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Advanced Micro Devices will provide the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) which will become the heart of Sony's next PlayStation home gaming console, which is expected to debut in 2020.
In some ways, this is not a surprise, since Sony has been working with AMD for over five years on the internal hardware of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro consoles. It was a deal for AMD to lose, and he won it again.
Of course, the third generation Ryzen processor, eight-core, now seems to be a new hardware. But by the time it comes out on a PlayStation 5, it will be less powerful and less expensive than what Intel and AMD can offer on a high-end PC by 2020. This is the reality of game consoles – which use a older technology and must reach a consumer price of about $ 400 – and gaming computers that can cost between $ 1,000 and $ 2,000.
AMD launches technology on the PC this year. It will disclose its 7 nanometer-based Zen 2 based PCs, the third generation of AMD Ryzen desktop processors in mid-2019. Its first Navi-based 7 nanometer Radeon GPUs will debut on PCs.
For game console designers like Mark Cerny, the system architect of what Sony calls "next generation hardware," the challenge is to choose a technology that seems to be able to create a generational difference in visual processing. In this case, the graphics processor supports ray tracing, which simulates how light rays interact with 3D environments, bouncing off objects and producing secondary light effects as well as more complex shadows and light points. . Cerny also noted that 3D audio would be better on this device and that it would be compatible with PlayStation VR.
Nvidia was the first to use real-time ray tracing in a graphics processor with the launch of the Nvidia GeForce RTX family last fall. But AMD obviously follows this trend quickly with its own version of real-time ray tracing, presumably more energy efficient and able to be used in tight spaces of a game console.
"AMD has been successful for a number of reasons, not least because AMD has been running its Sony console projects for five years," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, in an email to GamesBeat. "Although AMD can leverage the intellectual property of its large-scale investments, it's a huge investment in resources and design from AMD because it creates many features that can not be reused. In addition, I think this has resulted in higher-quality, discrete, higher-quality GPU capabilities as AMD needs to target the mid-range GPU stack as a "design center".
Above: Mark Cerny started creating games at age 17 at Atari. He later became the architect of PlayStation 4.
Image credit: Gamelab
Multi-chip modules
AMD and Sony have not specified that the processor and graphics processor are separate chips. Kevin Krewell, an analyst at Tirias Research, is betting that the Zen 2-based, third-generation 7-nanometer Ryzen processor and the Navi graphics processor will be separate chips, stuck with a data path called Infinity Fabric. This unique module contains both chips and allows them to function as if they were one.
"Multi-chip modules are becoming more common in the data center, and AMD knows how to do that," Krewell said.
On the CES 2019 stage, AMD and Microsoft announced their partnership on future platforms. Krewell expects Microsoft to make its own custom changes that will make its processor and graphics processor very different from Sony's. Nintendo is expected to use a future version of Nvidia's ARM-based processor and graphics processor, although no announcement has been made on this subject.
Regarding information about AMD, a spokesman for Nvidia said: "This is a further sign of the increasing momentum of real-time ray tracing since we introduced our Turing RTX GPUs last year. . The enthusiasm of the developers and the speed of adoption by the industry are remarkable. In recent months, we've seen the introduction of standard APIs, integration into major gaming engines, Triple-A titles, and support for millions of hardware products. All this foreshadows an exciting future for the players. "
The use of AMD has the advantage of being able to evolve the technology with a new generation and combine the two chips on a single piece of silicon. This will reduce costs dramatically over the life of a console, as the CPU and GPU tend to be the most expensive things in the box. This continuous improvement and miniaturization allows game console manufacturers to continually reduce the price or add new features to the box over time.
AMD's combination chips, called Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), are more energy efficient and more economical. They tend to beat similar Intel chips, because AMD's standalone graphics are historically better than Intel's.
Raja Koduri, the graphics guru of AMD, was hired by Intel in 2017. According to him, Intel is working on a better standalone graphics chip. But of course, it was too late to consider this product, Krewell said.
"If it was about a year later, it could be a different story," Krewell said.
Cerny also said that the next-generation hardware would have a solid-state drive (SSD), which would allow faster loading times than standard hard drives. In a Wired demo, a scene taking 15 seconds on a PlayStation 4 can be loaded in 0.8 seconds.
The next generation console will support 8K graphics, but the ideal target will probably be 4K TV. 8K has 7,680 horizontal pixels on 4,320 pixels vertically, while 4K on 3,840 pixels on 2,160 pixels. Typical HDTVs have 1,920 pixels by 1,080. 8K has 16 times the number of pixels on HDTVs and four times more than 4K TVs. This means that the 8K game will be incredibly dynamic, but also probably very expensive.
It will also use physical media, such as possibly a Blu-ray Disc, for delivery of the game. The console will be backwards compatible, thanks to AMD's legacy. Cerny hinted that there would be more news coming on the "cloud game", which Microsoft and Google are also promising.
Rob Enderle, an analyst at Enderle Group, said he was not surprised that AMD keeps Sony's business.
"AMD's customer manufacturing operations were better suited financially and technically to this segment, in fact, they had the right square stake for what is clearly a square hole and they performed well", he said in an email. "As a result, Sony is satisfied with AMD, it is resisting anyway to replace it." AMD's competitors have neither the right product nor the margins, so they do not appreciate the effort needed. I think that Microsoft will also renew with this segment and should continue to do so. "
Enter Google
Google's Stadia will use AMD Radeon's data center graphics to give gamers home games streaming on the Internet. This technology offers significant benefits, such as the ability to play any game on any device, but it tends to lag behind the cutting edge of PC gaming.
"Rumors about the PS5 have been circulating for almost a year now. After last year's extensive Nvidia traceability roll-out, AMD showed the utmost discretion with respect to its ray tracing support plans. Nevertheless, rumors have emerged about PS5 support ray tracing, "said Jon Peddie, an analyst at Jon Peddie Research, in an email. "Now, the AMD GPU in the PS5 will be a custom variant of the Navi Radeon family and will support ray tracing. Ray casting is the bright new thing and, like virtual reality, it is completely dependent on relevant content and quality. "
"Sony has always been good at content, which is why people bought 90 million of their PS4s. Sony has also been one of the few companies to offer a satisfying VR experience and system – and again, this is reflected in their sales – more than anyone, almost more than any other. Finally, Sony is in no hurry to market the PS5. This means that they have and will take the necessary time to do ray tracing properly. "
Peddie also said, "The AMD processors are first class, but they are neither the biggest nor the most powerful. So, just like Sony with VR, you can expect games with ray tricks to be effective and well targeted. If Sony and AMD offer a satisfactory ray tracing experience on an AMD APU measurement, it means that the cost of hardware for computers to deliver similar results will be less. So, Sony and AMD move the bar and place ray tracing within the reach of everyone, not just hyper hyper rich players.
Update at 9:53 AMD and Microsoft announcing a partnership on future platforms on stage at CES 2019.
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