Exploring the Platforms:
Platforms:
- Consoles: A video game console is a device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video game. Consoles are simple to use, very straight forward and their main purpose is Gaming, while some other platforms are not, like PC's, tablets and mobiles. Console gaming has a lot of variety and usually promote interaction and sharing between users.
Most consoles require a Monitor, except for portable consoles such Nintendo DS or PSP. In terms of hardware, Consoles fit their purpose but other platforms such as PC can have better specifications. Hardcore and even Mid-Core gamers may need memory expansion hardware if they play a lot of games on it. Mostly used by kids and teenagers, more males than females and all kinds of players (casual, mid-core, hard-core…) because of the flexibility of the controllers, the quality of games and the ease to share gameplay and achievements.
- PCs: In terms of home video games, the PC is the oldest gaming platform that we still use today. PC's are very versatile and can fit many purposes and gaming is one of the most popular ones.
PC's can have really good specifications and can easly beat any other platform in that area, especially in the graphics section. There are a lot of games that you can mod and customise on PC that you can't on other platforms, like GTA V and this can be very enjoyable for players. On the other hand, PC can be confusing and hard to use and you most likely have to use Windows because a lot of games are only compatible with this operating system. And good gaming PC's are usually very expensive, like the Alienware Area-51 (£1,349 ~ £4,139) for example. Usually used by mid-core and hardcore gamers because it has great graphics, takes more skill to play on PC and there is a competitive side to it.
- Handheld devices: There are several handheld devices that can be used for gaming, such as portable consoles (PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy...), Tablets and mobiles. These devices can be used anywhere which is good. Portable consoles can be better for gaming because their games are well produced, contrary to tablets and mobiles where games are usually low-budget. Tablets and mobiles have a good touch screen that can promote creativity from the users, the tablet's screen is usually bigger that a phone one so it may be easier to use. Handheld devices are usually used for gaming by kids and casual gamers because of its ease to use and its creative side, the touch screen and its portability.
- Mobile: Altough it's not its main purpose mobile phones can be used to play games. Their hardware and specifications are not the best for gaming. They cannot compete with PC's or Consoles in that area. Most mobile games are free but have a lot of ads and have micro-transactions.
The paid games are usually cheap, ad-free and very enjoyable. On the other hand they are really easy to use and normally everybody has a mobile phone. They can be used anywhere. The touch screen that a lot of phones nowadays have can be used in creative ways for gaming, and PC's and Consoles don't usually have that. They are usually used for gaming by kids and casual gamers probably because it is portable and most of phones nowadays have touch screens making it easier to use for children.
- Tablets: A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touch screen interface. Its touch screen is usually big, accurate and easy to use which can make it more appealing to casual players. A tablet's touch screen also increases the variety of games and the producers can be very creative when making games. On the contrary, hardware and specifications of this platform are not the best for gaming as they can't support "heavier" games (games that require better hardware). Mostly used for casual gaming and children.
Platform Specifications:
- Screen Resolution: The screen resolution is the number of pixels in each dimension that can be displayed as image. This specifications affects the graphics quality of a game, higher the resolution, better the graphics. Examples: Nintendo 3DS (800x240), iPhone5s (1136x 40), etc.
- Polygon and pixel counts: The number of pixels is connected to the amount of information within an image.
- Frames per Second: Frames per second is the frequency at which an imaging device displays consecutive frames. Some examples are: Forza Motorsport 6 (60FPS), Halo 5 (60FPS)
- RAM/CPU/size and speeds: RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of data storage accessed randomly. You need a certain amount of RAM so that a game runs. Most games can run with 8GB of RAM because all games run in a 32 bit mode, but higher RAM is safer. Examples: Xbox One (8GB), Nintendo 3DS (128MB).
CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the processor of the computer, the most important component of it. This affects games a lot, it influences their performance and their FPS's. Bad CPU can lead to poor gaming experience. Examples of CPU: Intel Core i7, AMD Opteron 8 Core, etc.
