Nvidia CEO on PS3 X360 and Wii

[Guy Mariano]

The Mercury News brings us a Q&A session with the CEO of nVidia.

Link (http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/07/nvidia_ceo_an_e.html).

Everyone criticized them [SONY] for falling behind and having a high price and costs as high as $900. Why was it a master stroke?

PlayStation 2 was launched seven years ago in Japan at about $399. If you use inflation, it's the same price, approximately. The important thing is you cannot announce a game consoel for the next ten years and not have Blu-Ray...

Two out of three of the players have bet you don't need it. Nintendo has bet you don't even need HD for the next five years.

Nintendo's perspective has always been different. The platforms that are being built now are not just game consoles. You use it for all kinds of other kinds of applications. In the case of Nintendo, they wanted to build a game console...

[TrackZero]

This should be good. An interview with the ex-MS partner and current Sony one. I wonder who he'll bias towards? ;)

[bapenguin]

This should be good. An interview with the ex-MS partner and current Sony one. I wonder who he'll bias towards? ;)

He actually praises MS towards the end.

[Xenkylm]

"In the case of Nintendo, they wanted to build a game console..."

That's funny, i always wanted to BUY a game console. Then again, if PS3 games really rock everyone's socks off, I'll probably buy that too :(

[BenN1ce]

I will laugh if this becomes true because I doubt it.

Do you think Microsoft planned for a five-year cycle and that Sony planned for a ten-year cycle?

I'm not sure how Microsoft is going to do in this transition. They are clever and they will figure out a way. I'll make a prediction that Xbox 360 can't possibly be a DVD-only device by Christmas of next year.

[morose]

There have already been pictures of the HD-DVD add-on for the 360, so that's a pretty safe prediction BenN1ce. ;)

I've already got my all-in-one media device (the 360) because it interfaces beautifully with my Media Center PC (also by MS, so not surprising). I will therefore be buying a Wii pretty much on release given Nintendo's track record with 1st party games and it's no-nonsense "I'm a game console" targetting. The PS3 will be a much harder sell for me (even though I have the disposable income) simply because it will need to have a really killer game for it to be worth the large investment. Blu-ray isn't worth the premium to me yet. Maybe in 4-5 years if I really see a large difference between HD and normal DVD (which from the demos so far I haven't) but right now I'm not even that excited about the HD-DVD add-on for my 360. I think betting on HD video to sell anything is a bad idea right now given the stats I've seen on the market and how slow the HDTV adoption is going.

[BenN1ce]

There have already been pictures of the HD-DVD add-on for the 360, so that's a pretty safe prediction BenN1ce. ;).

I'm talking a built in HD-DVD not an add-on which everyone already knows about. You could never use and add on and require if for games because you would split your userbase.

[jeffool]

Does anyone really use their game console for any reason aside from gaming? I don't. (By which I mean watching DVDs and listening to CDs. Remember, they're not fans of homebrew.)

[Meatgortex]

Never used the PS2 for DVD playback because the first generation ones were horrible. Audio would get out of sync pretty quickly.

Use the 360 now as my default DVD player since it's nice to have all the live awareness stuff going at the same time.

[SymetriX]

In the case of Nintendo, they wanted to build a game console...
Pfft! What idiots...

</sarcasm>

[morose]

Why would you want to put games on HD-DVD when there is still plenty of room for them on DVD? Even on PC's where texture sizes are huge compared the consoles you don't see titles running into space problems with DVD media. I've yet to see any compelling arguments for higher capacity game media outside of bullet points for marketing media. Not to mention the additional costs associated with putting stuff on the more expensive media. But... that's all just my opinion I suppose. :)

[Cyrano]

I'm talking a built in HD-DVD not an add-on which everyone already knows about. You could never use and add on and require if for games because you would split your userbase.

Are you predicting 360's will have built-in HD-DVD for movies only, and the games will still be in DVD format? That might happen, but probably not. Or are you predicting games will be made in HD-DVD format too? That's not going to happen.

[Kamalot]

"In the case of Nintendo, they wanted to build a game console..."

That's funny, i always wanted to BUY a game console.
You took the words straight outta my mouth. I'm in the market for games, being a gamer and all.

[Kamalot]

The important thing is you cannot announce a game consoel for the next ten years and not have Blu-Ray...

Sure you can. You can make the console about the games, and not Hollywood.

[Kyle Jones]

I really just don't get the whole idea of buying a game console to do a million things. I have other devices capable of playing movies, mp3s, and all that stuff. I buy a console like the Wii to play the games on it and nothing more...

I guess I'm just weird?

[Khash]

File this one under "No duh!!"

[Goronmon]

Personally, I use my 360 as my DVD player. It just makes things a lot less cluttered by removing the need for an entire separate device.

However, I really don't use it for anything else other than playing games. I hardly have any music on the 360 and I'm not buying a new version of Windows anytime soon, so I won't be watching any straming video.

[BenN1ce]

Are you predicting 360's will have built-in HD-DVD for movies only, and the games will still be in DVD format? That might happen, but probably not. Or are you predicting games will be made in HD-DVD format too? That's not going to happen.

No i'm saying I highly doubt they will ever have a HD-DVD player built in and not as an assessory. There would be no point because you wouldn't be able to use if for games as it would split your userbase.

[SexualChoc]

He makes some good points. But if Sony are going for a 10 year plan rather than a 5 year, it's a tad risky considering how fast the industry moves. I mean should Blu-ray come top in the format war, what happens when something bigger and better comes along?

[saneman]

I think by "10 year plan" Sony means that after 5-6 years or so, they'll release the Playstation 4, and still support the PS3 as a budget system for several more years. Like the PS1 after the PS2 was released, and like the PS2 will be treated after the PS3 is released.

Something like that.

[cp#]

Does anyone really use their game console for any reason aside from gaming? I don't. (By which I mean watching DVDs and listening to CDs. Remember, they're not fans of homebrew.)


I second that..

"The platforms that are being built now are not just game consoles. You use it for all kinds of other kinds of applications."

What exactly is he talking about? You can't use a game console for jack shit besides games (and movies) without a keyboard and mouse anyway.. and then you will just have a PC (one locked into propriety formats)

[Kamalot]

I think by "10 year plan" Sony means that after 5-6 years or so, they'll release the Playstation 4, and still support the PS3 as a budget system for several more years. Like the PS1 after the PS2 was released, and like the PS2 will be treated after the PS3 is released.

Something like that.
IF Bluray wins the next-gen HD movie format war, don't you think that there will be inexpensive Bluray players around 5 years from now? Why bother trying to stuff a risky format in the PS3?

IF Bluray does not win the next-gen HD movie format war, then Sony will still have to keep making the drives and discs, keeping the format more expensive than if it were based on a standard like DVD.

Either way, forcing it into the PS3 is a bad move. It is an immature technology and not market-tested, which makes it more expensive for gamers to foot the entry-fee.

[Steele Johnson]

I really just don't get the whole idea of buying a game console to do a million things. I have other devices capable of playing movies, mp3s, and all that stuff. I buy a console like the Wii to play the games on it and nothing more...

I guess I'm just weird?

Actually, the 360 and a media center pc work quite well together. My media center laptop can be anywhere in the house (wireless) and I can stream mp3's, picture slideshows, and videos to my 360 without any hassle. It's nice to be able to play my mp3's as I play games. Sometimes the game soundtrack isn't as good as my playlist. For example, I love playing 60's music (Hendrix, CSNY, Stones, etc) while playing GRAW. It definitely gives it a different mood.

My wife also likes the slideshow feature. She just takes her SD card out of her camera, puts it into the laptop and that's about it. Instant slideshow with music on our 42" plasma.

[Kamalot]

The more I think of it, the more I think this guy is pissed cause he didn't sell his company for a cool 5.5 billion.

[TrackZero]

Hrm, after reading the article. I can't help but chuckle at his Dreamcast/PS2 comparisons. Apparently he still thinks MS is in the same situation Sega was, which isn't the case at all. Baring any other differences, MS has an ocean of cash behind them and they're not going anywhere. Sega also had a long stretch of failure since the Genesis where they had been loosing the market, which isn't the case at all with the Xbox. They simply aren't comparible, that's just a Sony wet dream.

[Mr.Condescension]

Hrm, after reading the article. I can't help but chuckle at his Dreamcast/PS2 comparisons. Apparently he still thinks MS is in the same situation Sega was, which isn't the case at all. Baring any other differences, MS has an ocean of cash behind them and they're not going anywhere. Sega also had a long stretch of failure since the Genesis where they had been loosing the market, which isn't the case at all with the Xbox. They simply aren't comparible, that's just a Sony wet dream.

I didn't read it that way, really. It seemed to me like he was looking at it from the perspective of "Can you imagine today's games on CD?" Because that's what today's games on the Dreamcast would have to ship on. It seems impossible now. I think that was his point, and not that Microsoft is going to go tits up and pull out of the market entirely.

[Kamalot]

Dreamcast games were on special discs, each held more than a gigabyte. They were not CDs even though they used the same technology.

[TrackZero]

I didn't read it that way, really. It seemed to me like he was looking at it from the perspective of "Can you imagine today's games on CD?" Because that's what today's games on the Dreamcast would have to ship on. It seems impossible now. I think that was his point, and not that Microsoft is going to go tits up and pull out of the market entirely.

Looks like Kamalot beat me to it. The DC used the GD-ROM format, which was a gig. Just like a large percentage of the PS2 games when it came out and for some time afterwards (they didn't use the whole DVD up).

[unununium]

I'm surprised no one has addressed this yet: the nVidia guy is being ridiculous with his inflation claim.

By my calculations, $399USD in 1999 is $484.98USD in 2006. Waaay off. The PS2 cost about what the 360 premium costs nowadays. Give me a break.

Sources:
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/Research/data/us/calc/

[Syl]

Looks like Kamalot beat me to it. The DC used the GD-ROM format, which was a gig. Just like a large percentage of the PS2 games when it came out and for some time afterwards (they didn't use the whole DVD up).
There are many PS2 games that are only on a CD - many people don't realize that.

The amount of PS2 games that actually use all 9 gigs available on a DVD are extremely, extremely slim. Xenosaga with it's hours upon hours of video is one of them. Other games don't use anywhere near as much, even the GTA games weren't filling up a single sided disk.

I have a few PC installs that use over 4.5 gigs though, but that's all because of obsessively high quality textures (4048x4048) and user created content. (maps maps maps!)

[MoJoBehaumat]

Hmmm....
Do you think, if sony losses the format war, will they continue to have blueray as the standard disk format for the following versions of PS3??? :confused:

[Kamalot]

Hmmm....
Do you think, if sony losses the format war, will they continue to have blueray as the standard disk format for the following versions of PS3??? :confused:
They HAVE to. All PS3 games will be on Bluray. How could they release a PS3 Lite without a Bluray drive?

Sony is screwing themself, and not even getting a reach-around. :rolleyes:

[rubbishfoo]

hahahah yeah... just read this. ATI is making the chipsets for X360 and Wii... is it any suprise that with recent events that Nvidia is being a whiney bitch? yeah... you mean that ATI is kicking your ass in console development? glad to hear it. (yes Im an ATI fan... no I don't hate Nvidia... just jackasses).

Another read: http://www.tutorialsall.com/ATI/graphics-processing/

Yeah they harp on Nvidia some... not to say they make a bad product... they certainly DO NOT make a bad product. I just dislike all the (bullshit) negativity that comes with that market and I hate to say it... but it's usually Nvidia who is throwing the stones. I can back this statement up w/ personal experience involving both Nvidia reps and ATI reps together at an event. hehehehehe.

One of my favorite things that I've done to friends who argue the Nvidia vs ATI war...

Fire up my Xbox and Gamecube. I will usually run a couple of games on the XBOX and then put Super Smash Bros in 4player w/ NOTHING but Pokeballs on hyperspeed and let the CPU play w/ infinite lives. No frame loss. Ever. (in all honesty... probably not the best comparison... Nintendo is blessed w/ excellent internal programmers and developers).

It's all in the coding... and there have been many games that will attest that fact. Both platforms are solid... I just have my preference (being a parent is a big help too).

~RubbishFoo