Newsmaker: When 'good enough' graphics won't do

Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, received more than polite applause during the most recent gathering of his flock.

Underneath a tent erected across the street from the San Jose Convention Center earlier this month, dozens of FLOPS (floating-point operations per second)-hungry gamers bellowed and whistled at the demonstrations of Nvidia's latest graphics hardware, the GeForce 8800. Several had been there all night, competing against fellow gamers in a marathon LAN party, but they showed no signs of fatigue as game developers showed off their latest wares running on the new graphics card.

Beneath the surface, however, market forces are changing Nvidia's competitive position. The company's longtime rival, ATI Technologies, was recently acquired by its longtime partner, chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices. Nvidia and AMD now compete on high-end graphics technology, but also collaborate on chipsets for AMD's processors. At the same time, Nvidia is getting set to release its first chipsets for Intel's processors--meaning it has to maintain a delicate balancing act between the titans of the PC industry.

Huang took time out from hosting model Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight--the former Peter Brady--at the GeForce 8800 launch event to sit down with CNET News.com. After being whisked from meeting to meeting during the event, he was so pumped to get going he put the first question himself, asking, "What do you think about the show?"

It's a show, all right. It's definitely a little different than your average launch event.
Huang: If you can't do a great show with a GPU (graphics processing unit), than you can't do a great show at all.

The thing to realize is that our ultimate competitor is the apathy of consumers.

The beauty of our technology is it's so experiential, you can almost argue that what Nvidia is, is the experiential processor company. We build processors that make it possible for people to articulate all these wonderful stories and beautiful images, and to deliver these incredible experiences that hopefully came through today.

What are these new products going to allow game designers and graphics professionals to do that they couldn't do before?
Huang: If you take a look at the previous-generation GPUs, we introduced a lot more performance. So geometric fidelity was higher, resolution was higher, and we invented a technology called the "shader" that makes it possible for you to articulate shiny, bumpy, really interesting surfaces.

But in the final analysis, they were all still kind of rigid. This generation, we unified the shader and introduced a concept called "geometry shading." We can create and destroy geometry inside the GPU. That makes it possible to do all the supple things in life, like skin, people talking and animating, grass blowing in the wind. All the particle systems that you saw in the nuclear bomb (during the simulation of an upcoming game), all the smoke, were (made up of) individual pixels, individual particles that were being simulated in physics which in combination looks like an explosion plume, a nuclear plume. These kinds of effects just weren't possible before.

This is an interesting time in this business with AMD and ATI. What does that merger mean for you guys?
Huang: At some level, it doesn't change anything. Our focus has always been focusing on the consumers, focusing on the end users, and making sure we deliver the best possible experience. At that level, it doesn't change a thing.

However, at the industry level, the ecosystem level, what changes is that we are now the sole standalone independent dedicated GPU supplier in the world. It makes it possible for us to passionately support both AMD and Intel microprocessors.

With AMD's stated goal to integrate the CPU (central processing unit) and GPU in a two-year or three-year time frame, how would you guys fit into that landscape, in which GPUs are directly integrated into CPUs?
Huang: Well, we think integration is a terrific thing for certain segments. Integration is a horrible thing for other segments. Take the TV and the VCR: You could argue you that you could integrate a VCR with a TV, a DVD player with a TV, a stereo system with a TV. You could put the stereo systems in the speakers, why not?

More Newsmakers

[umbrae]

Good Article

I agree on the points of the GPU and integration. I love AMD, but always had a problem with ATI cards. They consume less power, but always seem to have more cut and dry compatibility: either it works or doesn't.

Since I build my own PCs, I prefer Nvidia. Even if a game requires a high model card, I can normally get the game to run with lower performance or settings. However, with ATI, if the requirements is higher than my card model the game simply will not run. As such, I have always stayed on the Nvidia side of the fense: even though I have a lot of experience with both vendors. I just hope AMD continues to support my choice in GPU; otherwise, Intel will be getting more of my future business.

[Kindred_]

Agree

I have been burned 3 times too many with ATI cards, now I never sway from Nvidia. Nvidia's drivers (and unified driver model) are the best, hands down. I can't even count the number of times on my hand that I've had driver issues with ATI cards. blech.

[jabbotts]

I may be close behind on the intel switch

Between the three, Intel is hands-down the most FOSS friendly. I've yet to see the other two provide solid drivers even they are binaries. Both have drivers available, both are a muck-around to get working and both remain proprietary.

nVidia, ATI; If you won't open the source, then at least provide complete drivers. I know you both have proprietary drivers available but 70% "good enough" won't cut it. Your both hardware vendors, not OS specific software vendors, support your product and I'll turn out my pockets happily.

[jasonm0817]

What happens to NVIDIA

Yea of course the Huang is gonna say that the relationship with AMD is fine when a Billion dollars worth of sales is dependent on continued suport. He mentioned what is going to change is that they are going to enter the Intel marketplace with integrated graphics. They are going to integrate NForce and GeForce into one chip. This is hysterical. Intel was hurting NVIDIA with intergrated Graphics chips and now all is forgotten. Sounds like complete desperation. My prediction is that the back and forth war over who makes the faster graphic card will end and that the AMD and ATI merger will revolutionize the PC market place. What took place with Microsoft and software industry will take place in the hardware side now too.

[intelliadmin]

NVIDIA Has their work cut out for them

The pressure from both giants is now upon them. It will be interesting to see how they adapt. More than likely they will be eventually squeezed out of the market. Intel and AMD have too much say in how the motherboards and PC architecture is setup. They can easily create situations that make it hard for NVIDIA to compete

Steve Wiseman
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.windows-admin-tools.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.windows-admin-tools.com</a>

[mortis9]

another inaccurate article

They aren't releasing their first chipset, nor their second or third. They're releasing their third chipset family. Previously they released the nforce4 and 5 families, within which there were a variety of chipsets. Now they're releasing the nforce6

[Lindy01]

And

Nforce 2 and 3.....they were around for a while.

[Lindy01]

PC graphics

exist for PC games. PC games sales keep falling each year...and console sales increase.

The game publishers love to ssell console games over PC games because there is way more profit.

The sad thing is NVIDIA and ATI release $600 video cards for the ever shrinking PC game market when you could buy a premium Xbox 360 for $399...and the rest towards good new games.

ATI has the Xbox 360 and Wii buisness and NVIDIA has the PS3.....I think ATI/AMD will win what is left of the graphics market.

I would not count Intel out...as gaming moves towards consoles PC only really need intergrated graphics.

[H Voyager]

Games ebb and flow

Games ebb and flow. I remember in the late eighties, everyone was predicting that console games were the future, and PC games were obsolescent junk. Then PC games had a run, and console games languished. Now consoles are in the ascendant, and so the cycle goes.

PCs and consoles deliver different capabilities and different experiences. Each has its time in the sun. Each has its time in the wilderness.

Harry Voyager

[jabbotts]

I'll never give up PC gaming

Consoles are nice and have there place but there are games where an eight button controller just doesn't cut it. Mouse/Flightstick and Keyboard remains my long prefered game interface.

Some games are great on console with the controller; Project Gothom and the Need for Speed series come to mind. But your just not going to get the full experience of Neverwinter with eight buttons.

My observation seems to be that PC games push PC hardware development which in turn filters down to and pushes console hardware development. Consoles will be great for the next short while until PC hardware excedes them. In a few years the next generation of consoles will bring couch gaming up to standards then again, PC hardware will continue the evolution until another console generation.

For me, the detractor is GPU cost. 700$ for a GPU is absalutely insaine. Hell, my last ATI AIW clocked in under 200$ which is rather exceptable being that it has the added Tuner chip. (ATI's tv software with forced recording to drive not withstanding.) I've even accepted that being an unsponsored gamer (that sounds funny on it's own), I'll remain a genation behind the premium graphics.

At 700$ per card, ATI wants you to now rush out and buy three so two can co-process for resolutions bigger than most people's LCD monitors and a third to process physics math to compete with the PhysiX board. I just can't justify 1400$ to push premium graphics to 1280x1024.

Still, Need for Speed on the family console and 3d 1st/3rd person on the PC with full control keeps me happy even if the graphics are reduced.

[Ryo Hazuki]

The title perfectly fits the Nintendo Wii.

And it will fit it even better in 5 years. Mark my words.

[castingRod47]

Vid-OutPut

I don't use a Video output card via the PCI or PCiExpress Slot..integrated is very good for my Software Programs(I'm a Non-Gamer)..the Power Supply(PSU)really needs to be High Wattage for Spectacular Video cards..and also the OUTPUT could damage equipment/Configuration is complicated and SETTINGS and DRIVERS could get "out of hand"..I would go the Console Game Station over a PC-model..Processor(CPU)prices are high/right now..the Customer has very big demands on the PC-side since OS and software programs have gone there also..I run two PC's useing a KVM switch/one PC has NO Slots available for anything else..the OTHER has two SLOTS available-one is PCiExpress..I also do not want equipment hanging "outside" my TOWER(e.g.Modem)/I prefer a nice neat appearance..since I also must move my equipment around(Cleaning Day)I need the Integration for my Home Office..I would like to see a PC-card for Video that has a safe level of operation/declareing the STATE-output as LCD Screen or CRT as what's really safest..then a configuation that has its own Console or Dashboard to review the Settings/so far I do not add on Video Output because its in need of WATTAGE.