Last week, Imagination Technologies gave us a glimpse of its next-gen PowerVR Series 6 mobile GPU and its prowess with OpenGL ES 3.0. That demo didn’t showcase Series 6’s full potential, as the company could only let us see a test chip on an FPGA board that could deliver only 1 GB/s of bandwidth — one tenth of the GPUs performance capability. Now that Imagination Technologies’ first Series 6 partner, LG, has given the go ahead, the time has come to see what Series 6 can really do on an optimized board destined for an HDTV.
In addition to the Series 6, the company also demoed an older Series 5XT GPU that’s been upgraded with some recently released API extensions. Those APIs are meant to breathe new life into Imagination Technologies’ older GPUs and give them some of the rendering features found in the Series 6. Interest piqued? You can see the GPUs do their thing in our demo video after the break.
Most of the secrets surrounding AMD’s latest series of mobile graphics chips have been known for a while now, but that didn’t stop the company from making everything official today. Intended for traditional laptops and ultrathins alike, the Radeon HD 8000M series supports DirectX 11.1 and stands as the first of the company’s mobile GPUs to incorporate the AMD Graphics Core Next architecture. The lineup consists of the Radeon HD 8800M, HD 8700M, HD 8600M and HD 8500M. The chip manufacturer announced that the Radeon HD 8000M series has already been incorporated into products from ASUS and Samsung — no surprises here — and also let it be known that we can expect similar offerings from Dell, Lenovo and other OEMs in short order.
Rounding out the GPU announcements from AMD, the company also took the opportunity to crow that its Radeon HD 8000 series for desktops is now en route to OEM partners. What’s more, we can expect desktop rigs with this technology to begin arriving on store shelves later this month. If you’re thirsty for more information, feel free to soak up the PR after the break.
Just last night we first heard of the Tegra 4-toting NVIDIA Project SHIELD for the very first time, and right here and now we’ve gotten our own opportunity to get our hands on it. This machine is a large piece in a gaming ecosystem NVIDIA is bringing forth to the world combining not only Android and its brand new Tegra 4 processors, but large screen monitors like your HDTV, and PC gaming too! We’ve been shown this device in its current state playing an early version of the new-to-Android game Hawken, Call of Duty: Black Ops II streamed from a GeForce-packing PC wirelessly, and some interesting moves through the device’s unique user interface.
As we spoke about in the initial announcement last night, NVIDIA intends this device to be not only a key device for accessing their NVIDIA Tegra Zone for Android, but to stream games from GeForce GPU-toting PCs as well. NVIDIA assured us today that until the data connectivity ecosystem is strong enough here in the USA, this machine will be streaming games from PCs only over a local area network. That said, it certainly can roll out with undeniable power completely wirelessly – over wi-fi, that is.
It was also made clear to us that developments still may be made before the final product would be launched – both in its software and its hardware. At the moment it’s clear that NVIDIA has the structure ready for prime time, there’s simply a few kinks to iron out as far as which situation requires what action: certainly forgivable given the fact that they’ve targeted Q2 of 2013 for the release – that being still relatively far off and plenty of time for software bug fixes.
The hardware, on the other hand, is extremely close to being complete. While there could be changes to the level of hardness with which the buttons need to be pressed as well as the materials that the casing will be made of, this beast is essentially ready for action. One important point of order for controller aficionados: the now-hard-plastic surrounding the left, right and front of the machine will likely be replaced by a softer plastic in the future – so says NVIDIA. Grippier plastic for a more controlled action experience.
The speakers on this machine are immense in their ability to blast your ears off. I was personally unable to play a game without turning the sound down somewhat – it can get too loud. That’s not to say that the sound is bad – not at all – in fact the sound is both full and deep, ready to be used on its own without a doubt. Another point of order: while most built-in speakers on devices like these working with heavy bass have a bit of a problem rumbling around on a flat surface, this machine’s audio system is set in a way that keeps it still. High fidelity and a controlled experience, top to bottom.
We saw the game HAWKEN in its newest state: Android-based and as high powered as we’ve seen it played on the PC. It seems every bit as immense here on this 5-inch 720p display as it does on the big screen, and from what we’ve experienced, this Android version is going to turn the mobile gaming world on its ear – in the mech universe, at least.
We also saw some awesome PC-streamed gaming with Call of Duty: Black Ops II from a GeForce-packing PC in the same room with this machine’s 802.11n 2×2 MIMO “game-speed” Wi-Fi. From what we’ve seen, game streaming from a GeForce-powered PC to Project SHIELD works flawlessly. Once you’re in-game, that is. By the time this device is released, we’re expecting an undeniably smooth experience start to finish.
Have a peek at the photos and videos above and below and let us know what you think about the device and the future ecosystem NVIDIA is building around it. Also be sure to tune in to our Tegra hub for all the NVIDIA action you can handle through the future!
The original ROG ARES graphics card was a head spinner, and the just announced sequel seems to follow suit. ASUS’ ARES II features two AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs, and has a slimline two-slot design. The manufacturer claims it’s the fastest graphics card available, outperforming the GeForce GTX 690 reference card by some 13 percent. There’s 6GB of video memory, 1,100MHz boost clock, 1,050MHz base clock and 2 x 384-bit memory interface. If this sounds like something you just gotta have, then you’d better keep them eyes peeled, as upon release (no exact details on this just yet) it’ll be a limited edition. Also limited are the details on price. Spin up the source for more info.
This week at CES 2013 the CEO of NVIDIA, Jen-Hsung Huang, revealed the next industry-leading processor by NVIDIA’s clock, that being the Tegra 4. This processor works with 72 GPU cores, 4 A15 CPU cores, and the ability to work with 4G LTE. The first test this processor was put to live on stage was between itself in an unnamed tablet and the Google Nexus 10 – loading webpages on the Tegra 4 (imagine that) finished much, much quicker than the Nexus 10.
This processor loaded 25 unique, high traffic sites in 27 seconds while the Nexus 10 loaded the same in 50 seconds. That simple test means one thing, said Huang, is that if you’re loading a webpage with the NVIDIA Tegra 4, you’ll get it “in one second”, while when you’re working with the current most powerful tablet on the planet (the Nexus 10, so they say), you’ll get it “in two seconds.”
In a comparison chart onstage, Huang showed the Tegra 4 as fastest, the iPad 4 as right behind it (though slightly slower, of course), the Nexus 10 coming in next, Droid DNA after that, and the Kindle Fire HD down at the bottom of the pack. Though we’ll be investigating these claims in the very near future, it’s fairly plain at the moment that NVIDIA’s architecture here is the most powerful solution for mobile devices on the planet.
Stay tuned as we continue to transmit all the details straight from CES 2013 through our massive CES portal all week long!
Imagination Technologies is on a high right now. Throughout 2012, the company’s PowerVR graphics processors continued to monopolize the iPhone and iPad as well as appearing in (late 2011) Android flagships, the PlayStation Vita and even the first Clover Trail-powered Windows 8 tablets. But you know what? That’s old news, because all those devices run current-gen PowerVR Series5 silicon. Most new top-end devices in 2013 and 2014 will either contain the latest Mali GPUs from rival ARM, or they’ll pack PowerVR Series6, aka Rogue. This latter chip is currently being developed by at least eight different smartphone and tablet manufacturers and is expected to make a good bit of noise at CES next week.
But who’s going to wait that long if they don’t absolutely have to? To get a fuller understanding of what awaits us in the coming weeks and months, we scoped out a Rogue test chip at Imagination’s sparkly new HQ just outside of London, UK. The test silicon doesn’t represent the true power of Series6 because it’s running on an FPGA board that severely limits its bandwidth, but it’s still able to show off one crucial advantage: namely the ability to run OpenGL ES 3.0 games and apps. This API is all about improving mobile graphics through making smarter use of GPU compute, without annoying the battery, and the three demos after the break show just how it pulls that off.
Samsung announced today its Evolution Kit at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from January 8-11, 2013. The Evolution Kit, which has been introduced for the first time at CES 2012, is an innovative concept that enables Samsung 2012 Smart TV to evolve into Samsung’s new 2013 Smart TVs. By simply attaching the Evolution Kit device into the back of a Samsung Smart TV, consumers can enjoy the latest features that the 2013 Smart TVs have to offer. With hardware enhancements, …
Intel isn’t having much success keeping its upcoming Bay Trail-era Atom platform under wraps. If the previous overview leak wasn’t enough, a roadmap uncovered by Mobile Geeks has just explored the finer points of the tablet-oriented Bay View-T and its Valleyview-T processors. The most surprising leap may be in graphics: while we knew the GPU core would be much faster, we’re now seeing that the new Intel hardware can output to as much as a 2,560 x 1,600 display and record stereoscopic, 1080p 3D video in the event that 3D-capable tablets come back into vogue. Likewise, battery life should be rosier than you’d expect; Bay Trail-T can reach the same performance at half the power, which should lead to about two extra hours of video playback for at least some of the 1.6GHz to 2.1GHz processors in the lineup. Don’t get too excited by the potential, however. If the leak is accurate, Bay Trail for tablets isn’t expected until early 2014, by which point 22-nanometer Atoms will be a step behind the cutting edge.
Cray‘s Titan supercomputer has snatched the title of world’s fastest from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sequoia—and it’s cray fast, as you might expect. More »
This morning we’re seeing our fair share of legal matters from over the weekend, two giants coming first from Apple. The Swiss rail clock they use in iOS 6 appears to have costed them a cool $21 million bucks while their HTC 10-year agreement is sure to go down in the record books as legendary. Then of course there’s the whole Samsung UK iPad note situation continuing on. For those of you looking to keep your eyes out of the legal universe, NVIDIA has your back with a lovely new set of details on Tesla K20, the newest most powerful GPU on the planet.
There’s a brand new Halo 4 playlist out there with SWAT and a new Spartan Ops episode for your enjoyment. Commercial licenses are now available for Microsoft Office 2013 RT. If you want DirectX 11.1, you’ll need to be using Windows 8. You know you’re a giant game when screenshots warrant a news release.
NVIDIA Tesla K20X-accelerated Titan supercomputer has been named the world’s fastest – and commands more computational power than the top 10 from last year combined! If you’re waiting for BlackBerry 10, you’ll be glad to year that it’s all about RIM’s big day on January 30 with two new phones on the books.
Apple has also been dealing with Samsung’s rising mobile processor costs – this of course having nothing to do with their legal war. Right? Get ready for the AMD FirePro S10000 server graphics card, ready for purchase soon. Windows Phone 8′s Skype preview is ready for action today. There’s a perfect cloaking device out there today as well, made by scientists for the greater good of Harry Potter enthusiasts everywhere.
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