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| Gaming Goes Online |
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Special Configurations August 2006 • Vol.10 Issue 5 Page(s) 55-57 in print issue |
Gaming Goes Online Connect Your Console To The Internet | ||
 In the “Good Ol’ Days,” if you wanted to play Pong against your cousin who lived across the country, driving there was the only way to do it. But video games have grown up alongside the Internet. Although you could play video games online with a PC or Mac long before major console makers such as Sony and Nintendo built systems that could access the Internet, today it’s easy to connect a video game console to the Internet. Portable video game systems give you the opportunity to compete against friends over a WLAN (Wireless Local-Area Network) or surf the Internet with a built-in Web browser. Whether you’re a gamer seeking to connect your system for the first time or seeking to earn the Grandparent of the Year award when your grandchildren visit you for Thanksgiving, we’ll show you how to configure and connect three consoles (PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360) and two handhelds (PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS) for online access.  Connect Your Consoles The PS2 and Xbox were the first systems from Sony and Microsoft, respectively, to connect to the Internet, but that’s about where the similarities end. Microsoft included a built-in Ethernet adapter and developed the Xbox Live service, which is similar to Grand Central Terminal for Xbox gamers; Sony’s first PS2 models required an aftermarket adapter that could connect via a broadband or dial-up Internet connection and didn’t offer a centralized gaming service for gamers. Sony later introduced a slimline PS2 that included a built-in Ethernet adapter, but the console still lacked a centralized service. The Xbox 360 also includes a built-in Ethernet adapter and uses Xbox Live. Under the assumption that most people would not want to use their broadband Internet access solely for online gaming, we used a Linksys WRT54GS wireless router to share Internet access among our PC and game consoles. PlayStation 2. To connect an original PS2 to the Internet, we purchased the Network Adaptor (sic). We located the expansion bay cover on the back of the PS2 and pried it off with a flathead screwdriver. After unplugging our PS2 and lining up the adapter’s male connector with the PS2’s female expansion port, we pressed the adapter firmly in place and secured it by tightening the adapter’s screws. Next, we linked the PS2 to one of our router’s open LAN ports with an Ethernet cable. Once we connected our hardware, we turned on the PS2 and inserted the Network Adaptor Startup Disc, which came with the network adapter. (Note: Sony has released different versions of this disc, so configuring your console may involve slightly different steps.) We used our controller’s D-pad (directional pad) to select ISP Setup. We pressed the X button to continue. The configuration software displayed a loading screen. We pressed X after seeing the following on-screen message: Welcome To Network Adaptor Start-up Disc. At this point we inserted a PS2 memory card in the appropriate slot on the console because PS2 needed to save network settings. We pressed X and skipped registration on the next screen by pressing the square button. We pressed X to advance the next three screens. Next, we had the opportunity to name our connection. We used the D-pad to highlight letters on the on-screen keyboard and pressed X to select them. When we finished choosing a name, we highlighted Enter and pressed X. The configuration software then asked if we subscribed to an ISP. We highlighted Yes and pressed X. On the next screen, we highlighted High Speed Connection (Cable or DSL) and pressed X. We selected Automatic Settings and pressed X. When asked if our ISP required a user ID and password, we selected No and pressed X. If your ISP does require these, choose Yes and enter them with the on-screen keyboard you used to name the connection.
Once you complete these steps, the Network Adaptor Startup software will test your network connection. It gave us a Congratulations! message stating that our PS2 was network-ready. When you want to play PS2 games online, be aware that each game may have a different method of accessing online content. Usually a game’s main menu will have a multiplayer option that lets you access its online material. Xbox. Although the Xbox and Xbox 360 have the benefit of Xbox Live, the gateway to playing Xbox titles online against other gamers, the service isn’t free. You can purchase a 12-month subscription card, three-month starter kit, or 12-month starter kit for $49.99, $39.99, and $69.99, respectively. Both starter kits include an Xbox Communicator headset, and the 12-month kit includes a copy of Project Gotham Racing 2. The three-month kit contains a demo disc with two games. Two-month subscription cards are available in many games, and you can continue your subscription with a credit card or additional subscription cards. Using an Xbox with an existing Xbox Live account, we connected our Xbox to our router like we connected the PS2. We started the console and used our Xbox controller’s D-pad to highlight Main Menu. We pressed the A button to continue. Next, we selected Network Settings and pressed A. Finally, we highlighted Connect and pressed A. The Xbox automatically went through the following steps: checking for cables, configuring IP settings, resolving the DNS (Domain Name System), and connecting to Xbox Live. On our first attempt, the connection utility notified us that it couldn’t connect to Xbox Live. Upgrading our router’s firmware solved the problem (you may not have to upgrade your router’s firmware to use Xbox Live, but follow your router’s manual for directions if you’re having similar trouble initially connecting). We retested the connection after completing the firmware upgrade and received a Connected To Xbox Live message. We highlighted Done and pressed A. We pressed B twice to return to the Main Menu. We used the D-pad to highlight Xbox Live and pressed A. Next, we selected our account and signed in by pressing A. When you start an Xbox game with online play, you may have to sign in again. Xbox 360. With a properly configured and current Xbox Live account, connecting an Xbox 360 to the Internet and signing into Xbox Live is a cinch. We attached an Ethernet cable to the Xbox 360’s Ethernet adapter and an open LAN port on our router. After we turned on the console, it automatically detected our profile and signed us in to Xbox Live. To confirm this, we went to the Xbox Live tab and noted that Xbox Live had signed in our profile (see photo). Unlike the original Xbox, we didn’t need to update our router’s firmware for the Xbox 360 to connect. You can still test your connection manually. We used the D-pad to switch to the System tab and highlighted Network Settings. We used the D-pad to highlight Test Xbox Live Connection and pressed A. The Xbox 360 will test for connectivity and notify you if it passes each test. The Dashboard’s Xbox Live tab has plenty of online content that goes beyond merely battling it out online in a particular game. You can download movie trailers, game demos, or access the Xbox Live arcade. If you already have an Xbox Live account from the original Xbox, you can migrate your account to an Xbox 360 during the initial setup. At the Gamer Profile screen of the initial setup, use the D-pad to select I Am A Member Of Xbox Live and press A. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the transition. A Portable Portal To The Web Imagine yourself sipping a Venti latte in a Starbucks when the friend you’re waiting to meet calls you with news that she’ll be delayed an hour. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) and Nintendo DS are equipped with built-in wireless adapters, letting you connect at hotspots around the world or, with a wireless router, within the comfort of your living room. PlayStation Portable. Although Sony may have dragged its feet in integrating a network adapter into the PS2, it wasted no time giving the PSP an 802.11b wireless adapter from the beginning. And, as a bonus, the PSP’s Firmware 2.0 includes a Web browser, letting you surf the Internet when you’re not gaming. Before turning on our PSP, we flipped the wireless adapter’s on/off switch (in the lower-left corner of the device) to the on position by sliding it up. Next, we turned on the PSP. On the main menu, we pressed the left D-pad button to select Settings and pressed the down D-pad button to Network Settings. We pressed X to set up our wireless connection. We used the D-pad to select Infrastructure Mode (use Ad-hoc mode to establish a connection between two PSPs without a wireless router) and pressed X. The PSP displayed a Create A Connection message, and we pressed X to advance. Next we named our connection. You can create a number of connection profiles. The PSP labels the connection “Connection 1” by default. If you want to rename this, you can shift to a screen that lets you name the connection profile. We left the profile with its “Connection 1” name and pressed the right D-pad button (Note: “right” in the PSP tutorial refers to the PSP’s directional button; in this context, “right” does not mean “correct”) to advance to the next step. On the next screen, the PSP gives you the option of scanning for all available SSIDs (Service Set Identifier, or a wireless network’s name) or manually entering a specific SSID. Automatic should be selected by default; we pressed the right D-pad button to let the PSP scan for available SSIDs. Once it finds your SSID, it should identify what method of wireless encryption, if any, your wireless network uses. If your network does have wireless security (we recommend it does), the PSP (with Firmware 2.0) supports the following encryption standards: WEP, WPA-PSK (TKIP), and WPA (AES). We had our wireless network set up with WEP encryption, so we made sure we highlighted WEP and pressed X. We entered our network’s WEP key on the next screen, and when we finished, we highlighted Enter and pressed X. After we entered our WEP key, we pressed the right D-pad button. For Address Settings, we highlighted Easy (the PSP should highlight it by default) and pressed the right D-pad button. We reviewed our settings, pressed the right D-pad button and X to save our settings. Finally, we pressed X, and the PSP tested the connection. After the test was successful, we pressed the circle button to quit the setup. Once you setup an Infrastructure connection, you can use PSP’s Web browser or play online multiplayer games against your closest friends or complete strangers. Nintendo DS. Like the PSP, the Nintendo DS lets you play against others over an Ad hoc or Wi-Fi (802.11b) network, but it didn’t include a Web browser at press time. The Nintendo DS offers two flavors of wireless play: over the Internet and in Ad-hoc mode. To play online, you’ll need a game compatible with Nintendo’s WFC (Wi-Fi Connection). And if you don’t have access to a hotspot, the Nintendo DS also requires a broadband Internet connection and wireless router. Starting a multiplayer game in Ad-hoc mode simply requires another Nintendo DS; the two handhelds can communicate wirelessly. We inserted a Mario Kart DS, a Nintendo WFC-compatible game, into the Nintendo DS and turned it on. After the Nintendo DS started, we touched its touchscreen with the stylus and touched Mario Kart DS. At the Mario Kart DS start screen, we touched Nintendo WFC. Next, we touched Nintendo WFC Setting, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Settings, and Connection 1. Although the Nintendo DS automatically detected our wireless router, you also have the option of manually entering your SSID (Service Set Identifier). It prompted us to enter our WEP key, which we entered by touching the corresponding keys on the touchscreen and touched OK to enter. We touched OK to test the connection, and the Nintendo DS confirmed we had a successful connection. With the connection selected, we touched Back twice and Nintendo WFC Match. Next, we touched Yes and selected the location of our opponents (you can choose from Friends, Regional, Worldwide, and Rivals). A World Of Opponents At Your Fingertips If you crave those “Good Ol' Days" of actually seeing your opponent, there's nothing wrong with connecting an extra controller, pulling up another recliner, and playing head-to-head (or cooperatively). But today’s consoles that connect to the Internet for multiplayer excitement are simply opening up new realms of possibilities. It’s your decision to explore them.  by Vince Cogley |
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