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Loading ...So, should AMD make a console?
Clive Webster
By now I’m going to assume that everyone’s listened to episode 8 of the CPC podcast and has therefore heard my crazy suggestion that AMD should get into the console market. This sparked quite a disussion in the ofice, so expect some counter-blog from someone soon.
My thoughts are fairly simple: AMD makes processors and now also makes chipsets and GPUs. With the links that ATi has with manufacturers like TSMC and PCB makers, plus game developers, surely a totally gaming-specific platform could make sense.
Partnered with this basic thought are pieces of industry-wide analysis, though. For example, AMD/ATi might have a success with the XBox 360 and the Wii but who’s to say that in in four years’ time the next XBox will have ATi graphics? Perhaps Microsoft might get back with nVidia if it has a strong enough product, or maybe by that time Intel will have a fledgling GPU department that would like to cut its teeth on a console chip before embarking on a DX11 (or whatever) PC part? And I’d be sceptical that the PS3 will have anything other than a Sony GPU (or perhaps Cell 2) as nVidia’s inclusion in the PS3 was a rushed-in afterthought when Sony discovered that Cell wasn’t quite up to the job. Essentially my point here is that AMD/ATi can’t rely on there being a next-next-gen console to sell into so perhaps should think about making its own.
Of course there are difficulties, as James was pointing out all too well when we checking the Podcast before publishing it. It would be hard work, and AMD would have to adapt a lot to be able to even build a product such as this in sufficient quantities. And it’d have to be a long-term gambit as consoles rarely pay off in the short term. And then there’s the notoriously understated marketing that AMD seems to love.
But here’s my counter: Would AMD making a console be any harder than AMD making a CPU to beat Core 2 Duo (and Penryn and Merom) in less than 12 months? Would it be any harder than developing a range of GPUs that beat nVidia’s offerings from the top-end of performance right down to the mid-range and budet? It seems that both tasks are proving very hard for AMD/ATi at the moment, and yet this is exactly what we expect (or perhaps hope) it to do in the next year.
If AMD/ATi can’t take on Intel and nVidia in a straight fight, it has to look to diversify otherwise it’s in big trouble. And a console might be one strong option; at least if AMD has a long-term plan - rather than just reascting to what Intel and nVidia does as is happening now - it might at least boost its credibility and stock price, and stave off the stock-market vultures that seems to be circling.
So what do you think: am I a crazyman or the potential saviour of AMD? Answers on a comment post.
It’s funny how often “Crazy” and “Genious” are confused.
I have a four year old machine that I built myself (which happily runs PREY at max settings :)) and it still uses the first AMD athlon 2gig 64bit processor that was brand new when I did so. If AMD were to attempt a console with that kind of rep and reliability behind it; I’d buy one.
They’d have to get a major set of backers for games and so forth though (Crave, Square Enix, Obsidian Entertainment to name a few) otherwise it’ll flop.
Go on AMD - Build a beast!
I’m stil uaing my x2-3800 and have it overclcocked. If AMD/ATI did bring out a console i’d be very interested, esspecially if HD-gaming and mmorpg games are supportrd (WoW is what i’m playing at the min).
Come on BLizzard, and crave and Codemasters and everyone else, lets see some support.
consoles are only as good as the games developed for them. i dont think there is room for a third major games playing console (excluding the wii which is quirky). i reckon developers have a tough enough time satisfying the needs of pc/ps3/360 users without also adding a AMD console into the mix. I think an amd console would fail mainly because…yes it would be a different option to a ps3 or 360 but will not get in the sales figures before it becomes unpopular and ultimatley dies off. The pc world is full of 2 horse races (ati/nvidia, amd/intel) and so is the mature console market (sony/microsoft).
The console market is not broke so dont try to fix it!
I’d actually be quite greatful for a bit of outside competition in the console market. The choices at the moment are a tad limited - and I’m not fully prepared to spill out £400 odd to a company who seems to love DRM and overpriced laptops… The same goes for the 360.
I guess my point is that if AMD/ATi get the balance right between performance and cost (a sub-£400 console would be nice =]), then they’d have a winner. I’d certainly get it, should there be enough games for it. Like Luke said, they’ve got the right stuff, it’s just putting it together.
Come on AMD, let’s look lively eh?
“AMD makes processors and now also makes chipsets and GPUs.”
Surely the logical deduction is they should make PCs , Not Consoles?
AMD couldnt afford it, Sony lose multi millions on developing and selling consoles at a lose, they only make money through games and licenses. AMD lose enough money without a console.
Also every console war seems to be a two horse race (with the exception of this generation so far) Last time is was PS2 VS Xbox, the game cube didn’t have a look in. The time before PS1 Vs N64 with the sega saturn not having a look in. Adding a fourth console to the mix just doesn’t seem a good idea.
Although Intel had its centrino (basically a brand for using selected intel components), if AMD where to do that kind of thing with hardware, so you have a limited subset of compontent the PC could be built from, you could make a custom OS (similar in a way to BeOS, a striped down OS with no legecy support, which made it super fast) for playing games and running a vitrual version of windows. You then have a hybrid PC/Console, all the function of a X86 PC with the limited hardware platform for a console, a win/win situation?
*agrees with Alanore* Maybe AMD could talk to MS about releasing a stripped-down 64-bit (or even 128-bit) Gaming OS that had a few basic additions that could run on AMD-only hardware in an AMD-built PC. It could potentially be alot smaller than a regular PC due to smaller die-sizes on all the chips (32nm or 24nm) meaning less heat etc etc. It could still be upgradable and customisable (is there such a word?) for enthusiasts and could still have clever air-cooling to make it overclockable. AMD would provide core components, MS would provide the OS and maybe even Creative could work on a low-profile X-Fi platinum - again using smaller dies…