ne reason for this to be true?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video [...] 92449.html

seems that they are writing off discrete graphics cards. i got this article from this one. http://xbitlabs.com/news/video/dis [...] 63540.html

That will be a sad day

Integrated everything is obstruction in my view. Might as well buy a damned console. Say goodbye to the 27 inch LCD and upgrade options? Don't think so as.-wipes.

Vista is going to boost Add in cards, Integrated Graphics just don't cut the mustard for the aeroglass interface and the last thing you want on a vista machine is your RAM getting used elsewhere.

With the progression of consoles it's looking like they may eventualy play that home-theater role your talking about. Internet, hard drive, o/s - give it a mouse and keyboard and upgradability, it's a PC. It's sure to come.

Without upgrading, you'l be buying a stereo as example - if the hardware doesn't cut it, you'l be forced to buy a whole new system. :? Monopoly? Not cool.

It's not far off the potential future, but depends alot on intel and AMD's reactions to the future opportunities.

If AMD and intel both worry most about maximizing profits, then they will go for the fat middle and low-end, and not the expensive and low margin high end.

With the large number of low-mid entrants (intel, VIA/S3, and the return of SIS), that means alot less profit to be made to finance the high-end and it's R&D costs, you likely won't see anywhere near the pace we have seen in the last few generations (GF7 to GF8 was about 16 month refresh cycle). It's very likely we will see the development slow somewhat and the move to modular VPUs will mean that they will make GPU-X and then if they can make it financially viable then scale the design somewhat with 1-4 GPU-X units (similar to the gemini, volari duo, and even GX2 solutions). But even like SLi, and the the GX2 solutions, it just passes on the cost to the board partners, who somehow have to mount all these chips onto one card or onto one motherboard. It's not going to be easy and multi-core address more of the transistor count issue than the viability of exotic high end solutions.

Now despite the GF8800 launch and Xmas time, desktop sales dropped this year (with nV also losing market share despite having the top 2 performance cards);
http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/q406gpumarket/

Unfortunately not everything is the high end, and it's unlikely that we will see the kind of aggressive struggle we've seen in the last 5 years once the new entrants start chipping away at all the profits of the X1300/1600 & GF7300/7600 cards.

I think the only time we'll even have an idea of what the future holds is once we see what both intel and AMD have planned beyond what nV and ATi originally had planned from their duopoly. If intel and AMD want the PR benifit of being king of the hill then it's a good thing for us IMO as it likely means 3 competitors, however if they don't care and leave that market to nV or the others, then that's a bad thing IMO as it will likely mean that in order to be number 1 the remaining king will have to slowdown the pace of development to avoid wasting money, and this wil leave us with just whatever they feel like releasing at their own pace.