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NX will launch in March 2017 globally, won't be at E3 (focusing on Zelda instead)

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Pokemaniac

Member
Oh God, the handheld! People seemed to forget abo-
Wait a second! Wasn't Nvidia seemingly behind 3DS's chip at first? It seems this time things went well, then?

Yes, the 3DS was originally supposed to be Tegra. Tegra 3DS devkits have been spotted in the wild.

But that's also why I find this a bit odd. It's generally thought that that deal fell through due to the Tegra line's longstanding power consumption issues. Unless they've fixed those, I'd expect the deal to fall through again.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
According to one of the SA sources, NVidia may even be taking a net loss on this one after software, support, and the whole shebang are done with. Crazy.

What am I even reading now.

Also, same question as KingSnake in terms of shared lineup, honestly.
 

antonz

Member
For it to be Tegra it would need to be something like a Tegra X1.

Ahh for handheld I suppose it could be a lower variant but console would have to be X1 level
 

Schnozberry

Member
Yes, the 3DS was originally supposed to be Tegra. Tegra 3DS devkits have been spotted in the wild.

But that's also why I find this a bit odd. It's generally thought that that deal fell through due to the Tegra line's longstanding power consumption issues. Unless they've fixed those, I'd expect the deal to fall through again.

Tegra is much more mature today and if they went 16nm FinFET it probably gets pretty good battery life as long as they don't go crazy with the clocks.
 
There's nothing mentioned about a home console. My own speculation: That could still be AMD. If they share an ARM CPU type, the whole common platform would be doable with Vulkan as an API.
 

Pokemaniac

Member
Wouldn't that need to be also in the console for a shared library? Or is the shared library out of the picture now?

Graphics architecture is significantly easier to abstract away from software than CPU architecture. 3DS and Wii U already moved somewhat in that direction.
 

Schnozberry

Member
For it to be Tegra it would need to be something like a Tegra X1.

Ahh for handheld I suppose it could be a lower variant but console would have to be X1 level

If we're assuming Nvidia also got the console SOC, it's probably based on the long delayed "Parker" version of the Tegra line that has NV Denver ARM CPU's and a variant of Pascal at 16nm.

If it's semi-custom, then the chip might even have a more robust version of Pascal.
 

thefro

Member
According to one of the SA sources, NVidia may even be taking a net loss on this one after software, support, and the whole shebang are done with. Crazy.

Here's Digital Foundry's article from last year:

Digital Foundry said:
The timing for Nintendo's more integrated next-gen strategy couldn't have been better. Recent trends in gaming technology are based very much on the kind scalability Nintendo will be interested in. Take Nvidia, for example. It developed the Maxwell tech found in Tegra X1 as a mobile architecture first and foremost, then scaled it up to top-of-the-line PC graphics cards. The potential of this kind of scalability for Nintendo is immense, though its published ideas on what form its architecture should take don't quite seem to make sense when the alternatives are so much more enticing.

I also wonder if they'd use NVidia Grid, which would expand the game library instantly by quite a lot.
 

Schnozberry

Member
There's nothing mentioned about a home console. My own speculation: That could still be AMD. If they share an ARM CPU type, the whole common platform would be doable with Vulkan as an API.

That's a good point, although if they had Nvidia willing to open a vein over pricing, I don't know why you'd complicate things that way.
 

MuchoMalo

Banned
It's Tegra.

Move along, nothing to see here, folks.

I mean, it would explain why no western third-parties on board, but... lolno. For example, would not be able to run the console version of DQXI, and I can't really see the point of porting the 3DS version to another platform.

I guess that this would prove the Ori dev right, though. We all denied it knowing that he was salty, but if this article is true, it's going to be a hybrid.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Graphics architecture is significantly easier to abstract away from software than CPU architecture. 3DS and Wii U already moved somewhat in that direction.

I understand that, but if they got Nvidia on board for a good price, it would be almost a waste of resources to not build on the same architecture.
 

Thraktor

Member
To be fair, Nvidia is the only company around offering off the shelf SoC solutions suitable for a handheld, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that they'd be in the running. The only reason people (including myself) have been discounting them is their poor record when it comes to their relationships with console makers.

A few things to note if it is Tegra:

- The only Tegra products which support Vulkan are the K1 and X1. Either would have to be clocked down compared to their current use cases (tablets, some actively cooled), but would still be significantly higher in performance than I would have estimated from an NX handheld. There's also the possibility that Nvidia would want to use the NX handheld as a showcase for its upcoming Pascal-based "Parker" chip.

- Releasing an AMD-powered home console and a Nvidia-powered handheld would be odd, but stranger things have happened. I would wonder why, if Nvidia was so interested in doing a deal, they wouldn't have used Nvidia chips for both, but perhaps it's just a case of AMD offering better bang for the buck on a console chip and Nvidia on a handheld chip.
 

Major Marvelous

Neo Member
Move along, nothing to see here, folks.

I mean, it would explain why no western third-parties on board, but... lolno. For example, would not be able to run the console version of DQXI, and I can't really see the point of porting the 3DS version to another platform.

I guess that this would prove the Ori dev right, though. We all denied it knowing that he was salty, but if this article is true, it's going to be a hybrid.
If you read his other posts, he says it's for the handheld, not the console.
 

ozfunghi

Member
Here's Digital Foundry's article from last year:

Digital Foundry said:
The timing for Nintendo's more integrated next-gen strategy couldn't have been better. Recent trends in gaming technology are based very much on the kind scalability Nintendo will be interested in. Take Nvidia, for example. It developed the Maxwell tech found in Tegra X1 as a mobile architecture first and foremost, then scaled it up to top-of-the-line PC graphics cards. The potential of this kind of scalability for Nintendo is immense, though its published ideas on what form its architecture should take don't quite seem to make sense when the alternatives are so much more enticing.

That's interesting... they are insinuating it would be a good move from Nintendo to stick with Nvidia for both handheld and homeconsole...

Do we know for a FACT that the home console was going to be using AMD GPU?
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Yeah, there's also the question related to strategy. Would Nvidia offer a good price for the handheld chip while the console gets still an AMD one? That doesn't sound like too much of a win.
 

MuchoMalo

Banned
To be fair, Nvidia is the only company around offering off the shelf SoC solutions suitable for a handheld, so it shouldn't be all that surprising that they'd be in the running. The only reason people (including myself) have been discounting them is their poor record when it comes to their relationships with console makers.

A few things to note if it is Tegra:

- The only Tegra products which support Vulkan are the K1 and X1. Either would have to be clocked down compared to their current use cases (tablets, some actively cooled), but would still be significantly higher in performance than I would have estimated from an NX handheld. There's also the possibility that Nvidia would want to use the NX handheld as a showcase for its upcoming Pascal-based "Parker" chip.

- Releasing an AMD-powered home console and a Nvidia-powered handheld would be odd, but stranger things have happened. I would wonder why, if Nvidia was so interested in doing a deal, they wouldn't have used Nvidia chips for both, but perhaps it's just a case of AMD offering better bang for the buck on a console chip and Nvidia on a handheld chip.

Isn't it far more likely that there just isn't a console if this is true? I still have no idea who that ARM APU could be for in that case, but having a completely different GPU in the console and handheld would mean that porting wouldn't be much easier. Vulkan would help a bit, but they'd still have the same issues.

If you read his other posts, he says it's for the handheld, not the console.

I see that now, but that only removes the DQXI part. My point stands: There is no NX console if this is the truth.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
Isn't it far more likely that there just isn't a console if this is true? I still have no idea who that ARM APU could be for in that case, but having a completely different GPU in the console and handheld would mean that porting wouldn't be much easier. Vulkan would help a bit, but they'd still have the same issues.



I see that now, but that only removes the DQXI part. My point stands: There is no NX console if this is the truth.

Oh God
 

Eradicate

Member
I'm serious.

SpockSurprised.gif


This thread is getting juicy again!

Many were making Nvidia Shield comparisons...man, they were closer than they thought! (Possibly!)
 
Move along, nothing to see here, folks.

I mean, it would explain why no western third-parties on board, but... lolno. For example, would not be able to run the console version of DQXI, and I can't really see the point of porting the 3DS version to another platform.

I guess that this would prove the Ori dev right, though. We all denied it knowing that he was salty, but if this article is true, it's going to be a hybrid.

Can you please change your name to "jumping to conclusions"? Or is that already taken?
 

Eolz

Member
Seems like it may be talking about the handheld? No idea about the home console, but NVidia confirmed according to SemiAccurate. Nvidia's stance on console's was supposedly a cover for the fact that MS and Sony wouldn't let them in on negotiations after the previous console contracts.

Yes, this info is from the article.

Apparently, the loss of consoles was a huge blow to NVidia's pride behind the scenes, and the team were told to get a "win" or don't bother coming to work. Nintendo got a good price on the chips. And yes, this is for the handheld only.

Wow, after the 3DS fiasco, this is indeed "jaw dropping". Can't see anybody expecting that, and that's the first substantial info/rumor we got about the handheld since the screen size hint a long time ago too...
 

Vena

Member
It's Tegra.

And here we were thinking it might just be Vita level.

How naive we were.

Holy shit.

Wow, after the 3DS fiasco, this is indeed "jaw dropping". Can't see anybody expecting that, and that's the first substantial info/rumor we got about the handheld since the screen size hint a long time ago too...

What's jaw dropping, especially if that loss info is true, is going to be that we are going to get a modern hardware handheld from Nintendo.
 

MuchoMalo

Banned

I know what you're thinking, but from what he's saying a console wasn't even mentioned in the article. It also wouldn't be the fist time we've heard that it's only a handheld.

Also, I want you to know that I don't really trust this source at all. It's an interesting talking point though. Hm... Okay, let's say that this is true, but there's still a console. From the sound of this, Nintendo's strategy to save money is to go with an off-the-self part. If that's true, then is makes it more likely that Nintendo picked a GPU that can stand with PS4's since they'd want the 256-bit bus. Likewise, it would rule out Polaris completely because Polaris 11 has a 128-bit bus and Polaris 10 is too expensive.

Though, with a Tegra, a smart Nintendo would let the handheld connect to the TV and just have that serve as the cheaper option. Then they could make the console competitive.
 

Eolz

Member
Tegra is much more mature today and if they went 16nm FinFET it probably gets pretty good battery life as long as they don't go crazy with the clocks.

This. Tegra now is way different from 3DS-era Tegra.

Isn't it far more likely that there just isn't a console if this is true? I still have no idea who that ARM APU could be for in that case, but having a completely different GPU in the console and handheld would mean that porting wouldn't be much easier. Vulkan would help a bit, but they'd still have the same issues.



I see that now, but that only removes the DQXI part. My point stands: There is no NX console if this is the truth.

This and your post before are ridiculous. This is for the handheld and doesn't have a big impact on the console. Sharing libraries easily, as speculated, was never a matter of doing a simple port. Just having closer tools and architectures, which can still happen.

edit: oh ffs you're now talking about that terrible hybrid speculation now.
 
Holy shit all this news! And I don't even understand because I never heard of nvidia with the whole NX thing for the past year and now nvidia came out of nowhere!
 

MuchoMalo

Banned
So it can run Zelda but it's not good enough for a console? (because Zelda is confirmed for NX)

It can obviously be a console if it's put in one, but it would be closer to Wii U than Xbone in terms of power. A handheld with Tegra could easily run Zelda at 720p or even 1080p depending on which Tegra it is. This is extremely exciting for the handheld, but leaves a ton of questions on what the console plans are.

Hm... Industry leading chips... Hm...

This and your post before are ridiculous. This is for the handheld and doesn't have a big impact on the console. Sharing libraries easily, as speculated, was never a matter of doing a simple port. Just having closer tools and architectures, which can still happen.

edit: oh ffs you're now talking about that terrible hybrid speculation now.

Look, I'm just trying to work out the possible implications. I don't even believe the guy since he's pretty hit-or-miss. It's all part of the fun. These aren't me saying what I think will happen, but rather me trying to figure out how this could work.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
I expected slightly above xbox 1 in power since forever ago. Before and after rumors. So we'll see in the end.

It's also true that, if I've read the article correctly, direct comparisons won't be that easy to make i.e. mere numbers aren't enough. Correct me if I'm wrong, gentlemen.
 

Vena

Member
ARM still does feel the most likely, but being ARM doesn't necessarily mean it's weak either... at least compared to what the PS4/XBO currently have anyways.

What I meant is that the comparisons are not linear or easy anymore. People have a hard enough time understanding that AMD flops are NVidia flops. Try explaining efficiency gains and all the rest to people who think x86 is some magic bullet.

Aka

I expected slightly above xbox 1 in power since forever ago. Before and after rumors. So we'll see in the end.

This.
 
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