ATI & Nintendo: "Technology Agreement"

[Dave Baumann]

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4660

ATI Announces Technology Development Agreement with Nintendo
Tuesday March 4, 6:38 am ET

MARKHAM, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003--ATI Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYT - News; TSX:ATY.TO - News), a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions, announced today that it has entered into a technology development agreement with Nintendo Co., Ltd. Under the agreement, ATI and Nintendo are developing technologies for use in Nintendo products. No other details regarding the nature of this agreement are being made available at this time.

"ATI has had an excellent relationship with Nintendo for many years," said David Orton, President and Chief Operating Officer, ATI Technologies Inc. "We are pleased to enter into this major technology development agreement with Nintendo."

So, Gamecube2 or something different (Handheld 3D)?

 

[Rodéric]

mmh, I want another PowerVR based console !!

hoped it would come from NINTENDO.

I like ATI, it's just that I prefer PowerVR (auto translucy sorting...).

 

[Goldni]

Alot of ppl figured this was coming. ATI and Nintendo have really forged a great relationship in the last few years with the GCN and N64. GCN2 will most certainly be in this agreement. I wonder what CPU Nintendo goes with. Whats that new NEC arcitechture?

 

[clem64]

Anybody out there still thinking that GC is Nintendo's last console?

 

[Ozymandis]

mmh, I want another PowerVR based console !!

hoped it would come from NINTENDO.

I like ATI, it's just that I prefer PowerVR (auto translucy sorting...).

That's how I feel too. Well, hopefully nVidia doesn't participate in Xbox2. Then PowerVr would almost have to win by default.

 

[cybamerc]

This agreement certainly relates to a new console (but possibly also handheld technology in addition). Perrin Kaplan told IGNcube in a recent interview that we would be hearing about its technology partners soon. ATI is obviously the first. It will be interesting to see who will supply the CPU. IBM has expressed interest.

 

[CeiserSöze]

This deal probably isn't the one that was mentioned a few months ago (the one that would grant ATi's COO a nice bonus). Or is it?

 

[V3]

That's how I feel too. Well, hopefully nVidia doesn't participate in Xbox2. Then PowerVr would almost have to win by default.

NVIDIA would be stupid if it doesn't participate in Xbox2. But it would be nice for MS to choose PVR for Xbox.

 

[Cyborg]

That's how I feel too. Well, hopefully nVidia doesn't participate in Xbox2. Then PowerVr would almost have to win by default.

Is there a law stopping ATI from having both? Thats probably what they're aiming for at ATI. Having both xbox2 and gamecube2 contracts would put them in a good situation. And since both consoles wont be released at the sametime (xbox being before ps3 and gamecube being soon after ps3), its doubtfull that there would be a bidding war for the tech.

 

[megadrive0088]

I knew it! I knew ATI would be designing the graphics for the next Nintendo. no way was Nintendo going to walk away from the people,
now inside ATI, that designed their previous 2 generations of graphics
(Flipper GC and RCP N64)

 

[megadrive0088]

This deal probably isn't the one that was mentioned a few months ago (the one that would grant ATi's COO a nice bonus). Or is it?

I think that was for Xbox2. This was the contract that ATI was planning on getting a few years ago, since they had bought ArtX. they knew they would be the most likely choice of Nintendo if they did. ATI was probably counting on this Nintendo deal when ATI bought ArtX in April of 2000.

It will be interesting to see who will supply the CPU. IBM has expressed interest.

Either IBM or NEC. if it's NEC, it might be with another partner or two, to build a CPU that can rival the Playstation3 version of Cell.

 

[bas1975]

"Is there a law stopping ATI from having both? Thats probably what they're aiming for at ATI. Having both xbox2 and gamecube2 contracts would put them in a good situation. "

That isn't going to happen. Neither MS nor Nintendo would allow a situation like that to actually happen.

 

[megadrive0088]

mmh, I want another PowerVR based console !!

hoped it would come from NINTENDO.

I like ATI, it's just that I prefer PowerVR (auto translucy sorting...).

that was always a longshot at best. perhaps PowerVR for the next Gameboy though.

 

[Cyborg]

Neither MS nor Nintendo would allow a situation like that to actually happen

Do they control ATI? no

ATI is there for the money, not to make friends.

IBM making CELL for ps3 and if they wanted, make a CPU for gamecube2, what would be wrong with it? IBM has tons of partner.

 

[bas1975]

"Do they control ATI? no

ATI is there for the money, not to make friends. "

Neither Nintendo nor Microsoft will partner with a firm that will be making the graphics processor for a direct competitor. It just isn't going to happen.

 

[megadrive0088]

Neither Nintendo nor Microsoft will partner with a firm that will be making the graphics processor for a direct competitor. It just isn't going to happen.

that is only one possibility, not a certainty. it could very well be that ATI provides the graphics for both the GCN2 as well as the XBox2 .

XBox2 requirment could be very different than GCN2 requirement. they might not even share the same technology. the main ATI GPU/VPU design team could adapt a DirectX based PC chip for XBox2, while the other ATI team designs an entirely different non-DirectX chip for Nintendo that is backwards compatable with Flipper.

Edit: also see here: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030304S0007

 

[Jabjabs]

An ATI chip in both the xbox and GC! I've had this strong feeling for the last few months hat this would be the case, looks like I was right.

Uhhh, yeah that was what I was going to say megadrive0088.

 

[V3]

Do they control ATI? no

When the contract is signed, they can have some control. But its really upto the agreement.

 

[Plasmatics]

Isn't it possible, or even probable, that Nintendo would insist upon ATI's exclusive attention in this matter before agreeing to a deal? Nintendo is an extremely hard-nosed company not known for backing down on any issue, especially one so important as this.

 

[megadrive0088]

Yes its possible. but i doubt ATI would allow themselves to be locked into one console only. ATI is a huge company. now, with ArtX, when they were their own small company, yes, they were exclusive to Nintendo.
but ATI is much more than about Nintendo. Nintendo needs ATI more than ATI needs Nintendo. I think ATI will do what it has to do to not be controlled by Nintendo.