PowerVR families - shader capabilities

[Megadrive1988]

I was thinking about where Imagination Technologies has been in terms of shader model capabilities.

Series 3 ~ KYRO, KYRO II - no T&L, no vertex shader, no pixel shader

Series 4 - canceled. on-chip T&L or DX8 vertex shader 1.x , pixel shader 1.x ?

MBX - optional T&L co-processor with vertex shader 1.x or 2.x - no pixel shader ?

Series 5 - DX9 - at least shader model 2.0 capabilies -
at least vertex shader 2.0 - at least pixel shader 2.0
(maybe 3.0 capable ?)

Eurasia (improved Series 5 ?) (guessing) DX9 shader model 3.0
vertex shader 3.0 - pixel shader 3.0

Series 6 (in development) DX10 / WGF2.0 / Shader Model 4.0 ?

is that about right, given what is known about: the released, the canceled, and the forthcoming families of PowerVR?

 

[BrynS]

I seem to recall it being implied that Series 5 had PS3.0 and VS3.0 (SM 3.0) capabilities due to PowerVR releasing these demos (Voxel, Cloth and Deferred Shading) in late 2003, before any other IHV had released SM3.0 hardware and when it was suggested by some quarters that Series 5 would launch for PC sometime in (mid?) 2004.

I believe Series 3 had neither hardware pixel nor vertex shaders. I'm not sure what Series 4 comprised of in terms of shader model capabilities, although the range you suggested sounds reasonable.

Cheers,


BrynS

 

[Ailuros]

Series 4 - canceled. on-chip T&L or DX8 vertex shader 1.x , pixel shader 1.x ?

I think DX7.0 throughout.

MBX - optional T&L co-processor with vertex shader 1.x or 2.x - no pixel shader ?

VGP = VS1.1, no PS (unless you call fancy register combiners a PS )

Series 5 - DX9 - at least shader model 2.0 capabilies -
at least vertex shader 2.0 - at least pixel shader 2.0
(maybe 3.0 capable ?)

At the very least SM3.0.

As for the rest speculation is easier for Eurasia and anything else

 

[BRiT]

given what is known about: the released, the canceled, and the forthcoming families of PowerVR?

Its believed the PowerVR Series 5 was Shader Model 3.0 capable, due to the numerous demos they released.

About all that is known and safe to predict about future PowerVR Series 6/7 is the chip will never see the light of day on the PC.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Uhm, I thought Series 5 was vaporware....you mean it's real?

 

[BrynS]

Uhm, I thought Series 5 was vaporware....you mean it's real?

Somewhere in the wilds of Hertfordshire, an elite squad of somewhat fluffy, but highly dangerous ninja ducks guard the GPU revelation that is Series 5.

 

[Lazy8s]

The Series 5 from last year was likely demonstrated a couple of months ago with Sega Sammy's Next Level in-house development presentation.

 

[Ailuros]

Uhm, I thought Series 5 was vaporware....you mean it's real?

Somewhere in the wilds of Hertfordshire, an elite squad of somewhat fluffy, but highly dangerous ninja ducks guard the GPU revelation that is Series 5.

ROFL@ninja duck guard

It just brought up some funny pictures with ninja turtles; just replace them with an evil hord of ducks

 

[Megadrive1988]

The Series 5 from last year was likely demonstrated a couple of months ago with Sega Sammy's Next Level in-house development presentation.

probably.

 

[jpr27]

My question is will there be the slightest chance it ever see the light of day again? I mean that or maybe someone buying the technology out (Either ATI or NV) and maybe using some of the technology in the future?

Seems like such a waste to what could be a decent design concept with a corporation willing to bring it to the forefront ?

Whats holding it back other then maybe trying to break the ATI and NV dominance in the graphics industry?

 

[Lazy8s]

The earlier Series 5 will be seen in many new arcade games from Sega Sammy and their sub-licensees starting from this winter, and the newer Series 5 family, Eurasia, is going to be used in a product from market leader Intel, maybe in the first half of next year as a PC integrated graphics solution.

 

[Farid]

There's a greater problem PVR should solve before thinking about anything else...

It seems that Sony decided to grab the duck market while PVR was away.
And they seem serious about it. They have green ones and even a giant one. A GIANT DUCK, I TELL YOU!



Time to take the duck tech demo market back, Imgtec.
With the nice srcs included, while you're at it, too.

 

[TEXAN]

You never know Series-6 or Series-7 may be in a SEGA SAMMY console in 2010.

 

[Ailuros]

My question is will there be the slightest chance it ever see the light of day again? I mean that or maybe someone buying the technology out (Either ATI or NV) and maybe using some of the technology in the future?

If either/or would want to jump to TBDR what would be holding them actually back? IMHO large IHVs are better off minimizing risks.

Seems like such a waste to what could be a decent design concept with a corporation willing to bring it to the forefront ?

Whats holding it back other then maybe trying to break the ATI and NV dominance in the graphics industry?

Lack of resources and that goes for any small IHV these days. Any 3rd party would have to have the resources for an entire top to bottom product line that would not only have to be highly competitive as in hardware capabilities and driver stability, but also product releases without any significant delays.

For an IP selling company as IMG, it also gets harder because they'll always depend past a certain stage on a semiconductor manufacturer to bring the developed products to the market. Some semis showed interest in the past (NEC, ST Micro), yet all attempts were plagued by much too long delays and neither showed any interest of taking too high risks and thus larger investments than they actually did. In the meantime I doubt there have been left any interested companies for the graphics PC market, since the risk trying to take on ATI/NVIDIA isn't exactly small.

Other markets like the PDA/mobile or the possibility of IGPs are a different story obviously; especially for the first the IP business scheme is ideal, whereby for the high end PC graphics market it's rather the exact opposite.

 

[TEXAN]

If Series 5 was indeed a summer 2004 product then Img can still release it for the desktop sometime next year as a Kyro 3 bang for your buck sort of chip at the budget end of the scale.

But last I heard the chip was sanctioned by Sega Sammy exclusively for themselves.

 

[Megadrive1988]

fight

 

[Xmas]

The furry duck beats them all... but it doesn't have those cute eyes

 

[SiBoy]

VGP = VS1.1, no PS (unless you call fancy register combiners a PS )

Works for the Nvidia AR10

 

[AlNom]

Rubber Ducky...you're the one!

 

[Ailuros]

VGP = VS1.1, no PS (unless you call fancy register combiners a PS )

Works for the Nvidia AR10

*sigh* you just wasted all my efforts to encrypt that one