| JRPGfan said: Nvidia cant supply a x86 soc with a gpu in it. MS needs that because they want a unified library too (like nitnendo) where people can play xbox games on the PC, and with easy porting back and forth. Sony & MS will probably want Xbox Two & PS5, to be BC with XB1 & PS4,..... thats alot easier with x86.
Its not just about price. I think amd can deliver things nvidia cant. Even something like HSA, which PS4 & XB1 might be useing here and there, would be lost. The alternative would be to get 2 chips instead, 1 from intel and a gpu from nvidia. There would be drawbacks, and it would be more expensive.
"Nvidia are fine in that aspect they're just as good, they were even supplying the chips for various consoles before AMD" And they where hard to work with. Nintendo and MS did not have good relationships with nvidia in the past. I suspect Nintendo went back to them because they didnt have a alternative. AMD doesnt have a arm+gpu soc at Tegra x2 levels atm, and maybe its cheaper for nintendo to just buy a already designed chip from nvidia, than it is to use R&D and have AMD design a custom chip for them. AMD could make a arm+gpu soc if nintendo payed for it. Nintendo didnt want to spend the R&D on it. And maybe nvidia left out in the cold gave nitnendo a really good price. |
That's MS' problem not Nvidia or Sony's and if BC dictated hardware we wouldn't have x86 to begin with, for every one thing AMD can deliver Nvidia has shown to deliver an alternative as well as a few other things, to put it straight Nvidia are simply better they've just never been easy to let up on business because they've been in a good solid position for ages and being expensive is an example of that.
The chip in Switch is not really a Tegra x2 it's a custom one based on it which would mean the partnership between Nvidia and Nintendo is not much different than it was with the latter and AMD in fact Nvidia seem to have been given far more freedom, Nintendo could have spent money on the R&D if it meant a cheaper platform to release but I suspect Kishishima being more business minded opted for Nvidia as it would make for a better platform hardware wise for consumers and negotiated a deal with them that fits both parties.
I could see Sony in future doing a similar move and negotiating between both companies to get the better deal, I wouldn't put it past them to go for a good Nvidia GPU and sell at a slight lost if it means their platform has an advantage over MS.
