Tag Archives: Xbox
Artificial Intelligence And Xbox 360
Artificial Intelligence And Xbox 360
Let’s leave the format war between Sony and Microsoft and explore a gaming phenomena that unquestionably improves current gaming trends — Artificial Intelligence, or AI to many. Touted to make new breakthroughs and trends in the world of gaming, AI is the enabling of intricate decision-making capabilities in a software. Speaking of AI, the Xbox 360 boasts of an AI-capable system designed and developed by many brilliant and innovative engineers. Though the Xbox also has this feature, it is more pronounced and better in the new console combined with the HD DVD technology.
Of course, such high-quality consoles deserve top-notch games and the developers stepped up to the challenge. Game developers for Xbox and its new improved counterpart also added AI programs to their games, giving the in-game personas the ability to think like a real person. With the vast power of the new consoles, the whole universe of gaming comes alive. A summary of the improvements AI bring to online gaming: non-player characters or NPCs act in realistic manner, not to mention that allies are more helpful and enemies become more fiendish than ever.
Such simplistic notions cannot fully express the benefit of AI in a game sequence. The simplicity of the summation only contrives to hide the complexity of the AI behind the Xbox 360. But the concept of AI is not a modern one. In fact, AI is a subject of discussion, debates, and practical simulations within the academic setting for years. Chris Satchell, Microsoft’s General Manager for Game Development, attests to this fact. From the development of Pac-Man, game designers and developers have been employing the use of AI, even if it is just in its simplest state. Take Pac-Man for example, wherein the main objective is to eat as many golden pellets as possible without being eaten by the “ghosts.” This simplicity is matched by the elementary pre-scripted AI patterns used. The ghosts almost always follow a straight line but they deviate from their path when they sense your presence. It is noticeable especially when your Pac-Man does not change position at all — the ghosts move according to the path, changing directions only when they get close to you.
Twenty years later since Pac-Man, family computers, and many computer hardware changes, game developers still use the same simplistic AI tricks. The hardwares evolve to accommodate the intensity of the modern graphics as well as the sound system for more biting audio. However, despite these changes, AI programs continue to be a sort of last-minute addition. In fact, the programs are deemed to be unimportant in gaming. As a result, the NPCs, largely remained as stupid bots who don’t move even if caught in a crossfire. This is what the AI programs for the Xbox 360 take care of.
Satchell affirms that the new processing model composed of three powerful symmetric cores more than makes up for the lack of “reality” of the old console models. He asserts that this new Microsoft innovation is really a paradigmatic shift because the standard for game consoles and computer hardware is the use of a single core. He added that this shift to a three-core system will add considerable burden to the lives of game developers but add to greater delight of all Xbox 360 gamers. This is because a fully AI-capable three-core system provides greater flexibility and more cycles which make gaming more exciting and interesting.
The key to achieving that is to make sure that the AI programs of the new Xbox run smoothly on all three cores. Therefore, the developers need to take extensive sections from their codes and test it on all three cores. As a result of all these great efforts, the CPU’s main processor does not take all the burden of handling multiple tasks; instead, the added cores take over the job. The results are more efficient gaming, sharper graphics, quality audio, and thinking characters which give Xbox 360 games advantage over others.
Which Nexgen Console Is Right For You (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii)
Which Nexgen Console Is Right For You (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii)
If you are looking for a NextGen Console, then the three main choices are the PS3, the XBOX 360, and the Nintendo Wii. Each have their own characteristics, advantages, game catalog and selection, so it pays to review the best of each before you make your decision, if it is time for an upgrade or new purchase.
The Playstation 3 or PS3 is from Sony. This game box is set up for online multiplayer gaming with three Ethernet networking ports for broadband internet connections or linking up with your computer. The PS3 has next-gen storage capabilities, at 80, 60, 40 or 20 GB. The system also has WIFI and USB ports. Some of these systems also accept flash cards and have Blue-Ray capabilities, as well as DVD. You should be able to keep your old Playstation games with an upgrade.
For most gamers, the PS3 was a big snooze. Compared to the XBOX 360 or Wii, something seemed to be lacking. The Playstation 3 did not seem so much different than the previous version, nor the games. So, a big question is, can the PS3 really bounce back, through better development of games for this platform or for new services and capabilities in the PS4? What will it take to bring the spice back to the Playstation platform? For the most part it is the distraction of much better competition than existed in the early days of the Playstation line. Another is simply the boredom and burnout that many gamers may have experienced after years of the same Playstation games. For them, a change to a new xbox system or wii is like a whole different experience. For the casual user, or for those who play mostly popular games that are found on all systems as well as PCs, it won’t make much difference.
The PS3 offers as much bang for the buck as any other gaming system. So it is mostly a question that if you have been using the Playstation for many years and playing the same games, the new look and feel of the xbox and wii will be more interesting. But do they really have better games, graphics, sounds, and extra features? Probably. The PS3 is a bit light when it comes to comparing to the others. But if you are willing to spend enough money, it is possible to customize the new PS3 completely. The other set ups seem to give a more interesting variety for similar investment. The PS3 does have the advantage of the sleek consumer design and tradition of Sony. But much like the last generation of Vaio laptops, it seemed to be an off year for the company. Nevertheless, there are some hardcore gamers who will never leave the platform. For them, the PS4 is sure to be as popular, if not more than, the PS3. Otherwise, the rest will be switching to the XBOX as a gaming platform of choice. You can go to Best Buy or Circuit City and test each one out for yourself before you buy and see which games are most interesting. But the big factor is price. At a standard cost of two to three times the XBOX or Wii, does the PS3 really have that much more to offer? Sales figures suggest that cost will determine the popularity of one similar product over another. But if the other has more features and is half the price, which would you choose? For this reason the XBOX is recommended over the PS3 for most.
The XBOX 360 is a mash up from Microsoft, IBM, ATI, and other companies. It is said to be part of Microsoft’s strategy to compete actively in the gaming market. This set up comes with a nice, custom gaming console that is sure to make playing all the games easy and fun. It also has a remote control and head set. There is a lot of hard disc space and a Microsoft operating system, so that and the many, many excellent games for the XBOX systems make it the top choice.
Compared to this is the Nintendo Wii, the new release following the Game Cube series from Nintendo. The operating system is also quite good on this system, with lots of memory and storage space. This comes with a remote control and a nunchuck, but it is no comparison to the XBOX set up. The real hope is the Wii may generate some new concepts in gaming and gaming possibilities. There is still the excellent round up of games for the system
One of the interesting, new developments with the Nintendo Wii system is the Mii Channel. The Mii system allows you to create 3-D avatars on your Wii system. Nintendo is launching an online Mii Channel that will allow users to share these avatars and vote on them. Wii users love the ability to create avatar models of themselves, their friends, and families to take part in traditional video game roles. The increase in video games allowing users to manifest as their own Mii is also sure to increase. As users can save their Mii on their Wii system and use the same avatar to play different games, it is also hoped that this system will advance to allow the avatars to enter into other online virtual worlds.
The future for this system has a lot of possibilities for video game players. An advanced Mii system will first have to incorporate better design tools and graphics for the avatars. Users will want to spend their time to create avatars with all of the characteristics they need to enter and play the video games. These avatars should also be able to incorporate their own tools or gadgets from game to game, or platform to platform. Having the avatars able to be customized in this manner, different avatars with various configurations of features, accessories, spells, and so forth can be saved on the game box like the Wii.
If the Mii avatar can be made to apply in a wider variety of game applications, including online MMORG environments, then it will be an interesting success. The worry is that allowing avatars to carry gadgets from other systems in games that were not designed for them could completely change the game itself. But the advantages of having an avatar with all of the attributes, accessories, and additions one wants ready, before entering the game’s environment to participate is clear. The ability to carry acquisitions found in one game by the avatar into another game is also interesting. A lot of new possibilities for video game development exist in the further expansion of the Mii avatar on the Nintendo Wii gaming system, and into other platforms.
In summary, the recommendation is to go with the XBOX 360 for its great all around package of console, operating system, ports, and game catalog. The Nintendo Wii will come on strong if game developers expand some of the new possibilities inherent in the system. Otherwise, we’ll be waiting for Wiii.