Download Unit 09 - Work To Do Home page

COMPUTER GAME PLATFORMS
AND TECHNOLOGIES
L/600/6610
LO2 - Understand hardware technologies
for game platforms
Learning Outcome
(LO)
The learner will:
Pass
The assessment criteria are
the pass requirements for
this unit.
The learner can:
Merit
For merit the evidence
must show that, in
addition to the pass
criteria, the learner is
able to:
Distinction
For distinction the
evidence must show that,
in addition to the pass
and merit criteria, the
learner is able to:
1
Understand game
platform types
P1
Describe game
platform types with
some appropriate use
of subject terminology
M1 - Describe how
computer games
platform types have
developed over time
D1 - Explore potential
future gaming platform
types
2
Understand
hardware
technologies for
game platforms
P2
Describe hardware
technologies for game
platforms with some
appropriate use of
subject terminology
M2 - Describe mobile
technologies for game
platforms
D2 - Evaluate the
suitability of mobile
technologies for game
play
3
Understand
software
technologies for
game platforms
P3
Describe software
technologies for game
platforms expressing
ideas with some
appropriate use of
subject terminology
M3 - Discuss the
different software
technologies for
multiple platform
usage
D3 - Justify the choice of
platform on which to run
an identified software
technology
4
Be able to connect
and configure
platforms and
devices to enable
gameplay
P4
Apply techniques to
connect and configure
platforms and devices
with some assistance
M4 - Explain the
different connection
types for multiplayer
gaming
D4 - Justify how the
connection types are
appropriate for the
different multiplayer
gaming experiences
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15






Assessment Criteria P2
P2 Learners will need to describe at least six of the hardware technologies
identified in the teaching content for learning outcome 2 describing their
features. This could be for a range of platform types which may include
mobile. This could be presented as a report or presentation.
Assessment Criteria M2,
For merit criterion M2 learners will need to show they have explored the
mobile technologies for game platforms. This means they need to describe
at least 3 different mobile technologies. This could be an extension of the
evidence for P2, or a separate document. Annotated screenshots and
photos will help evidence this.
Assessment Criteria D2
For distinction criterion D2 learners will need to evaluate the suitability of
mobile technologies. This should include the cross platform usage of
software or repurposing. They should consider at least five mobile
technologies which may include those within the learning outcome or
include new technologies. They will need to evaluate the suitability of
them for game play in different formats and giving clear descriptions of
the technologies including connectivity and costs.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15


Scenario
Here the learners will need to understand the hardware
technologies available for the game platforms and in
particular to explore the expanding market in mobile
technologies, looking at comparing the different
technologies in terms of playability. Due to the vast
range of options and the speed of technological
developments within this sector, group working will
ensure a depth and breadth of research and group
feedback will inform the wider group with the variety and
choice. This could be a mixture of lectures,
investigations and practical exercises which could
involve handling the technologies available.
Learners should then be able to evaluate the different
mobile hardware technologies and their suitability for
game play. Group discussion will identify areas for
further discussion or consideration.
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15



Scenario
Graphic Development – Pong was two colours, white and not white,
Pacman was 8 with no shading, the hardware to run either of these
games was limited to memory, Jamma Boards contained back them 4k of
memory, this is the equivalent of 4096 characters of code. By the time of
Street Fighter in 1988 the colour depth was now 16 colours with
shading. Similarly consoles like Magnavox was two coloured and came
with four games. Atari VCS started the same way but moved to 4 colour,
then 8. NES and Master System was 8 colour, SNES 16 colour. Each
generation after that multiplied as technology changed. Similarly with
PC’s, we had monochrome, then CGA, 4 colours by 1985, EGA by 1988,
VGA by 1992 and SVGA to this day. Analog got replaced recently by
Digital, TV socket by HDMI and Blu-ray.
The first adventure games on PC’s did not even have graphics, text only,
“hit Gandalf with wand”, now they have high definition colour and video
quality cut sequences. Each of these developments has allowed games to
get better in the Arcade, the Console and Computer. Look at the
different generations of Mario as an example.
Nowadays it is all about the Nurbs, Pixels and Polygons. Faster cards,
faster Nurbs, more polygons. Everything is measured in how many per
second.
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15


Scenario
Similarly, 3D games often rely on a powerful graphics processing
unit (GPU), which accelerates the process of drawing complex
scenes in real time. GPU’s may be an integrated part of the
computer's motherboard, the most common solution in laptops, or
come packaged with a discrete graphics card with a supply of
dedicated Video RAM, connected to the motherboard through
either an AGP or PCI-Express port. It is also possible to use
multiple GPUs in a single computer, using technologies such as
NVidia's Scalable Link Interface and ATI's CrossFire but all this
takes money, time and effort and not all games will take advantage
of these, depending on the way a game is programmed.
Game compatibility and development however does not
immediately recognise this hardware and games may need
downloads and bug fixes from the game sites to take advantage of
these technologies. The standard graphics card used as a template
has changed over the years and used to be NVidia GeForce.
Without this the graphics were worse, lower quality, lower speed.
Better cards brought the game up to a level and downloads made
the game better. Doom when it was released used a GL download
for Pentium machines with a Graphics card to improve the screen
quality and for a number of years GL technology was the standard.
Now every PC has a unique card which can be specified by the
user.
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15


Graphics cards handle all of the visual data within a computer, interpret it
and display it via a VDU.
Components on a Graphics card include:
◦ GPU – Graphical Processing Unit is a dedicated microprocessor making calculations
in order to display both 2D and 3D graphics.
◦ Motherboard interface – This is the method of connection and transfer of
information between the motherboard. These include PCI, AGP and PCI express.
◦ Video BIOS - basic program that governs the video card's operations and provides
the instructions that allow the computer and software to interface with the card.
◦ Video memory – if the card is integrated onto the mother board it may use the
computers RAM, otherwise it will have a dedicated amount of memory for use for
storing other data as well as the screen image such as object co-ordinates.
◦ Random Access Memory Digital-to-Analogue Converter – This coverts the digital
signals produced by the computer processor into an analog signal which can be
understood by the computer display
◦ Output connectors – this is how the graphics card connectors to the VDU. This can
include DVI, HDMI and component.
◦ Cooling device – Video cards may use a lot of electricity, which is converted into
heat. If the heat isn't dissipated, the video card could overheat and be damaged.
Cooling devices are incorporated to transfer the heat elsewhere. Three common
methods are heat sink, fan or water block.
P2.1 – Task 1 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of Graphic capabilities in terms of history,
purpose and benefits to gaming.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15




Scenario
Storage Limitations – Storage limitations along with graphics has been a big hindrance to the
market moving forward. The Gameboy dominated the market for 10 years without moving
forward because the technology was not there to replace it (ignoring the Lynx, Gamegear and
Nomad). The first arcade machines had 4k of memory, expanded by the end of the golden era
to 64mb with games like Colin McCrea rally. In terms of storage they only had enough
memory to recall the last race to show the user and store the high score table.
Home Consoles Machines like Odyssey, Magnavox and Atari 2600 left the memory capacity up
to the cartridge with 48k on board to store scores. Every generation of console since has
doubles the memory capacity on release. ZX80 had 1k, ZX Spectrum 48k, Commodore 64 had
64k, Amiga had 512k, Megadrive and SNES had the same capacity and left it up to the
cartridges. By the time of the first Xbox there was a hard drive of 20gb. This was a revolution
in itself, unless you are a PC owner.
And the cartridge and game discs were an issue, the Nintendo 64 had 8mb of storage and the
cartridge had up to 16mb for the later games. To store a whole game in there on this amount
of memory meant compromising, not as much as earlier consoles. Graphics could not be
realistic, cut sequences could not be photo realistic, games could not have hundreds of
different levels with different graphics so there had to be repeats. And sprites had to be
limited to bitmap or vector but rarely both in the same game. Look at Doom, characters were
always face on, Mario Kart, the trees were not solid but x shaped, not 3d modelled.
This storage is important in the development of games. When the Playstation and Saturn came
out, the gaming world had moved to CD, 660mb of data. They could have cut scenes, more
levels, vector and bitmap, they could have realistic voices and sounds, CD quality. When
games like FF7 came out it had 20 hours of filmatic sequences added, realistic faces, CGI
graphics, character modelled figures. They could have what PC’s had, that was the difference.
Then DVD, BluRay, capacity for more, bigger, better, more sequences, more film, more
realism with barely a restriction.
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15




Storage Limitations – Storage limitations along with graphics has been a big hindrance to the market
moving forward. The Gameboy dominated the market for 10 years without moving forward because
the technology was not there to replace it (ignoring the Lynx, Gamegear and Nomad). The first
arcade machines had 4k of memory, expanded by the end of the golden era to 64mb with games like
Colin McCrea rally. In terms of storage they only had enough memory to recall the last race to show
the user and store the high score table.
Home Consoles Machines like Odyssey, Magnavox and Atari 2600 left the memory capacity up to the
cartridge with 48k on board to store scores. Every generation of console since has doubles the
memory capacity on release. ZX80 had 1k, ZX Spectrum 48k, Commodore 64 had 64k, Amiga had
512k, Megadrive and SNES had the same capacity and left it up to the cartridges. By the time of the
first Xbox there was a hard drive of 20gb. This was a revolution in itself, unless you are a PC owner.
And the cartridge and game discs were an issue, the Nintendo 64 had 8mb of storage and the
cartridge had up to 16mb for the later games. To store a whole game in there on this amount of
memory meant compromising, not as much as earlier consoles. Graphics could not be realistic, cut
sequences could not be photo realistic, games could not have hundreds of different levels with
different graphics so there had to be repeats. And sprites had to be limited to bitmap or vector but
rarely both in the same game. Look at Doom, characters were always face on, Mario Kart, the trees
were not solid but x shaped, not 3d modelled.
This storage is important in the development of games. When the Playstation and Saturn came out,
the gaming world had moved to CD, 660mb of data. They could have cut scenes, more levels, vector
and bitmap, they could have realistic voices and sounds, CD quality. When games like FF7 came out it
had 20 hours of filmatic sequences added, realistic faces, CGI graphics, character modelled figures.
They could have what PC’s had, that was the difference. Then DVD, BluRay, capacity for more, bigger,
better, more sequences, more film, more realism with barely a restriction.
P2.2 – Task 2 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game
platforms in terms of Storage needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Sound cards are also available to provide improved audio in computer games.
These cards provide improved 3D audio and provide audio enhancement that is
generally not available with integrated alternatives, at the cost
of marginally lower overall performance.
 The Creative Labs SoundBlaster line was for many years the
de facto standard for sound cards, although its popularity
dwindled as PC audio became a commodity on modern
motherboards. Newer developments in PC technology meant
8bit to 16 bit sound cards an, d now 32bit and sixty four bit
technology is available.
 Sound cards used to be separate from the motherboard but are
now part of the on board system taking away some of the
compatibility issues but the quality will not be as good as a
separate card.
 Then along came the modern consoles and the push for better
sound as a USP. Stereo became 5.1, 7.1, HD output. Now we can
barely tell the difference between sound within a game and
sound within a film. Now it is all about how you can make your
speakers dance to the music as sound quality has reached its realistic peak.
P2.3 – Task 3 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of Sound and Audio needs in terms of
history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15




Memory demands on a Gaming have grown
exponentially over the years and doubles every
time a new version of windows or a console is
released. Currently 2gb of memory is enough to
run Windows 8 smoothly but not enough to play
good games well. 3gb is good, 4gb is better.
15 years ago with Windows 98, 256mb was the
standard for a good game on a PC, 512mb for
hardcore gamers.
But memory is necessary, the more there is, the
faster a game will be.
There are three standards for memory and all of
them are speed based. DDR, DDR2 and DDR3.
They have a clock speed, the faster the clock
speed, the faster the processing time. And this
improves games, the more processing power
that is taken from the CPU, the faster the CPU
can deal with the instruction code of the game.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Similarly for consoles, the memory capacity, separate from
storage, is now 8gb on board for PS4 and Xbox One, an
indication of the on screen capacity of the games. With
consoles like SNES and Megadrive it was 2mb (16mbit) hence
the reason why most games were vector based
(mathematically calculated rather than graphical based, less
storage but more processing power)
 And for handhelds, 8gb of storage is not memory, the iPhone
only has 1gb of memory compared to 4gb and 8gb offered
on Android tablets. All this translated into what a game can
do.
 Unified ram is ram that is shared by the graphics processor
allowing on-board ram to be set aside for graphics when it
needs it. This is new and though it is not pure graphics ram,
will allow memory usage by the core processor so that
graphics cards can do their good stuff without the burden of
boring routines.
P2.4 – Task 4 – Using appropriate terminology and examples,
describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Memory storage needs in terms of history, purpose and
benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Whatever Platform type is used for game playing, there are internal hardware
considerations which will have an affect on the speed and quality of the game,
nothing more important than the CPU, the brain of a machine. Every Console if
different and each generation that comes along uses a different CPU. On a PC we are
used to Intel, AMD and Celeron, each with a variety of names that go with them,
Xeon, Athalon, Pentium etc. For Consoles they have always had variants, the current
standards are AMD and IBM core, previous generations were Xenon and 68000.
◦ Processor – this is the brain of the computer, the more powerful the CPU the
faster a a game will be generate and move and the result processed to the
screen. This means it will apply CUDA processing faster, rendering images more
effectively (especially 3D images), batch processing and scrolling around an
environment when the resolution is very high or zoomed in quite close. Apples
and PC’s have different CPU’s but the function and result is still the same.
◦ The Processor is not something that can be changed easily on either machine.
On a PC this could mean removing the motherboard and paying a lot of money.
On an Apple do not bother.
◦ The number of cores is now more important, Xbox One and PS4 both have 8, a
good PC has 4, a handheld generally 1 but Android Tablets often have 2.
P2.5 – Task 5 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of CPU needs in terms of history, purpose
and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
The one thing that has not changed in gaming in a generation is
the use of menus. They have gotten more intricate, more memory
intensive, more interactive with more selections but they are still
there. But with the rise of the joystick and specifically with more
intensive PC gaming, the use of menus and the customising of
keyboards for speed of access has grown.
 Good Starcraft II players measure their key presses per minute
rather than their skill level. They customise the menus and the
groups by keystroke, just from action to action across the board
like a chef might stir the soup while cooking pasta. Whole actions
are set to a key-press, function keys are set as guides,
customised buttons like macros control whole battalions. On a PC
this has always been the case since the first FPS game but now
menus allow Joypads on Consoles to be customised for the user.
 This added level of user interaction gives the player more control,
more responsibility, user centred. And players who get more into
the game through interaction are more likely to come back.
P2.6 – Task 6 – Using appropriate terminology and examples,
describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Human Interface needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to
gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Monitor – Vga – 16 bit
colours 14” screen
Graphics Card – None but
Open GL or 16mb for
optimum effects.
Processor – Pentium 1
Memory – 8mb , minimum,
64mb optimal
Sound – None or 16mb
optimal.
Controller – Keyboard,
mouse or joypad
controlled.
Monitor – Vga – 16
colours 14” screen
Graphics Card – None
Processor - 286
Memory – 1mb ,
minimum
Sound – Internal
speaker.
Controller – Keyboard
or mouse controlled
only.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Monitor – Vga – 16 bit
colours 14” screen
Graphics Card –
Processor: AMD 64
3200+/Intel Pentium 4
3.0GHz or better
Memory: 8 GB free harddrive space, 512MB RAM
(XP)/1GB RAM (Vista)
Graphics: Shader 3.0 or
better, 256MB Nvidia
GeForce 6600GT/ATI
Radeon 1600XT or better
Monitor – 17” minimum
13
14
15
PC Monitors started off as 2 colour, green and not green, 1-bit colour. Then came
CGA in 1980, 2-bit colour, four colours and with it the first colour game that
could take advantage of this amazing technology, Zork. In 1984 came the first
VGA monitors, sixteen colours, 4-bit, and with it the first versions of Wolfenstein.
VGA moved up to 8-bit and with a graphics card, finally to 16 bit, 16.7 million
colours.
 Consoles however had the benefit of using the television as the display screen.
The technology was always there to the point that arcade machines were simply a
Jamma board connected to a televisions screen in a box. The resolution was the
same, only the quality of output differed.
 Then life adapted, UHF signal output became SCART, then HDMI, resolution
deepened, Televisions went to 1080p and will go higher. Games took advantage
because they could. As PC’s struggle to keep up with 1900dpi output and £250
graphic cards, consoles push it through the connector to a SMART television
happy to accept 1080dpi.
 Handhelds on the other hand had a slower progression, bit depth is only a recent
thing, the PS Vita has the same resolution as a SNES, an iPhone has the same
resolution as a Gameboy Colour. Small screen technology has not changed that
much, it just feels like it did.
P2.7 – Task 7 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of Visual Display needs in terms of
history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
First there was the paddle, it could go in two directions, up and down. Pong, space
invaders, all the classics from childhood used them. They were the last thing you
thought about and the first thing you held.
 Then came the wheel, driving games where you literally moved the car with a
wheel, left, right and if you survived, left again. They got more sensitive, Sega Rally
for instance felt like real driving but still the car moved left then right.
 Then the Joystick, suddenly there were four directions and the world became
perspective. To this day the technology has not changed, it just got more buttons.
A generation wanted VR, human Interaction, physical controls, one console after
another with the keyboard and buttons there still in the background.
 Then came Kinect, sort of, a novel idea that is still trying to catch on. We now have
3D movement, gestures, multiple sensors. Soon we will have Occulus Rift and the
world of VR will once again loom.
 Voice interaction is all that is left to master, Kinect can hear but cannot
understand, Siri can understand but not comprehend, Google Glasses can
comprehend but not see. At the end of the day the gaming generation will adapt to
new technologies in the hope that it benefits play.
P2.8 – Task 8 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of Controller and Input needs in terms of
history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Mobile game play is not a new thing but the push towards Phones as a game
playing device has been consistent since screens first went to colour. Snake
was popular but since then the generation of game players uses Smartphones
as a substitute. Now every gaming household has some device that is
portable, PSP, DS, iPad etc.
 They are small, they have a limited battery life, they have less capacity of
gaming, they have less memory, screen size, sound capability, they have
everything going wrong for them but we love them. What they have is an
addictive quality, gaming on the move. Games for them know thins so the
games are aimed at the short term memory audience, the short attention
span.
 Candy Crush, flappy Birds, Temple Run, short term games, into the game
within seconds, take on from where you left off, little capacity for memory or
past achievements and no memory to go back to where you came from and
see the devastation. And the USP is their cost, small games and a small cost.
 Along with the wide range of Apps, all these devices have a capacity to
outgrow, another day another App, a new game, a new craze, the old one as
forgotten as easily as the current one.
P2.9 – Task 9 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware
technologies for game platforms in terms of Mobiles Devices in terms of history,
purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15



Scenario
Back in the days gaming was stand alone. You could have 4 players, each
player a corner of the screen. Goldeneye, Mario Kart. Today games are
still stand alone but that is no longer why we buy them. We play COD
until it is done, 6 hours or so, and then we go online and spend weeks or
months at it. We play Skyrim all the way through and then go online and
get more. The solitary play and nature of games has always been there.
Two player games have been around since Pong, 4 player games came in
later with Sega Rally in the arcades and 4 way splitters on the SNES.
There is nothing like a game of FIFA with friends, controller ports have
allowed more players, the Sega Saturn was the first console to take this
as a standard followed by PS2 and Dreamcast. Now a games machine
without multiplayer is unheard of. The ports and connections changed
with each generation until USB became the standard but the 4 way
option makes gaming a group thing.
Even on handhelds it became accepted on the Gameboy Advance that
two players connected with a wire was better than one and games
companies took advantage. The player became an AI on the other screen,
more processing power to the CPU, less storage and thinking in terms of
movements.
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Network play came into place with games like Doom, Quake, ROTT, Heretic,
FPS shooters where midnight gaming in clubs became fashionable. Today the
network play is global with the Internet but before that the rise of multiplayer
games and multiplayer contests grew to the point of Blizzcon proportions.
 Game playing on the Internet as a group is the current wave of team playing
proportions. WOW with 6m user, Starcraft with 3.3, DOTA, COD, EVE,
Battlefield. Every FPS game that comes out has Internet play as its hope, the
more players the more loyalty. The communication lines that are available
allow for mass play within games, new games expect 30,000 players battling
against each other in a single conflict. The crashing of GTA online is an
indication of the amount of players who believe that online play is the only
play.
 Wireless and Bluetooth are more subtle ways of compensation for the
Internet and Network play. To link to someone close with wireless or
Bluetooth like DSi and Vita allows for private play, games like DrawIt took
advantage of the instant, private communication, the speed is acceptable for
all but the higher level of graphic games.
P2.10 – Task 10 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe
hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of Game Connectivity in
terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
What limited down most of the above and what limits mobiles,
handhelds and phones is the use of power. Handhelds rely on their
internal power supplies, same with mobiles, and the advances in battery
technology has improved game playing and portability but this is still a
limitation. The Kindle with its 80hrs battery life infers black and white,
low level viewing. Put a movie on the Kindle Fire and this gets reduced
down to 2hrs. A phone charge can last 3 days without charging but play
a game, watch a film, surf the internet and the charge runs down
quickly.
 The restriction of the external supply limits down the distance and
portability that makes mobiles and handhelds so appealing. With the
WiiU there is the best of both worlds, a portable device that is also a full
console. PC’s have always been restricted by their 230 power supply,
shrink a machine down and it is still there, smaller but limiting. Consoles
with their internal supplies made them as reliant on power as PC’s.
P2.11 – Task 11 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe
hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of Power Supplies
needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.

Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Mobile game play is not a new thing but the push towards Phones as a game playing device
has been consistent since screens first went to colour. Snake was popular but since then the
generation of game players uses Smartphones as a substitute. Now every gaming household
has some device that is portable, PSP, DS, iPad etc.

Phones themselves are pretty much the same, limited screen resolution, small amount of
memory, limited storage capacity, reduced access speeds and compatibility issues. Other than
this we love them. Similarly with tablets though they are getting steadily more like a PC in
your hands with dual core and increased memory. Screens are better, memory capacity s
improving and all but the graphics capability is getting more compliant with a computer.

For the Merit Criteria you need to access 3 mobile devices for their suitability in game playing.
You will need to describe and compare the specifications, their Operating Systems, their
Suitability for gaming, their technical limitations and with examples describe their
achievements in terms of gaming ability.

For this task you should select one mobile, either an iPhone, a blackberry, an android phone
or Microsoft OS phone or a hybrid. You should also select one tablet, an iPad, Surface, Galaxy
or Android tablet. And thirdly you should select a handheld with its own OS such as a DS, Vita
or other of your choice.
M2.1 – Task 12 - Describe and compare with examples three mobile devices in terms of
specifications, OS’s, Suitability for gaming and their technical limitations.

Specification
OS’s
Suitability for gaming
Technical Limitations.
M2.2 – Task 13 – Using a comparison table, compare the technical features of each of the 3
selected devices to their direct rivals.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Other than gaming, mobile technologies span further than button pressing,
achievement gaining, scoreboard comparison, time consuming, puzzle solving
entertainment. Subtle technology is all around us, replacing old skills and old
forms of usage with new.
 The person who comes to your door has a PDA for you to sign, RFID tracking in the
van means they cannot stop off at home for a cuppa on the way to a delivery, the
jogger who just ran past you as you signed with a digital pen has a tracking
monitor that is measuring their heart rate against their running speed. The car that
pulled suddenly to a stop did not see him on the GPS but the anti locking brakes
and engine scanning measured how good it is as it lowered its output and
emissions. The children in the back of the car barely broke a sweat as their DVD of
Toy Story 3 played on. The driver swears to themselves and wishes the work was as
easy to control as his Occulus Rift so they check with their Google glasses if there
is any emails waiting because he really wants to get on and finish Black Ops.
D2.1 – Task 14 - Evaluate the suitability of other mobile technologies including the
cross platform usage of software or repurposing of the technology.
 For Distinction you will need to consider at least 5 mobile technologies, 3 of which
you may have used in the Merit Criterion, and at least 2 new technologies.
D2.2 – Task 15 - Evaluate the suitability of them for game play in different formats
and give clear descriptions of the technologies involved, connectivity and costs.

Suitability for adapting
to Game play
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
Technical Description of the
Technology
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Connectivity ability
12
13
14
15
Costs
P2.1 – Task 1 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Graphic capabilities in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.2 – Task 2 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Storage needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.3 – Task 3 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Sound and Audio needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.4 – Task 4 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Memory storage needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.5 – Task 5 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
CPU needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.6 – Task 6 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Human Interface needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.7 – Task 7 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Visual Display needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.8 – Task 8 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Controller and Input needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.9 – Task 9 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms of
Mobiles Devices in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.10 – Task 10 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms
of Game Connectivity in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
P2.11 – Task 11 – Using appropriate terminology and examples, describe hardware technologies for game platforms in terms
of Power Supplies needs in terms of history, purpose and benefits to gaming.
M2.1 – Task 12 - Describe and compare with examples three mobile devices in terms of specifications, OS’s, Suitability for
gaming and their technical limitations.
M2.2 – Task 13 – Using a comparison table, compare the technical features of each of the 3 selected devices to their direct
rivals.
D2.1 – Task 14 - Evaluate the suitability of other mobile technologies including the cross platform usage of software or
repurposing of the technology.
D2.2 – Task 15 - Evaluate the suitability of them for game play in different formats and give clear descriptions of the
technologies involved, connectivity and costs.
Scenario
Criteria
Tasks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15