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Power Behind The Xbox360
Although Microsoft’s Xbox was able to sell millions of units worldwide, it was still considerably outsold by its competitor, Sony’s PlayStation. In this day, wherein another revolution in video and gaming technology is at hand, the Xbox360 is more promising than ever.
The Evolution of Gaming Consoles
What difference does the Xbox360 hold against its predecessor? Well, just like all gaming consoles, it is basically a computer that is designed to run video game programs. The difference is that they focus specifically on this function alone.
A Complete Entertainment System
So how does the latest model from Microsoft differ from any other gaming console? As mentioned earlier, the Xbox360 is a computer designed for playing video games. But aside from this, it was also designed to perform as a complete stand-alone entertainment system. This new console allows users to connect via a network, copy, stream, and download all sorts of media. This includes the ability to download and play HD movies, audio, as well as digital photos and games.
The Heart of the Console: The CPU
Now, since we know that all gaming consoles are simply computers designed for playing video games, let us take a look at the heart of all computers—the CPU. Just the same, video game consoles have a processor that ‘processes’ all the information being fed into the system. You could think of it as similar to a car’s engine—it powers every function of the whole system. The latest innovation in the Xbox360 is that they have ‘modified the engine’ to deliver optimum performance for players.
Multi-Threading Technology
Traditionally, CPUs process information via a single path. The more technical term for this is a thread. The latest edition of the Xbox is bragging about having a processor that is able to process two threads simultaneously. This means that all the information being fed into it is processed more effectively and efficiently because the ‘brain’ is ‘multi-tasking’. For example, information about sound could be processed via one path, while graphics are handled by another.
If you’ve ever noticed, past video games would occasionally pause or stutter. This is because the system is bombarded by too much information, and it takes time for their ‘brains’ to cope with the demands. The Xbox360 minimizes this issue by using advanced processing capabilities.
Multi-Core System Integration
In addition to this, Microsoft has incorporated a multi-core system that allows them to integrate more than one processor into a single chip. This is a significant innovation by hardware manufacturers, and Microsoft has included it in their new Xbox game console. The ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously allows game developers to maximize the potential of the machine and deliver optimum performance.
Conclusion
This is the heart of why the Xbox has evolved to become even more powerful. While there are many other features about the new Xbox360 that boost its performance, the core processor remains the heart of everything it does.