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Forums - Gaming Discussion - What do you think will happen if Sony embrace the GPGPU architecture like Nintendo for next gen?

Rumors say that Microsoft is using an APU for next Xbox. Isn't that basically the same as GPGPU where the embedded GPU works to take a load off the CPU?



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VGKing said:
Rumors say that Microsoft is using an APU for next Xbox. Isn't that basically the same as GPGPU where the embedded GPU works to take a load off the CPU?


Well here is what I can tell you about an APU.. a APU has the GPU and the CPU in on chip.. or whatever.. therefore.. you have a very powerful GPU right out of the box.. that makes HD look better then anything a normal CPU/GPU combined  can do.. yes the GPU does take a small load off the CPU.. but also as made.. the CPU will run cooler.. and take less energy because it figures out what you need.. and gives you just that.. in terms of power.. as thus making it more of a power saver.. and since you do not technically need a seperate GPU.. since it's built in.. and has plenty of memory.. this saves money.. and gives you plenty of power.. also if they want.. they can make a GPU.. that makes it look even better.. do to the GPU in the APU and GPU they put in seperate will work together.. to give you a more dynamic experiance.. and since the load is basic CPU code that the GPU takes.. it should be better and run alot faster..(Nothing advanced about it.. it's like the GPU says.. okay your doing basic arithmatic.. let me take that... or something lighter)



Nintendo Wii by generations...

1. Wii

2. Wii U

3. Wii O U

Predictions made by gamers concerning the current Nintendo line up of games.

Pikmen 3= Little Bump to nothing. (Got Little Bump)

Wind Waker HD= Won't sell anything (The explosion happened here and at one time 4 Wii U games was in the Amazon top 100)

Super Mario 3D World= Won't help at all looks cheap. (Currently the most sought after Wii U game and continuing the Wii U increase.)

Well it is been said that PS4 will use GPGPU, but i haven't heard anything about the XboX720. So I don't think this time Wii U will be getting downgraded ports like it does right now. Yes cannonballZ, PS3 has really good looking games if not the best this gen, but I am taking about ports, because we know Nintendo first party games looks good in any NIntendo Gen system. Squilliam it is not harder, it is different, more efficient and less expensive than an equivalent cpu only architecture computer. The same purpose of the Cell Project but with the difference that it is actually widely used because almost any GPU has some degree of GPGPU computing process. Cell programing was based on the CPU but the opposite is for GPGPU. GPGPU has higher capacity and are less expensive compared to an equivalent Cell processor. According to GPGPU programers, the cost-efficiency ratio is much better than that of the Cell Processor that was almost entirely based on Fourier Transforms, a headache mathematically speaking in every engineering.



VGKing said:
Rumors say that Microsoft is using an APU for next Xbox. Isn't that basically the same as GPGPU where the embedded GPU works to take a load off the CPU?

 

Only way GPGPU can be relevant when dealing with games(Graphics intensive apps) is if you were to have a separate GPU working with your main GPU. This is why APUs are so appealing. They offer a low cost companion GPU capable of handling CPU tasks which would otherwise decrease throughput from the main GPU if it was to handle GPGPU tasks.

The Wii U offers a traditional CPU + GPU architeture. Although the GPU is capable of direct computing, it would take a massive hit in raw rendering power if it was to handle CPU tasks as well as render graphical tasks at the same time. A better approach is to have a faster CPU and GPU, which is how the XBOX360 does it.

A more "modern" approach is to have a multi-core fast clocked APU and a main GPU. The CPUs in the APU will handle general tasks whereas the GPU in the APU can handle direct compute tasks and the main GPU is free to render all that next gen eye-candy. This is most likely the X720 and PS4 architecture.

Will next gen games be portable to the Wii U? defnitely, but the end result will be less than desirable.

 



nothing....nothing at all..



Nintendo Network ID = itsJabby

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You are right sunK1dD, but APU codes are the same as the GPGPU codes. why? because an APU (accelerated processing unit) is just a GPU and a CPU stacked together, not embedded. It is not 1 unit, it is 2 units in 1. They are not melted together. So the difference wont be that much.



Well it would make it easier to make games for. So i think it will be a good thing. esp because the ps3 was really hard to develop for with its confusing and complicated architecture.



All of the new systems will use GPGPU's. If programers look to shift more of the general processing burden on the GPU, sure it would make porting possibly easier.



cuberandgamer said:
Well it would make it easier to make games for. So i think it will be a good thing. esp because the ps3 was really hard to develop for with its confusing and complicated architecture.

GPGPU is harder to code for than the Cell, because of hundreds of threads (instead of seven) and extremely limited memory access for each thread.



cuberandgamer said:
Well it would make it easier to make games for. So i think it will be a good thing. esp because the ps3 was really hard to develop for with its confusing and complicated architecture.



GPGPU(General-purpose computing on graphics processing units) wasn't developed for the purposes of making game development easier. The core of this architecture is to have the normally "IDLE" GPU handle CPU tasks in order to improve overall system performance. (Ie. Might as well put that unused GPU to good use when encoding a video!)

By definition, GPGPU "tech" is useless when applied to games since your main GPU is already stressed out from normal graphics rendering. GPGPU would only decrease your standalone GPUs throughtput. A workaround is to have "2" GPUs, one for Direct Computing from the APU(API/GPGPU) and the other for normal graphics processes, your standalone GPU. This allows you to have the best of both worlds.