Comparison of gaming platforms
Processing power in GFlops |
Operating System(s) |
Retail availability |
Online services |
Game distribution methods |
Platform market size |
Sales |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PC |
1970s-present |
Grows with every CPU or GPU launch. Known to reach 11,500+ GFLOPS on consumer-grade GPU as of 2014. |
Windows, OS X, Unix, BSD, Linux-based: SteamOS, Ubuntu, Chrome OS, Android, Other Linux |
At least 17,700 (not accounting for console emulation and browser games) |
|
, although DOSBox or virtual machines May Be required for games 15+ years old. |
Global |
Various. Notably Steamworks, Origin, UPlay, and Battle.net. |
|
51% |
$25 billion |
3.287 Billion Units |
|
Xbox 360 |
2005–present |
240 GFLOPS |
Xbox OS (Xbox 360) |
1125 |
|
(see footnotes) |
Region-specific |
Xbox Live |
|
83.7 Million |
|||
PlayStation 3 |
2006–present |
Theoretical maximum of 230.4 GFLOPS in single precision/Up to 100 GFLOPS in double precision |
XMB |
795 |
|
, hardware-based for CECHBxx and CECHAxx models, software-based for later models |
Region-specific |
PSN |
|
80 Million+ Units |
|||
Xbox One |
Late 2013–present |
1,310 GFLOPS |
Xbox OS (Xbox One) |
279 |
Xbox One Controller |
Unknown |
Limited |
Xbox Live |
|
3 Million+ Units |
|||
PlayStation 4 |
Late 2013–present |
1,843 GFLOPS |
Orbis OS |
317 |
Dualshock 4 Controller |
, select older titles only available via stream. |
Unknown |
Global |
PSN |
|
10 Million+ Units |
||
PlayStation 2 |
2000-2013 |
6.2 GFLOPS |
Proprietary OS developed by Sony |
3870 |
|
Global |
Network Play |
Physical |
155 Million Units |
||||
Wii |
2006-2013 |
2.9 GFLOPS |
IOS-Internal Operating Systems |
1222 |
|
, but not available on Mini model |
Global |
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Wii Shop Channel |
|
101.15 Million Units |
|||
Wii U |
Late 2012–Present |
352.0 GFLOPS |
Updated IOS |
409 |
|
Global |
Nintendo Network |
|
6.68 Million Units |
||||
Android devices |
2008–present |
Varies greatly depending on host device form factor and specialization. |
Android |
600+ (not accounting for titles available through cloud services) |
|
Global |
Google Play |
|
|||||
iOS devices |
2007–present |
Varies greatly depending on host device form factor and specialization. |
iOS |
|
Region-specific |
iTunes |
iOS App Store |
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-gen XBox1 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. 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. 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. 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
- List of video game emulators
- List of PC titles