External Pocket PC graphics cards

[chrismrulz]

Just thought i'd throw this idea in if any hardware makers look at these forums..

wouldn't it be possible to have external 3d graphics cards for pocket pc's (like in the axim x51v), using SDIO and CF as the card bus?

two things that come to mind are that pocket pc's wouldn't need more than 10mbps for graphics, and even if there was two little bandwidth,
couldn't it be done the way linux computers can share multiple threads across more than one computer (externally, just the data is transferred).
i.e. it just transfers the data to the graphics card and receives the final product when the thread is complete, then continues with another thread.
one other thing that assures me that this is possible, is how you can control your desktop computer with your pocket pc with good speed over USB or even 801.11b wireless.
think about it, if you run a directx game on your computer and remote control it with a pocket pc, your essentially playing that game while the processing is done externally.

does anyone with good hardware knowledge in this field know if it is at all possible?
of course they would have to be custom-designed for each device and model..


please vote at the top if you think this is a good idea.

[JesterMania]

of course they would have to be custom-designed for each device and model..

If that were the case, that would spell trouble. There are numerous devices on the market and many new ones pop out every few months. Furthermore, if HTC keeps changing their SD cards (SD->MiniSD->MicroSD->......NanoSD??) you'd have a very hard time keeping up.

Also, I think you'd have to have a large enough amount of 3D games and an equally large amount of 3D gamers on PPC to justify making these video cards, which I don't think is going to happen for some time given the amount of 3D games on the market and how most PPCs' D-Pads are horrible at playing games.

Neverless I think the idea is not a bad one, but maybe it's too soon for it to be realized just yet :wink: .

[Sven Johannsen]

I voted, nah. What are you thinking of doing with this thing? The Dell has a VGA out, given you buy the kit or the cable. How many of those things actually get bought. Do folks really show up at marketing presentations expecting to hook a PPC to a projector? Do you plan to haul around a 14" screen so you can use it with your PPC? There actually are, or were, a couple of VGA out solutions in CF form factor that worked pretty well. I have a Colorgraphics Voyager. That didn't catch on much I don't think. I believe Margi even had an SDIO one for a short period.

I am more looking forward to the laser technology advancing. I have a laser keyboard and it works to a point. I have seen articals on small laser projectors that can do color and put out a 10-15" display. Incorporate that and a keyboard into a PPC and you got my attention. Make it affordable and you got my money.

[chrismrulz]

wrong idea sven, this isn't vga out.

the main reason for it is because so many people want the axim x50v or x51v just because of the 3d graphics card.
though it doesn't seem very marketable (especially for pocket pc cards),
i think it would be theoretically possible.

this is a bit like the idea people had for SLI using AGP,
though it was theoretically possible and had even been done before, AND would even save so many people who didn't buy the latest technology in time, it just wasn't marketable.

but imagine how many hx4700 owners would buy something like this for example..
then they could have 1 up on the axim x51v :P


one other thing that assures me that this is possible, is how you can control your desktop computer with your pocket pc with good speed over USB or even 801.11b wireless.

think about it, if you run a directx game on your computer and remote control it with a pocket pc, your essentially playing that game while the processing is done externally.