Aims to lower costs and drive innovation

Mar 10, 2010 07:37 GMT  ·  By

AMD's current monopoly on the DirectX 11 graphics market may lead some consumers to believe that NVIDIA is lagging behind its rival. While this train of thought may be true as far as only DirectX 11 is concerned, it might not apply to the graphics industry as a whole. Advanced Micro Devices has its HD 5000 series, while NVIDIA has, in addition to netbook graphics, 3D-related technologies. In seeking to catch up on this front as well, AMD is reportedly planning on launching an “Open” 3D initiative.

According to TG Daily, the Sunnyvale, California-based CPU and GPU maker will try to push 3D innovation and lower the cost of 3D technology and products in general through this open initiative. While this means that AMD will collaborate with manufacturers of displays and other hardware, it also implies that it will release its own 3D technologies.

NVIDIA already has the 3D Vision, which “automatically transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D,” and the company will also soon release a triple-display 3D Surround Gaming solution. Now, the report suggests that AMD is developing a 3D version of the Eyefinity and is also collaborating with display makers for the release of 120Hz monitors and stutter glasses. The chip developer also aims to encourage 3D notebooks, Blu-ray and DirectX 9/10/11 support for 3D.

“We will work with our ecosystem partners to enable multiple 3D solutions, encourage cooperation and standardize development with industry-wide participation,” Neal Robison, AMD's director of global ISV relations, told reporters at GDC 2010. “This initiative will offer consumers additional choices, more innovation and help to lower costs.”

“We will be introducing a number of stereo 3D capabilities in the near future that are based on Eyefinity technology. This will enable multiple monitor configurations and significantly enhance the gaming experience,” Robinson added. Nevertheless, TG Daily also says that, according to an AMD official, 3D gaming will be initially constrained by such factors as pricing, the reliance on glasses and current lack of 3D games. These limitations will only go away if 3D Blu-ray takes off.