HiFi Geek

THE MOST TALKED ABOUT, MICROSOFT XBOX CRYSTAL GAME CONSOLE

Microsoft launched a new product named Microsoft Xbox Crystal Game Console that is a crystal game console played only in Xbox platform and can be connected with the desktop. The users can use a computer monitor. It has an 8 inches screen and embedded with a 128 bit processor which has the ability to access the games with the maximum processing speed up to 733 MHz. The Xbox Crystal comes with:

An Xbox platform,

DVD Media,

4 controller ports,

128 bit processor,

Ethernet port connections,

Processing speed of up to 733,

A screen and

A main power source.

You can use either Ethernet port or system link for connectivity. The total unit weighs 4 kilo grams that is not too heavy to lift. It has the potential to support of DVD media with an attractive exterior and outlook.

SUPPLIES OF Wii

The Wii optical discs are packed in a keep case with an instruction manual and their retail boxes have a triangle at the bottom corner of the paper, the color of which can help to identify the region it belongs to and the language included in it.

NEW GAMES

Games e.g. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., and Fire Emblem have either released or are soon to be released on the Wii.Virtual console allows the Wii users to play other games through internet which can be stored to the internal flash memory of Wii o to a removable SD Card. There is also the option of playing the content not endorsed by Nintendo called homebrew e.g. WiiCade.

AWARD WINING OF Wii

At the exhibition at E3 at 2006, Nintendo Wii received the GAME CRITIC AWARD FOR THE BEST OF SHOW and BEST HARDWARE. In the December 2006, it was awarded with the GRAND AWARD WINNER IN HOME ENTERTAINMENT. On the Best and Worst awards in 2006, Game spot chose Wii as the best hardware. It was also chosen as one of the PC’s world magazine’s 20 most innovative products of the year and received a golden joystick at the golden joystick awards in 2007.Nintendo was awarded an emmy for the innovation of its controller in the category of Engineering and Technology by the national academy of television and arts.

PLAY STATION 3

ABOUT PLAYSTATION 3
The manufacturers of the PlayStation 3 popularly known as the PS3 with 80 GB are Sony Computer Entertainment, Foxcon and the ASUSTek for SCEI.It is the third home video gaming console from the family of the PlayStation belonging to the seventh generation era, the same as the Nintendo Wii.PS3 is the successor the PlayStation 2 first released on the 11th of November 2006 in Japan and India, 17th November 2006 in North America and 23rd Marc 2007 in Europe and Oceania and India. Since the launch, many new changes have been introduced to this console.

It has given a tough competition to the Xbox 360 of Microsoft along with an attractive price tag. It was heard that they phased out their 40 GB PlayStation 3 as it costed similar to the 80 GB one which has a street price of $399 including the features: Blue-ray Player, HDMI output, integrated WiFi connection, a Cell Broadband Engine and 140 titles. Till June 30, 2008 it sold about 14.41 million pieces with the best selling game of Motor storm selling 3.31 million as of December 2007.

REQUIREMENTS
Its requirements include:
A CPU of 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE and 7 SPEs.
A GPU of 550 MHz NVIDIA/SCEI RSX ‘Reality Synthesizer’.
Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD.
System storage of 2.5″ SATA hard drive.
Controller input upto 7 Sixaxis/DualShock 3 Controllers.
A Flash Memory input /Memory stick/PRO/DUO for 60 and 80 GB models.
SD/MMC for 60 and 80 GB models.
Compact flash/ Micro drive for 60 and 80 GB models.
For the audio/video output, AHDMI 1.3a out, S/PDIF out, AV multi out,
Composite video/stereo audio cable, S-Video cable, SCART cable,
Component video cable, D terminal cable, IEEE 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), 4x USB 2.0 (2x 40GB Models) and a wired gigabit Ethernet.

FEATURES OF THE PS3
One feature of the PlayStation 3 that outstands it from the rest of its version is its online gaming service in the PlayStation network. Another main feature is its use of the optical disc, blue-ray disc along with the multimedia capability to connect with the PlayStation Portable. The PS3 includes 9 categories in its Xross MediaBar that are: Photo, Music, Video, Game, Network in which the player can shop online trough the PlayStation stores, PlayStation Network and Friend in which the user can mail with the emoticons and pictures and even video chat with the friends.

Here a user can store different master and secondary profiles, manage and explore photos even with a musical slide show, play and copy music to their storage device, play movies and videos from the hard disc drive, a full web browser supporting in/compatible file download functions. Sony announced that they will introduce PlayStation network cards that will allow the user to shop from the network using the cards as money. Also with the network, you can create an avatar of your play station 3 customizing its apartment where he lives, clothes, and pets. The home will be a virtual place for you to live and will act as a meeting point for multiplayer games.

COMPONENETS OF PS3
The PS3 has 5 hardware models according to the size of the hard disc which are “20″, “40″, “60″, “80″ and “160″ GB. The retail packages include:
One or two six axis controllers and/or 3 Dual shock controllers.
1 MiniUSB to USB cable to connect the controller to the system.
1 composite stereo/video audio output cable.
1 Ethernet cable but not with the 40GB and 160GB models.
1 Power cable.
A USB port 2.0.

802.11 b/g WiFi, flash card readers, chrome trim, SACD supporters and the
Compatibility of the PS2.
The 20 GB, 60GB, 80GB and 160GB models were available in a single colour of piano black while the 40 GB in piano black, ceramic white, satin silver and gun metal grey. All have a glossy finish.

SALES OF THE PLAYSTATION 3
The PS3 had literally hit the markets with its sales so much that it led to the shortage of the product. Following are the no. of units sold and the date of launching respectively:

CANADA- 520000 units sold and released on the 17th November 2006

EUROPE- 5 million units sold and released on 23rd March 2007.

JAPAN- 2.32 million units sold and released on 11th November 2006

UNITED KINGDOM- 1.4 million units sold and released on 23rd March 2007.

UNITED STATES- 1.4 million units sold and released on 17th November 2006.

This led to the whole sales adding upto 14.41 million units and more till date.

DESIGNING OF THE PS3
The PlayStation 3 is curve on its left side when vertical with a nice and glossy finish with the logo of the play station on its left. It has a slot loading 2 x speeds Blu ray disc drive for the games to be inserted. It uses the Cell Microprocessor from IBM as the CPU. The hardware of the PlayStation 3 is even used to make the super computers with high performance.

ACCESSORIES OF THE PS3
The PS3 comes with many accessories like it remote controller, the Play station eye camera, upcoming Play TV DVB-T tuner/digital video recorder etc.

SOFTWARE DESIGN
There is the facility PlayStation has provided so system software where the player can download the updates from the PlayStation network or the PlayStation website and install them on their PS3.The PlayStation 3 can also install the other operating systems on it.

CONNECTIVITY WITH OTHER PLAYSTATIONS
The play station 3 can be connected to the play station portable in many different ways one of which is in-game connectivity. Also it is possible to download PS1 games from the PlayStation network. The PSP can play the cideos of the PS3 using an ad hoc wireless network referred to as remote play located under the browser icon on both the PS3 and PSP.

AVAILABLE GAMES FOR THE PS3
The PS3 was launched with 12 titles in America with 3 add ons with the FALL OF THE MAN as the top selling game praised by various website of games including game spot and Ignites game include: Heavenly Sword, Lair, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, War hawk and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Motor storm, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, LittleBigPlanet, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and White Knight Chronicles, The Agency, an MMO shooter, God of War III, Kill Zone 2etc etc.

REVIEWS FOR THE PLAYSTATION 3
The PlayStation 3 got mostly bad views by the websites for its high price lack of quality games though after the revision of its prices lots of times and the launch of its better games like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune etc, the reviews changed to a little better than before. It was given the eighth position in the PC world magazine list for top 21 tech screw ups of 2006 as it was criticized for being late, incompatible and high cost. Game radar ranked it on top for the game related disasters but even said that it had untapped potential.

The CNET United Kingdom praised it saying that it is a versatile and an impressive piece of entertainment and is worth of its high cost. NET awarded it 8.8 marks on the rating of 10 and voted it as a must have for its robust graphics and stylish exterior design although criticizing its availability of the games. Also, the Home Theatre Magazine and the Ultimate AV have given the blu-ray playback nice views for its quality and for the convergal panel stating it as the best media center product in the year 2007-2008.At GDC 2007 Shiny Entertainment’s founder Dave Perry summed it up by saying that it is the best machine with the best hardware. The original launch review marked it 6/10 whereas the Ars Technicia marked it 9/10.