Game Systems

1. Game Systems Xbox 360 and Wii

2. Xbox 360 History • Microsoft spent a lot of money to bring this system to market • They originally sold the console for ($399), less than it took to make ($470). • Used the profit from their Windows software to cover losses • Production costs went down to $375 within a year so a small profit was made • They jumped to market one year ahead of PS3 but with design problems.

3. Xbox 360 Problem • Rushed to market with: • Heat dissipation of the chipset • Seating of the DVD discs • (Laser burn – when the disc gets too close to the laser OR the disc stops spinning and the laser burns the same place for too long).

4. Xbox 360 Solution • Found it’s USP in a proprietary game • HALO and it’s successors (designed by Bungie Studios) • Microsoft BOUGHT Bungie Studios to ensure that Halo didn’t get ported to other systems.

5. Halo 3

6. Nintendo Wii • Couldn’t compete with Sony and Microsoft so they took a different approach: “use a basic system and make the controllers awesome”. • Most advanced user interface • Took apart a Game Cube, added some parts, and turned an updated Game Cube with cool controllers into the Wii. • Wii (pronounced “We”) was named to describe who was playing)

7. Wii Profit • Little experimental technology; low cost to build; lower cost for purchase = high profit margin ($80 - $130 per console) • Proprietary feature: optical disk drive (ODD) games are delivered on optical disks instead of CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. • Wii has poor processing power & graphics compared to PS3 and Xbox 360….. • How do they sell so many then??? What is their USP??

8. Wii USP

9. How it works… • Wii remote senses movement and acceleration: • Movement in 3D space – up/down, left/right, forward/backward • Acceleration – the accelerometer part of the controller reads how fast the remote moves from one point to another • The actual speed & distance is sent from controller to system through bluetooth.

10. Bluetooth wireless technology • Bluetooth technology relays the info from the controller via radio frequency signal into the system. • Nintendo used an “off-the-shelf technology” to save on development costs. • 3ds max, Maya & AutoCAD integrated the Wii remote into their software to move 3D objects and change the view. • Can use to change car radio station, answer cell phone

11. Wii’s niche market • A niche market is a small or narrow market of potential customers similar in characteristics, needs, and wants. • Wii’s niche market includes: • Fitness • Simulation gamers – the Wii is played in real space and displayed in virtual space; experience unique to the Wii. • Drawbacks: needs lots of controllers to play different games, needs batteries.

12. Game Technology Transfer • HD TV – very sophisticated GPUs like in game consoles • Cell phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), touch-screen phones, music players all benefit from game technology • Flash drives – use random access memory flash once used in Nintendo 64 & Playstation 2

13. Game Technology Transfer • Education – navigate UI in games  helps in computer applications, educational games • Medical – surgical procedures through gameplay.(www.freeonlinegames.com) • Corporate – training software, Google SketchUp, learning a foreign language • Military – flight simulators, 3D • Graphics on weapons systems • Satellite imaging

14. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV • Reconnaissance aircraft • Airman or Airwoman sits behind a video display watching 3D imaging from camera mounted on an actual flying plane…. “Game world meets Real world.”

15. FPS Simulators • Realistic rifle controllers and laser guided targeting simulators help soldiers prepare for war, stress and teamwork. • Used in recruiting efforts to demonstrate the teamwork needed to be successful.