Interconnects Used in the Gaming Industry

Key Takeaways

• Gaming platforms have changed dramatically over the years.
• Increased use of advanced technology has increased bandwidth requirements.
• Reduction of size has also increased the need for reduced connector sizes.
• Electrical characteristics of connectors are now more important than ever.
• Rapid developments in technology require engineers to implement future-proof designs.

Just as with any engineering project, those looking to create gaming systems need to choose interconnects based on electrical and mechanical properties. However, not all gaming applications are exposed to the same conditions, such as how arcade systems can be subjected to extreme use, console controllers can experience aggressive use, and gambling machines need to interface with complex hardware capable of correctly identifying the authenticity of paper notes. Furthermore, the continuing advances in technology are seeing all kinds of new features integrated into gaming platforms, and such changes can require engineers to start considering future-proofing their designs.

Design Key Takeaways

Mechanical requirements

As gaming systems experience a high volume of use, mechanical and electrical systems need to be able to withstand a large number of usage cycles, including controllers, buttons, touch screens, and displays. However, while home gaming consoles rarely see mechanical user interaction, those found in arcades and casinos are used extensively, meaning that frequent servicing is required. This frequent interaction requires such gaming systems to be frequently maintained and therefore require interconnects capable of withstanding numerous mating cycles.

Controllers used in home consoles, however, need to be able to withstand high g-forces, vibrations, and extreme shock. Thus, interconnects used in game controllers need to utilize locking mechanisms to prevent momentary disconnect while also being as light as possible to reduce g-forces when in motion.

Electrical requirements

When it comes to electrical requirements, gaming systems found in public spaces (such as casinos and arcades) generally integrate numerous displays, lights, actuators, speakers, and processor boards. Thus, it is not uncommon for such platforms to consume large amounts of current and operate at high voltages. Therefore, interconnects used in such applications need to not only be able to withstand these voltages and currents but also be able to withstand increases in temperature from extended use, as well as support a high number of electrical cycles.

Portable gaming platforms, however, have significantly lower electrical requirements due to the use of low-voltage systems. But the shift toward high-definition graphics can see large bandwidth requirements (whether it is from a processor, memory unit, or graphics controller). Thus, such connectors need to be able to support modern protocols and data transmission techniques including differential pairs.

Environmental requirements

Fortunately for engineers, gaming systems are rarely found in harsh environments (if ever), meaning that they are not subjected to large swings in humidity and temperature, nor are they exposed to salt spray, corrosive compounds, or explosive atmospheres. However, that doesn’t mean that gaming platforms used in public spaces can leave their components exposed, as accidents can easily happen (such as spilled drinks).

Thus, interconnects used in gaming systems found in public spaces can benefit from using moderate sealing against fluids and debris. Furthermore, as it is possible for some players to attempt to cheat a system, ensuring that cables and interconnects are protected against outside interference can be beneficial to a design.

Portable gaming devices, however, may need to consider outdoor environments during interconnect selection as these devices are commonly taken outside. While direct water contact may not be expected (as these gaming devices will integrate IP protection via their enclosure), humidity and moisture build-up can be a problem. Thus, engineers need to choose interconnects that will be able to withstand environments commonly found in warehouses that do not control their environment.

How has gaming changed over the years with respect to interconnects?

Ever since the first Pong machines came into production, interconnects in gaming systems have always played an important role. The first gaming systems were large, dedicated cabinet systems that would be installed in busy recreational areas such as bars, and these systems would be reliant on numerous interconnect systems including power adaptors, monitor cables, and even wires to a controller dashboard. Furthermore, many of these systems would use off-the-shelf hardware (such as coin acceptors), which themselves would use their own interconnect systems.

As video-gaming technology improved, the introduction of the home console brought with it some fundamental changes. One such change was the concept of a controller that can be held in the hands, thus allowing users to sit far away from the main console itself.

But anyone who has ever played games will understand the harsh environment in which controllers must survive, including repeated harsh button presses, rapid speed of operation, and, in some cases, being thrown across a room. To make matters worse, such consoles have always allowed controllers to be disconnected from the main console, thus needing to be able to support numerous mating cycles.

Another development in the field of video-game technology that put a great deal of demand on interconnects was the cartridge system. Simply put, developing consoles capable of playing only one game quickly lost their appeal, and allowing a system to play different games via ROM-based cartridges would not only save users money, but also allow for the video-game industry to make massive returns by offering enormous collections of games.

However, such systems could expect game cartridges to be swapped hundreds of times, with the main connector on the console seeing thousands upon thousands of mating cycles throughout its lifespan. As such, it was essential that not only the quality of the PCB used to create cartridges was above standard (with thickened plating), but that the edge connector used was able to sustain such heavy usage.

For all the advantages that cartridges gave to home consoles, they still had numerous issues, including poor reliability, restricted memory sizes, and expensive nature. This is why the moment the first CD-based consoles (such as the PS1) hit the shelves, cartridge gaming disappeared almost instantly.

But, even though the introduction of CD-based consoles certainly brought about all kinds of new improvements, such as high-resolution graphics, high-quality audio, and far more complex games, all of these benefits also increased the demand from consoles, including better processors, improved graphics units, and larger memory.

And, just like the PC industry, this need for higher-bandwidth, lower-latency systems saw the importance of interconnects only grow. Everything from the connectors used to join a processor to a motherboard to the interconnects used to control the laser in a CD drive all depended on high-quality, reliable interconnect systems.

Of course, it isn’t just the video-game industry that has seen numerous changes over the years, all areas of gaming, including casinos, have seen a multitude of advances, all of which rely on numerous interconnects. The first casino machines were entirely mechanical (such as the one-armed bandit), and while these systems were certainly well-engineered, the extreme complexity in such mechanical designs not only made them hard to maintain but difficult to provide numerous types of rewards.

As technology progressed, so did the nature of casino-gaming machines, with mechanical systems being replaced by computer-based devices. Eventually, most of these machines moved away from coins in favor of paper notes, and, in some cases, contactless debit cards. The advantages of integrating such modern technologies not only presented engineers with a great degree of freedom but also allowed for all kinds of new gaming experiences.

What challenges does the gaming industry currently face with regard to interconnects?

It cannot be understated that out of all the industries that rely on next-generation computing platforms, by far one of the most important is gaming. As soon as Intel or Nvidia is able to bring out their next major update, gamers are always at the front of the queue, trying to get their hands on ever higher framerates and better in-game experiences.

And this is one of the major challenges that modern gaming faces: performance. In order for modern games to remain appealing to audiences, there is a strong need to provide ultra realistic graphics, physics, and immersion. Game engines, such as The Unreal Engine, focus on providing all of these aspects to modern games, and it has become so good that some games being released are almost indistinguishable from real-life (see Unrecord).

However, in order to be able to provide this, the underlying platform that executes games needs to be able to handle the massive bandwidths needed by the main application processor, memory, hard drive, and graphics card. In fact, it is now required that games have extremely low latencies over networks, so that players can have a competitive edge over other players during online tournaments.

The result of all these factors is that interconnects used in modern platforms need to be able to offer extremely high bandwidths. But, at the same time, these interconnects also need to support multiple mating cycles as many gamers will often upgrade their hardware over many years.

Another challenge that interconnects must face when used in gaming environments is sustained high temperatures. Despite the performance per watt of modern processors continuing to improve with each passing year, the increasing density of transistors on silicon dies combined with the increasing performance needed by modern games has resulted in processors that can see significant quantities of heat generated (it is not uncommon for a gaming environment to be well over 50 degrees during intense use).

But it is not just gaming consoles and PCs that have strict interconnect requirements for next-generation gaming; by far the biggest proportion of gamers are on mobile devices. Considering that these devices have extreme space constraints, trying to provide users with high bandwidths can introduce a multitude of challenges.

Of course, it is not just interconnects between logic units and a screen or memory module that matter in mobile devices, even external ports (such as those used for charging) need to be able to withstand numerous harsh environments and support thousands of mating cycles.

When it comes to casino-gaming machines, the introduction of complex computation systems not only gave engineers extreme freedom in design but also simplified the process of mass production, all while allowing individual machines to be tailored and adjusted as needed. However, increasing inflation rates would quickly see the value of individual coins fall, resulting in the need for such machines to accept other forms of payment, including paper cash.

Hardware needed to validate notes is far from simple, requiring numerous sensors and high-bandwidth processors. Considering the large size of such systems (and that the main processing board is generally located at the back or at the base of the machine), note validators require long lengths of cable, thus introducing issues with signal integrity.

Finally, such gambling machines also incorporate a whole range of lights, actuators, motors, and displays that all work together to create a dazzling experience, but this can require a substantial amount of power and plenty of cables. As such, engineers working on such systems not only need to ensure that cables can provide the power needed but also allow for easy maintenance and are properly organized.

How will future gaming concepts see interconnects remain critical in gaming?

Undoubtedly, the two biggest technologies that will transform gaming as we know it will be virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and while games utilizing both AR and VR have already been developed, they are often limited to high-end gaming platforms or have significant restrictions. However, recent developments (such as the Apple VR system and Xiaomi Smartglasses) have demonstrated that high-quality systems can indeed be designed into a single headset, with only one external cable needed for power.

But in order for such systems to work, there will undoubtedly be a shift toward System-on-Chip (SoC) and System-on-Module (SoM), as these technologies not only allow for customization of hardware (thereby improving performance per watt) but can also allow for significantly smaller designs. Furthermore, the use of SoMs allows for users to upgrade key hardware as new technologies are introduced, thus eliminating the need to replace the entire system with each new generation of games.

Such a system will therefore have strict requirements for high-bandwidth interconnects that can support multiple mating cycles. But as these systems need to be worn by users, these interconnects will also be required to withstand significant vibration and g-forces as users will be interacting with immersive VR/AR environments (with common actions including jumping, running, landing, and, in some cases, dancing).

Unless new battery technologies can be developed, it is likely that future VR/AR worn systems will be dependent on an external battery pack that connects to the user via a cable. As these cables need to integrate a high degree of safety (i.e., not become a choking hazard during use), it may be prudent for such cables to use magnetic connectors so that they can easily be removed.

Finally, desktop gaming will undoubtedly remain at the core of the gaming industry, and the ever-increasing bandwidth requirements from next-generation games will see the need for smaller, faster connectors offering increased reliability and reduced latency.