HISTORY OF INTERFACE DESIGN

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Know the sequence of console releases Know the key innovations/limitations of each

console Understand interface innovations in terms of their

position in the history of console development Be able to order consoles by release date Be able to identify innovations or limitations by

console Be able to discuss console innovations/limitations

in terms of their future impacts Be able to discuss the limitations of various

consoles in terms of resolution, sound, controller

ARCADES Early physical interfaces were driven by

gameplay Pong (1972) – dial for each player, moved

paddle vertically Space Invaders (1978) – horizontal

movement, weapon firing Pac-Man (1980) – 4-directional joystick Centipede (1981)– trackball

Early UI interface innovations Galaxian (1979) – full-color monitor Donkey Kong (1981) – platforming

elements Xevious (1983) – scrolling screen Galaga (1981) – High-score screen –

arcades where a social hangout

FIRST GENERATION Magnavox Odyssey (1972)

Knobs for movement Props, overlays, cards Scoring, rules left to player Light gun

Atari/Sears’ Home Pong (1975) Tracked score Multiple sized paddles

Coleco Testar series (1976-78) Minor variations/improvements Light gun

SECOND GENERATION Atari 2600 (1977)

Joystick (8-direction) Single button Direction/button combos Cartridge media No saving progress/score

Intellivision (1979) Disc (8-direction) Side buttons Numeric keypad (overlays) First music in game

(Snafu) Hardware to support voice

(Intellivoice)

SECOND GENERATION

Colecovision (1982) Numeric keypad (12) Side buttons (2) Joystick (variation…) Innovations

Resolution – 256 x 192, superior to previous

Atari 5200 (1982) Resolution – 320 x 192 Sound – 4-channel Numeric keypad (12) Side buttons Joystick Mistake

No self-centering Broke frequently

Atari 7800 (1986) Simpler joystick

THIRD GENERATION

Nintendo Entertainment System – NES (1985) 8-bit processor Action Buttons (2)

Plus start and select Direction pad (4) Resolution 256 x 240 Colors (48)

Five shades of grey Innovations

Modern style controller Pause button on controller Zapper Gun Power Pad Power Glove

Sega Master System (1985) Weaker library of games

FOURTH GENERATION Sega Genesis (1989)

16-bit processor Colors (512)

64 onscreen Resolution 256 x

224 Sound channels (6) Directional pad (8) Action Buttons (3 or

6) Plus start button

Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Super NES (1991) Action buttons (4)

Plus start and select Direction pad (4) Colors (4096)

512 onscreen Resolution 512 x 448 Sound chips (2)

3 channels – sound effects 8 channels – main

64 KB for sound 128 KB for video

FIFTH GENERATION Sony Playstation – PSX

(1995) Resolution 640 x 480 Colors

224 almost 1.7 million 512 KB for sound 1 MB for video Action buttons (4)

Plus start and select Direction buttons (4)

Innovations Shoulder buttons CD-ROM media Played music CDs 3D Graphics Analog Sticks (DualShock)

Nintendo 64 – N64 (1996) Cartridge media

Faster load time than CD Smaller storage capacity

Action buttons (7) Direction pad (4) Shoulder buttons (2) Analog stick

Innovations Rumble pak (1997)

SIXTH GENERATION Sega Dreamcast (1998)

VGA output – superior quality and resolution

Improved sound and graphics

Eclipsed by PS2 Innovation

Proprietary CD-ROM-like media

Built-in modem with Internet support

Sony PlayStation 2 – PS2 (2000) D-pad, Action

buttons, Start/Select Innovation

DVD-ROM Backwards

compatible with PSX Analog button Camera control

SIXTH GENERATION Nintendo GameCube

(2001) Proprietary media Online capability

Innovations Multiplayer through

GameBoy Advance (GBA)

Dominant action button

Microsoft XBOX (2001) First gen controller too

large Two extra action buttons Two fewer bumper

buttons Innovations

Accessory to play DVDs Ethernet built-in

SEVENTH & EIGHTH GENERATION

Innovations Online gaming Gesture-based control Expanded accessories

XBOX 360 (2005) Kinect

PlayStation 3 (2006) PlayStation Move

Wii (2006) Wii Remote

Innovations Full gesture-based “Glasses” displays 3D games, vision

Wii U (2012) XBOX One (2013) PlayStation 4 (2013)

Seventh Generation Eight Generation

PERSONAL COMPUTERS

Commodore 64(1982 – 1993) Colors (16) Sound (3-channel) Neuromancer (1988) included

opening song by Devo GUIs

Apple & Microsoft made popular Keyboard

Primary actions bound to spacebar

Text-based input Joysticks

Various designs One or two buttons

Connect through ports Mouse (1990s)

Various designs Touchpad, pointer, etc.

HANDHELDS Handheld games

(1970s) Simple LEDs Buttons (1 or 2) Sound – beeps Later, LCDs used

Pre-placed images - “fake” movement by turning images on and off

Cartridge Systems Nintendo’s Game Boy

(1989) Monochromatic screen Direction pad (4) Action buttons (2)

Plus start and select Vertical design

Sega Game Gear (1991) Color display Horizontal design

MOBILE Feature phones

Mapped to buttons Smart phones

Internet enabled Touch interface GPS location Accelerometer

Tablets Smart phone

capabilities + laptop capabilities

Laptop replacement