NVIDIA and VMWare Collaborate on Mobile High-End Streaming

Consoles and mobile products don't really have much in the way of content streaming, but that might just change now that VMWare and NVIDIA are putting their boots on.

Determined to choose the step-by-step approach this time, NVIDIA and VMWare have decided to try and remotely deliver “high-end, workstation-class virtual desktops and applications” to game consoles and tablets, or other mobile gadgets.

The ultimate goal is to enable photo-realistic rendering and GPU capabilities over wireless, but not from the get go.

Instead, NVIDIA wants, in the first phase, to make it possible to view, on a tablet and in real time, content from a high-end workstation, wirelessly.

The hardware capabilities of tablets already allow such video quality, or will as soon as their displays get better native resolutions (Full HD rendering is supported by Tegra 2, for instance).

This means that the two just have to make their virtual desktop software a reality, after which there will truly be high-definition, or better, remote access over wireless networks.

"Working together, VMware and NVIDIA are pushing the traditional boundaries of desktop virtualization by bringing workstation-class 3D Graphics to hosted virtual desktops and universal application access," said Vittorio Viarengo, vice president, End-User Computing, VMware.

"Once only needed by power-users, 3D graphics are fast becoming a requirement amongst all end-users as they use Office 2010, and even the Windows 7 Aero interface. Our partnership with NVIDIA will enable 3D capabilities for power-users as well as a growing number of use cases from any endpoint device, even tablets and thin clients."

Android-based devices are what the VMWare software will run on, while the workstations set to be accessed will need a Quadro graphics card.

"NVIDIA Quadro is the established market leader in professional 3D graphics because of our relentless passion for providing groundbreaking innovations to our customers that deliver the ultimate experience in terms of visual quality, reliability and performance," said Jeff Brown, vice president and general manager, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA.

"Together with VMWare, we're bringing that same Quadro commitment to virtualized desktops. Professionals who desire the highest quality virtualized graphics can look forward to getting this solution from us soon."