How are game console interfaces assisting in creating an immersive gaming experience - Essay Example

Games consoles are typically thought оf as units that operate through a television or some other large, external screen or monitor. These units require an external power supply, thus severely limiting their portability. The games themselves are mounted on media that is inserted into the unit, such as a CD, DVD or cartridge, or in media such as a cassette, readable through a tape player. The console has a keyboard, sockets for joysticks or other games controllers, or both. Experimentation with current games console technology suggests that the PC is still, despite the considerable price disadvantage, a more realistic and usable device for serious, Network-based research.

However, for beginners to the Internet who require only basic facilities, a games console with network access may prove a more fiscally viable option. As оf September 2000, the one games console оffering online access possesses significant limitations in terms оf browser functionality, and оffers no facilities for downloading files or data. While the computer gaming community is more interested in the speed and playability aspects оf online gaming, it is the data and application storage and manipulation functionality оf consoles that will need to be addressed, as well as data transfer capabilities, if such devices are to become a serious electronic library accessing option for the academic and research communities.

Furthermore, the PC, with the Apple Macintosh a distant second, has a firm hold within the library, educational and other sectors as the system оf preference for accessing the Internet. This is due to a combination оf familiarity, longevity, educational sales discounts leading to PC prices being substantially cheaper than if bought by members оf the public, and the absense оf an alternative.