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Hardware components CPU A CPU (known also as a central processing unit) handles most of the arithmetic calculations in the computer. It carries out instructions from both applications and the operating system. They can have multiple cores, or utilise technology such as hyper threading to improve performance. The CPU connects to the motherboard via a pin plug, and a thermal paste and a heat sink is then attached on top of it. CPU’s are found in nearly all computing devices, ranging from the desktop machines to mobile phones and handheld gaming consoles. The speed at which a CPU carries out the instructions is called a clock speed; they can be overclocked to improve the speed, though it can be detrimental to the health of the system. Clock speed is measured in hertz, which is the amount of calculations it can perform in a second. In terms of gaming, the CPU is used for many of the mathematical calculations during gameplay, although most of the serious gaming calculations are distributed to the GPU. Clock speed is important for gaming due to the fact that more calculations means more that can happen per frame/second.

Motherboard The motherboard handles the communication between the different hardware parts of the computer. Different models can handle different amounts of said hardware (for instance, the older MB models can only take two or four gig of RAM, whereas newer versions can take around 32GB. Once again, motherboards are found in nearly all computing technology, including phones and handheld gaming consoles. As shown in the image, the yellow and light orange slots would hold the RAM, the white square to the lower left of the RAM being the place that holds the CPU. The bright orange and green slots are PCI-e slots, which would usually hold a graphics card. In terms of gaming, the motherboard is an essential piece of equipment because it allows the data transfer process to actually take place. An example of this is when the CPU sends image data to the GPU to be rendered, which passes through a bus on the motherboard.

GPU A GPU (also known as a graphical processing unit) is a specialised piece of hardware focused on performing the arithmetical calculations in relation to creating visual images. It can be dedicated (for example an in desktop computers graphics card) or integrated (for example a phones graphics chip). The difference between the two is often the amount of power the GPU provides. The more powerful a GPU, the more power it will need to use. Some graphics chips/cards can simply draw power from the motherboard, but a high powered card constantly drawing power from the MB would be detrimental to the system, so they often have direct power connections to the PSU. This hardware is absolutely essential for gaming, as it processes most of the gaming related calculations during play. An example of this would be that in a first person shooter, the GPU would handle most of the bullet physics and trajectory calculations.

RAM Random access memory is volatile memory that can be accessed directly, unlike a hard disk drive where the spindle has to make its way to the relevant data for it to be read. This increases the speed of reading dramatically. They are found inside almost all computing technology, though the amount of RAM often depends on the amount of space they can be housed (for instance phones will have a drastic amount less than consoles). In terms of gaming, RAM really comes in useful when data that needs to be temporarily stored is given a place inside the RAM. An example of this is that in minecraft, a higher amount of RAM memory will allow for larger amounts of the world to be rendered at once, as the chunk data can be placed inside the RAM temporarily.

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Hardware components HDD and SSD configurations and controllers. Hard drives are connected to the motherboard via either SATA (the newer) or IDE (the legacy) connectors. The reason that SATA is better than IDE is that it has a faster throughput and also supports hot swapping (which means that the hard drive can be removed while the machine is on. The main hard drive is the master, and will be booted to, and the slaves will be used for storage. In relation to gaming, hard drives are essential for data storage (for instance, on a PC, all games will be stored on the hard drive.

HDD A hard disk drive is a form of non-volatile data storage. They work by having a data platter, which is then read by having the platter spin and a spindle reading it, much alike a record player. They are common in desktop computers and connect to the motherboard either by SATA or by an IDE cable. They are also found inside gaming consoles. Some are removable such as the Xbox 360 hard drive. The capacity of HDD’s ranges from around 126GB to 1TB. One of the detriments of the technology is that they can be slightly more fragile than SSD’s, due to the moving parts. These drives tend to hold the mass of data (for example, the main game files and saves.)

SSD Solid state drives are another form of non-volatile (within reason, although left long enough, they will depolarise and all data will be lost) data storage. They utilise flash memory much alike RAM, meaning that read/write speeds are dramatically increased. An SSD (much akin to a USB stick) has no moving parts. This technology is weighed back by the fact that there are many fewer read/write cycles than inside HDD’s. Like a HDD, they are connected via a SATA cable to the motherboard, although being a newer technology they don’t have IDE connections. SSD’s tend to cost more than HDD’s, and also (in generality) hold less data, around 32GB to 256G. In terms of gaming, these drives tend to have the startup files as well as the operating system on them, leading to quick loading times.

Cooling Due to the fact that computers generate heat when in usage (be it actual usage or just turned on), they require cooling solutions. Usually, fans are attached to the inner side of the computer case, which then create airflow through the computer. The cold air takes the heat from the parts, and then exits the case. There are various parts in a computer that help cooling also. A heat sink (which sits on top of the CPU) increases the surface area for which the air can flow against. In the more expensive models, there are also heat sinks for RAM (which can also get hot). It is important for cooling to be present during gaming, as the large amount of calculations being performed heats the hardware much more than usual.

Optical drive Not all programs are bundled with the operating system, some have to be installed. Although a somewhat legacy part, it is very useful for getting programs downloaded onto the system. This part is for the reading of optical disks. It can be connected by either SATA or IDE. In older days, this hardware part was used for the installation of games (with some games requiring multiple disks to be inserted, though obviously not at once).

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Input devices Keyboard This device is used to input characters into the system. It is one of the most widely used input devices for computers currently. In generality, it is a single board containing a series of keys, which have a character attached to each. For example, pressing the key with “F” engraved on it will input the character “F” into the operating system. This device works by switches being activated when a key is pressed. Nowadays, keyboards tend to be connected by USB, though some legacy keyboards use PS2 connectors. The main layout for keyboards is “Qwerty”. This is actually a rather inefficient way of laying out the keyboard, as it was designed when typewriters needed to be used below a certain speed to stop the typewriter keys from sticking together. More efficient layouts include “Dovrak”, which puts the most used keys closer together to help increase typing speed. Newer models of keyboards can also be wireless, using Bluetooth connection to transfer character data. In terms of gaming, keyboards are widely used to control character movement, as well as actions such as grappling, reloading and using.

Mouse A computer mouse is a handheld input device used to navigate the operating system and any software being used. It works by detecting motion underneath it (relative to the surface it is on, usually a mouse mat). Legacy mice used balls to track this motion, using x and y rollers attached to a ball which rolled across the surface, whereas newer mice use lasers to detect movement. The movement and position of the mouse is detected, and then transferred into position on the screen. Much alike keyboards, mice can be connected to a system via (legacy) PS2 or (modern) USB connection. Newer models of keyboards can also be wireless, using Bluetooth connection to transfer position and movement data. In gaming, mice are used to turn the character (either by the head or the body). After some use, it becomes and extremely intuitive way to control the characters view.

Microphone This input device is used for audio input into a computer. This has a plethora of usages, from musical recording to allowing users to use VOIP services. They work by converting sound into electrical signals (a process known as electromagnetic induction). Microphones can connect to the system in a number of ways, ranging from USB, 3.5mm and 6.75mm jack. In gaming, microphones often come coupled with over ear headphones, with the microphone curving around the users face to be placed in front of the mouth. This allows for comfortable and clear communications. Most new laptops come with built in microphones, though the sound quality of these built in items is often debatable. Microphones are commonly used in gaming to communicate with other players on the team, or to “trash talk” others on the opposing. Microphone and internet speed quality can both be detrimental to the audio experience.

Graphics tablet This device (also known as a digitiser) allows for hand drawn user input. There is a tablet which rests on a solid surface, and a pen that is used to draw on the square sensor on the tablet. This means that users can draw images directly into their software of choice (for instance, Photoshop). This device is useful in that it allows users the familiarity of drawing on paper, but with the ability to digitise their works. They’re often connected by USB (with the end going into the tablet being micro-usb). Interestingly, graphics tablets (much alike microphones) also use electromagnetic induction to sense exactly where the pen is. While not commonly used for gaming, they’re often used in the development of games for tasks such as texturing and creating art aspects.

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Controller devices Joystick: In retro terms, a joystick is a multidirectional controller which allows the player to push a stick with a ball on top in a direction to control a character. In modern gaming, joysticks are created to emulate the control layout of a helicopter or plane cockpit. They’re often used for combat flight games, so include a trigger and buttons for extra functions. They have an obvious disadvantage in that they are less intuitive to use for other player avatars, such as ground vehicles or humans (though some vehicles such as tanks utilise sticks as control mechanisms, so it is useful for those situations).

Joypad: Commonly found on arcade machines, joypads include a “retro” joystick and a set of buttons. It is a relatively simple control mechanism and easy to get to grips with quickly, which was useful for their original usage as arcade machine controls, due to the fact that most gamers were quite new to using controls. Joypad controls are especially popular for arcade fighting games such as Tekken, where the joystick controls the player, and the buttons control movements such as crouching, punching or kicking. Nowadays, joypads tend to loose out to more advanced methods of control, as the retro joypad had at most around twelve different buttons, whereas keyboard & mice combinations can have around 50-60

Eye toy: This controller uses the human as the interaction device, rather than having a physical controller on which buttons register input. It uses movement recognition to pick up the users movements in the room, and then transfers that into an input. An example of this would be the user swiping their hand to the right side of the screen. The eyetoy would register this as a right movement, and then call the relevant function for that input. For gaming, this isn’t very good for games which require precision of movement, so it is more suitable for casual or party games.

Controller devices Driving wheel and pedals: This device allows users to realistically emulate the input of a cars steering wheel, pedals (and if bought, gearing system). This gives the user a more natural experience when playing games that involve controlling a car, as well as increasing the level of immersion experienced during gameplay. This controller is often connected via USB, and is compatible with most games, even if they don’t have a layout for the specific model of the controller. The obvious disadvantage of this controller type is that it can only be use for games where cars are the player avatar , and not humans or planes (as they are not controlled via a steering wheel).

Controller ports: If a controller is connected via a wire, it will most likely use one of a few ports. Computers commonly utilise USB connections for their controllers (Joysticks, keyboards etc). PS3’s also utilise the USB connector, though it is mainly used for charging the controller rather than data transfer. For gaming, it’s important to know what controller port the console has, so that there will not be any incompatibility between the peripheral devices that are currently owned and the console being used.

Wired & Wireless Controllers are either physically connected to the console or system by a wire, or transfer the controller input data wirelessly. Wireless transfer methods include “Bluetooth” and “Infrared”, which are explained further in the poster series. Wired controllers do not require a battery pack, which makes them cheaper to manufacture, but they are limited In terms of portability (as you can’t sit further than more than a couple of meters with a wire. On the other hand, wireless allows a much further length between the controller and the console, but requires either and internal (PS3) or external (Xbox) battery pack for the controller.

Output devices Monitor This is an output device used to allow for users to see the text and graphics on the computer. There are various types of monitors, including “CRT”, “TFT” or “LCD”. Monitors will display the data that is sent to it through whichever cable the user chooses . There is a display controller inside the monitor which will decode all the incoming data and control the display of the data. Monitors can connect to the system via a few different connector types. Common connection types include VGA, DVI and HDMI, all of which have differing data transfer rates. Most computers will have a VGA connector from the motherboard, with DVI and HDMI connectors being more common for systems with dedicated graphics cards. In terms of gaming, monitors are used to display the graphical feedback received from the input given into the machine. Better monitors will allow faster response times which increases the natural experience of the game (meaning that there is no ghosting).

Speaker A speaker is an audio output device that produces sound in response to electrical signals. They connect to the system commonly by 3.5mm jack, with lower quality speakers having a single 3.5mm connector, and more expensive or surround sound systems having multiple inputs (and even requiring an external power source If there is a high power subwoofer). This power connection is either by USB, or sometimes by the mains power supply on the higher quality speakers. Some systems include speakers built into the case, such as most laptops, though much alike the microphones, the quality of the inbuilt systems is debatable. Speakers are commonly used to increase the immersion of the gaming experience, with surround sound speaker sets allowing for the user to locate where sounds are coming from just by listening.

Printer This device recreates electronic documents onto paper (or other physical media if the printer is capable), though the means by which it achieves this can vary by printer type. An example of this would be that dot matrix printers will print documents by stabbing the paper with a dot needle repeatedly until characters are formed. They can connect to a system by various means, often depending on printer type and usage. Smaller printers can attach via USB, with larger printers tending to be attached by parallel, or even put on a network. This means that users can access printers from over a network, and thusly print remotely. Printers are not commonly used in gaming, but they can print screenshots from games for showing to others physically, as well as being used for printing poster concept art in game design.

Projector This device receives video input from the computer, and then outputs it by projecting it onto the surface of the users choosing. In layman's terms, It uses an extremely powerful and bright bulb mixed with a mirror to reflect and then project the image. They’re useful in a plethora of settings, from creating a home theatre setup, to educational and business usages. Projectors usually use VGA connections, though can use others such as HDMI or DVI. Due to the large size of the image, it can be seen from further away and by more people, but the quality of the image is lowered as the size increases. Projectors can be used In gaming to allow for a large size view of the game, though the quality of the image can be degraded on smaller projectors.

Game storage mediums Flash memory A portable storage medium, flash memory allows for the storage of data, and in relevant to gaming, smaller games and saves. This storage medium usually comes in sizes from around 128MB-256GB. Being portable, a save can be put on a flash drive, then taken to another physical location and transferred to a console or computer there. In times past. Although they allow larger amounts of data to be stored on them, they loose out to optical disk as a distribution platform for games because of the manufacturing costs, which are substantially more per GB than CD-ROM or DVD. One of the main downfalls of this storage medium is that flash memory devices (such as USB sticks or SD cards) tend to be of a small size, and as such, can be easily lost. They are also often easy to break due to the plastic casing. Piracy is an obvious issue with any games put on this medium because the executable can just be copied as wished. An example of this is counter-strike 1.6, which could be played by anyone who was able to extract the .exe file

DVD and optical disk Created originally for holding music, both mediums are around the same width, height and thickness. A CD-ROM commonly holds around 700MB, whereas a DVD-ROM has a maximum capacity of 4.7 gig. In the early 1900’s, games used to only come on CD-ROMS, so games would have to be split into multiple CD’s to be able to run the game, which were then switched around during certain points of the game. The introduction of DVD-ROMS allowed for games to be put on a single media disk (which is virtually always the situation for modern console games, bar a few special cases such as the massive game “LA NOIRE”). Piracy is much less of an issue with this medium, as the files can only be read with DVD-ROM (ROM being short for read only memory). CD’s can however be copied and burned to new DVD’s, making the medium potentially unsecure to those with enough technical knowledge.

UMD Standing for “Universal media disk”, this storage medium is a proprietary miniature optical disk used by sony. It has a maximum storage capacity of 1.8GB, which is usually more than enough considering that the platform it is being used on is the sony PSP (meaning that the graphical capabilities of the games are limited by the physical hardware, so less storage for high quality image data is required). The interesting thing about this medium is that it can hold both videos and games on the same disc, so the PSP does not need another drive for video type UMD’s. Piracy on this platform was quite an issue during the first few months because flaws in the software allowed for people with the requisite technical knowledge to remove games from the standard dicks. In the recent past, this has allowed for UMD copies to be run.

Magnetic tape drive A legacy storage device gaining popularity in the 60’s, the MTD medium revolutionised computing in the mid-late 1900’s. It was relatively inexpensive as a data storage type. Commonly known magnetic tape drive storage devices would include cassette tapes, which were used even up until the early 1990’s as a music data storage device (with most cars having cassette players). While magnetic tape drives had very few games actually used on them, they paved the way for another type of magnetic data storage: the floppy disk, on which many games were stored and distributed on.

Connectivity Stand alone A stand-alone console is one that does not require a connection to any external network or server to be play games. Common examples of this would be arcade machines, in which the game was simply installed on the machine, and it had no network connection. It’s also possible for home consoles such as the PS3 to be used as standalone machines, as it is possible for it not to be connected to a network and simply use the discs with the games on. It’s worth noting, however, that with no connection, there is no support for features such as digital download or network play. In the days of the Magnavox oddesy, all home consoles were standalone and had no connectivity to any network (they did not even have the requisite hardware parts such as an RJ-45 port that would of allowed for connections).

LAN & WAN Standing for “Local area network” and “Wide area network” respectively, the way these networks function is mostly given away in the namesake. A local access network allows connections between computers or consoles on what is commonly a single router or local server, allowing for high speed local gaming (also known in popular culture as “LAN parties”). One of the obvious downfalls of LAN is that it cannot allow connections over a wide area (a country, per say) or the internet. Wide area networks allow for connections over a wider area, such as a city or country (the internet would also be considered a wide area network). These networks allow for gaming between teammates from anywhere, but the downside of WAN network usage is that connectivity issues are often a problem (With LAN networks, it’s very simple to work out exactly how many connections are current, and who is attempting to connect to the server, as every local I.P will start with 192.168, so it’s limited to local addresses).

Internet & Broadband Much akin to WAN, the internet is used for connections and gaming all over the world. The speeds of connections can vary greatly between countries, with some of the more poverty stricken areas in Asia getting 56Kb/Ps at best, while other areas are looking to update to 300Mb/Ps. This means that gaming without latency issues can sometimes be an issue, especially on games such as first person shooters where the difference between gunshots can be measured in milliseconds. This can lead to issues such as characters flying across maps, shots not being registered correctly and can be extremely frustrating for the user who has paid well for their internet connection. Broadband is a type of internet connection, which allows communication on multiple frequencies along the cable, leading to a larger amount of data being able to be transferred. Different to regular dial up connection, broadband is a constant connection, which means access to the internet is always possible, 24/7. This is useful for severs that host gaming capabilities, as users can connect to the server during any time (it’s also worth remembering that gaming is affected by time zones, with American users preferring to play during the evening for them, which would be around 2AM for us)

Wi-Fi & Bluetooth® Allowing for wireless connection to a router, Wi-Fi (an abbreviation for “Wireless fidelity”), this technology has come to be extremely popular in the last decade, with even shops and restaurants now integrating the service into the consumer experience. Wi-Fi allows for users to connect their computer, console or phone to the same point and receive connection to the internet. In terms of gaming, high speed wi-fi means that gaming can happen virtually anywhere (as long as wi-fi speeds are high enough). This is beneficial to the gamer who likes to play locally with friends, as they can simply take a laptop which connects to the “Wi-Fi point” and they can instantly receive access. A downside to Wi-Fi is that the connection is not perfect, and can be interrupted or rendered insecure by those with the technical knowledge. A much shorter technology that works in a slightly similar way would be “Bluetooth”. Commonly used or connecting wireless gaming controllers to consoles, it is relatively cheap on the battery life, and can reach distances of around 20 meters (it’s unlikely someone would need to place their controller further than 20M away from the console). It’s useful for gaming, because wires can get tangled as well as get caught and interrupt the gaming experience.

Internal & external power Internal power supples: This method of powering a device basically works by means of an internal battery, which is charged, and then the device runs on until the battery has lost charge. Using this method of powering the device has a few advantages, including portability and ease of use. Smaller handheld consoles use battery packs, as it allows them to be used on the go. The original Gameboy even used standard AA batteries to power the device. The more powerful the device is, the bigger the battery pack has to be. An example of this would be comparing the PSP battery pack, which is around the same length as half of the console (around 8 centimetres) to a laptops battery, which spans almost the entirety of the length of the machine. This is because the laptop is doing more calculations, needing more power to be drained from the battery. In terms of gaming on an internal power supply, devices using them often have lower graphical fidelity games run on them, due to the battery running out too quickly if it has to render too much. This means that for a user who wants to run extremely high quality games, a device that uses an internal power supply might not be the best idea.

External power supplies If a device is powered externally, this often means that it has a plug which is directly connected to a source of electricity (often a three pin connector into the mains. This allows for the user to run high graphical fidelity games without the worry of the machine not having enough power. Some devices (such as the sony PSP) can use its internal battery pack (which is charged by the mains) or be directly connected to the mains without the battery pack, though this unfortunately does not affect the quality of the games as they were designed to be playable with only the internal battery proving power. One of the downsides of this power supply type is that it dramatically affects portability, an example of this being that the PS3 can’t be taken out and about to be used. There are however, workarounds to this, such as high storage battery packs which the console can then be run off. It’s also possible to connect these consoles to car batteries, so that they can be used inside the vehicle.