Sega, Nintendo Team Up To Create New Graphics Board

TimWeigel writes "The Daily Yomiuri is reporting that Sega, Nintendo and Namco are teaming up to create a new commercial graphics board. This new board, the Triforce (tip o' the hat to all the Zelda fans), will reportedly be based on the hardware in the GameCube. The article indicates it will be targeted towards new game consoles, as well as "similar products". A prototype is scheduled to be demonstrated at the 2002 AOU Amusement Expo on 22 Feb."

Comments

Intresting, but is it really useful?

[LordZardoz]

There are two possibilties. I can see this being used to make it easier to port Sega's and Namco's arcade titles to the GameCube. It may also be used to play GameCube games on other platforms.

But console games, especially Nintendo's, are targeted at their controller. So playing the games on different hardware could be a useless endeavor.

Other then a few development bonuses, I dont really see the upshot.

Besides, Sega has a horrible track record with Hardware.

END COMMUNICATION

Re:Intresting, but is it really useful?

[doctor_oktagon]

Sega has a horrible track record with Hardware?

You've either been smokin crack or have obviously never played either a Sega arcade game or a Dreamcast. The Dreamcast graphics are still almost a match for a PS2 and developers used to enjoy coding for it, as it was so easy and geared towards them.

Sega don't have a good record in MARKETING. But that's different.

Sony are the MS of the console world: they killed the Dreamcast through FUD.

Arcade games usually have extreme controllers, but many of them were sucessfully ported to many different home consoles, so that's another fallacy.

Re:Intresting, but is it really useful?

[Steveftoth]

I don't think that it was just Sony that killed the DC. One reason that the DC wasn't as popular as it should have been was the fact that companies like EA didn't support it. Where is Madden for DC? Although Sega's version of Football is better in most HC players eyes, the fact remains that EA never got behind the console and instead waited for the PS2/XBOX/GC generation.
Yes, I realize that Sony had something to do with this. Unfortunatly, Sega gets screwed by one thing or another, they do make great games.
Back in the day it was possiable for a company to completly design a computer/console system. Now things are so complex that it's impossiable to design a machine that will compete head on with the latest tech without outsourcing the development.

Wow!

[bamberg29]

This is definately something I would have never believed just a few years ago. On the other hand, this is a great thing. Nintendo and Sega can team up to bring gamers something great.

Dacs

Re:Disbelief

[greymond]

I agree with the sega statement - but nintendo is no where near as popular in the states as it is in japan. not to mention the old nintendo-gameboy-pocketgameboy have way more "toys" to attach to them. as in the camera for the gameboy that came out here a couple years back was one of the first things to be released in japan right after they released the gameboy. its more nintendos lack of "zeal" for spreading into america - then nintendo actually lacking good ideas. granted sony has definately come up big time - but my analagy would be ATI and Nvidia - granted Nvidia is more popular, but ATI has alot of cool and useful stuff that brings in the money too. and i think the main reason why nintendo lost so much hold on the states in the past few years is linked to them giving up there squaresoft license to sony and relying on zelda and mario rehashed over and over.

Most likely...

[Chasing Amy]

Most likely the graphics board is going to be aimed at the arcade hardware and home entertainment industry market, not the home user. The article is short on information, but don't you think if a card geared toward consumers were being demoed on Feb. 22, that we'd have heard press about it now?

This card most likely has nothing to do with the home segment at all. It will be marketed toard third-party arcade and home entertainment vendors, as well as used for Sega's and Namco's arcade hardware needs. Believe it or not, a lot of the bigger arcade games these days are powered by basically PC's with powerful graphics boards, like the ones of Quantum3D. Heck, 3Dfx got its start with arcade graphics chips, and the Voodoo 2 powered more than just PC's--arcade games as well.

So, I'd bet that this is not the least bit geared towards the end user.