Author Topic: next Nintendo console powered by IBM (Read 5035 times)

ultrafamicom · « **on:** November 14, 2003, 06:25:26 AM »

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=OTN5SAKHW14J2CRBAEOCFFA?type=technologyNews&storyID=3819632

IBM Builds Supercomputer Based on Gaming Chip
Fri November 14, 2003 12:01 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM Corp. (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday that it has built a supercomputer the size of a television based on microchip technology to be used in gaming consoles due out next year.
IBM said the supercomputer, which can perform two trillion calculations per second, is a small-scale prototype of the Blue Gene/L supercomputer that it is building for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

The computer made it onto the Top 500 supercomputer list, which is compiled by a member of the University of Tennessee's computer science department.

IBM vice president of technology and strategy Irving Wladawsky-Berger said that the supercomputer used 1,000 microprocessors that are based on PowerPC microchip technology. The PowerPC chip is currently used in Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) computers.

It is also the technology that will be the foundation of the next generation of gaming consoles from Nintendo Co. (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) , which IBM is working on, he said.

He said the chips were less expensive and consumed less power than traditional microprocessors, making it possible to pack the same amount of computing power into a smaller space. Producing the chips in volume for gaming will help offset the costs of building supercomputers, he said.

BlkPaladin · « **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2003, 07:27:58 AM »

The key words though are almost at the end of that sentance. Are said to be working, that means it is still industry rumor.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2003, 07:46:44 AM »

Where is the word "almost" in that quote.? I don't see anything that suggests only a rumour. The IBM vice president of technology and strategy said that IBM is working on the next Nintendo and Sony consoles. If an executive from the company says they're "working on" something doesn't that mean it's not a rumour?

ultrafamicom · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2003, 07:59:48 AM »

I agree with Ian Sane

BigJim · « **Reply #4 on:** November 14, 2003, 11:52:16 AM »

This belongs under FAST FORWARD.

Rich · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2003, 06:13:53 PM »

Pretty sweet. I remember when Sony announced the PS2, the Chinese or Japanese(i dont remember) government thought it was the most powerful computer ever made and the thought that it could act as a missle guidance system. Well if this chip can really do what IBM is saying it can and it goes in the GC's successor then big score for N5. Its good also in how it uses the same PowerPC chip structure which will make the N5 more easily backwards compatible, especially if Nintendo sticks with ATI.

Oh and I just thought of something, I'm not sure if this is true so I'm asking everyone out there. If the N5 shares the same structure on its GPU with the Xbox2( both are by ATI) and the N5 shares it's CPU with PS3 then would that make porting easier or no?

nemo_83 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 15, 2003, 02:48:14 PM »

Similar architecture, if not exact same, is going to change the industry making it easier than ever to port games from one system to the next. With less time spent pooping out codes for miles the game designers can realize their ideas more clearly and hopefully with more individual design styles that allow their games to stand out more.

NNCubed · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2003, 04:36:50 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Rich
Pretty sweet. I remember when Sony announced the PS2, the Chinese or Japanese(i dont remember) government thought it was the most powerful computer ever made and the thought that it could act as a missle guidance system. Well if this chip can really do what IBM is saying it can and it goes in the GC's successor then big score for N5. Its good also in how it uses the same PowerPC chip structure which will make the N5 more easily backwards compatible, especially if Nintendo sticks with ATI.

Oh and I just thought of something, I'm not sure if this is true so I'm asking everyone out there. If the N5 shares the same structure on its GPU with the Xbox2( both are by ATI) and the N5 shares it's CPU with PS3 then would that make porting easier or no?

Not necessarily. The actual report only states that both chips will share Technology, not 100% same architecture, nor design. As the N5 CPU will probably built of PowerPC architecture, the Cell in PS3 is much different. Tho for MS it may be easy to port over. We can make a hypothesis that MS will probly use stock parts and NOT 'customize' anything like Nintendo is know for. Look at the Gekko, they got nearly 90% more preformance out of the chip with a slight overclock and 27 or 29(somewhere around there) code optimizations. Same thing goes for N5s ATi card, as its been in R&D for a yr and half b4 MS and ATi ever announced a deal. Even with the differences it could still be easy to port. However it depends on the N5s architecture as a whole as well.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2003, 07:56:16 PM »

The PS3 won't use "Cell". At least, if it comes out before 2007.

manunited4eva22 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 16, 2003, 11:10:53 AM »

Don't try to make an uncertainty a fact. No one knows the exact date cell will be ready, nor if ps3 will debute with it.

NNCubed · « **Reply #10 on:** November 16, 2003, 01:07:54 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: manunited4eva22
Don't try to make an uncertainty a fact. No one knows the exact date cell will be ready, nor if ps3 will debute with it.

Right, all we can say that the PS3 release date is kinda in the air(uncertain) which sucks for Sony.

Ocarina Blue · « **Reply #11 on:** November 16, 2003, 04:33:19 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Rich
Pretty sweet. I remember when Sony announced the PS2, the Chinese or Japanese(i dont remember) government thought it was the most powerful computer ever made and the thought that it could act as a missle guidance system.

I was under the impression that an Islamic fundamentalist group in a small country in the Middle-East used that as a pretext to push through a ban on PS2's, although their real reason was that their interpretation of the Koran made them feel it was unjust for anyone to own them. When Sony found out, they put a little spin on it and the mainsteam media gobbled it up like good little children. The fact remains that if the PS2 is powerful enough to guide a missile, then so is the GC, the X-Box and most of the PC's in the world.

ultrafamicom · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2003, 07:46:25 AM »

new article here:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=2567

IBM on board for Nintendo's next system

Rob Fahey 11:12 17/11/2003
Supercomputer power demonstrated using game console components

Computing giant IBM is now involved in chip design for all three next-generation consoles, announcing late last week that it will be providing processor technology for Nintendo's next games system.

The company demonstrated a supercomputer capable of performing 2 trillion operations per second, which it claimed was based on a variation of its PowerPC technology which will be rolled out in Nintendo's forthcoming hardware.

However, the system demonstrated was running on 1000 of the processors, and was roughly the size of a television. IBM highlighted the low power consumption and low heat of the individual components, suggesting that it'll be useful in miniaturisation efforts - something Nintendo has always been very keen on.

It's not clear whether the processors will be used in the "N5" home console, the successor to the GBA or even in the mystery product which Nintendo will unveil at E3 next May, but N5 does seem like the most likely candidate.

This confirms what many technology commentators had speculated some weeks ago - that the line-up of companies providing the core technologies for Nintendo's future efforts is almost identical to those working on the successor to Microsoft's Xbox, codenamed Xenon.

IBM - which is also one of Sony's technology partners on the next-generation Cell microprocessor to be used in the PlayStation 3 - will be replacing Intel as the supplier of core CPUs for Xenon, while ATI, already announced as Nintendo's graphics technology partner going forwards, will be replacing NVIDIA as Microsoft's provider for GPU technology.

IBM hopes to offset the costs of building supercomputers based on this technology - such as the forthcoming Blue Gene/L, which is being built for a laboratory in California - by licensing and selling the chip technology developed for them to game console manufacturers.

ThePerm · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2003, 06:16:23 PM »

from what iv been estimating is that Famicom 5 will have a similar architechture to gamecube except higher bandwidth, more memory, and faster speeds....etc...

ultrafamicom · « **Reply #14 on:** November 19, 2003, 07:27:19 AM »

Yes it appears that is the direction that N5, or Famicom 5, is going.

dee kay · « **Reply #15 on:** December 19, 2003, 07:40:00 PM »

wots an N5?

Jale · « **Reply #16 on:** December 20, 2003, 10:57:06 AM »

Ignorance is an ugly thing to witness...

N5 is the codename for the next Nintendo console. It is Nintendo's 5th console. It will probably be called the N5 until a real name is decided. It is a pretty bad codename as Nintendo's codenames go...I beleive that the N64 (or the GC...i forget) was called "Dolphin" while in development.

ThePerm · « **Reply #17 on:** December 20, 2003, 12:21:00 PM »

huh i called it the Famicom 5 because i liked the name

it has great alliteration

and Ninty's first system(well 3rd tv game 8 is ultra rare and forgotten) was called Famicom which we call nes.

oohhboy · « **Reply #18 on:** December 21, 2003, 01:12:54 AM »

The V2 didn't even need a computer. A 386, hell a 86 could guide a missle. It wouldn't be the most accurate thing in the world with a CEP of down town London. But hey for most people thats plenty.

BlkPaladin · « **Reply #19 on:** December 21, 2003, 03:28:27 PM »

It seem that what's all of the companies are going for a simular look just with upgraded hardware under the hood.

norebonomis · « **Reply #20 on:** December 22, 2003, 09:03:17 AM »

i wish i had a time machine, DAMMIT !

::starts searching ebay for time machines::

mjbd · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2003, 01:30:33 PM »

IBM did a great job with Cubes CPU, so this is good news. IBM proved themselves, so I cant see any reason why nintendo would drop them for someone else. All good news.

News:

Author Topic: next Nintendo console powered by IBM (Read 5035 times)