight-core processor. That’s right, eight cores.
With this much power, you could probably calculate the next probe launch trajectory to the moon and back. But one thing is certain, that extra power under the hood will definitely mean a boost in performance in processing graphics and other game tasks with ease. More...
By Frank Ling
As everyone knows, mobile phones aren’t just for making calls – they’ve evolved into devices that help us to do tasks such as schedule our week, remind us of events, surf the web, take photos, shop online, and of course, play games!
We've selected some of our top picks for mobile phone games and hope that you'll get as much fun out of these as we do. But we never play these games during work or school hours, right? (wink, wink)
Angry Birds
The game Angry Birds has the distinction of being the most popular game app in history with over 500,000 downloads. It only takes a minute to learn but the game has such an assortment of fun physics-based puzzles that you can literally spend days in trying to solve some of the more challenging levels.
Gameplay is simple: slingshot various birds to crash into green pigs and other baddies. There is a selection of different types of birds for each version of Angry Birds, each one possessing a unique power. Some act as bombs, others can split up into several smaller birds, and one even blows itself up like a balloon. More...
By Frank Ling
If you want to see some sparks fly among dedicated gamers and smartphone users, just mention that smartphones are as good as handheld game consoles for gaming---you’ll witness some intense debates on the subject and in some cases, perhaps a bit of yelling, too.
To clear the air, we’ll try to give a general overview of the two types of devices and make a determination on which one wins in terms of being the best portable mobile video game platform.
Handheld game consoles
When it comes to these types of gaming machines, Nintendo rules the pack as far as the selection of different models. They range from the standard versions such as the DS Lite to Nintendo’s crowning achievement, the 3DS, which offers three-dimensional graphics that pop right out of the screen without wearing special glasses.
Sony offers three handheld gaming machines; the Sony PSP ( PlayStation Portable) that allows gamers to play from Sony’s library of old and new games; the PSP Go, a smaller edition of the PSP; and the recently launched Sony Vita that sports a quad-core processor, super-fast performance, 3G connectivity, and other upgrades.More...