New PowerVR

[Vandenh]

The Dreamcast GPU lives on as Imagination launches a new PowerVR chip with unified shader architecture. Don't expect to find this is your PC or console but on your mobile phone in the future. The Register has more (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/29/imagination_powervr_sgx/).
The PowerVR SGX core - formerly known by its codename, 'Eurasia - provides shader support to beyond OpenGL 2.0 and DirectX 9 Shader Model 3 standard, Imagination claimed. The SGX's shader system, dubbed the Unified Scalable Shader Engine (USSE), merges vertex and pixel shading into a single pipeline capable of processing either kind of image element.

[netcraazzy]

Isn't this similar to the unified shaders found on the Xbox360 GPU? Maybe ATI is onto something. I never thought I'd see another PowerVR GPU though, and I kinda liked it that way :)

[Sion]

The Dreamcast was the best console ever.

[rein]

The Dreamcast was the best console ever.

I still play my DC but I am not sure it is the best console ever.


Now if we can really see the chip used for portable cell phones and pdas that the average consumer can afford.

[camberiu]

The Dreamcast was the best console ever.

That can be argued, but it certainly was the last hard core gamer console.

[Redline]

As far as 'hardcore' gaming goes, the Saturn gets my vote.

Moving on.


Isn't this similar to the unified shaders found on the Xbox360 GPU? Maybe ATI is onto something. I never thought I'd see another PowerVR GPU though, and I kinda liked it that way

No, just no. Competition is a Good Thing(TM). The price of high end video cards is ridiculous. More competition is what we need.

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

For the record, the PowerVR line predates the Dreamcast by a good two or three years. I know because I had a PowerVR card back in 1997 or thereabouts.

The price of high end video cards is ridiculous. More competition is what we need.

This is a mobile phone chip. I doubt it's going to be any competition for the 6800 or whatever.

[netcraazzy]

No, just no. Competition is a Good Thing(TM). The price of high end video cards is ridiculous. More competition is what we need.

While I am kind of interested to see if they can bring some standardization to the moble sector with a solid graphics solution I think it's probably for the best that we don't see the PowerVR name in desktop parts any more. The Kyro series was OK, my freind had one, but other than that....well....most of their stuff was pretty underpowered.

[fitbabits]

The Dreamcast was the best console ever.

Close, although I would go with:

1- Xbox
2- Dreamcast
3- Super NES
4- PlayStation 2
5- Game Cube
6- Saturn
7- NES

[thecrazyd]

Pff.. XBox is nothing put generic ports with a total of 2 exclusives, and nothing we haven't seen before. Dreamcast, any fucking day of the week.

[H.Bogard]

hell yeah! zombie games on dc ROCKED! not to mention the best platform EVER for fighting games!

unfortunately it had a very limited library :(....but hey...i might re buy one some day and download me some ISOz d:p

[fitbabits]

Pff.. XBox is nothing put generic ports with a total of 2 exclusives, and nothing we haven't seen before. Dreamcast, any fucking day of the week.

While you are entitled to your own opinion, I can safely say that your description of the Xbox as having 'generic ports' and 'a total of two exclusives' is mince!

Let me see:

Halo, Jade Empire, Mech Assault, Forza Motorsport, Blinx, Breakdown, Brute Force, Jet Set Radio Future, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Ninja Gaiden, Enclave, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders, Moto GP, Otogi, Panzer Dragoon ORTA, Rallisport Challenge, Sega GT, Steel Battalion, Voodoo Vince, etc.

This is by no means a complete list of exclusive titles, but there's certainly more than two there.

[thecrazyd]

It's only about two good ones. Compare that list to the Dreamcast's exclusives, or even the GameCube's. Plus, Halo is not exclusive, and Jade Empire won't be for long. If you filter out the shitty games that no one would ever want to play, you are stuck with Jet Set, Crimson Skies, Ninja Gaiden, and Panzer Dragoon ORTA. Four games. Whoop dee fucking shit. It still cannot touch even the NES, lowest on your list.

[fitbabits]

It's only about two good ones. Compare that list to the Dreamcast's exclusives, or even the GameCube's. Plus, Halo is not exclusive, and Jade Empire won't be for long. If you filter out the shitty games that no one would ever want to play, you are stuck with Jet Set, Crimson Skies, Ninja Gaiden, and Panzer Dragoon ORTA. Four games. Whoop dee fucking shit. It still cannot touch even the NES, lowest on your list.

Quality was never in question. You could argue the same thing with any console on a personal level - PS2, GC, DC, Xbox, etc. It's all a matter of taste and I happen to prefer the Xbox.

And by the way, you have a very potty mouth. :eek:

[thecrazyd]

Quality is definitely an issue when naming the best console of all time. If most of the exclusives are terrible, then that is a major strike against it. If there are very few exclusives, and 90% of them are trash, then that speaks very poorly of said console. If it is just a matter of taste could you explain why the XBox is the best console of all time?

Properly placed expletives are the modern man's poetry. Decisive verbal strikes can be punctuated with profanity to further elucidate any situation. As long as one does not use it as a crutch.

[netcraazzy]

It's only about two good ones. Compare that list to the Dreamcast's exclusives, or even the GameCube's. Plus, Halo is not exclusive, and Jade Empire won't be for long. If you filter out the shitty games that no one would ever want to play, you are stuck with Jet Set, Crimson Skies, Ninja Gaiden, and Panzer Dragoon ORTA. Four games. Whoop dee fucking shit. It still cannot touch even the NES, lowest on your list.

My list probably would have gone SNES, Dreamcast then Xbox but your arguement about filtering out the shitty games is based soley on personal opinion and it therefore is only relevent if you were only argueing with yourself;) I can say the same thing about Playstaion. I happen to dislike a majority of the games out for the PS2 so from my point of view once you strip all the shitty exclusives our there's only maybe 4 good games on the PS2.

[thecrazyd]

Same here. I believe we can all agree that the PS2 sucks. I do not think that lets the XBox off the hook though.

[fitbabits]

Quality is definitely an issue when naming the best console of all time. If most of the exclusives are terrible, then that is a major strike against it. If there are very few exclusives, and 90% of them are trash, then that speaks very poorly of said console. If it is just a matter of taste could you explain why the XBox is the best console of all time?

Properly placed expletives are the modern man's poetry. Decisive verbal strikes can be punctuated with profanity to further elucidate any situation. As long as one does not use it as a crutch.

Why do I love the Xbox? Let me count the ways:

I love the console itself and what it can do, I love the controller (S-variety), and I simply enjoy playing games on it more than any other console I own or have played on.

While some may argue that it's all about the games, I tend to think of the games as only being a part of the overall vibe (I hate that word) I experience while playing games. I feel good when playing good games on my Xbox, better than I feel when playing the same games on my PS2, DS, Game Cube, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Saturn, Super NES, GBA, etc. I should also say that I feel shit playing shit games on any console and I try to avoid it wherever possible. :rolleyes:

Did you ever try that expletive explanation with a teacher or someone else in authority? Bagsy not being the first to try it.

[thecrazyd]

Why do I love the Xbox? Let me count the ways:

I love the console itself and what it can do, I love the controller (S-variety), and I simply enjoy playing games on it more than any other console I own or have played on.

While some may argue that it's all about the games, I tend to think of the games as only being a part of the overall vibe (I hate that word) I experience while playing games. I feel good when playing good games on my Xbox, better than I feel when playing the same games on my PS2, DS, Game Cube, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Saturn, Super NES, GBA, etc. I should also say that I feel shit playing shit games on any console and I try to avoid it wherever possible. :rolleyes:

Did you ever try that expletive explanation with a teacher or someone else in authority? Bagsy not being the first to try it.
All the time... got in a bit of trouble back in high school english.

While I do not agree with your statement, it makes sense. You like the console, even if the games aren't the best. I can dig that. I definately care more about the games, but thats just me.

[fitbabits]

All the time... got in a bit of trouble back in high school english.

While I do not agree with your statement, it makes sense. You like the console, even if the games aren't the best. I can dig that. I definately care more about the games, but thats just me.

:D I'll bet you did!!

Excellent - a discussion carried out in an adult manner and concluded in the same way!

It's weird, though - I would love to get the Ratchet & Clank games, but I rented the one at a time and just didn't 'get' them! Yet they're among the highest rated games on the PS2. I bought Beyond Good & Evil on PS2 first due to it being on sale and played it for a little while to get the gist of it. Then, when the price dropped on the Xbox version, I went straight out and bought it and played it solidly for days.

Safe to say I'll be first in line come November and the launch of the 360.

[Zeal]

In a perfect world, the Dreamcast would have put the PS2 out of business.

Well, yeah, in a perfect world, we would also have Panzer Dragoon Saga II and a new Shenmue...

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

I believe we can all agree that the PS2 sucks.

Are we talking about the system or the library here?

[thecrazyd]

Umm... both? The system is shite, and the library, though large, is loaded with some of the worst games since the atari crash.

[if76]

I think when deciding the best system you can't just look at the number of exclusive games but the quality. If you wanna just count # of exclusives PS2 is far and away better than the xbox. But then you can probably argue that 90% of PS2 exclusives suck. So both # and quality of exclusives are important.

I don't think exclusives are the whole picture. A lot of nonexclusive games can play much better on one system than another and I think this should factor into which is the best system. Out of all the nonexclusive titles available, the vast majority are better on xbox and those that aren't are at least equal to their PS2 counterparts. Compare the loading times in GTAsanandreas on both systems and you tell me that shouldn't count toward best system.

I think SuperNintendo is the best system because it not only did 2d extremely well but it pretty much owned its generation in the face of Genesis. We're yet to have a system that can do 3d as well as SuperNintendo did 2d.

[camberiu]

I think SuperNintendo is the best system because it not only did 2d extremely well but it pretty much owned its generation in the face of Genesis.

Hmmm....I don't think that the SNES "owned" its generation. It was very close competition with the Genesis, which had an oustanding library of "hardcore" games that had no similars on the SNES side, such as Shinobi, Golden Axe, Gaiares, Starflight, Star Control, Herzog Zwei and Shadow Of The Beast, to name just a few.

In many ways the Genesis set the standard of what 16bit gaming should be. The SNES was a good system and it looked great on paper. Its 65816 16-bit processor was a "hybrid monster" that was a bitch to code for and had serious speed issues and it was no match for the Motorola 68000 on the Geneisi. Players old enough will recall that the SNES had serious sprite flickering issues and frame rate slow downs due to its undepowered processor. The SNES really shined on its dedicated graphics chip that allowed scaling, rotating and transparencies. However, eventually programers found out how to emulate most of those effects on the Genesis using the raw power of the 68000, so the differences really were not that great.

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

Umm... both? The system is shite, and the library, though large, is loaded with some of the worst games since the atari crash.

So what? I don't play the bad ones. By this standard the NES is the worst system ever.