Topic: ps3 and 360 graphics cards

[ThePerm]

if every game in the future looks as good as fight night...then we have nothing to worry about

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: ThePerm
if every game in the future looks as good as fight night...then we have nothing to worry about

I remember people saying the same thing about Night Trap

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Now imagine having three different sizes of memory packs that were released one year apart each, not included with any games and costing 200$ each.

OK... having a lot of them is a bad idea, probably 1, 2 tops. You can definitely do it for under $200, so long as you wait until a few years in. Like right now, suppose the Cube had an option like that, what would a video chip that's markedly superior to the one in the Cube right now cost? $30-$40? Package it at $69.99 with a game that supports it (RE4: Even Better Looking Edition?).

Better still, remember how the Voodoo2's offered SLI mode? Do something like that, let the user add a second identical card so they can run  in tandem. 4 years after launch the video system on any of these consoles is cheap enough that's something you could easily pack in with a title.

Same with CPUs... doesn't work so well with the Cube because I don't think the Gecko's got inherent MP support... suppose the next one does (if it's G4 based, it easily could)... suppose you could pop an identical chip in to work in tandem with the existing one and get an 80-90% boost in processing power. It'd be too pricey to do right away, but what's the CPU in the Rev going to cost 3-4 years after launch, $40?

Stuff gets real cheap, real quick... I'd hope Nintendo would have the foresight to take that into account, and maybe something they'd like in the system but just isn't viable right now (like Sony did with the HDD and the network adaptor on the PS2, or like Nintendo did with the extra RAM on the N64, or the extra RAM Sega did with the Saturn)... leave room to add it in later. That stuff might not be a huge selling point, but down the road it might make your system age a little better.  

[Nephilim]

"uhhh no.

first of all, Xbox 360 and PS3 do not have graphics cards. they have graphics processors / GPUs built directly onto the motherboard, unlike PCs which do have actual cards.


secondly, the Xbox 360 and PS3 graphics processors are custom, they are not found in PCs even though DERIVATIVES of them are, or will be.

the manufacturing costs and retail prices of console GPUs and PC GPUs/graphics cards are structured COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY. there is no comparison. console GPUs are manufactured in the 10s of millions, whereas highend PC graphics cards are manufactured in the tens or hundreds of thousands, or a few million at most. highend PC graphics cards / GPUs are at the highest possible specifications manufacturable, whereas console GPUs use new technology for the time, but do not push the limits of transistor amount, core clockspeed, memory speed, etc. no comparison."

your arguement is offically dead
voodoo pc now come with 2 7800 gpu's built in
NOWAY a 360 graphics chip could even compare with that power, yet guess what its 2 400dollar american chips put together
COD2 looked like it had 8x antaliasing for 360, noway can compare to 32x antaliasing  

[jasonditz]

I know they're on motherboard this generation... anyhow... so what? We've seen CPU upgrades for systems where the CPU is soldered onto the MB too... you just need an expansion slot somewhere and an easy way to disable the onboard one.

Plus, I'm not proposing ATI start whipping out graphics upgrades for consoles by themselves, I'm proposing the console manufacturer offer the upgrades as an option. Something like SLI-mode on Voodoo 2's could be great there, because then they don't have to worry about a new GPU... they just add a second identical one and some more RAM in the addon. Of course support for something like that would have to be designed into the system. Maybe next generation...

Anyhow the 360 just launched, of course the better graphics chips will be more expensive right now. Lets re-examine this in 4 years and see what a pair of 7800's go for. Then imagine what a company that's liable to be ordering millions of them could get them for.

[KDR_11k]

Of course support for something like that would have to be designed into the system.

And the software! Don't forget that.

[jasonditz]

I guess you could not design all the previous software with an eye towards the upgrade and just have a few future titles take advantage of it if it really increases the workload. Seems to me a lot of the added effects could be handled automatically by the development kits.

[KDR_11k]

Nope, additional effects have to be added by the developer. The devkits could accept commands that add effects only visible with better hardware but the devkits cannot decide themselves when to add something. Never mind that all these altered effects have to be checked for all possible hardware configs and possible impact on other parts of the game.

[jasonditz]

Its not that big of a deal, PC game makers have to target thousands of possible configurations, we're just talking about a few...

[KDR_11k]

Yes and PC games frequently can't even be installed without a patch.

[jasonditz]

OK... Mac games then.  

[KDR_11k]

You mean like Breakout and Super Breakout?