November 3, 2011, International Gaming Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Wolfgang Engel from Confetti Special Effects described the techniques for managing cinematic- quality images on mobile platforms. The biggest challenges for mobile platforms are the gamma corrections and high dynamic range rendering for high definition images. These capabilities are already available in consoles and PCs with advanced…
November 3, 2011, International Gaming Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Craig Hampel from Rambus wondered if gaming can benefit from the increasing availability of free transistors. Moore’s law forecasts ongoing increases in transistor density and performance and the game hardware makers are taking advantage of this largess. CMOS is the workhorse technology for consoles and PCs. Only…
November 3, 2011, International Gaming Innovation Conference, Orange, CA– Phaedra Boindiris from IBM described how serious games open new possibilities for business. Business functions and operations are like the Gordian Knot, a very complex and intertwined structure. Complex systems are the primary cause for contention in businesses. By changing the nature of interactions, companies can…
November 3, 2011, International Gaming, Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–William Fisher from Quicksilver Software and Yehuda Hahn from SanDisk discussed a new standard for caching data to change the experience for mobile users. This standard will change the network loading profile and reduce congestion at peak times. The challenge is to address the mobile users’ experience,…
November 3, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Brian Winn from Michigan State University talked about the process of innovation in game design. Just as other software, game design benefits from a structured methodology. A practical design flow goes from design and coding, to play, to perceived beneficial experience, and then cycles back to design…
November 3, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Steven Woo from Rambus talked about the challenges for memory systems in future gaming platforms. Evolutions in hardware are driving the need for more performance in al of the subsystems. Dedicated game platforms like consoles and handhelds are moving towards more general purpose functionality like PCs and…
November 3, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Dave Durnil from Qualcomm presented his views of ubiquitous gaming. The advances in technology and software are making game playing available to everyone at any time. Historically, digital games started with arcade machines. These machines still exist and bring in almost $800 M a year, down from…
November 2, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Wen-Chung Kao from National Taiwan Normal University presented information on real-time imaging and recognition techniques for game applications. The move to body control of on-screen activities is driving work on alternate controllers. The issues for imaging are exposure, color, tone, and dynamic range. Exposure control is only…
November 2, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Ross Smith from Microsoft talked about the concept that the future of work is play. Everyone plays games, so game interfaces should be the drivers for next-generation software. To prove a point, 91 percent of kids from 2-17 play electronic games and over 68 M people play…
November 2, 2011, International Games Innovation Conference, Orange, CA–Robert Mical from Sony looked at the concepts from the entertainment industry and how they are moving into the workplace. The basic concepts are migrating into all areas because a game structure is easier to understand and use than traditional interfaces. Games have the general characteristics of…