Nokia and 3D graphics chips - is it a match made in heaven or a short-lived affair?

Tzer2 wrote:So what you're saying is, currently used 3D chips in phones just let you have nicer-looking graphics but don't have any effect on the development process at all?

If he is saying that, he's mistaken. While there is software OpenGL ES, it's too slow for anything but the most basic 3D and so isn't used for production games. If it wasn't, developers would use it rather than write their own rendering engines, and hardware accelerated devices would automatically take advantage of it with higher frame rates (the dream scenario!). Note that this isn't the case.

As I mentioned before (it's probably me that you said mentioned it before), using OpenGL ES will be useful for porting games across the new platforms - iPhone, Android etc. that will support it. WM devices are also appearing with support although it's still early days there.

The article is somewhat bias in my opinion in trying to justify for Nokia's lack of future proofing their new mobiles.

Having OpenGL acceleration on the phone has these other advantages -
Helps out with OS: OS is getting prettier by the day (eg Vista, Leopard). Phone OS's need to follow in the same pattern and OpenGL allows for the extra shading and "cool" effects that can be applied to the screen.

Examples are trying to magnify screens in say web browser or with GPS/Map programs (Ala Iphone style - which is accelerated in such a way)

Video playback also can use OpenGL filtering

Has anyone every played an old version of MAME called glMAME? the graphics are awesome (on 2D games too)

BTW.. I disagree that System Rush is not accelerated. Have you checked the differences between N95 and N81? N81 has blockier textures and less glow effects than the N95 version (examples of filtering and hardware lighting effects).

If Nokia are SERIOUS about their Ngage platform to compete as a proper games console business, then they need to stop producing those cr@ppy Gameloft Java Conversions and produce some real games.

bchliu wrote:If Nokia are SERIOUS about their Ngage platform to compete as a proper games console business, then they need to stop producing those cr@ppy Gameloft Java Conversions and produce some real games.

A good example of the lack of 3D acceleration can be found here look

http://qik.com/video/123733

Global Race helping out

😊

Imagination Technologies� POWERVR� MBX Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) IP family of 2D/3D accelerators has been successfully deployed in a wide range of markets including mobile phone, personal navigation, consumer set-top boxes, and in-car information and amusement systems.

The underlying POWERVR MBX architecture is fully scalable for a range of area and performance requirements, enabling it to accommodate the needs of many target markets.

POWERVR's unique tile-based rendering architecture enables higher performance and higher image quality at lower power consumption and silicon area than competing technologies.

You write against the OpenGL ES spec, v1.0 which ships with S603.x. The SDK contains a s/w renderer which runs in the emulator, and handsets may re-use the software version in the absence of h/w driver.
A 2420 without MBX IP Block (it's not a GPU) delivers around 11fps on a popular 3d benchmark, while a 2420 with MBX driver delivers around 75fps.
OpenGL ES 2.0 is completely different spec, which includes a shader language comes close to bringing the desktop and mobile versions of OpenGL together.
So you have to rewrite your S60 game to make use of the GPU on the TI 3430.

What a surprise, more fragmentation in the mobile world.

Hey check this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Official response

Thanks for the suggestion guys, just to let you know his will be in the next release of the N-Gage SDK so game developers will be able to take full advantage then. This also includes OpenGL.
- karl

The nokia N96 does have a 3D-hardware chip in it's retail unites, however the n96-1-prototypes, the only ones that are available don't have it equipped yet, because some conflict with the suplier and with the the FP2 edition. The final version will have the updated version of the N95 3d harware chip.

Unregistered wrote:The nokia N96 does have a 3D-hardware chip in it's retail unites, however the n96-1-prototypes, the only ones that are available don't have it equipped yet, because some conflict with the suplier and with the the FP2 edition. The final version will have the updated version of the N95 3d harware chip.

31st July 2008

First Consumer Products with Imagination's Shader-Based POWERVR SGX Graphics Core Now Shipping

Leader in embedded 3D graphics IP sets another first with Open GL ES 2.0 capable product now available
London, UK, 31st July 2008: Imagination Technologies, the leader in mobile and embedded graphics technologies, reports that the first branded consumer electronics products utilising its advanced and market-leading shader-based graphics core, POWERVR SGX, are now shipping.

POWERVR SGX, Imagination�s OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG compliant graphics acceleration technology, is already on sale in devices from Aigo, Kohjinsha, Sharp and others. These are the first wave, with further MID, mobile phone, automotive and media player products on the way. Dozens of POWERVR SGX-enabled products will ship in the next few months from manufacturers including Asus, Fujitsu, Gigabyte and Panasonic.

Imagination expects that the first mobile phone handsets with POWERVR SGX will start shipping in Q4/2008 in Japan.

POWERVR SGX passed as Khronos OpenGL ES 2.0 compliant in June 2008 � the first graphics technology to achieve compliance with the key API for the next-generation of mobile devices based on commercial, production silicon.

Imagination has led the mobile and embedded graphics market, originally with its POWERVR MBX graphics which is now the de facto standard for 3D-acceleration in key embedded markets including mobile phone, navigation, media players and STB/TV.

POWERVR leads the market based on the key measures of: number of licensees, number of chips in development, range of markets targeted by OEMs deploying the technology, and total volume of devices shipped.

POWERVR�s success is based on a patented tiled based architecture, which is the most optimal and advanced technology for delivering performance and low-power consumption. POWERVR�s robust, proven architecture has been developed over more than a decade of high-volume deployment in markets including PC, console, automotive and mobile.

Imagination�s CEO Hossein Yassaie says:"Being the first shader-based IP core in mobile product is a significant milestone and we believe that POWERVR SGX already has a two year lead on its rivals. This technology has the support of leading semiconductor companies and OEMs and has achieved design wins in multiple markets including in-car, MID, UMPC, media player, mobile phone and STB/TV. We are confident that SGX will maintain Imagination�s leadership in the market, currently enabled by POWERVR MBX. Indeed, the lead enjoyed by SGX is already ahead of that held by MBX at a similar stage in its roll-out."

POWERVR SGX is sampling or shipping now in SoCs (system on chip) from Intel, NEC and Texas Instruments. Already 13 licenses have been taken by customers for POWERVR SGX, with more in the pipeline, and around 25 POWERVR SGX-based SoC devices are in development or production.

About Imagination Technologies
Imagination Technologies Group plc (FTSE:IMG) � a leader in semiconductor System on Chip Intellectual Property (SoC IP) � creates and licenses market-leading embedded graphics, video and display accelerators, multi-threaded processors and multi-standard receiver technologies. These IP solutions are complemented by dynamic and extensive developer and middleware ecosystems. Target markets include digital radio and audio; mobile phone multimedia; personal media players (PMP); in-car navigation and driver information; personal navigation devices (PND); Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) and Mobile Internet Device (MID); digital TV & set-top box; and mobile TV. Its licensees include leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies, as well as innovative leading edge start-up and fabless semiconductor companies. Imagination has corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and R&D offices worldwide. See: www.imgtec.com.

From the time new chips start shipping by a semiconductor manufacturer, it can take a year or two before they appear on any actual devices, so "soon" can be a fairly long time.

And, of course, who knows if any phone manufacturer actually decides to buy these.

Before getting to excited, wait for actual phones to be announced.