Nvidia signs new agreement with Sony
by Alan Rose 
{ Mar 28th 2006 at 10:00AM }
Nvidia and Sony are reinforcing their business relationship with the announcement of a new joint
project. According to Nvidia CFO Marvin Burkett, the GPU maker has a new engineering contract with the electronics
giant, but product details were not forthcoming. "I don't think I should discuss what the product is", he
said.However, Burkett did indicate that the contract would be worth more than the
$30 million Nvidia was paid for designing the PlayStation 3's GPU.
[via GamesIndustry.biz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul @ Mar 28th 2006 10:18AM
Sounds intriguing. I wonder if Sony may possibly be thinking of jumping into the PC market with their Blu-ray and an Nvidea graphics card. Probably not, but I would imagine anything on the PS3 should be done by now, so it can't be that.
jay @ Mar 28th 2006 10:37AM
It's a super powered PC. *yawn*. It's a little obvious.
R.U.Sirius @ Mar 28th 2006 10:47AM
The PS4 then. It's obvious.
-R.U.Sirius
funkonaut @ Mar 28th 2006 10:53AM
PSP2?
Caleb @ Mar 28th 2006 10:53AM
Sony has been in the PC market for a long time - VAIO.
My guess is either PSP2 or one of those Oragami devices.
Jon @ Mar 28th 2006 11:03AM
Definately not the PS4...as Sony will want to drag out the PS3 for 10 years if they could get away with it.
.ed @ Mar 28th 2006 11:11AM
I say psp2.
Handhelds have deeper possible market penetration than home consoles as they are per person rather than per household.
Also, the psp2 would rely far more heavily on an NVidia product than the ps4 as handhelds have the possibility for proprietary (touch)screen design to be fully integrated with the hardware itself, meaning the GPU would have a larger role and therefor earn a higher premium for NVidia.
It's also important to note that this is the time when you would be hearing of the partnerships related to a device like the psp2 if it is to launch about a year after ps3. Sony would be smart to keep tight lipped on anything regarding the psp2 (even at E3) as the modest selling psp would suffer even more if people knew it was being replaced so soon (soon meaning /ever/, but you know how people panic when they know a new device is in the works: "They're already making psp2, so I'm not gonna buy a psp").
I highly doubt it is a computer or PMP as crazy huge secret deals don't need to be struck to get a good nvidia card in a PC (and it wont sell more than PS3, and as far as PMP rumors go.. thats what the psp /is/.
they also killed the clie and will never make gaming pc's.
my only other idea is it could be for a step up in thier insanely overpriced location free tv idea, but that's crazy talk... because sling's got that on lockdown for 1/30th the total price.
Josh Warner @ Mar 28th 2006 11:12AM
Here's my guess: H.264 dedicated acceleration for BluRay. I have a few 720p movies encoded in H.264, and my computer can just BARELY decode them on the fly - I have a 3.2 Ghz P4, 1GB RAM, and an X800 XT. While these components aren't new anymore, they still aren't cheap. Needless to say, there needs to either be some serious processing power in the next gen video players (both BluRay and HD-DVD) or some serious dedicated graphics decoding hardware.
I'm betting this is a new decoding chip that will be forced to be included in all BluRay players, Sony or otherwise. It makes sense, and would probably net more than the PS3 (at least Sony hopes so) over the lifetime of BluRay.
Sony can't be getting into another gaming market, and this must be proprietary (if it could be stuffed into any PC, Nvidia wouldn't be selling it). Even if they were preparing the PSP2 (I doubt it) it wouldn't be projected to earn as much as the PS3. I think it has to be a H.264 hardware decoder.
.ed @ Mar 28th 2006 11:17AM
whoops, or that!
Hahah, Josh, i think you may be right, i had no idea that was an issue with hardware these days. and it does make sense as it could be shoved into all forms of hardware ultimately.
**changes vote to H.264**
Kirk @ Mar 28th 2006 11:21AM
It's the PlayStation ON.
Meark @ Mar 28th 2006 11:23AM
Has to be a home video device.
There will be no PSP2. PSP didn't make enough headway into the handheld market like they were expecting. Too expensive, and poor timing. The DS is becoming the next iPod, which leaves next to no market for the PSP.
bladestar @ Mar 28th 2006 11:28AM
ohh NOOOOOO! I think we are going to spend the next 2-3 years expeculating on this, just like we did with the PS3 which we don't even have a price, a definite launch date, or even video of any game actually running on the console! I hate how SONY like keeping everyone in the dark and guessing!
isuma @ Mar 28th 2006 11:33AM
How about Cell workstations (or VAIOs!) using custom nvidia GPUs?
I can't see special h.264 chips being the product since Sony has Cell which can handle the task and which they (and Toshiba) want to incorporate into consumer electronics.
dsub @ Mar 28th 2006 11:38AM
it's an "engineering" contract, not a supply contract, so it has to be something that nVidia is designing for a sony product of some sort. The idea that Burkett said "I shouldnt say what the product is at this time" makes it sound like this is just viral marketing on sony's/nVidia's part to keep there names in the news and get people talking.
It's probabaly some crazy digital media chip of some kind with hella DRM incorporated into the hardware. Then again for all we know it could be anything, but given that it's nVidia, it's definately video of some sort. Maybe sony's getting into the PC video card market?
Bloo @ Mar 28th 2006 11:43AM
Wow. 3D processor, which they already make, for cell phones. DUH! I can't believe I'm the first to think about this. That's the only way it's worth more than the PS3 contract. There is no way they sell enough VAIOs to make that the case.
epobirs @ Mar 28th 2006 11:44AM
Sony already has dedicated H.264 decode hardware. What do you think is in the Blu-ray reference platform studios are already using for their disc mastering? Also, there are numerous off the shelf H.264 solutions already on the market. The PSP has MPEG-4 decode built-in. Taking that to H.264 (which is an extension of MPEG-4) is no big deal. Acceleration for the newer codecs (VC-1, H.264, etc.) is already going into GPUs much as MPEG-2 acceleration did in the late 90s. Not complete decode solutions but enough to reduce the CPU load so that the system can play video while web surfing or other activities.
Gonzo @ Mar 28th 2006 12:02PM
I hope this has something to do with the ps3.
As long as Sony isn't trying to make more (expensive) computers. That's all we need is (rather than rediculously overprices) obcenely overpriced crappy computers.
Michael @ Mar 28th 2006 1:00PM
Sony has agreed to buy Nintendo, and they need this to get the Revolution's graphics up to snuff. Also they are replacing the wand with a brain interface:
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060327_neuro_chips.html
And they've asked their partner at IBM to build a version of the cell chip with nanotechnology so they can fit it into the revolution case:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/24/technology/ibm_semiconductor/?cnn=yes
Finally, they are going to use a holographic drive to up the drive density in a small form factor:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/holographic-drives-on-the-way-this-year-163366.php
and they will rename the thing the:
sONy
badbob @ Mar 28th 2006 1:03PM
Sony probably wants nvidia to integrate all the ps3 chips into one cheaper, cooler, and slimmer chip so sony can sell you a cheaper (but not at first), cooler, and slimmer ps3.
Enigma @ Mar 28th 2006 1:38PM
GPU for the next PSP possibly?
More than likely! Cant be for the PS4 since they havnt shown success forthe PS3 yet. But for a new product, like another handheld in a few years, it is believable, since nVidia has mobile GPUs ready and forthcoming.
Fan @ Mar 28th 2006 2:09PM
No its a GPU that will let you play PS1 games on your cell phone.
Like said above its the only market thats potentially bigger than the PS3 that nvidia can get into.
Its a gaming walkman cell phone... stop the press..
Duluck @ Mar 28th 2006 2:11PM
There wont be another PSP. That market has come and gone, much like the Clie.
I would expect a phone, or a home media center.
maxxdog @ Mar 28th 2006 2:38PM
Perhaps it will be an HDMI video card that works well with HD TV
joe @ Mar 28th 2006 3:44PM
it is a hardware decoder, the PSP life cycle is something like 10-11 years, they maybe adding features or maybe a external re-design but the specs and internal parts of the PSP will be the same for a long time, also the PSP already has a GPU chipset.
Yea i think your on the money, Nivida making a dedicated Beta-Ray Decoder chip would enable them to have there chips in every HD player out there, great idea nivida! increasing revnue streams.
Josh @ Mar 28th 2006 3:44PM
Nvidia's only getting $30 million for the PS3's GPU? That really does not seem like much.
don_sf @ Mar 28th 2006 4:29PM
psp2 to release 1 year after ps3?
man r u crazy? the ds and psp only came out the other day, people have collections and not that much cash. dam u crazy.
but speakin bout the psp 2, i really do think that a graphics update will be rubbish because it would most likely to be ps2 or maybe higher type of graphics. weve seen all this on our ps2s, so it wouldnt be that good.
the psp got away with it because its like the first proper hand help gaming to have all these nice 3d titles, like gta. if anything, they should really redesign the psp and increase the loading times because on trips out i take my ds, i honestly cant be bothered to wait for loading times.
dam i saw this nasty nasty pic of a xbox 360 like handheld, dam that lookd so wierd.