The virtual instrumentation solution, which was originally developed in Microsoft’s design validation lab, was recently sent off to the production line to test the functionality of the 360 controller.
“National Instruments hardware and software give us both the performance and flexibility that is critical in meeting our time-to-market demands for the upcoming Xbox 360,” said Rob Walker, development manager, Xbox Accessories. “With an industry-standard platform based on Microsoft Windows, PXI and NI LabVIEW, we developed a high-performance, low-cost test solution that resulted in a 50 percent reduction in our overall test time.”
To ensure reliable communication between console and controller, Microsoft used the latest NI modular instrument technology including the NI PXI-5124 12-bit 200 MS/s digitizer. As each 360 controller comes off the production line, the test system uses LabVIEW to send over 100 test parameters to a Microsoft SQL Server for post test analysis.
“NI has utilized Microsoft technologies for more than 15 years to deliver our virtual instrumentation solutions to engineers and scientists around the world,” said Dr. James Truchard, NI president and CEO. “We are excited that Microsoft continues to use NI technologies, including LabVIEW and our high-performance PXI modular instruments, to design powerful test solutions for its new Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.”
Sounds all very techinal I know, but from reading these facts it can only mean that we will have one hell of a gaming experience!