Nintendo + Intel will be the killer next generation combo.

[Squilliam]

Soleron said:

Squilliam said:

...

I like the idea of larrabee as an acceptable compromise as it can do everything. However it looks like the jig is up and my nefarious scheme for stimulating debate about more technical ideas in the Nintendo forum is coming to an end.

They already missed a raft of release dates, then all but cancelled it a few months ago (it should reappear in another form at some point, but...). Nintendo wouldn't bet on an unproven chip, they're not Sony.

Yep, I know they aint Sony hehe. The main issue with LRB was that it would have had to be compared against software which was targetted at different architectures and run that inefficiently whereas if it was the target for said software the efficiencies of the hardware could be exposed. It was mainly an issue with it being a little too early in terms of process technology and early in terms of software efficiency. What they essentially did was can LRB 1 and kept it as a test bed, canned LRB 1.0 refresh and then went straight to LRB 2.0 whilst trying to get the software back end up to speed.

Where LRB 2.0 re-emerges is with Sandy Bridge a next generation architecture built on Intels 32nm process. With the ring bus Intel can stitch the LRB 2.0 cores onto Sandy Bridge circa 2011 or 2012 and with some basic improvements in hardware and software efficiency Intel then has their Fusion competitor. LRB 1.0 didn't need to really get released, the main competitor was Fusion which as typical of AMD got delayed anyway so Intel was not in a particular hurry. If Sandy Bridge is year end 2011 then LRB 2.0 integration will probably be the refresh part of Sandy Bridge in 2012.