GameCube Generation

And you thought a home theater system was just for movies ? For any family, especially the younger members of the family, a game console is just as important as all the regular components of a home theater system. This article will discuss the latest game consoles available and why you should, and can, integrate a game console into you home theater setup.

There are three major players in the game console market. These are : the Sony Playstation series, the Microsoft Xbox series and the Nintendo game cube and Wii consoles.

The latest Playstation console is the PS3 or Playstation 3. As the name suggests, it is the third version of the brand and is a considerable advance on it’s predecessors. The PS3 uses the IBM designed cell processor to render video at astonishing speed. This means the PS3 is ideal when hooked up to a high definition display system. The PS3 also has the capacity to produce high definition sound. It supports 7.1 digital audio, including Dolby TrueHD, so having surround sound speakers is a must. The PS3 uses the Blu ray technology to store and read data. This means the system can also act as a DVD player for ordinary DVD movies and Blu Ray movies.

The Xbox 360 is the latest console from Microsoft. It is their high definition gaming console. The console uses the IBM PowerPC chip. It has three processing units which increases it’s computational speed and allows the system to put high definition video onto an HDTV. In terms of sound, it supports 5.1 Dolby digital so you can get brilliant full surround sound when playing a games. The Xbox 360 has a HD DVD player that can be used as a DVD layer for standard DVD movies and HD DVD generation movies.

The Nintendo Game cube and latest release, the Wii are another option for a game console. The Wii ’s most original feature is the wireless controller. It can be used as a pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. This means that you can perform the real life actions and they will be relayed to the screen character that you may be playing. In terms of graphic resolution, the Wii can input 480p. The PS3 and Xbox 360 can produce up to 1080p so this is a significant difference. It supports Dolby pro-logic II sound.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 have the widest variety of games but more emphasis is being placed on Nintendo Wii games, as it proves to be a popular console with consumers. The Xbox 360 was released first, followed by the Wii and finally the PS3. This is reflected in current sales, where the 360 leads, followed by the Wii and then the PS3.

A game console can perform a dual role if the cost of setting up a home theater system and game console is prohibitive. Rather than buy a DVD player you can use the console to play DVDs. In some cases, the PS3 for example, the blu ray player was rated as better than some standalone players by some industry magazines.

A game console is another facet of entertainment that your home theater system can provide. You will get best results if you hook the consoles up to a high definition display as they are designed for this purpose.

By: Adrian Whittle

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Caffeinated Content

Who would have thought since the launch of Asteroids and Commodore 64 in the 1980’s that we would one day be told how to exercise by a computer!

Well its has happened with the launch of The Wii, since it was launched the games market has been awash with brain training, sports programmes and interacting ipod’s and MP3 players.

Have a look at government statistics, The UK is Europe’s fattest and unhealthiest country with approximately 1 in 5 of adults in the UK being classed as obese with children’s ratio’s not that far behind.
How did we get to be a nation regarded as the American’s of Europe, simple we got lazy, we sit at our cars , desk’s and at home playing on computers or games consoles.

Sitting at home with your new Wii console and wobble board doing 20 minutes with a virtual trainer is not going to shift fat or get you fit.

The Wii reacts to your BMI (Body Mass Index) which you input, and most people do not know their correct height or exact weight to be able to do it properly. The only way to get rid of fat without surgery is to exercise and eat healthy. Body Mass Index (BMI) has been proven to be inaccurate but it is still the choice of the Government with regard to working out obesity levels.

The Wii also reacts to how much pressure you place on the board and your virtual trainer tells you to adjust your position/ weight on the board, so contraindications such as medical, physical range of motion conditions are not taken into account as would be with a properly qualified personal trainer.

A personal trainer will spend at least 30 minutes with you free on a consultation taking into account medical, physical, injuries, family history, they will conduct a personal fitness assessment and base your programme on all the information provided and your lifestyle, making sure that your programme is effective.

As a trainer and I’m not alone, I have been to potential clients houses and saw them within their home environment sitting on the sofa playing the Wii console beating a virtual boxing opponent, whilst watching TV and eating a big bag of quaver crisps, and they call this virtual fitness!

If the console is to be effective it has a long way to go, at the minute it should be treated for what it is a games console designed for fun and not FITNESS.

This article is the intellectual copyright of T.O.D Coaching and may be reproduced in its entirety with all clickable hyperlinks and any references published along with the article. Full accreditation must be given to the author Brian Fernie Dip PT, FIOS.

By: Brian Fernie

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Kansieo.com

The Nintendo Wii is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo, as the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. The Nintendo with its new console targets Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems. The latest game console from Nintendo comes with attractive features like wireless controller, and the Wii Remote, that can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect acceleration in three dimensions. Another feature is WiiConnect24 that enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode. Nintendo put forward the idea of console at the 2004 E3 press conference and unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. The console was conceived in 2001, as a new form of player interaction.

The console was in the beginning known by the code name of “Revolution” until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3. Nintendo renamed Revolution to Wii by stating: “live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, and move along with it. When Microsoft and Sony had suffered losses with their consoles, Nintendo succeeded in reaping heavy profits with Wii.

Nintendo targeted a wider demographic with its game console Nintendo Wii than that of others in the seventh generation. The Nintendo Wii console is Nintendo’s smallest home unit to date measuring 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The system weighing 1.2 kg (2.7 lb) is the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. It is possible for the console to be placed either horizontally or vertically. The Nintendo Wii console features a recurring theme or design along with the console itself, SD cards, the power supply and all the sockets have one of their corners chipped off in a triangular fashion.

By: Samuel Herrick

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game Console reviews