nVidia Announces GoForce 3D 4500 for Mobile Devices

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/345/C3224/' target='_blank'>http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/345/C3224/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"NVIDIA Corporation, a worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors, today unveiled the GoForce 3D 4500, the world's first 3D wireless media processor (WMP). The NVIDIA GoForce 3D 4500 WMP enables a whole new level of interactive content not previously possible on cell phones, PDAs, or other handheld devices. For the first time, mobile content developers can harness a powerful 3D medium to create rich, dynamic, lifelike worlds and characters. Additionally, mobile devices powered by the new 3D WMP will be able to synthesize amazingly realistic environments with objects that behave according to complex physics and intelligent characters with true-to-life personalities."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040922-nVidiaGoForce.jpg" /><br /><br />I have no idea what the power requirements were to generate that image in the press release, but if we can get graphics like that on Pocket PCs I'd be very happy. There's more information on the unit on nVidia's <a href="http://www.nvidia.com/page/goforce_3d_4500.html">product page</a>.

[T-Will]

Just imagine, in a few years all you'll need to bring to a LAN party is a Pocket PC and a pair of video glasses! :D

[nuka_t]

not if you dont want to be as cool as the other guys that have a geforce xhxhhxxghgxgx 99000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000xtmenmdndhsldjs

and a 20ghz processor.

[Janak Parekh]

Just imagine, in a few years all you'll need to bring to a LAN party is a Pocket PC and a pair of video glasses! :D
How about input? Some sort of freeform glove? VR in your pocket? I can't wait. :D

--janak

[T-Will]

Just imagine, in a few years all you'll need to bring to a LAN party is a Pocket PC and a pair of video glasses! :D
How about input? Some sort of freeform glove? VR in your pocket? I can't wait. :D

--janak

I was just thinking you would use the stylus and built-in gamepad.

[ricksfiona]

Man, we're going to have some unholy-scary-incredible PPC's sometime in 2005...

in 2005 we should have this video integrated into the PPC, VGA, 800MHz+.. Nice!

Damn, what's next? 8O

[David Johnston]

Man, we're going to have some unholy-scary-incredible PPC's sometime in 2005...

in 2005 we should have this video integrated into the PPC, VGA, 800MHz+.. Nice!

Damn, what's next? 8O

In theory, if this chipset comes out in a real PPC by this time, next year, then Q3A on a PocketPC may become a reality! (Carmack is releasing the source code soon, once the Doom 3 hooplah has died down)

So, one of the remaining problems will be input - stylus/gamepad still doesn't cut it for games because they're designed for productivity use (or at least, the hardware usually is).

[Silencer]

Pretty nice grafx, I really appreciate this necessary developments, but I´d like to have another thing forced: more battery power!

The best grafics chip on my pda is useless if I can use it only for about ohne hour - there´s no gaming fun then with it.

[jonathanchoo]

NO!!!

Now we are all going to have vacumn cleaner blowers in our PDA.

- ATi fanboy ;)

[ojlittle]

That's a screenshot from the racing game that comes bundled with the Tapwave Zodiac. I've forgotten the name of the actual game.

[David Johnston]

Well, my ATI NDA just expired, it turns out they're working on creating an addin card for PocketPCs that also supplements 3D graphic technology.

And so I can now tell all.

Firstly, they're calling it the 'Rdn 98.00' - similar to the Radeon 9800, but smaller. It runs at about a quarter (33%) of the speed of the desktop version, and has a whole 8192kiB of memory. It has obviously been miniaturised for this purpose. It simply attaches to the back of your existing PocketPC, and connects via the CompactFlash bus.

The Hardware
You can see, it's extremely tiny and very subtle - I fitted it to my iPaq 2215 (although according to the infosheet, it will fit any PocketPC made since 2002):

http://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/fitted1.jpghttp://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/fitted2.jpg

I know some of you are concerned about the noise. Well, if I just turn it on... OK IT'S ON, I CAN HARDLY TELL! IT'S WHISPER QUIET!!!! WHAT?????

Software Demos
ATI also kindly sent me a few demo programs to try out - they're obviously not real-world examples, but they do push the chip to the absolute limit.

The first demo is the most impressive. It renders one three-dimensional cube onto the screen at amazing pace. Check out these screenshots:

http://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/cubeDemo1.jpghttp://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/cubeDemo2.jpg

The second screenshot I included for fun - you can see this software is still in testing stages and it either malfunctioned, or the card overheated. Pretty though. This is a pre-release version, so bugs and problems like this are expected. But in the first shot you can already see the sort of power this thing boasts. Check out the gouraud shading on that cube. It's even in colour!!!

One of the simpler modes in the same demo sequence displays a simple wireframe cube:

http://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/cubeDemo3.jpg

But the best mode of the demo is labelled 'Doom 3'. Yes. You read that right. DOOM 3. I think this is just a technology demonstration, but it's absolutely breathtaking. That's all I have left to write, so I'll leave you with a DOOM 3 screenshot, taken on my very own HP iPaq 2215 Pocket PC, using ATI's Rdn 98.00 card. Thank you for reading.

http://www.johnsto.co.uk/i/temp/cubeDemo4.jpg

[T-Will]

ROFLMAO! :lol: And everybody thought that the iPAQ PC Card expansion pack was huge...just wait till people see this thing! :lol:

[Ryan Joseph]

ROFLMAO! :lol: And everybody thought that the iPAQ PC Card expansion pack was huge...just wait till people see this thing! :lol:

I know some serious gamers who would gladly live with something that big in order to get that kind of graphics power on a PPC. Sad, but true. :roll:

[davea0511]

"mobile devices powered by the new 3D WMP will be able to synthesize amazingly realistic environments with objects that behave according to complex physics and intelligent characters with true-to-life personalities."

Gee. This will be the first card ever that enables "intelligent characters with true-to-life personalities". Then again, that may not be very hard when your impression of intelligent characters comes from the amazingly stupid brain of an marketing specialist.

That said, I'm sure the graphics capability of this thing will be top notch. I'm stoked. Let's hope they'll be smart enough to create someway for a VGA out - combined with a pair of 3D HMD this could be amazingly cool.