Full steam ahead for Nvidia Xbox chips
Published: 02 Apr 2001 16:26 BST
Nvidia, the graphics chip maker, plans to begin manufacturing graphics and communications chips for Microsoft's Xbox video game console next month, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Dan Vivoli, the company's senior vice president of marketing, told the paper that Nvidia will begin manufacturing at least several million of the specialised chips with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in May, with complete Xbox units beginning to roll off the assembly lines this summer.
The console, which analysts have estimated will not turn a profit for Microsoft for at least three years, will be launched in Japan and the US this autumn, with a European launch following next spring. The console competes against Sony's already-launched PlayStation2 and Nintendo's upcoming Game Cube.
Nvidia's Xbox graphics chip is based on the company's GeForce 3 chip for PCs, but the Xbox version will be faster, Vivoli told the Journal. Nvidia is also making the communications chip that will link the different components of the console together.
Nvidia makes market-leading PC graphics chips, and sold 35 million of them to PC manufacturers last year.
Gamespot UK has a channel devoted to the latest Xbox news, reviews and previews. Check it out here.
Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Click on the TalkBack button and go to the ZDNet news forum.
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom. And read other letters.
Did you find this article useful?
63 out of 107 people found this useful
- Share this article:
