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Old December 21st 07, 10:24 PM posted to comp.sys.intel,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video,comp.arch
Bill Davidsen
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Posts: 245
Default Intel talking to Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony about TFLOP chipsfor NEXT generation game systems after being locked out of current-gen

AirRaid wrote:
Chip company has spoken to hardware manufacturers, touting new
processors

Intel, the company responsible for the majority of processors used in
desktop PCs, has spoken to Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo about what
chips might power the next round of consoles.


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=31534


"Intel, the company who produce countless components and processors
that hide away in millions of PCs across the world, has begun talks
already with Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony about providing parts for
the next-generation of consoles. That's right folks; you simply can't
use next-gen to describe the 360 anymore, as we're already onto the
Xbox 720, or whatever it will be called.

When the 360 and it's rivals were built, Intel lost out to IBM, who
secured console-based work with all the main three manufacturers. This
time, Intel have got in early, according to Business Week. Speaking to
the site, a company rep also rather enthusiastically predicted 'hands
free' controllers that will see you using hand movements to play
games, though we doubt the humble button will become redundant quite
so readily.

The good news is that if Intel do get the work, we will be able to
enjoy a games machine running on chips that can perform an
unimaginable 1 trillion calculations a second"

http://xboxer.tv/2007/12/next_nextge...under_dis.html


"Intel has talked to console video game makers about using chips that
can perform in excess of 1 trillion calculations per second
(BusinessWeek.com, 2/12/07) in future products that use cameras to
track body motion to control the action, instead of using buttons or
joysticks. "We imagine some future generation of [Nintendo's] Wii
won't have hand controllers," says Justin Rattner, Intel's chief
technology officer. "You just set up the cameras around the room and
wave your hand like you're playing tennis." Intel missed out on
supplying chips for the current generation of game systems, and is
trying to gain a foothold there."


http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...212_550604.htm


I personally doubt that talking first has anything to do with who gets
the contracts. The vendors will balance cost, performance, and features,
and make a decision based on profit.

That's not a bad thing, but performance is generally not an issue now,
other than people writing brute force solutions because they're gamers,
not programmers, and believe that hardware should make crappy code look
good anyway.

--
Bill Davidsen
He was a full-time professional cat, not some moonlighting
ferret or weasel. He knew about these things.