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Reddit [verified] User shares NX info: x86 Architecture, Second screen support etc.

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tapedeck

Do I win a prize for talking about my penis on the Internet???
I'm actually quite pessimistic about the NX reveal schedule. I don't expect to hear absolutely anything until E3.

Would be more than happy to eat all the crow in the world, though.
I don't think that's particularly pessimistic..Nintendo is as tight lipped as it gets..I fully expected the first official info to not drop until E3 when it's (hopefully) revealed.
 

MK_768

Member
And NX is still attractive of cause. I can only imagine the current ps4/xb one owners complain if 4K versions happens this year

Well it could be attractive if it is more powerful than the PS4 and XB1. Listen, I strongly doubt developers will focus on developing for the new iterations in the beginning. Maybe in 2 years or so.

As a PS4 owner I'm already upset with the PS4K regardless of when it comes out. I'm just concerned with how developers will treat it if they decide to port DOWN to the PS4.

I'm not buying the PS4K at all, just on principle alone. But also, I'm not interested in paying 400-500 bucks on one either....especially this year with NX coming out
 

ozfunghi

Member
I wonder, do you think LCGeek's metrics were on pure clockspeed or on benchmarking? That may well enough remove the possibility of BR, no?

From his entire "rant" i take it he is talking about performance (benchmark or other) and not mere clockspeed.

I know i'm not Blu, but i do have some blue in my avatar.
 

10k

Banned
Rösti;200778916 said:
With the attention Nintendo is giving this patent, I do believe they have a genuine intent to use it (hopefully for NX). The reward system and sharing of system resources these devices provide goes well with Nintendo in my opinion.

There have been some intriguing events about this patent recently, and I hope to gain access to new documents shortly.
Yeah my feeling is they'll make the nx a little more powerul than PS4 and extend its power with Peer to Peer sharing with the supplementary computing devices to extend the lifespan.

Arm has a better future than x86 imo. It works well with handhelds and the scd's could boost the handheld and console power as well.

Final specs:

Console:
8 Core ARM A72 at 2.2Ghz
8GB GDDR5
2TF GPU with GCN 1.3 support, 16CU

Handheld:

4 core ARM A72 at 1.5Ghz
500GFlop GPU with GCN 1.3 support 6 CU
4GB GDDR5
2000mah battery
5" 960x540p IPS LCD display

Power extending through SCD's in 2017 and beyond.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
I wonder, do you think LCGeek's metrics were on pure clockspeed or on benchmarking? That may well enough remove the possibility of BR, no?
Well, two options are at hand for whoever gave LC that info, given the supposed unavailability of working silicon at 3rd parties:
  • Just paper specs, ie. uarch + clocks.
  • See the paper specs and then use a same-uarch stock part to benchmark, then extrapolate.

You should ask LC about the rest ; )
 

Vena

Member
From his entire "rant" i take it he is talking about performance (benchmark or other) and not mere clockspeed.

I know i'm not Blu, but i do have some blue in my avatar.

No that's fine, I just don't recall if he had been speaking in BM terms or in clock terms, as the former should fairly well rule out the Excavator[Bulldozer] usage in a direct benchmarking comparison vs. the Jaguars.

Well, two options are at hand for whoever gave LC that info:
  • Just paper specs, ie. uarch + clocks.
  • See the paper specs and then use a same-uarch stock part to benchmark, then extrapolate.

You should ask LC about the rest ; )

But in either case, doesn't the logic flow that it likely is not anything from the Bulldozer family? Since in either case he could/would have done the same logical flow/reasoning you did, and show that you don't gain the supposed boost from the BR even at a higher clock. Unless this thing is running at some absurd clockspeeds on his data sheets or whatnot. (Then again he did compare it to the FX-8350...)
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
But in either case, doesn't the logic flow that it likely is not anything from the Bulldozer family? Since in either case he could/would have done the same logical flow/reasoning you did, and show that you don't gain the supposed boost from the BR even at a higher clock. Unless this thing is running at some absurd clockspeeds on his data sheets or whatnot.
It really depends whether the info LC was given was paper-spec-derived, or benchmarked. If it was benchmarked, we don't know what the dev benchmarked - for all we know it could have been zip, in which case the fp paper specs I used above would not rule out BR. Of course, a well substantiated opinion would be based on more than one (type of) benchmark ; )

(Then again he did compare it to the FX-8350...)
That is a 4GHz-base, 4-module part (8 integer threads, 4 fpus). That means its paper FLOPS are 256G. That CPU is substantially faster than xbone/ps4 any way you look at it.
 

geordiemp

Member
Well it could be attractive if it is more powerful than the PS4 and XB1. Listen, I strongly doubt developers will focus on developing for the new iterations in the beginning. Maybe in 2 years or so.

As a PS4 owner I'm already upset with the PS4K regardless of when it comes out. I'm just concerned with how developers will treat it if they decide to port DOWN to the PS4.

I'm not buying the PS4K at all, just on principle alone. But also, I'm not interested in paying 400-500 bucks on one either....especially this year with NX coming out

WiiU has been out 2012, Ps4 and Xb1 2013, they are all as good / bad as another, but your reasoning on principal is flawed if all console makers are doing it, its because you have a supplier preference which to you is Nintendo....

Next console I buy will be the most capable of the 3, dont give a damn who it is. My last 3 consoles went Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony .....how is that for neutrality lol

Its like tossing a 3 headed coin, would not surprise me if MS slipped out with a Xb2 best that plays occulus, you never know.

One of them needs to adopt ZEN 14 nm.

Tired of weak ass profitable consoles in 2016/2017, someone needs to step up.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I've always thought this slide from Nintendos Investors Meeting was important.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203/img/47l.jpg

It's for My Nintendo. On the right side it has some stuff darked out like "Coordination of Cloud Data" and "Parks at Retail Stores", then the last one at the bottom is just blank. I feel like it's NX related and if the SCD turns out to be true it could be a way to get points or rewards for using a SCD.

Oops it said Parks at Retail Stores. I guess maybe you'll get discounts for Universal Studios tickets or something like that if you purchase games at retail.

-.- it says perks at retail stores lol
 

MK_768

Member
WiiU has been out 2012, Ps4 and Xb1 2013, they are all as good / bad as another, but your reasoning on principal is flawed if all console makers are doing it, its because you have a supplier preference which to you is Nintendo....

Next console I buy will be the most capable of the 3, dont give a damn who it is. My last 3 consoles went Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony .....how is that for neutrality lol

Its like tossing a 3 headed coin, would not surprise me if MS slipped out with a Xb2 best that plays occulus, you never know.

One of them needs to adopt ZEN 14 nm.

Tired of weak ass profitable consoles in 2016/2017, someone needs to step up.

Please. Sure I prefer Nintendo but that is not a reason my principle is flawed. Wii U is finished. It's done. PS4/XB1 are not. Sony and Microsoft aren't bringing in the next generation of consoles like Nintendo is with NX. Sorry you can't see that.

Also, my principle on not buying new iterations of the same damn system just doesn't go to this scenario. I don't buy new iterations of Nintendo's handhelds.. So please do not act like you got me figured out lol.

Also congrats on your neutrality.....cause that's important lol.
 

Schnozberry

Member
Tired of weak ass profitable consoles in 2016/2017, someone needs to step up.

I don't think we're going to see anyone adopt a loss-leader model again. Nobody has the cash to do that aside from Microsoft, and their investors are no longer dumb enough to buy into the idea that gaining market share in dedicated video game consoles will lead to major profitability down the road. That was a one time play to control the "digital living room", and as it turns out most people don't need or want a video game console to do that.
 
WiiU has been out 2012, Ps4 and Xb1 2013, they are all as good / bad as another

I mean, strictly speaking, this isn't true. Wii U is a commercially failed product which is being replaced. PS4k would be an unprecedented mid-life cycle upgrade to a wildly commercially successful product.
 

Fredrik

Member
So do folks think NX will be optical disc BC with WiiU?
Nope. Even if it has an optical drive and full BC they'll probably just have BC for digital purchases, just because. And just because they always make at least one huge mistake they won't have BC for Wii VC titles either, only WiiU VC titles..
Sigh.

Full WiiU BC, disc, digital, WiiU VC, plus Wii VC, would be a megaton and they'd win E3 by default, from my point of view.
 

Thraktor

Member

Why would a server SoC feature a GPU? Case in point: A1100.

Also, 'one goes beyond games' indicates that both AMD wins from 2014 have their roots in games. IMHO, of course. So both SoCs - x86 and arm - have GPUs and both have ties in games, of which one is a sheer gaming device, aka a console, while the other goes 'beyond games'.

For what it's worth, the only full transcript of that earnings call has that particular phrase taken down as "at least one will be on gaming" (I don't have time to find the source now, but I'll provide it later), so I actually suspect that the whole "beyond gaming" is simply a mis-transcription of what he said.

Also, while a server SoC wouldn't feature a GPU, a HPC SoC may well do.
 
Because Nintendo doubled down on the GamePad, there's no way Wii U games will be forward compatible with NX.

"But they could just make the GamePad work on the NX!" Okay, but where will you buy a GamePad on its own if you want to play Wii U games but didn't own a Wii U before? Wii's BC existed partly because so many people missed out on the GameCube software, and a GameCube controller was only ~$25. How are newcomers supposed to go buy a Wii U GamePad that was sold almost exclusively 1:1 with the consoles, which sold extremely poorly at that?

There is the remote possibility that Nintendo will allow Wii U software to be played using the NX handheld counterpart (if it has all the functions of a GamePad and a comparable screen size so that touch-screen use isn't hampered by being too small....which is extremely unlikely looking at even the Vita's or 3DSXL's comparatively generous handheld screen sizes), or they will start manufacturing an "NX GamePad for Wii U Games" that will sell at some premium price (which would again require them to put that specialized extra Wi-Fi chip into the NX, which seems like an unnecessary expense).....

BUT I think the more reasonable scenario—as I've said many times before—is traditional-control-friendly ports of or sequels to the most popular/revolutionary Wii U titles. Mario Maker NX, Smash Bros. 4 Complete Edition, etc. I suspect tablet/smartphone companion apps will be produced for complex-interface games like Mario Maker.
 

10k

Banned
Why the sudden surrender, lol?



I wonder, do you think LCGeek's metrics were on pure clockspeed or on benchmarking? That may well enough remove the possibility of BR, no?
Because I've spoken to more credible people in Twitter in private since then. :p
 

Pinky

Banned
BC needs to be thrown out. If the rumor of Wii U ports/remasters is true, then that should suffice. Bring some of the big hitters and fan favorites over to NX with some resolution/FPS bumps and we're good.
 

Pokemaniac

Member
Because Nintendo doubled down on the GamePad, there's no way Wii U games will be forward compatible with NX.

"But they could just make the GamePad work on the NX!" Okay, but where will you buy a GamePad on its own if you want to play Wii U games but didn't own a Wii U before? Wii's BC existed partly because so many people missed out on the GameCube software, and a GameCube controller was only ~$25.

There is the remote possibility that Nintendo will allow Wii U software to be played using the NX handheld counterpart, or they will start manufacturing an "NX GamePad for Wii U Games" that will sell at some premium price (which would again require them to put that specialized extra Wi-Fi chip into the NX, which seems like an unnecessary expense).....

BUT I think the more reasonable scenario—as I've said many times before—is ports of or sequels to the most popular/revolutionary Wii U titles. Mario Maker NX, Smash Bros. 4 Complete Edition, etc.

The NX will most likely support a GamePad style controller. Otherwise, there will be massive differences in input between the console and handheld.
 

geordiemp

Member
I mean, strictly speaking, this isn't true. Wii U is a commercially failed product which is being replaced. PS4k would be an unprecedented mid-life cycle upgrade to a wildly commercially successful product.

So whats the n3ds then....? Does it play some things the standard cannot...

LOL, all the hardware manufacturers are going to be changing stuff every 3 -4 years, some fans on all sides will defend it to the death or whatever.

Personally, bring it on, better hardware is good, but lets not kid ourselves, they all want a piece of that apple pie and will dress it up however they can.

Also I would bring out new hardware as often as the market and the fans will pay for
 

Peterc

Member
I was wondering of Emily her post about she saying the nx wil have better library than the wiiu did in 4years. I hope she didn't count the wiiu games that are backwards compatible. Otherwise it would be obvious.

I think wiiu game only counts for "NX" library when it's new like zelda u or when they bring MK8 with new gfx and new content/levels. Not just higher res and higher frames.

What do hou think she means with the 4years?
 

KingWool

Banned
I was wondering of Emily her post about she saying the nx wil have better library than the wiiu did in 4years. I hope she didn't count the wiiu games that are backwards compatible. Otherwise it would be obvious.

I think wiiu game only counts for "NX" library when it's new like zelda u or when they bring MK8 with new gfx and new content/levels. Not just higher res and higher frames.

What do hou think she means with the 4years?

Going by that; Wii U has an amazing library with Wii...i.e; BC games dont count
 

swatahafa

Banned
I know these are just rumors, but the "will be able to handle ports of current gen games" worries me.

Nintendo seriously can't play catch-up yet another generation. How hot would NX be in three years from now when Sony starts teasing specs of Ps5?

Nintendo: go big or go home.
 

Malus

Member
I know these are just rumors, but the "will be able to handle ports of current gen games" worries me.

Nintendo seriously can't play catch-up yet another generation. How hot would NX be in three years from now when Sony starts teasing specs of Ps5?

Nintendo: go big or go home.

Well they're gonna be behind PS5 by a good margin no matter what if they're trying to release a console for $400 or less in 2016.
 

Schnozberry

Member
I know these are just rumors, but the "will be able to handle ports of current gen games" worries me.

Nintendo seriously can't play catch-up yet another generation. How hot would NX be in three years from now when Sony starts teasing specs of Ps5?

Nintendo: go big or go home.

I think one of the major bullet points of unifying their development environment and hardware strategy was to make sure that they could be more flexible with hardware. They could easily release iterative hardware down the road just like Sony or Microsoft.
 

Peru

Member
I know these are just rumors, but the "will be able to handle ports of current gen games" worries me.

Nintendo seriously can't play catch-up yet another generation. How hot would NX be in three years from now when Sony starts teasing specs of Ps5?

Nintendo: go big or go home.

That's a hopeless game Nintendo should have no interest in playing.
 

Thraktor

Member
I think one of the major bullet points of unifying their development environment and hardware strategy was to make sure that they could be more flexible with hardware. They could easily release iterative hardware down the road just like Sony or Microsoft.

I think a big part of it would be framing people's expectations from the start. If they come out at E3 and say "Here's our new games platform, NX, and here are the first two devices in that platform", they'd be giving buyers a bit more of a heads up that it's an iOS style continuously developing platform than if they just said "Here's our new console NX, and there's also a handheld that can play some of the same games", which would lead buyers to believe they're getting a traditional 5-year console cycle out of it, and then be rather annoyed when an NX1.5 suddenly appeared a couple of years later.
 

z0m3le

Banned
I know these are just rumors, but the "will be able to handle ports of current gen games" worries me.

Nintendo seriously can't play catch-up yet another generation. How hot would NX be in three years from now when Sony starts teasing specs of Ps5?

Nintendo: go big or go home.

When do you expect PS5 to launch? Considering PS4k, I don't see it happening til at least 2019, probably 2020.
 

atbigelow

Member
I think one of the major bullet points of unifying their development environment and hardware strategy was to make sure that they could be more flexible with hardware. They could easily release iterative hardware down the road just like Sony or Microsoft.

Neither Sony or MS is capable of iterative hardware right now, either. MS seems to be the closest that we know about.
 

Sterok

Member
Why would the existence of ports determine whether or not BC is in? The Wii had tons of Gamecube ports even though it was fully BC.
 

z0m3le

Banned
I think a big part of it would be framing people's expectations from the start. If they come out at E3 and say "Here's our new games platform, NX, and here are the first two devices in that platform", they'd be giving buyers a bit more of a heads up that it's an iOS style continuously developing platform than if they just said "Here's our new console NX, and there's also a handheld that can play some of the same games", which would lead buyers to believe they're getting a traditional 5-year console cycle out of it, and then be rather annoyed when an NX1.5 suddenly appeared a couple of years later.

If you were Nintendo planning these devices in 2014 for a 2017 launch? Are these the technologies you would go with?

14nm LPP

A72 ARM console, A53 ARM handheld

Polaris GPU 8CU to 12CU @ 1GHz for Console (1TFLOPs - 1.5TFLOPs), 2CU @ 600mhz for Handheld,

LPDDR4 4 64bit chips for console 8GB, LPDDR4 2GB for handheld

My theory is that Nintendo originally planned NX for 2017 but Wii U never recovered and they changed their plans after 2014 after seeing the drop in 3DS sales.
 

Pinky

Banned
Why would the existence of ports determine whether or not BC is in? The Wii had tons of Gamecube ports even though it was fully BC.

GC, Wii and Wii U share Power PC architectures, thus BC was a piece of cake. If NX is moving to ARM or x86 architectures, BC, at least natively, is pretty much out.

Edit: For the most part, I think we saw a lot of GC--->Wii ports because Nintendo/third-parties saw an opportunity to enhance/change up their GC offerings with motion controls. RE4 & Zelda: TP are a couple examples. We also had the New Play Control series from Nintendo which took GC games and implemented motion controls as well.
 

Schnozberry

Member
Neither Sony or MS is capable of iterative hardware right now, either. MS seems to be the closest that we know about.

Seems like a long term industry goal. I can see how it would be preferable to a risky wholesale migration of your user base every few years. With iterative hardware like Apple's model, someone could potentially limp along with with older hardware if they were willing to live with a lesser user experience and feature set, and a dwindling set of compatible software.
 

Zalman

Member
If you were Nintendo planning these devices in 2014 for a 2017 launch? Are these the technologies you would go with?

14nm LPP

A72 ARM console, A53 ARM handheld

Polaris GPU 8CU to 12CU @ 1GHz for Console (1TFLOPs - 1.5TFLOPs), 2CU @ 600mhz for Handheld,

LPDDR4 4 64bit chips for console 8GB, LPDDR4 2GB for handheld

My theory is that Nintendo originally planned NX for 2017 but Wii U never recovered and they changed their plans after 2014 after seeing the drop in 3DS sales.
In 2014, Iwata said he expected them to return to "Nintendo-like profits" in the fiscal year ending March 2017. That makes me think a 2016 release was always planned.
 
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