Comparison of gaming platforms

This article is about comparisons between gaming platforms. For a list of all console gaming platforms, see list of video game consoles.

Table

Name Availability Processing power in GFlops Operating System(s) Library Input Backward compatibility Forward compatibility Retail availability Online services Game distribution methods Platform market share Platform market size Sales
PC 1981-present Grows with every CPU or GPU launch. Known to reach 11,500+ GFLOPS on consumer-grade GPU as of 2014.[1] Windows, OS X, Unix, BSD, Linux-based: Ubuntu, Chrome OS, Android, Other Linux At least 17,700[2] (not accounting for console emulation and browser games)
  • Standard: Keyboard, mouse
  • Wide range of 3rd-party devices, including console controllers (see footnotes)
 Yes, although DOSBox or virtual machines may be required for games 15+ years old. Yes Global Various. Notably Steamworks, Origin, UPlay, and Battle.net. 51%[3] $25 billion[4] 3.287 Billion Units[5]
Xbox 360 2005–present 240 GFLOPS[6] Xbox OS (Xbox 360) 1125 Partial (see footnotes) No Region-specific Xbox Live 83.7 Million[7]
PlayStation 3 2006–present Theoretical maximum of 230.4 GFLOPS in single precision/Up to 100 GFLOPS in double precision[8] XMB 795 Partial, hardware-based for CECHBxx and CECHAxx models, software-based for later models No Region-specific PSN 80 Million+ Units[9]
Xbox One Late 2013–present 1,310 GFLOPS[10] Xbox OS (Xbox One) 279 Xbox One Controller No[11] Unknown Limited[12] Xbox Live 3 Million+ Units[13]
PlayStation 4 Late 2013–present 1,843 GFLOPS[14] Orbis OS 317 Dualshock 4 Controller No, select older titles only available via stream.[15] Unknown Global PSN 10 Million+ Units[16]
PlayStation 2 2000-2013[17] 6.2 GFLOPS[18] Proprietary OS developed by Sony 3870 Yes No Global Network Play Physical 155 Million Units[19]
Wii 2006-2013[20] 2.9 GFLOPS IOS-Internal Operating Systems 1222 Yes, but not available on Mini model No Global Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Wii Shop Channel
  • Physical
  • Some games distributed through Wii Shop Channel
 101.15 Million Units[21]
Wii U Late 2012–Present[22] 352.0 GFLOPS[23] Updated IOS 409 Yes No Global Nintendo Network
  • Physical
  • Some games also distributed via Nintendo E-Shop
 6.68 Million Units[24]
Android devices 2008–present Varies greatly depending on host device form factor and specialization. Android 600+ (not accounting for titles available through cloud services)
  • Standard: Touchscreen
  • OEM-specific hardware input methods
  • 3rd-party devices
 Yes[25] Yes[26] Global Google Play Games
iOS devices 2007–present Varies greatly depending on host device form factor and specialization. iOS Yes Yes Region-specific Game Center iOS App Store 1.025 billion[27][28][29]

Footnotes

PC - Input

Modern PCs can essentially use any input device, as long as there's an adapter to convert it to USB or IEEE1394. However, only software built to intentionally accept any type of input signal will accept this. For example, modern games probably won't work with a USB-adapted NES controller. However, if the adapter makes use of input APIs such as DirectInput then the range of compatible software greatly increases. Emulators (such as Project64), on the other hand, accept input from almost anything (even mixing between several input devices).

Xbox 360 - Backwards Compatibility

Via software-based emulation, there is a backwards compatibility rate of 51% of 461 for first-generation Xbox games. Network functionality not emulated.

Platforms in Competitive Gaming

All platforms support competition in some form. The Space Invaders Championship held by Atari in 1981 was the earliest large scale video game competition.[30] Players would compete for the highest scores.

The tournaments which emerged in the mid 1990s coincided with the popularity of fighting games, played in both arcade machines and video game consoles. In the late 1990s, broadband internet paved the way for first-person shooters tournaments on PC, the most notable being the Red Annihilation tournament in 1997 where Dennis "Thresh" Fong won John Carmack's Ferrari.[31] In the early 2000s, real-time strategy games on PC became overwhelmingly popular in South Korean internet cafés, with crucial influence on the development of competitive gaming worldwide.

As of August 16, 2014, the largest platform for competitive gaming is PC, with the games Dota 2, League of Legends, StarCraft II, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Over $22 million has been awarded in Dota 2 competitions.[32] Various Nintendo Games (played on Nintendo Consoles with local, LAN or Online Multiplayer) and the latest iteration of the Call of Duty franchise (Generally played on Xbox Live) are popular on consoles.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Review: AMD Radeon R9 295X2". hexus.net. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "All PC Video Game Releases". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Gamasutra: Ulyana Chernyak's Blog - Video Game Market Overview: Console vs. PC vs. Mobile". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "'PC games have surpassed console games globally'". PCR Retail. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Computer Sales Statistics". statisticbrain.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Xenos (graphics chip)
  7. ↑ Xbox 360
  8. ↑ PlayStation 3 technical specifications#Central processing unit
  9. ↑ Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (6 November 2013). "PlayStation®3 Sales Reach 80 Million Units Worldwide". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "AMD Xbox One GPU". TechPowerUp. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Xbox One Backwards Compatibility – Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One?". trustedreviews.com. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  12. ↑ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/disclaimer
  13. ↑ "Thank You for an Epic 2013". xbox.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "AMD PlayStation 4 GPU". TechPowerUp. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "PlayStation Now Game List: Here's Every PS3 Game You Can Stream". cinemablend.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Sony has sold 10 million PlayStation 4s". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  17. ↑ Keith Stuart. "PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Jon Peddie, President, Jon Peddie Research. "Update: How many FLOPS are in game consoles?". TG Daily. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Sony stops shipping PlayStation 2 units in Japan". Rappler. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Nintendo says sayonara to the original Wii". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "IR Information : Sales Data - Hardware and Software Sales Units". nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  22. ↑ http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2014/08/nintendo-reveals-new-sales-figures-wii-u-3ds.html
  23. ↑ "AMD Wii U GPU". TechPowerUp. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "Nintendo Financials Reveal Mario Kart 8, Wii U Sales Figures". IGN. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "<uses-sdk>". android.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  26. ↑ "<uses-sdk>". android.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "How many iPhones have been sold worldwide?". AboutTech. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "What are iPad sales all time?". AboutTech. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Apple sells 100 million iPod touch units". The Loop. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  30. ↑ "Players Guide To Electronic Science Fiction Games". Electronic Games 1 (2): 35–45 [36]. March 1982. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  31. ↑ Kushner, David (2003). Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created An Empire And Transformed Pop Culture. Random House. 89. ISBN 0-375-50524-5.
  32. ↑ "Top 50 Games Awarding Prize Money :: e-Sports Earnings". Retrieved October 20, 2014.