Split screen (computer graphics)

Split screen (computer graphics)

Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of (usually) related graphical and textual information on a computer display. Split screen differs from windowing systems in that the latter allows overlapping and freely movable parts of the screen (the "windows") to present related as well as unrelated application data to the user, while the former more strictly conforms to the description given in the above paragraph.

The split screen technique can also be used to run two aspects of an application, with possibly another user interacting with the other perspective.

In computer and video games

Split screen feature is commonly used in non-networked computer games and video games with multiplayer options.

In its most easily-understood form, a split screen for a two-player video game is an audiovisual output device (usually a standard television for video game consoles) where the display has been divided into two equally-sized areas so that the players can explore different areas simultaneously without being close to each other. This has historically been particularly popular on consoles, which until recently did not have access to the Internet or any other network.

The only alternative for multiplayer games would be to have a separate television set for each player - this would require the console itself to have separate output wires with different signals for each television. Although 82% of homes in the United States have more than one television [http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=48839bc66a961110VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD Average U.S. Home Now Receives A Record 104.2 TV Channels, According to Nielsen] (and this figure would have been even lower Fact|date=July 2007 during the rise of consoles during the 1980s-1990s), very few people would have more than one in the same roomFact|date=July 2007. Therefore, games consoles were not designed to offer this facility for multiplayer games.

One specific issue with split-screen multiplayer is screen peeking, where one player examines opposing players' screens to gain a sometimes unfair advantage. Some console games have gone to the length of supporting tiny auxiliary displays in each player's controller as a counter-measure.

See also

* Tiling window manager

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Split screen — Depending on context, the term split screen may mean one of the following:*a motion picture technique; see split screen (filmmaking) *a computer graphics and video game technique; see split screen (computer graphics) *splitscreen, a name for… …   Wikipedia

  • Split (disambiguation) — Split is the largest coastal city in Croatia.From its common usage to refer to a division of parts, split may also refer to:Arts and entertainment* A split (poker), dividing of winnings in the card game * A split (ten pin bowling) where multiple… …   Wikipedia

  • Chromium (computer graphics) — This article is about an OpenGL implementation. For other uses, see Chromium (disambiguation). Chromium is an OpenGL implementation. Unlike other OpenGL implementations, Chromium does not render the OpenGL command stream to a raster image in… …   Wikipedia

  • computer — computerlike, adj. /keuhm pyooh teuhr/, n. 1. Also called processor. an electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Cf. analog… …   Universalium

  • Computer Originated World — The computer originated world in action, as used on BBC1 The Computer Originated World (COW) was the method of creating the BBC1 symbol that was used between February 1985 and February 1991. It was later used by the international, commercial… …   Wikipedia

  • Computer representation of surfaces — Surface (computer) redirects here. For the table top computer, see Microsoft Surface. An open surface with u and v flow lines and Z contours shown. In technical applications of 3D computer graphics (CAx) such as computer aided design and computer …   Wikipedia

  • Graphics BASIC — is a third party extension to the Commodore BASIC V2.0 programming language of the Commodore 64 computer. It was originally written in 1983 by Ron Gilbert and Tom McFarlane. The program was licensed to Hesware, who briefly sold the program in… …   Wikipedia

  • Split-flap display — Flap display as departure board in Hannover railway station, Germany …   Wikipedia

  • Lotus (computer games) — The Lotus series consists of three racing computer games, that were released between 1990 and 1992 for various computers and game consoles. Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge , Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 , and Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge were… …   Wikipedia

  • Apple II graphics — The Apple II graphics were comprised of idiosyncratic modes and settings that could be exploited. This graphics system debuted on the original Apple II, continued with the Apple II Plus and was carried forward and expanded with the Apple IIe,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”