Game Boy Series

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_handheld_game_consoles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_line

Game Boy

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Type: Handheld Game Console
Generation: 4th Gen Era
Retail Avalibility: 1989-90
Units Sold: 118.69 million (includes Game Boy Pocket/Color)
Media: Game Boy Cartridges
Best Selling Game: Tetris, 30.26 million
Predecessor: Game & Watch
Successor: Game Boy Color/Pocket/Light
CPU: Custom 8 bit sharp LR35902 core at 4.19MHz
RAM: 8KB internal S-RAM
Video RAM: 8KB internal
ROM: On-CPU-Die 256 byte bootstrap; 256KB, 512KB, 1MB, 2MB, 4MB and 8MB Cartridges
Sound: 2 Square Waves, 1 progammable 32-sample 4-bit PCM wave, 1 white noise and 1 audio input from the cartridge.
Display: Reflective LCD 160x144 pixels
Frame Rate: Approx. 59.7 fps to 61.1 fps
Vertical Blank Rate: Approx. 1.1ms
Screen Size: 66mm (2.6 in) diagonal
Colour Palette: 2 bit
Power: 6V, 0.7 W, (4 AA batteries)
Dimentions: 90mm (W) x 148mm (H) x 32mm (D)/ 3.5" x 5.8" x 1.3"
Communications: Link with 2-4 players

Game Boy Pocket

Same with Game Boy only smaller and lighter
Power: 2 AAA batteries

Game Boy Light

Same with Game Boy only the casing and lighting has changed
Power: 2AA batteries

Game Boy Color

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Type: Handheld Game Console
Generation: 5th Gen Era
Retail Avalability: 1998
Units Sold: 118.69 million (includes Game Boy units)
Media: Game Boy Cartridges
CPU: Zilog Z80
Best Selling Game: Pokemon Gold & Silver, 14.51 million
Predecessor: Game Boy/Light/Pocket
Successor: Game Boy Advance/Advance SP

Game Boy Advance

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Type: Handheld Game Console
Generation: 6th Gen Era
Retail Avalability: 2001
Units Sold: 81.51 million
Media: Game Boy Advance Cartridges
CPU: 32-bit ARM7TDMI at 16.78 MHz
Graphics: Custom 2D Core
Best Selling Game: Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, 13 million (Combined with SP/Micro)
Predecessor: Game Boy Color
Successor: Game Boy Advance SP/Mirco
Dimentions: 19.45cm (L) x 2.45cm (W) x 8.2cm (H)/ 7.66" x 0.96" x 3.2"
Weight: Approx. 140g, (4.9 0z)
Screen: 2.9" reflective TFT colour LCD
Power: 2AA batteries
Memory: 32KB + 96KB VRAM (internal to the CPU), 256KB WRAM (outside the CPU)
Revolution: 240 x 160 pixels
Colour Support: 15-bit RGB

Game Boy Advance SP

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Type: Handheld Game Console
Generation: 6th Gen Era
Retail availability: 2003-08

• Units Sold: 43.54 million
• Media: Game Boy Advance Cartridges
• CPU: 32-bit RISC-CPU (16.78 MHz)
• Best Selling Game: Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, 13 million (combined with Original Advance/Micro)
• Predecessor Game Boy Advance
• Successor Game Boy Micro
• Size (closed): Approximately 8.4 × 8.2 × 2.44 cm (3.3 × 3.23 × 0.96 inches).
• Weight: 142 grams (approximately 5 ounces)
• Screen: Reflective TFT Colour LCD.
• Light source: Frontlight integrated LCD.
• Power: Rechargeable lithium ion Battery
• Battery life: 10 hours continuous play with light on, 18 hours with light off; needs at most 3 hours recharging.
• Co-processor: 8-bit Zilog Z80
• Memory: 32KB + 96KB VRAM (internal CPU), 256KB WRAM (external CPU).
• Resolution: 240 × 160 pixels.
• Color: Can display 511 simultaneous colors in character mode and 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode.

Game Boy Micro

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Type: Handheld Game Console
Generation: 6th Gen Era
Retail availability: 2005-07
Units sold: 2.42 million
Media: Game Boy Advance Cartridge
CPU: 32-bit ARM7TDMI (16.78 MHz)
Best Selling Game: Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, 13 million combined
Predecessor Game Boy Advance SP
Dimensions: 50×101×17.2 millimeters (2×4×0.7 in)
Weight: 80 grams (2.8 ounces)
Processor: 32-bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor (ARM7TDMI)
Colors: various Screen: 51 mm / 2 inches , backlight with adjustable brightness
Resolution: 240×160 pixels
Battery: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 5 hours of battery life with top brightness and sound or 8 hours with both features on default
Headphones: standard 3.5mm headphone jack

Consoles that use Cartridges

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_handheld_game_consoles

Magnavox Odyssey
Fairchild Channel F
Atari 2600
Intellivision
Atari 5200
Vectrex
Arcadia 2001
ColecoVision
Bally Astrocade
Sega SG-1000
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Eposh Cassette Vision
Sega Master System
Atari 7800
Mega Drive
Neo Geo (console)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Game Boy
Atari Lynx
Sega Game Gear
Atari Jaguar
Nintendo 64
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Micro
Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo DSi
Nintendo DSi XL
Nintendo 3DS

Magnavox Odyssey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey

Magnavox Odyssey Series Console

Manufacturer: Magnavox
Type: Video Game Console
Generation: 1st Gen Era
Retail Avalibility: 1972 - 1975
Units Sold: 330,000
Media: Cartridge
CPU: None
Controller Input: 2 Paddles
Successor: Magnavox Odyssey 2

5 Best Games:
Tennis
Table Tennis
Invasion
Wipeout
Handball


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey%C2%B2

Magnavox Odyssey 2

Manufacturer: Magnavox
Type: Video Game Console
Generation: 2nd Gen Era
Retail Avalibity: 1978 - 1982
Units Sold: 2,000,000
Media: ROM Cartridge, 2KB, 4KB and 8KB
Controller Input: 2 Joysticks, QWERTY keyboard
CPU: Input 8048 of an 8 bit microcontroller running at 1.79MHz

Memory:
CPU-internal RAM: 64 bytes
Audio/Video RAM: 128 bytes
BIOS ROM: 1024 bytes

Video:
Intel 8244 custom IC
160x200 Revolution (NTSC)
16-colour fixed palette; sprites may only use 8 of these
4 8x8 single-colour user-defined sprites; each sprite's colour may be set independantly
12 8x8 single-colour characters; must be one of the 64 bit shapes built into the ROM BIOS; can be freely positioned like sprites, but cannot overlap each other; each cahracters colour may be set independantly.
4 quad characters; groups of four characters displayed in a row
9x8 background grid; dots, line or solid blocks

Audio:
Intel 8244 custom IC
mono
24-bit shift register, clockable at 2 frequencies
noise generator
NOTE: There is only one 8244 chip the system, which performs both audio and video functions.

Output:
RF Audio/Video connector
Peritel/SCART connector (France only)

5 Best Games
The Master Starategy Series
Quest for the Rings
Conquest of the World
The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt
Killer Bees

Project Brief

Course: BA / FdA Games Art and Design
Year: Two
Unit: BA5: Focus 2
Project Title Platform and Distribution
Project 3 of 3 within this unit
Start Date: 04/01/11
Study Hours: 60
Submission Date: 21/02/11
Tutor(s): TBC

Description
This unit considers the possibilities and limitations offered by different gaming platforms, their
place in the market, and how digital games are both marketed and distributed.
You will gain an understanding of platform studies, a strand of game studies that explores
the relationship between the hardware and software design of game-related computing
systems and the creative work produced upon them. You will explore the possibilities and
limitations that technological advances and restrictions present to game designers. The unit
further addresses the changing nature of gaming platforms, from static consoles to mobile
platforms and beyond. You will also study the way platforms and related content are
marketed, learning about games PR and advertising. Finally you will consider how these
changes impact the distribution of game content, from physical media to downloadable
content and web-streaming.
Working individually you will produce a online research blog that explores and applies
appropriate theories and concepts through critical analysis.

This project addresses the key areas of study as follows:

Studio Practice: Not applicable for this project.

Business and Professional Skills: You will learn theoretical elements essential to the
practical design process of a commercially or critically successful digital game. You will gain
further understanding of the development of game modes and industries, presenting findings
in a professional and appropriate manner.

Contextual Studies: You will undertake extensive primary and secondary research. Using
analogue (books, journals, etc.) and digital (websites, e-journals, academic blogs) sources to
evidence your understanding of theories and practices you will apply these through critical
analysis and integrate them into your practice. The tone of the research must be academic
and investigative, and should be communicated with clarity and creativity.

Personal Development and Planning: Not applicable for this project.
The table below lists the work you will need to submit and which areas of study each item relates to:
Work required for this project:
Area of study
Which Unit Assessment Requirement this work contributes to:
Research Blog, containing a variety of audio-visual media [Blogger / Wordpress converted to PDF]
Contextual Studies / Business and Professional Skills

BA 5 - A 2,500 word text
All work MUST be correctly formatted and submitted to the Digital 3D server. Folder structures and naming conventions must be adhered to precisely.
Contextual Studies / Business and Professional Skills

BA 5 - A 2,500 word text
Not assessed in this project:
Studio practice / PDP n/a

The table below shows which of the Unit Learning Outcomes are addressed by this project and what you will need to do to show that you have met them: Learning Outcome How you will be assessed:
LO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key principles of, and context for, your subject. We will look for evidence of an understanding of the key principles of platform studies and the distribution of game content.
LO2: Apply concepts and principles associated with the subject to a range of professional contexts and environments. We will look for evidence of an understanding of how technology, platform, and distribution impacts on the professional environment.
LO3: Evidence your capacity to evaluate the key questions facing the subject and articulate the means with which these questions have been pursued. We expect clear, concise, and appropriately communicated research and analysis, professionally presented in the correct format.


Reference material

Juul, J. (2010) A Casual Revolution: Reinventing Video Games and their Players. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Kerr, A. (2008) The Business and Culture of Making Digital Games: Gamework and Gameplay. London: Sage Publications.
Montford, N. and Bogost, I. (2009) Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Schell, J. (2008) The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann
The Entertainment Software Association. [Internet] Available from: [Accessed 18 February 2010].