Inside the Games Machines of the Future

UtahSaint writes "Electronic design, the guys who nicely opened up the iPod a couple of weeks back take a look into the future of gaming - covering everything from the PC to the Gizmondo to the upcoming Xbox 2 and Playstation 3 next-generation units. If you want to get more of an understanding as to where we're heading, this is not a bad place to start."

Comments

Terrible Fluff

[Zeromous]

Not exactly the most factually correct article:

In a flip-flop of sorts, Microsoft recruited ATI Technologies to come up with the graphics processor for its next-generation X-Box. (ATI supplied the graphics for the PS2, while Nvidia provided the graphics for the original X-Box.)

Wait..Didnt you just say ATI supplied the chip for Gamecube?

It also mentions that the ps2 does antialiasing on the gpu. Now I may be mistaken- sure it *CAN* but no one actually does this for performance reasons. Its much more efficient to use a VMU or other hardware tricks to perform something like anti-aliasing on the PS2.

Take this article for what it is- mindless fluff about nothing in particular except the present and future of videogaming - *yawn*

Wake me when the PS3 arrives.

All well and good, BUT

[Willeh]

For an article that supposedly showcases "The future of gaming", their current fact checking leaves something to be desired. Afaik, the latest revisions of the xbox still have a harddrive inside. The fact that the XBOX 2 will likely not have one, is not one of cost cutting, but presumably a measure to cut off rampant piracy that is going on with the current iteration. Also the choice for the PPC platform adds credibility to this theory.

Also, the DS supports pseudo surround sound as showcased by Mario DS. Before that, a company called Q-sound made it possible to have pseudo surround via the same phase shifting techniques. And there is no guarantee that ANY of the things mentioned get used somewhere down the line (The machines themselves being subject to constant changes in architecture).

Re:I was always taught...

[Nine Tenths of The W]

Of course not. More processing power=more demanding fans=higher cost of development.
No publisher will now take a risk on innovative games, unless they're self-funded (like Lionhead Studios) or made in developing countries(the Codemasters approach).