Technology in gaming

  It is obvious that over the years the design of a gaming console or controller has become more and more important, to the point where we will indeed judge a console by how it looks and by the feel of its controllers. This can even override the games being produced.

 If we look back to 1998, when they released the Nintendo 64 console and the controller that came with it.

  This was the standard controller that came with the console. Although the machine became popular the controllers basic design was clunky and uncomfortable to hold - it's design was made to work with Super Mario 64, so the player could hold the controller in different ways depending on how they played. Even so the shape of the controller was overlooked as it contained the much ignored analogue stick, something that was mostly ignored or deemed unnecessary up until this consoles release. The analogue stick allowed full movement in 3d games, unlike its D-Pad predecessor that majorly limited movement in game. This is where the trend for analogue sticks on controllers began.

 Now when we look at our newest members of the gaming family, the Xbox one and Play Station 4. With graphics on screen becoming pretty much as good as they can get it was time to look at the more physical aspects of game play. The comfort of the player, how the controller would sit in the palm, how large the console itself would be and it's style. With the aesthetics of consoles becoming more important to a buyer we see more reviews and arguments as to which console "looks" better rather than how it plays. 

 I know personally I am a total sucker for a nice sleek design, chuck in a limited edition design and they can take my money... If I wasn't a student that is.

 I remember, back in 2006 the hype of the release of the Nintendo Wii console, with its revolutionary controller and how everybody hyped over this being the next big thing. Which it was! That is until the Playstation 3 released its own motion controller along with the Xbox 360s Kinect, rendering the Wii relatively obsolete due to out of date graphics and none normal controller - yet it was that intuitive thinking that pushes us forwards in the games industry. The combination of motion control, sleek design and function in the latest consoles - and PC of course, shows how far we have come from just ten years ago.

 

  We have seen the recent release of the Oculus rift, the ability to see directly into the game and your movements effect the player. This has again opened a whole new world of possibilities for game designers, where so many game ideas have been reused over and over, the creation of new technology such as the Oculus gives us a chance to create something new. The limitations of our imaginations are slowly fading away allowing more freedom in design not just for story and graphics, but for how our games can be played as well.

 We see cartoons released years ago showing people playing games directly in their minds, or simulators/holographic characters and to me it seems like we are getting closer and closer to such inventions, with a little bit more time we may not need controllers, or may not even need to move, just play in our heads. Now isn't that a scary thought?

Links and References:

http://sega.wikia.com/wiki/Sega_Mega_Drive

http://www.nowgamer.com/features/2168345/ps4_vs_xbox_one_console_design_review.html

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2014/jan/23/oculus-rift-valve-virtual-reality-kickstarter