Session 4 - The Evolution of Gaming Technology: From CPUs to Controllers

• Computing
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

The Evolution of Gaming Technology: From CPUs to Controllers

Session 4

Learning Objectives

Explore the hardware that is needed to effectively run games

Understand the evolution of gaming technology and its impact on the gaming industry and the gamers.

What do you already know about the technology used in gaming?

Modern Era (2010s-Present): Beyond Cores and Clock Speeds

Modern consoles like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X utilise custom CPUs with multiple cores, allowing for efficient multitasking and background processes. 

While clock speeds remain important, factors like core architecture and instruction sets play a crucial role in performance.

So what is the impact: The focus has shifted from raw clock speed to efficient processing. This enables features like incredibly detailed worlds, high frame rates, and complex AI behaviour in games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War.

However, for the Games Industry the goal remains the same: to push the boundaries of what's possible and deliver ever-more immersive and engaging gaming experiences.

How are advancements in CPUs impacting on gamers?

Cost: High-end CPUs can be expensive, creating a barrier to entry for some gamers who may not be able to afford the latest and greatest hardware. This can lead to frustration or a feeling of being left behind.

Upgrade treadmill: The constant push for better performance can fuel a desire to constantly upgrade your CPU. This can be a drain on finances and can lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction if you can't keep up with the latest releases.

Focus on specs over gameplay: Sometimes, the focus on ever-increasing processing power can overshadow the importance of good game design and engaging gameplay mechanics. A game with a great story and innovative gameplay might get overlooked if it doesn't have the highest-end graphics.

Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)

GPUs are the workhorses for rendering stunning graphics. 

• Powerful GPUs allow for features like high-resolution textures, complex lighting effects, and realistic physics simulations, making games incredibly immersive.

• GPUs are responsible for frame rates, which is the number of images displayed per second. A strong GPU ensures smooth and responsive gameplay, crucial for fast-paced action games.

• Advancements in GPUs enable technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to reach their full potential, opening doors for innovative and immersive gaming experiences.

Cost Barrier: High-end GPUs can be very expensive, creating a significant barrier to entry for gamers on a budget. This can lead to a gap between those who can afford cutting-edge visuals and those who can't.

Bottlenecks: A powerful GPU can be bottlenecked by a less powerful CPU, limiting its performance. This can be frustrating for gamers who invest heavily in a GPU but don't see the full benefit due to other hardware limitations.

Focus on Graphics over Substance: The emphasis on ever-better graphics can sometimes overshadow other aspects of game design like story, level design, and innovative gameplay mechanics. A visually stunning game might not be fun if it lacks depth or engaging gameplay.

What could potentially render your high-end GPU to be useless?

Bottlenecks: A powerful GPU can be bottlenecked by a less powerful CPU, limiting its performance. This can be frustrating for gamers who invest heavily in a GPU but don't see the full benefit due to other hardware limitations.

What can the RAM do to improve Gameplay?

Random Access Memory (RAM)

• Faster Loading Times: Games rely on RAM to store frequently accessed data like textures, maps, and in-game mechanics. With enough RAM, this data is readily available, leading to quicker loading times and a smoother transition between areas in the game.

• Improved Performance: RAM allows the CPU to quickly access the information it needs to run the game. If there's not enough RAM, the CPU gets bogged down retrieving data from the slower storage drive (HDD/SSD), leading to stuttering, frame rate drops, and overall sluggish gameplay.

• Multitasking While Gaming: If you like to keep other programs open while you play (like a web browser or chat window), sufficient RAM ensures smooth performance for both the game and other applications.

The amount of RAM you need depends on the types of games you play and your multitasking habits?

Changes in Peripheral Devices

Gaming controllers have come a long way since their humble beginnings, constantly evolving to create a more intuitive and immersive experience for gamers. 

• Early Days (1970s-80s): Simple joysticks or D-pads for directional control and a few buttons for basic actions were the norm. 
• The Rise of Buttons and Shoulder Buttons (1990s): allowed for more complex gameplay with dedicated jump and attack.
• Shoulder buttons on the PlayStation controller (1994): opened doors for additional actions like aiming or camera control, crucial for 3D games.
• Dual Analog Sticks and Rumble (1990s-2000s): The arrival of dual analog sticks revolutionised 3D games, allowing for independent control of movement and view. 
• Rumble features added a new layer of immersion by providing physical feedback during gameplay.
• Wireless Freedom and Motion Controls (2000s-Present): offered a new level of freedom and comfort during gameplay.
• Motion controls: introduced a completely new way to interact with games, adding a physical element to gameplay.
• Advanced Haptics and Customisation (2010s-Present): haptic feedback that can simulate different textures and in-game events, further enhancing immersion and customisable controllers with features like mappable buttons and adjustable triggers, allowing gamers to personalise their experience.

What is the Shoulder button?

Does storage matter?

Why does it matter - what can it actually improve for either the Industry or the Gamer?

Storage and the Impact on Industry

You're right, storage plays a crucial role in the gaming industry and the experiences of gamers. Here's how advancements in storage technology have impacted both:

• Game Size and Complexity: Modern games with high-resolution textures, detailed environments, and complex features require massive amounts of storage space. Advancements in storage have allowed developers to create these expansive and visually stunning games.

• Digital Distribution Growth: The shift towards digital game distribution relies heavily on high-capacity storage solutions.  Platforms like Steam need efficient storage to house vast libraries of games for download.

• Faster Development Cycles: Improved storage speeds like those offered by SSDs can significantly reduce development times. This allows studios to iterate faster, test content more efficiently, and potentially release games quicker.

Storage and the Impact on Gamers

• Faster Load Times: One of the most noticeable benefits of faster storage (SSDs) for gamers is significantly reduced loading times. Less time waiting between levels, menus, and in-game areas, creating a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
• Larger Game Libraries: With larger storage capacities (HDDs and newer, higher capacity SSDs), gamers can install and maintain bigger game libraries. This allows them to switch between games more readily without having to constantly uninstall and reinstall titles.

• Improved Open World Experiences: Faster storage speeds contribute to smoother performance in open-world games. This allows for seamless world streaming and minimises pop-in (textures or objects suddenly appearing) during gameplay.

• Potential for Future Advancements: Emerging storage technologies like NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) promise even faster data transfer speeds, potentially leading to even more immersive and seamless gaming experiences.

The future of storage in gaming is likely to see continued advancements in speed and capacity. We can expect:

More Affordable SSDs: As SSD technology matures, prices are likely to become more competitive, making them a more accessible option for gamers.

Increased Storage Integration: Consoles and PCs might come with more storage pre-installed or offer easier upgrade options to accommodate the ever-growing size of games.

Cloud Storage Integration: Cloud storage could play a bigger role in game libraries, allowing gamers to stream specific parts of games or store less-frequently played titles without sacrificing local storage space.

What about those outputs?

Output devices are the final link in the gaming experience, translating all the processing power and data into the sights and sounds we enjoy. 

• Monitors: The evolution of monitors from bulky CRTs to high-resolution displays with features like HDR (High Dynamic Range) and faster refresh rates has been instrumental. This allows gamers to experience incredibly detailed visuals, smoother motion, and a wider range of colours, making games more immersive and visually stunning.
• Speakers: From basic bundled speakers to surround sound systems and high-fidelity audio options, advancements in speaker technology have brought in-game sound to life. Crisp sound effects, rich music scores, and accurate positional audio all contribute to a more immersive and engaging experience.
• Headsets: Gaming headsets have become a popular choice, offering not only high-quality audio but also clear voice chat capabilities. Features like active noise cancellation and spatial audio further enhance immersion by isolating players from background noise and creating a realistic soundscape within the game world.
• Haptic Feedback Controllers: can simulate in-game sensations like the rumble of a car engine, the kickback of a weapon, or the feeling of walking on different textures. This adds a new layer of immersion and realism to gameplay.
• Virtual Reality (VR) headsets: create a fully immersive visual and auditory experience, VR allows players to truly step inside the game world and interact with it in new ways.

Cost: High-end monitors, VR headsets, and top-tier sound systems can be expensive, creating a barrier to entry for some gamers.

Compatibility: Not all output devices are compatible with all devices. Gamers need to ensure compatibility between their chosen output device and their gaming console or PC.

Space Requirements: Large-screen monitors and VR setups require dedicated space, which may not be feasible for all gamers.

Enhancements in Network Connections

In groups discuss the improvements in network connectivity for gaming and its influence on multiplayer experiences.

Improvements in Network Technology:

Here are some advancements that have addressed these issues:

Quality of Service (QoS): Routers with QoS features prioritize gaming traffic over other data streams, ensuring a smoother online gaming experience.

Improved Network Infrastructure: Internet service providers (ISPs) are constantly upgrading their networks to handle the ever-growing demand for online gaming, minimizing congestion and packet loss.

Gaming-Specific Servers: Many game developers invest in dedicated servers optimized for their games, minimizing latency and jitter.

Homework: Technology's Impact on Game Design

For homework explore how technological advancements have influenced game design and development.

Be prepared to share your findings next week.

Write down one thing you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.