If you were waiting for console-level graphics performance to hit mobile platforms, it looks like your wait has just ended. NVIDIA's new Tegra 3 quad-core chip is boosting performance to console levels, when paired with its 12-core GPU. The chip can be found in the new Asus Transformer tablet, which is shipping in December for $499. For that price you get a 10.1 inch screen, an 8.3 mm thick body, mini-HDMI output, 32 GB of storage along with a microSD slot. The screen is a 1280 x 800 IPS display with 600 nits of brightness. The tablet rounds this out with 1 GB of RAM, GPS, a gyroscope, a 1.2 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera. With the new features of the Tegra 3 (a fifth core that can reduce power consumption) the battery life is 12 hours.
The Tegra 3 quad-core CPUs are complemented with a new 12-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU, which delivers more realism with dynamic lighting, physical effects and high resolution environments, plus support for 3D stereo. The Tegra 3 processor provides an experience comparable to that of a game console, according to NVIDIA. It offers full game-controller support, enabling consumers to play games on their tablet or smartphone, or connect to big screen HDTVs for a truly immersive experience. It also leverages NVIDIA’s award-winning 3D Vision technology and automatically converts OpenGL applications to stereo 3D, so consumers can experience 3D on a big screen 3D TV.
This announcement shows that mobile gaming is closing in on the console market, perhaps faster than many had anticipated. Even discounting the enthusiasm as some hyperbole, it seems that quad-core mobile devices are ready to handle ports of top console titles. This raises the stakes for the next-generation consoles on the way, as they have to deal with the power of mobile technology that seems to be doubling every year or so while keeping the prices at about the same level.
Game developers seem to agree. “NVIDIA’s GPU architecture delivers the best gaming experience, bringing true console-quality games to mobile devices. Our Lost Planet 2 test demo makes it clear - the quad-core muscle of Tegra 3 brings hyper-realistic visuals, smooth frame rates and sharp images. The result is a whole new level of realism to content for smartphones and tablets,” says Jun Takeuchi, Deputy Head of Consumer Games at Capcom.
“With Tegra 3, NVIDIA has shattered the usual constraints on the quality of mobile device experiences. By enabling tablets and smartphones to operate at an exceptional level, it allows developers like Zen Studios to create console-quality experiences that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. The quad-core fueled graphics and physics in Zen Pinball THD are simply incredible and represent the premier mobile pinball experience. You can only get that on devices built on Tegra 3,” added Mel Kirk, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations at Zen Studios.
Middleware developers are also on board. “By harnessing the strength of Tegra 3’s 12-core GPU in our multiplatform middleware, game developers can easily port titles to Tegra 3 and achieve true console-quality graphics. Tegra 3's quad-core architecture and Orochi's multicore-enhanced, game-engine technology is going to spur the evolution of games on quad-core mobile devices,” said Takehiko Terada, President and CEO at Silicon Studio Corporation.
Tobias Persson, Co-Founder and Rendering Architect at BitSquid Tech, agrees: “Tegra 3’s quad-core processor and 12-core GPU allows developers to port PC and console game titles using BitSquid Tech for the same great experience on any device. From a hard-core gamer’s customized PC to a phone or tablet with Tegra, you’ll get identical game play and buttery smooth graphics, anywhere any time.”
We can expect the next round of Android tablets and phones in 2012 to incorporate the Tegra 3, or similar quad-core capability, as the competition in the marketplace drives manufacturers to offer more powerful devices. Apple's rumored iPad 3 will likely feature a quad-core A6 processor and a higher resolution screen; if that device can sell at the current rate of the iPad 2 it would mean about 4 million units a month, which is roughly 10 times the amount of Xbox 360s sold in an average month.
