The Evolution of Nintendo Gaming Consoles
Posted by zen0219 in Information Technology on December 6, 2011
It’s almost Christmas so my parents asked me for some advice regarding my little brother’s Christmas present. The first thing that came to my mind was the Nintendo Wii. Before recommending that to my parents, I decided to read up on it and did indeed find some interesting facts to share! (And personal opinions too, whether you like it or not)
The first Nintendo Console came to light in 1983 and was the most popular gaming console in Japan at that time. Nintendo’s successful launch of the Nintendo Famicom ultimately drove Nintendo to release a similar product in the North American Market. Of course, the evolution of the Nintendo Gaming Consoles has always been closely related to the technology at the time as each upgrade features an incremental improvement such as a faster CPU and a faster PPU/GPU (with more bits and higher clock rates). For instance, the Nintendo Famicom only had a 8 bit CPU that is clocked at 1.7MHz plus a PPU that is clocked at 5.3 MHz. On the other hand, the latest Nintendo Wii has a 64 bit CPU that is clocked at 729 MHz and a GPU that is clocked at 243 GHz. (Wow, what an improvement) For those of you who are interested, below is a evolution graph that I have created to illustrate the amazing growth of Nintendo’s Gaming Consoles.
Now, let’s focus on one of the most successful video gaming consoles ever released by Nintendo, the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii was first unveiled at the 2005 E3 and then followed by an international release in four key markets on December 8th, 2006. Without a doubt, Wii is a case of open innovation product with an update of several technologies. Firstly , the Wii remote was co-developed by Gyration Inc and Bride Design, where both companies specializes in motion-sensing and motion-control technologies. In addition, Wii’s CPU is an IBM developed 729 MHz microprocessor, made with a 90nm SOI CMOS process. Similar to GCN, Wii’s 243 MHz 90 nm CMOS process GPU is developed by ATI, which is now part of the AMD graphics division.
Personally my experience with the Nintendo Wii was amazing. I loved all their games and have never had troubles with the system itself. What I enjoyed the most must be the interactive sporting and racing games you can play with your friends and family. My personal favorite is the tennis game where the remote controllers were used as tennis rackets! Also, playing Mario Cart with a couple friends on a big screen TV was fun too!
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the summary I have written and if you will excuse me, I need to go tell my parents my recommendation now. If you are interested in getting one, Amazon is having a special Wii package that is only $167.88!!! Please find the link attached below!
Panasonic DMC-GF2 Camera
Posted by zen0219 in Information Technology on December 3, 2011
A friend of mine recently bought a new camera! She was pretty excited about it! Yesterday when we went out she brought it with her so I had a chance to play around with it. While I’m at it, I took some pretty cool photos too! She also told me that if she had more budget, she would have purchased a white GF3 instead. Anyhow, If any of you are interested in this camera, I’ve shared an amazon link along with some specs and personal opinions! Enjoy!
The new Panasonic GF2 employs the stalwart (i.e. ageing) 12Mp Four Thirds sensor and the 460k dot 3″ 3:2 aspect ratio LCD. The hot shoe and associated EVF port is still present and correct, alongside the little pop-up flash, and thankfully Panasonic hasn’t been tempted to discard the clickable thumbwheel that handles the primary exposure controls. Nevertheless, the pared-down body design inevitably means the camera is powered by a new, slightly smaller battery. I certainly hope my friend doesn’t come across any issues with the battery.
Some of you may ask, “what’s the differences between this one and its previous version – GF1?” Well, the GF2’s new upgrades features a 1080 HD video capability in the AVCHD format, touch control and a new user interface, and the ability to make use of Panasonic’s new 3D lens, a 12mm f/12 wide angle. A Venus Engine FHD processing system takes over for the Venus Engine HD of the earlier camera and adds a stop on the high end of the ISO sensitivity range, now ranging from 100 to 6400. Scene modes and color presets increase by one (to 17 and 8, respectively).
So after snapping some photos with my friend’s new GF2, I was quite pleased with its the quality of the photos as well as its intuitive interface. I was able to adjust the ISO base on the surrounding environment and I had absolutely no problem navigating through the menu within the camera. Also, it wasn’t difficult at all to adjust the shutter speed so that I can take photos that focused on a object. That was quite interesting because I have always wanted to take photos with fuzzy background effects.
So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get one for Christmas! Happy Holidays!
The link I promised
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