Good point.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Rumor: Microsoft is interested in buying AMD
- Thread starter statham
- Start date
Shadow_Lord
Member
Oh, this will change the game if true. I wanna see reactions to that if it happens.
That's if MS is interested in selling to outside companies. Sony is a hardware company so they will take money from companies that want to use their hardware. Where as I bet MS is more interested in making their own hardware (becoming more Apple like really) and not sharing it with other companies. That this would be a move to be able to make their own special hardware. So they very well might not be interested in selling anything to Sony. I don't think this is a stretch cause I do think MS has been trying to get more into the same markets Apple has a good hold on and has shown more interest in making their own hardware (surface anyone).
OnionPowder
Member
Maybe AMD cards will finally be able to handle high levels of tessellation
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
Hmm, what MS should do is buy the majority stake, not the whole company. They would lose the x86 license if so.
If MS owns the majority stake, then Sony would be in a bit of a rut for the design of the PS5 with Intel/Nvidia as their only vendor options.
If MS owns the majority stake, then Sony would be in a bit of a rut for the design of the PS5 with Intel/Nvidia as their only vendor options.
Obliterator
Member
Holy shit this is huge.
I hope this happens, could be fun times
I hope this happens, could be fun times
To give some examples, Intel owns Havok physics, but develop it to run on every platform despite having no console presence.
ARM owns Enlighten, a lighting middleware used by a ton of games, and still spends a lot of time developing the console version.
Sony sells cameras to almost all their competitors phones.
Microsoft released Microsoft Office on Apple devices before Windows mobile devices.
You don't spend $2 billion on a hardware company and then shut off all of their business. The goal is to improve the company that's making parts that are highly relevant to their future business objectives. They can pour in a lot of money and get better mobile hardware for their entire devices line while also selling those parts to others if they become the industry leader.
neogaffer1
Banned
Welp, there goes my theory of the next Xbox being a completely Intel device.
They're pushing a move to ARM and already have their own fabrication plant and stuff set up for ARM.
They're pushing a move to ARM and already have their own fabrication plant and stuff set up for ARM.
Pathfinder
Member
Because console warring is serious business.
HighResTomato
Member
Banana Aeon
Member
There is a single company in the CPU market.
AMD hasn't released a worthwhile card in a long time.
That would be pretty interesting.
Not only MS would not need to pay for the XBO parts anymore, but it would make Sony pay to them, and if Sony doesn't want to do that for the PS5, they'd be forced to got with nVidia, which not only is more expensive, but did a VERY poor job on the PS3.
Not only MS would not need to pay for the XBO parts anymore, but it would make Sony pay to them, and if Sony doesn't want to do that for the PS5, they'd be forced to got with nVidia, which not only is more expensive, but did a VERY poor job on the PS3.
Goro Majima
Kitty Genovese Member
Are there stipulations in the whole anti-trust suit against Microsoft against them making such a move? Has the market changed significantly enough with Apple that they'd be able to essentially start manufacturing major PC components?
ClosingADoor
Member
AMD is not doing do hot lately. On their own they are not competing that well with NVIDEA and Intel at the moment. That's not good for consumers either.
As long as they do not mess with Windows and have it run better on their own chips or stuff like that, it will be fine. It's not like Microsoft is buying the market leader also. Most PCs run on Intel chips.
Nostremitus
Member
So basically what Nvidia is doing to AMD with Game works right now?
Basically Phil Spencer in a dark Sith robe saying "Execute order 66!"
djplaeskool
Member
Inching ever closer to a one console future.
problem is that Intel already has a complete monopoly on the CPU market in all but name .
OnionPowder
Member
MS doesn't want to throw out 70% of the marketshare of GPUs. Nobody would use DX if it was AMD exclusive so devs would just switch to OpenGL to be able to use either cards
tycoonheart
Member
DirectX 13 now only works on Microsoft's video cards!
Outrun
Member
Exactly.
There is a world out there in which business folk conduct transactions that are mutually beneficent.
That's definitely a possibility.
They've been more liberal with their software lately. Perhaps that liberalism will transfer over to this if it turns out to be true.
God only knows what Satya Nutella is thinking in that brain of his.
Given that neither really had their own "design" this year and instead used pretty much off the shelf AMD parts this shouldn't be a big deal (these cpu+gpu apu parts existed in AMD line up years before the consoles). Just slap some memory in there and you are done. Rest is just software and deciding how expensive parts you want to put in there (like Sony choosing to go with the more expensige GDDR instead of DDR this gen)
edit: And I doubt Microsoft could merge AMD into them due to most likely losing the x86 license if they did that. So AMD would still have to stay a somewhat separate entity.
That would be interesting for team red.
Also that would mean Sony would be fucked next-generation I guess if they intended to get something that would allow native backwards compatibility.
Or they could continue using AMD, because businesses like money and MS is a business. They're not run by MisterX.
Yeah exactly, they'll just go with whoever gives them the best deal. If AMD gives SCE a better deal for PS5 CPU/GPU hardware than Nvidia, they'd obviously go with AMD even if they'd be owned by Microsoft. Doesn't really matter if they give Microsoft money if it's the best deal for them anyway.
Other Sony business units than SCE / PlayStation partner with Microsoft as well, or used to. One obvious example are the Sony Vaio PC's which run Windows, though Vaio is now owned by another company. Another example, is the Lumia 920 that uses Sony camera sensors.
That wouldn't be approved.
Mh, ok. Good to get a clearer confirmation on the matter. Yeah, different businesses indeed. Thanks as always.
SEGAvangelist
Member
I really hope this becomes his nickname here at GAF.
But that would not make sense right? Why would Sony essentially approach MS when designing their next console that is competing with an MS console?
hahaha
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
However it happens, I want AMD to stay alive and start producing kickass CPUs and GPUs so that Intel and Nvidia have some tougher competition.
I want to see some big gains in performance/value.
I want to see some big gains in performance/value.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
Microsoft E3 2017: "We have bought AMD and all our PC games are now exclusive to our Video Cards."
What exclusive software features would that be?
I would imagine if this happens, there would be stipulations in place that would prevent MS from just pulling the rug from under Sony and Nintendo this generation as far as product supply and pricing is concerned. Otherwise, it would be anti-competitive as hell.
Next generation though, assuming a next generation, Sony/Nintendo would no doubt move in a different direction for chip technology. If Nintendo is going AMD for the NX, this would also likely throw a huge wrench in the machine for them from a hardware development standpoint.
Next generation though, assuming a next generation, Sony/Nintendo would no doubt move in a different direction for chip technology. If Nintendo is going AMD for the NX, this would also likely throw a huge wrench in the machine for them from a hardware development standpoint.
Nostremitus
Member
I don't think its a matter of fanboyism, its business. If you owned a chip developer and spent all the money on R&D, would you provide your top of the line to your competition? Microsoft and Sony compete heavily with regard to using AMD's graphics technology. If Microsoft bought AMD, you don't see them holding certain technologies back for proprietary use?
Duxxy3
Member
Sounds a little dangerous in theory, but Intel and Nvidia are dominating the areas where AMD competes. Microsoft could rig the game against Nvidia and Intel, but that would just open them up to lawsuit after lawsuit.
Hopefully a deal like this would infuse AMD with the cash is needs to compete again.
Hopefully a deal like this would infuse AMD with the cash is needs to compete again.