Assignment 4

Connecting and Configuring a console & PC

Connecting a Xbox 360 to a display:

I will be showing how to set up a console to a display and then connecting controllers & setting up a profile with Xbox live, I will explaining the stages in detail using imagery to add to what I mean. The first step is to show where the ports are which will be connected and used to power the console on.

Part 1 - Connectivity of the console -

This is the back of the console where the connectivity takes place, I will be connecting my HDMI and Power cables into the back of the console as such. I will then be connecting the other end to the monitor & wall plug to power the console.

This is the HDMI socket for the lead to go into, I will be inserting the HDMI cable into the back of the console here, this will be the connection that will go into the back of the display to output video and audio.

This is the HDMI cable i will be using showing both ends of the cable, 1 end will go into the console and the other end will go into the display, see next picture for its connectivity to the console.

This is showing the HDMI cable being inserted into the console. The other end will be later connected to the display.

To power the console the power lead needs to be connected, this is where the power lead will go. I shall be inserted the power cable into here and then connecting this to the mains/plug socket.

This is the xbox 360 power connected which has the adapter which goes into the console on the top left, the main power converter in the middle which converts the current from AC to DC and then the mains plug which will go into the socket on the wall, or in my case my extension lead connected to the wall.

The power lead and the HDMI both have now been connected and are ready to be connected to my display and power source.

Part 2 - Connecting the display and power -

This is the display I will be using to connect my console too, it is a PC monitor however can work as a stand alone TV or display with the use of the HDMI cable. The port for the lead is on the back, shown in the next picture.

This is the HDMI input which I shall be inserted the other end of the HDMI cable currently connected to my Xbox. This will then allow a picture to be displayed on the monitor.

The cable has been connected and linked to the Xbox 360, it can now display an image when the Xbox is powered on.

I now needed to plug the power source into the mains. 

The Xbox has been plugged in and can now be powered on.

The Xbox 360 now has power and can begin to power on, loading the start up menu to sign in.

The console has now powered on and I have the option to sign into my Xbox Live profile which I had created. This profile will allow me to connect to the Xbox live features including the marketplace, Microsoft arcade and online features within games. I first needed to connect my controllers. 

This is showing my wireless Xbox 360 controller connected to the console. The top left arc light on the Xbox and controller shows that the controller is connected. 

I am also able to connect my wired controller by inserting the cable straight into the USB ports at the front, the image is showing that both the wired and wireless controllers have been connected. On the Xbox console you can see 2 arc lights where the power button is showing the two controllers. Wired is the top left arc light and the wireless controller is the top right arc light. 

Showing the wire placement for the wired controller to be inserted. 

As my console is connected to the internet via wireless connectivity I am able to sign into my Xbox Live account to access the features of Xbox Live, I have selected my profile and signed in. 

Showing the signing In stage of my profile.

Once signed in, the Xbox Live dashboard loads up showing all the features available to me such as downloading videos, downloading games or music, accessing applications such as Bing, LoveFilm & netflix. It also shows advertisements and I can scroll across to access the market place. 

This is the Xbox Live Arcade marketplace where Microsoft Arcade can be accessed, this means that games and other arcade platforms can be downloaded and played. When entered the lists of games appear which are available to download.

This is the Microsoft Arcade marketplace where games can be downloaded and installed.

Part 3 - Connecting to other players worldwide -

I have inserted a game which can be played online, in this case it's Gears of War 3, this supports connectivity over the internet to play with friends or random people. The connectivity can be made through peer to peer networks where people on your network can join your game and then using that network to join other WAN networks across the internet. This includes LAN networks as well, where other players can be connected to if they are in your LAN whether or not they have Xbox live, they can connect to you and play locally.

Also console to console connectivity can be achieved by using an Ethernet cable to connect the two consoles together, once done both of these can play together on their own displays, however this is normally done only if they both don't have Xbox Live and wish to use their own screen. This would be classed a LAN Party and is a common way groups of people use to connect several of the same console together such as Xbox 360 to Xbox 360 and then are able to play each other. Consoles can also be linked together using system link with the use of a network hub or switch where the Ethernet cables are connected into the hub and then each cable connects to a different console. The more ports of the hub means the more people that can connect using their Xbox 360 so long as the game they are playing supports the amount of connect players. Once connected the hub & consoles are switched on and they will be system linked together meaning they can play games & play co-operatively within games. When playing games they need to ensure they have the same game, same version of the game (updates are all done for the game), same downloaded content for them to play together. This can also be achieved wireless with the use of the wireless adapter or built in adapter for the consoles where they can set up a network using the Ad-Hoc method where a virtual network is created and the other consoles can connect to, this means that they can connect without the need of wires/hub/switch and can be done remotely from around the building or household.

I launched the game and opened the Versus mode which allows for me to play online. As you can see in the picture it shows me how many people are playing worldwide and now many in my region, it also tells me if my connection is open or closed, which in this case its open meaning I can connect globally to other players. I can then choose my game mode and begin to connect to players. 

Game modes which can be selected and chosen to play with other people. This concludes the connectivity of the Xbox 360, showing you how to setup the console from start up and load a game to play online, explaining how players can be connected to.

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Configuring a download for PC & Drivers for hardware

What I will be doing on my PC:


I will be showing you how to download a PC game from different clients such as Steam, Origin, or Game for Windows Marketplace, and show how they can then be configured. I will also be showing how drivers can be installed or updated for certain hardware in my computer, such as my graphics card or motherboard.

Step One - Installing a Game to play -

This is showing the game I want to install through the Steam Client, The game I will be installing is Stronghold 3. I have selected the game in my client & will begin to download and install the game now. 

Popup menu telling me how long the download will take including the installation process. The game is 3.4GB large and will take up to an hour to download and install.

I have then selected to have a desktop icon placed so I can shortcut to the game when I wish to play it. 

The installation files are now being prepared for download and installation.

Downloading of the game has started and will finish it approximately 10 minutes at the current rate, the game will then install itself ready to play. 

The game has now been downloaded and installed and is ready to play. I will now open the game and changed the settings to configure the game to how I want to play.

Step Two - Configuring the downloaded game -

The game has begun to load and the games load up screens have begun to show. The main menu will show up next. 

This is the games main menu, as you can see it is out of proportion due to it not yet being configured, I now need to change the settings to get it to look properly on my screen

This is the options menu where I have changed the resolution to my preferred size of 1920x1080 so it fits onto my display nicely in HD. I will also ensure that my graphics are set to the highest so I can enjoy the game on full settings.

I have selected Ultra as my default setting for the game, meaning that all the details will be of high quality. Shaders & graphics will all render in full quality instead of low resolution of low quality images. 

I have now applied the settings and will return to the main menu to play the game. It has now been setup and configured the way I want and is ready to play. 

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This is the catalyst control centre for managing the software and hardware for my graphics card. I am using a AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB graphics card, I can use this software to check for new driver updates and install them directly from the AMD website for my graphics card. I can also view and look at my graphics card details to check what software I am running and what the hardware specifically is.

Step One - Updating my drivers for my graphics card -

This is the software my graphics card is currently using, including the OpenGL, the audio for the HDMI connectivity & DirectX for my graphics card.

This is the information about my card directly, showing how it is connected 'through a PCI-Express x16 expansion slot and the memory it has installed. It also shows the family series which is the 6900 series.

I then clicked on the check for new driver updates which opened up the internet browser, I have entered the details for my graphics card and will display the results for what I need to update my drivers. 

This is the download I need to update my graphics card drivers, however as you can see the driver release was the 25th of the 4th meaning that my drivers are already up to date. Download the file will only install the drivers which I already have as a new release hasn't been made yet. Installing the new display driver would be unnecessary as I already have the most up to date. However during the process, the driver is installed along with the catalyst control center, once complete full control of the hardware is offered meaning it can be overclocked and tuned however the user wants to.