Microsoft to cut Nvidia from X-Box 2 ??

[Ferocious]

Questionable source perhaps.

 

[Leon]

"We are so desperate we make up news to survive" - The Inquirer

 

[spanky]

wth? whoever wrote that article really sucks. it was like a 3rd grade read.

 

[Random Variable]

Why would you say that it's a questionable source?

 

[NovaTone]

Nvidia practically the one that designed the X-Box

 

[GooberPHX420]

<< wth? whoever wrote that article really sucks. it was like a 3rd grade read. >>



Sh1t man, you arent kidding. That was a pretty lame excuse for a story.

 

[virtuamike]

From what I heard Nvidia is breaking off from Microsoft all-together and creating its own console known as the GeBox. Up yours Gates!

 

[compuwiz1]

3Dfx is making a comeback!

 

[joohang]

<< Nvidia practically the one that designed the X-Box >>

 

[QTPie]

<< Nvidia practically the one that designed the X-Box >>

I thought Apple designed it!

 

[mattyrug]

<< 3Dfx is making a comeback! >>

suhweeettt!

 

[compuwiz1]

We'll call it the 3DfXbox. LOL

 

[SinNisTeR]

<< We'll call it the 3DfXbox. LOL >>



drum roll...

 

[Raspewtin]

that would be hilarious if the flipper team designed the xbox2 chip. lol that's like admitting defeat.

 

[joohang]

I personally wouldn't want to buy an X-Box 2 with a graphics chipset from VIA.

 

[serialb]

<< "We are so desperate we make up news to survive" - The Inquirer >>



If they actually said that, that's probably the only real thing they said.

 

[Czar]

ermm.. does VIA have a graphics chip?

 

[joohang]

<< ermm.. does VIA have a graphics chip? >>


Didn't they buy S3?

I believe that the KM133 is based on that.

 

[ToBeMe]

<< I personally wouldn't want to buy an X-Box 2 with a graphics chipset from VIA. >>

 

[Czar]

<<

<< ermm.. does VIA have a graphics chip? >>


Didn't they buy S3?

I believe that the KM133 is based on that. >>



right, so this new xbox will compete with the old nintendo?

 

[joohang]

<< right, so this new xbox will compete with the old nintendo? >>


Perhaps an Atari.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

The Inquirer is usually pretty accurate - perhaps y'all should read it more often. It is poorly written, and half of it is an inside joke... but the news is usually good. They have stories that pan out insanely early... Also look at the Register.

The next S3 chip - "Columbia" - should be appearing soon according to the last roadmap and it looks pretty sweet, competes with solutions from ATi and nVidia.

They'd probably just use that.

 

[crypticlogin]

<< ... Also look at the Register. >>



I agree. There's usually a bunch of filler articles mostly about the European scene (e.g. cell phone shipment stolen from Liverpool warehouse, etc.) but if you can get through the sometimes slipshod writing, they have reputable tech news up fairly quickly.

But I think Microsoft's in the wrong -- they should really be partnering up with Bitboys on XBOX2.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Via and M$ - This would be a brilliant combination.

Think about it guys.

Via has a graphics core division (S3) which is developing a new high speed graphics core called the Coumbia that will be produced with a .13m process. This core is supposed to compete with high end cards from nVidia and ATi according to the PR drivel.
More importantly, it will have a DX9 compatible. As we now know for console gaming, feature sets are becoming more important than brute speed because resolution is not really the issue on standard TV's.

Via also has a CPU - the C3 - manufactured on the .13 micron process as well. This bad boy does not need a fan yet puts out some impressive processing power.

Via is also making its own boards now... Do you see how they could be an ideal partner for M$?

What is the Xbox's problem technologically speaking? Heat.

Advantage - VIA. Most of the parts rolling off of the Via line nowadays are designed to require only passive cooling. While PC enthusiasts may scoff, that is an awesome advantage in a crampt non-ventilated console. To have that kind of power available with minimal cooling means a higher MTBF logically for most of the system, reducing repair costs for M$, and increasing the longevity of the system - allowing M$ to seel more games to happy customers for years to come.

It is all about economies of scale and volume purchasing. Via is in a position to provide an integrated board with video and CPU - all Via for a fraction of what a competing nVidia and Intel solution will cost.

 

[ElFenix]

eh... powerpc g4 had the most horsepower for the least wattage right now. thats including the via c3. the thing about via is the first revision and the first 5 driver sets suck. unstable as anything could be, etc. stability is a huge thing in game consoles. you don't expect them to crash, its almost an event when it happens. at least with nvidia you can know its going to work. and ATI even at its worst for driver updating was still far ahead of S3.


and technically a fan on heatsink design is still passive cooling. active would be something like a peltier which uses more than natural dissapation to get heat to move. or a heat pump.


plus anything talked about right now is very preliminary. don't expect another xbox for at least 3 years, more likely 4. since the first one took all of 18 months to put together and the contracts were changing up until the contracters were publically anounnced i would almost expect xbox 2 to be the same.