Recent Tapeouts

[demalion]

IMO, R350/RV350 probably wont have any feature enhancments. I find it probable that if R400 is scheduled for later this year it will be their PS/VS 3.0 / DX9.1 part.

But then why should ATi have said that R350 would be DX9.1 ???

Hmm, do you have a link? (forgive me if the statement is easy to find) That sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if it was ATI I "heard" it from.

I still don't see the point on being so aggressive with shader functionality, the R400 isn't that far away...is it? "DX 9.1" would be "PS/VS 3.0" and that is a pretty aggressive target I think. With the DX 9 in such flux perhaps they meant something else besides PS/VS 3.0 when they stated it.

 

[ERP]

Speculating wildly here, I am going to guess that assuming DX9 makes it this year there will be no new DX release next year. It seems to me that the inclusion of VS/PS 3.0 in the existing DX9 spec is to cover future hardware releases. I would expect the next DX release to be DX10 late in 2004.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Ermmm, i'm too lazy to search the original, but here ya go with a quick one : http://www.google.com/search?q=r350+dx9.1&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

[Dave Baumann]

But then why should ATi have said that R350 would be DX9.1 ???

I'm not saying this is the case, but I just get the feeling it is. One thing to bear in mind is that when that interview was taken it was very unclear exactly what MS were doing with DX9 then. I suspect that they thought that DX9.1 would be a minor incremental update, but I think the reality is more or less DX9 and DX10 have been rolled in one, with PS/VS3.0 adopting a lot of what DX10 was initially to be.

As I've said in these forums and our articles a number of times, MS do not want to do another major release of tha API until they have a new operating system ready, so they held back DX9 to put more work into it and extend to so that it has a larger shelf live - PS/VS3.0 will cover some future hardware. DX10 will probably become available at around the time Longhorn is complete.

(Well, thats my specualation based on various things...)

What the hell is DX9.1, anyway?

You didn't hear this from me, but...

As we know from the leaked documentation PS/VS3.0 has been included into DX9 now, which is what the delay has been, however it is not part of the initial release (AFIAK). When either a suitable time period has elapsed or a major hardware vendor has hardware capable of PS/VS3.0 MS, in a blaze of PR, will suddenly announce DX9.1 - the update to their massively popular DX9 API. A nice download will be provided to install the API, but all it will do is effectively flick the switch for the current dormant, but already tested PS/VS3.0 schemes - thus, MS looks good and the new hardware gets more functionality exposed...

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Ok, i might be wrong then most sources say R400 will be the first w/ PS&VS3.0 support.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

It's starting to sound more and more like NV35 and R350 will both be parts that have more functionality than the current PS / VS 2.0 parts....but still not quite enough for 3.0 Kind of out in limbo...

 

[Mariner]

I've heard about reading the small print, but that is ridiculous!

Content wise, sounds quite believable, but does Microsoft really need to do this sort of thing? I suppose it might be a decent marketing ploy if they are in cahoots with the various IHVs trying to get people to upgrade. What are the chances that WinXP SE is released and contains DX 9.1 as standard around the same time that R350/NV35/whatever are released around the middle of next year?

You can see the advertising now:

Buy our new super-duper NV35/R350/Blah which is fully DirectX 9.1 compliant - recommended for use with Windows XP Second Edition!

 

[Sage]

You can see the advertising now:

Buy our new super-duper NV35/R350/Blah which is fully DirectX 9.1 compliant - recommended for use with Windows XP Second Edition!

yep. originally, DX9 was supposed to be VS/PS2.0, fall '02 and DX9.1 would be Q1'03 and simply add .Net framework and be launched with XP SE. now it appears 9.0 will be early Dec (just in time for christmas) and be VS/PS2.0 then 9.1 with XP SE will be H1'03 with .Net and VS/PS3.0, BUT remember MS saying that VS/PS3.0 will be out before any hardware actually supports it. I'd say Dave is right about 9.0 having VS/PS3.0 in it, and them simply being able to "activate it" at any time... like say if they find out the R350 is about to be launched

also, I'd like to remind you about nVidia's nFimous 100 days from tape-out to launch... that would put NV35 at about March 1st? hmmmmmmm, or should i say "nHmmmm...." but i'm actually loosing faith in nVidia every day right now

 

[Hellbinder]

I really hope *you guys* remember posts you made in threads like this.

You are completely underestemating what the R350 is. Its going to be pretty entertaining to see what your reactions are when the info hits the streets.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?s=acc6101340420842a1466ee4f3abfe0a&threadid=33649238

That guy did a really good job putting evrything together!
Those are pretty good articles.

 

[DemoCoder]

It will be pretty interesting to see your reaction when you are wrong again.

 

[GetStuff]

]I really hope *you guys* remember posts you made in threads like this.

You are completely underestemating what the R350 is. Its going to be pretty entertaining to see what your reactions are when the info hits the streets.

Like a 4x4 NV30?