Over the last several years, 3D graphics has emerged as the principal differentiating factor in the consumer and high-end professional computing market. From the first 3D games that ran at 640x480 with 8bit colors to the current standard of 1024x768 with 32bit color and quickly moving to higher resolutions such as 1600x1200 with 32bit color, the visual experience is a primary driver in purchasing decisions. This requirement for a better visual and life like experience forces the 3D silicon industry to look to new and innovative methods to satisfy the ever-increasing appetite for high quality visuals without a loss in performance. The market has, and to an even greater extent will in the future, make its computing solution choices based on the quality of the visual experience. Processing power in personal computers, gaming consoles, and even newer Internet appliances has grown at a fairly linear rate.
Additional functionality is added with each new iteration of processors.
With CPU speeds now well into GHz territory, applications that require that level of processing power are few in number. On the other hand, the demand for increasing quality and speed for the visual experience is on a much faster growth curve. As software designers push the envelope to create stunning visuals, the requirement for additional capabilities in the hardware accelerates. Speed equates to power and the race for the fastest, most capable processors, whether it is CPUs or graphics processors will continue to escalate. In light of this obvious shift in the consumer perception of value in the computer market, the largest providers of PC's, gaming consoles, new Internet appliances, and soon mobile computing devices, will be redesigning and re-architecting their product lines.