ATI already won next gen Xbox deal (Rumor)

Fuad Abazovic writes,

"We've learned from industry sources that AMD / ATI has already won the GPU deal for the next generation Xbox console. It looks like Microsoft was happy with first Xeons GPU and it wants to continue using the same, especially since the new ATI GPU should keep the compatibility with legacy games."

[ThanatosDMC]

"Next Gen" has been staring at MS this whole time all ready... guess, they're abandoning 360???

[Gorgon]

Huh?

[Lelouch V Brit]

interesting article.

[josuttis]

"guess, they're abandoning 360?"

All signs point to yes.

Look at Microsoft's actions over the last couple of years:

* They have been shutting down their first party development studios

* They let major exclusive third party developers like Bioware and Bizarre Creations get bought by multiplatform publishers

* They let their one big developer Bungie leave the company

Everything you would expect a company to do that was leaving the console market.

There isn't going to be another Xbox. Ever.

Microsoft has lost some 7 to 8 billion dollars on the 8 year long Xbox fiasco. They are going through major cost cutting, layoffs and shutting down of projects and products. Wasting more billions designing and ramping up production of yet another Xbox isn't going to happen.

That is why they are jumping on the motion control bandwagon with their EyeToy ripoff. Try to replicate Nintendo's Wii strategy of selling old hardware with motion controls tacked on. Keep the suckers paying their 50 dollar a year online fees instead of abandoning the dead Xbox platform.

[zootang]

It's Fudzilla, when they state facts they are usually wrong.

[Perjoss]

@ 1.3
interesting, but you're wrong.

[a_squirrel]

@1.3

I would have to say that that is true... for the most part, but they are gaining a ton of money from those $50 online thingys

[darthv72]

I am sure sony is doing the same. Makes you wonder if sony will stick with nvidia again for the ps4.

I am also curious if MS will stick to the power pc core design or go with something inclusive from AMD/ATI. The cpu/gpu combined to make it smaller and produce less heat.

I can see the 6 core Phenom type with the latest ATI gpu built in to the same die. Not much different from where intel is going.

Will nintendo stick to ATI as well?

[evrfighter]

Fudzilla is Fudzilla

But for something like this I wouldn't toss it aside. I'm all for an xbox I can buy without worry of failing on me. With ATI going the way they are. This would be the logical decision for M$.

[ThanatosDMC]

MS has the capital to back up anything. It doesnt matter if it fails.

Oh wait, i forgot about Natal...

[StanLee]

Your post is so ridiculous I don't know where to begin addressing it so I wont. You have have shown how ignorant most posters posting on this site are.

[ChickeyCantor]

You know its been a while since the 360 was released.
Its only logical for them to let ATI do research on a Chip they need, the next xbox is coming and we all know it.

[FrankDrebin]

of course is in the works but I don't see how MS is getting ready for it by shutting down inhouse developers.

All game console companies begin looking to the future as soon or even before their current gen systems launch.

This is the be expected.

[darthv72]

on one hand you have the increasing time and $$ in game development. On the other you have the advancements in technology.

I wouldnt want a game console to release every 5 years now a days but when it was the nes, genesis, snes it was understandable. Dev time was shorter and costs were cheaper then. Now a days it takes some devs 2 maybe 3 years to go from concept to completion. If a console were to come out every 5 years now it would be pointless. You get 1 game then have to wait for the next and by the time it comes out it is already into the next console release.

I know that last part may be a bit extreme but you can understand what i am meaning. I actually expect all 3 to be working on their follow up consoles. Sony looks to be in a better position than the others because of their cell cpu. It is a beefy chip that is hindered by limited memory at the moment. I would not be surprised if the next sony system has the cell but with increased dedicated memory as well as beefier gpu with more memory as well.

these consoles have been compared to pc's so in that same vein, you could simply upgrade some components while keeping others. 360 cpu is pretty good too although, I dont really ever hear of devs saying they are using all 3 cores effectivly like you hear stories about using multiple spe's in the cell.

Just like swapping out the video card in a pc, I can see the newest tech for 2010-ish for the next xbox along with either bluray or whatever may be the next big wave in media format technology the industry has in mind. That is...provided MS is shooting for an 2010 announcement. Otherwise they could use whatever ati has up their processing sleeves for 11 or 12.

You figure they will want whatever is cost effective and can do DX12 by that time. Just make sure there is sufficient memory for the gpu and system. 4gb seems to be a norm about now.

[Persistantthug]

I can't say that MS will bow out of the Console "game" next gen., and I doubt you have the inside information to back that either, but I have to admit that you have brought some very strong points forward.

I mean, I bet I'm not the only one that hasn't actually taken the time to think about how long Microsoft has been at this. You're right, It's been 8 years......8 FREAKIN YEARS ALREADY?!!!?

If Microsoft has made no money in this 8 years, and has lost billions like you say......one has to wonder how long they are gonna stay in this in the "hope" that they'll finally turn and ERASE all those losses to positive gains.

I don't care what business it is.......throwing good money after bad is ALWAYS a losing proposition for any company......always.

[Xi]

If i recall correctly.

They just purchased big park games, started up spawnpoint studios and 343 industries.

They've contracted out the fasa catalog to smith and tinker, who are currently working on the new mechwarrior.

And they still have robot industries working with them for halo wars content.

Not to mention they've been massing support for natal.

What exactly are they shutting down?

[RememberThe357]

So this isn't surprising at all.

Plus, Nividia seems to be pissing everyone off right now, so I wouldn't expect them to get the nod.

Isn't Intel supposed to be working on the new GPU for the PS4?

[Pekka]

@1.3: As a company MS still makes $15 billion dollar profits each year while Sony isn't even profitable. And PS3 has lost at least $3 billion dollars so why they couldn't bow out too. Wii is only console this generation which is profitable, others have lost billions.

@Walther: MS is still one of the most profitable companies in the world so they can afford to prop up their stocks. Sony doesn't have any money, they would have to take debt to do that. People talk about Apples "huge" profits although they are much less that MS has profits.

[SIdepocket]

@1.3

How could you think there wouldn't be another Xbox? This generation they derailed the mighty Playstation. I'm sure Microsoft is in it for the long now. Sony is hemorrhaging money this generation - if anyone were to bow out I could see it being them.

[Gorgon]

never mind

[MiloGarret]

Where you gonna say that the article picture kinda looks like a vagina? Because it does.

[siyrobbo]

@ Milo Garret

dude you've been with some freaky chicks!

[MiloGarret]

lol, no seriously look at the lower part. just when the 'T' ends. I've been away from my girlfriend for two weeks, I'm seeing punani everywhere...

and yes, i have, but let's not go there.

[SupaPlaya]

lol

[RememberThe357]

Your right!

[Erotic Sheep]

XD

+bubbles

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

Okay. Since the beginning Sony have been saying that the PS3 will last 10 years... From were this statement comes from, only god knows.

[koehler83]

The PS2 has been around for 9 years, it didn't stop the PS3 from launching 3 years ago.

[thereapersson]

Sony has stated all along that they are set on a 10-year plan for the PS3, and just because MS wants to "Jump Out" of this generation as quickly as they can so they can claim victory and get to market first a second time in a row, doesn't mean this generation is therefore concluded.

edit:

Sony STILL hasn't abandoned the PS2, and they sure as hell won't be abandoning the PS3. This uninformed opinion BS has got to stop.

[ceedubya9]

We don't know what Microsofts plans are as far as support for their 360 console is concerned. Just because they dropped the orginial xbox, doesn't mean the same will happen to the 360. The 360 is still doing okay for them. What reason do they have to stop supporting it, even if they were looking to start a new console?

Anyone who thinks that BOTH Microsoft and Sony aren't already looking into plans for their next consoles must have just started gaming this gen, or is really out of the loop.

Of course, it may be any number of years before those plans come full circle, and we see new consoles.

[darthv72]

you do realize that sony's "10 year plan" does not mean 10 years between console releases. Right?

[ceedubya9]

People do tend to overlook that. Sony does support its consoles over long periods, but that doesn't mean they hold off on releasing a bigger, better console. When its ready, they ship it.

[ApocalypseShadow]

reaper knows....

10 million or more consoles sold a year for 10 years.that includes the psp.they have done it twice.and psp is half way there.sony justs likes to overlap to give devs the ability to make money to fund next gen development through previous consoles.

microsoft seems destined to jump first before sony does.and josittus explained microsoft's difficulty in jumping so they are trying to extend 360's life through natal.

but ATI would be a good choice of chip manufacturers.

[siyrobbo]

sonys only just starting to gather momentum with the ps3, they are in it for the long haul. MS are starting to struggle a little. they are slipping up, and if natal turns out to be a bomb, they may not have anything to back themselves up with

[RussDeBuss]

New playstation in 2010, that would never of happend, recession or not, the ps3 is only now just hitting 3 yrs old, they wouldn't bring out a new system until ps3 at least 5 yrs, and maybe longer because they were forced to release early because of 360 launching really early (which proved stupid, rrod, dvd9 etc).

and ceedubya, they won't release a new machine as soon as it's ready(M$, nint or sony) that will be decided by many factors

-what the competition is doing
-when the current gen machine has peaked, plateued and started to no longer show good growth
-current tech being maxed out and games stagnating
-when the new components are affordable enough
-when demand is there

i wouldn;t be surprised if all 3 have working concept hardware oeking on tests benches already, these things take lots of time to design and make properly, unless your ms and just want to rush your junk out the door and deal with it breaking later

[Ju]

Those 10 years is just a bubble. An empty shell. You'd want to keep a console on the market as long as you can. Possible way longer then 10 years. Console business has a huge one time investment and needs to recoup those costs with a machine with mostly 0 changes (= zero follow up investments) over time. For the PS2 it was very obvious, that its technology will never survive more then those 10 years - or even reach it (they could drop it any time, but as long as the make yet one cent out of it, why would they?).

For the next generation the whole scenario will be way more complex. First is cost reduction. These new machines are far more complex then the previous generation. A cost reduction in that scope like what happened with the PS2 will maybe not even be possible. The design reaches its limits. I can see a PS3 (or a 360) dropping down to $200, but below this will be very challenging.

What this means is, a newer generation would require to have a significant different (= higher) price tag. Significant higher means significant higher then PS3/360 at launch. Also, because it needs to pack significant more performance into the package, else it competes with its own predecessor. Now, we all know how that went, with a price tag above $400 (or $500+). I see no market for such a machine in the near future. To release something 2x more powerful then a PS3 at $300 will be very challenging.

I could imagine Nintendo or/and MS doing this, though. Besides more performance, they can simply upgrade the mem and the media (BD) to be just a bit above the PS3 but to try to keep the cost advantage. In that respect a PS3+ wouldn't do for Sony. The PS3 is here to stay for a while, for the other two, I'd expect them to be out before Sony.

[blackpanther25]

not with your whole statement but i believe would be able to keep their next system at a fair price. They have been doing research on decreasing the size and increasing the power of the cell processor.
They can still put in a Blue-ray drive in their machine. Now that the players are decreasing in price i doubt making a new one for the ps4 will be expensive. The only thing they would have to really change is the amount of ram and the graphics card. The PS3 slim is evidence that the components are getting cheaper to produce because they are becoming common.

[trancefreak]

the 2118 xforce ad is kinda amusing to the right of that page.

[Shadow Man]

:O

[Aquarius]

The PS3 is already multiple generations foward compared to gamecube 2.0 and flopbox 0.5.

The xbox will need a quantum jump to be on or even reach PS3's calibre.

[spongeboob]

what does this article have to do with the Cell processor. Sometimes i don't understand how mentally challenged you Xbox supporters are. Shouldn't you all be playing your Halo 3 DLC and your Forza 2 HD.

[N4G king]

lol @ shadow bot

do you know that a double layered cell would OWN any thing new in the market for the next 10 years ?

[cryymoar]

is just pissed because Cell is taking a dump on the xbox360, so now he must look at the next xbox console for salvation.

Sony will include Cell and Bluray and XDR(2) into PS4.
And possibly use a Larabee GPU which can work with Cell BE.

[kaveti6616]

Um, nope. A double-layered Cell at this given time is weaker than Intel Larrabbee, so I don't know what you're talking about. In 5 years, PC technology will have advanced to a much further extent than anything a closed-box console will ever be able to achieve.

[ForROME]

Well heres the deal with 10 yrs, it doesnt mean another wont come along its that the other wont be abandoned. I personally think 5 was too short, I think 7 or 8 is just right 10 is too long

[SuperStrokey1123]

Sounds good to me if they are support BC. BC is always a good thing to keep in next gen systems i think.

[ceedubya9]

If you can play your old games along with your new games, all in one place, what's not to love?

Sony did some great thinking when they introduced this into the PS2. Sadly, they've pretty much abandoned that these days.

[SuperStrokey1123]

No idea why someone would disagree with BC being a good feature... or is it a ps3 fanboy mad that its about the xbox or something? Im not xbox fan but more features is always welcomed as far as im concerned for every system.

[RadientFlux]

Not surprising as Microsoft had a negative relationship with Nvidia, during the last console cycle.

It makes sense to go with ATI, as it makes backward compatibility easier. Just because MS might have rewarded ATI with the graphics card contract, doesn't mean that the next Xbox system is coming out soon. It just means that ATI has been given the go-ahead to start working on the graphics card.

[Wikkid666]

I'm going to say this... the 360 is MS last console. From this point on MS is going to make all future consoles scalable like a PC. So, the 360 will remain. It will be something like 360 Plus. More memory, better CPU/GPU, etc. 360 will have auto detecting OS that will tell which version you have and optimize the game.

[siyrobbo]

doesnt sound like a very good idea to me, alot of people sdont like PC gaming for that exact reason

[Kushan]

That's an absolute nightmare to develop for and developers will cater to the lowest model in almost all cases. It wont happen.

[Ju]

Its not what the console business is all about. Doesn't mean MS wouldn't try that. They know the PC business after all - and try to translate this into the console business for years now.

[PotNoodle]

PS4 carries Fermi based GPU confirmed?!

[Pandamobile]

For the PS4's sake, I hope not. Why would you want 2009 tech in a game console in 2012?

[divideby0]

author is completely clueless....
PS3 was going to refresh so soon.
MS is still evaluating what is going into their next box. Sure they may be leaning one way, but its not cast yet

[Kushan]

Actually there's probably a shred of truth in this article somewhere. Lets assume that the next gen systems were due in 2012 (7 years after the 360, not an unreasonable guess), then Microsoft would actually be currently nailing down the specifications of it right now. They need to get developers about 2 years to make some launch titles, even if specifications aren't final they need to at least give them some idea. And considering they currently use ATI, there's a good chance they'll stick with it for future generations as well.

Still, I'd take anything Fudzilla says with a pinch of salt, but everything they've reported here makes sense, both logically and from a business perspective.

[PandemicPrawn0]

I don't even pretend to be an expert in this technical stuff as I'm just a humble gamer.

But I think we might see a new Xbox sooner then later, Sony have done a superb job with the PS2's life span and thats something I think Microsoft can look to emulate with the 360.

The 360 has a large install base with good graphics and some 300+ games.So theirs no reason to ditch it like the original Xbox. Natal would probably be compatible for the 360 and the "Nextbox", so I don't think thats going to worry anyone too much.

Sony have shown everyone that you can continue supporting one lower end console while still bringing out something new.

As long as it's backwards compatible I think a new Xbox would not be out of the question for gamers.

[dirthurts]

They give the best bang for the buck, and it keeps complications of BC to a minimum.
I think XBox will be the first to next gen, as they've already stated that's their goal.

[Allowen]

With all the problems regarding RRoD on xbox360 for the past years it made me not just not want to buy an xbox360 but I also started to distrust the quality of ATI's video cards.

Because of that I will keep using nvidia's GPU cards on my PC and I hope that Sony also continue to work with then to develop future video cards for other Playstation consoles.

[hoops]

You do know that the past 2 years it was Nvidia with defective cards and not ATI. Just so that you know

http://apcmag.com/nvidia_di...
http://www.insanely-great.c...
http://theappleblog.com/200...
http://techreport.com/discu...

[Anonagrog]

A vast majority of the RROD's aren't caused by problems with the gpu itself, but problems with the mainboard and with the solder joints to the gpu.

The ATI gpu in the 360 is merely subject to the problems and not the cause, so no need for distrust in ATI based on that.

[111111]

YAY - exciting. That means next gen console games will look like PC games too! LOL.

[champ21]

yes console games may look like pc games next gen.. however pc gaming will become cheaper in comparison.

we can already get gaming pcs for around 500usd... which will be the launch price of a new console.

now understand new gen console games will cost you 59usd per game..

pc game costs 49 usd.. and still has modding support.

even if 20 games are bought a year. thats 200usd tax paid to microsoft or sony unneeded really.

btw pcs already dont need much upgrades.. reason is because graphics have now reached a point where its become too costly for developers to make better looking games. which will worsen with the next gen.

hense a pc once bought at 500usd even now is enough to last the generation... which is why even currently pc gaming is cheaper then consoles.. while being superior.

[Feral Gamer]

PC monitors support higher resolutions than an HDTV. I believe PCs will always have the edge graphics-wise. I just don't like the idea of upgrading every couple of years so I stick with consoles.

[thehitman]

I think MS has too much pride to give up xbox there will be another 100% sure....

[DevastationEve]

Well I was hoping that Intel would've picked up the GPU contract for its Larrabe GPGPU, since then they'd have a good way to guarantee shipments. Still, going with ATi might be Microsoft's best decision since it'll keep their relations strong. Maybe they'll also team up with AMD for their CPU...but I think IBM is gonna fight to keep what they got, supplying all three console manufacturers!

[dragonelite]

Wow fanboys can really spin every thing into a flame war.
Now Ati is bad because the 360 rrod dam maybe you should look up what causes the rrod. Im not 100% sure but i was told it were the solders that melted when the temperature gets to high.

[hoops]

RROD had nothing to do with ATI/AMD

[EvilBlackCat]

1. That is full of biased gamers especially PS3 fans
2. That a rumor here sound like a 100% truth
3. That when a website publish something anti-Xbox is all true.
4. That when the same website publish something anti-PS3 is a
conspiracy against Sony.
5. That a PS3 biased gamer have license to make any kind of comments
in the GamerZone
6. That every non PS3 game suck just because is not an exclusive PS3
game.
7. That Mass Effect is a lame RPG game but now that there is a rumor
that is going to be released on PS3 the game suddenly is da SH_T!
8. That Gran Turismo series a Casual Racing Game series is better
than all the rest. Even PC Racing Simulators and Forza 3. And they
believe that they are driving the best simulator ever.
9. That agree and disagree is just for show in this site and bubbles
are just simply stupid.
10. That is the best place for a PR from a PS3 Developer and Sony
Division to keep convincing all PS3 gamers in this site that only
PS3 biased gamers are true Gamers and the rest are just posers.

So lets get into the disagrees

I bet i get like 20-30 disagrees. Just hold on and watch.

[Xi]

anyone who's done any history into the development of current generations consoles will know that MS and ATI co-developed the r500, which was the building block for both the current ATI line-up of graphics cards ranging from the r600 to their current versions, and the xenon.

Hence the reson ATI has been so much better prepared for DX10(.1) and 11, and why their older cards featured a dedicated tessilator.

The next xbox is likely going to use very similar chips but just more of them and a more strict gp-gpu like instruction set.

[chrisulloa]

Lol @ the PS3tards who know nothing about graphic cards

[silverchode]

nvidia for sony?

[ginsunuva]

ATI didn't win the next Xbox deal, they lost the next Playstation deal to Nvidia. So they went with their little backup.

[strickers]

The rumour is that Sony will be using Intel and that can only mean one thing in my mind....Larrabee.I've read some on this and if it's true software kings like Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica will do amazing things.I'd say it would suit the internal studios extremely well.Larrabee is hoping to bypass the limitations of Direct X and typical PC designs.

[champ21]

you can say bye bye to backward compatibility if they go with larabee.. ps3 games wont run on ps4 then.

thats what i like about pc gaming most of my games even from 10 yrs back still run flawlessly.

[Pirateogta]

My God, PS3 fanboys are delusional. While 360 fanboys are actually playing games, PS3 fanboys are trolling the comment sections on Xbox 360 articles. They are sad, sad little peole and you have to feel sorry for them, even if you are on the opposing side.

http://www.destructoid.com/...

[Obama]

You bots are delusional. What games are you playing? We are playing GOAT UC2 and demon souls while you bots are still waiting for a good game.

[xg-ei8ht]

I actually spoke to a Dev about PS4 ages ago,lol.

I basically said to him, with developers having trouble with PS3 and the higher price tag, what do you think SONY will do regarding PS4 etc.

His Answer:

Most devs are having trouble due to the newer nature of PS3's architecture, Most devs atm only use the main processor or a percentage of spu's. As time goes by and developers become alot better with the code, you'll see some amazing things. With Regards to a PS4, he stated. They already have cell and because of when PS4 will come, By then PS3 will be known, so with PS4 they'll hit the ground running.

Of his listed specs for PS4 (speculation)

Cell 2.0 - 3 PPE'S ( 16SPU'S)
Ramsplit - 2gb
Blu-ray 8x
250gb hd standard
Nvidia - He thought a hybrid solution of the best parts of the tech needed.

[gameman]

i don't blame them with the limitation of the xflope they have to get a new system