Nvidia: Smartphones Will Beat Console Performance by 2014

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Mobile devices are expected to reach Xbox 360 level of graphic performance by 2014, if not sooner.

On Thursday Nvidia released a slide showing the progression of GPU performance in the console, PC and mobile sectors from 2001 to 2014. As Nvidia showed us last year, consoles have created a "Z" on the chart, jumping up one level after releasing a new version with better hardware, but flatlining for numerous years thereafter. They can outperform the PC on a graphic level thanks to an integrated design, but that victory is only brief to say the least as PC hardware performance steadily climbs.

What's shocking is the steep increase in GPU performance in the mobile sector. According to Nvidia's chart, devices began to show a real increase between 2008 and 2009, but the steepest climb thus far has been from 2010 until now. What's interesting is that Nvidia's chart shows the mobile GPU to be cranking out better graphics than the current Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles starting 2013. That says a lot given that smartphones weren't even considered as competition until Apple released the iPhone in 2007.

To some degree, smartphones are in a "golden era," mirroring a similar era experienced in the 1990s when GPUs began to infiltrate the PC sector. Developers like id Software and Epic Games were always pushing the envelope, squeezing out every ounce of performance the current hardware could provide while also pushing hardware manufacturers to implement features into the next generation. We're seeing that again in the mobile sector, and it's downright fascinating to watch this technology mature so quickly.

On a visual level, the progression has been phenomenal. We've moved from monochrome Tetris-like games to console-quality titles like Modern Combat 3 in a span of a few years. The rise in visual performance wasn't quite so dramatic in the PC sector, moving from the likes of Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 (PC, Mac) to Return to Castle Wolfenstein in 2001 (PC, Mac, Xbox, PS2).

Naturally Nvidia's chart will change once Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo release their next-generation products. Reports indicate that the Wii U will likely reside with the current crop on a GPU level while the other two take another stab at pushing past PC-based GPU performance. Yet based on the sharp rise in the mobile sector, it looks highly likely that the console and mobile sectors will eventually merge. Today's top mobile chips are already on the same playing field as the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita, if not better.

Kevin Parrish
94 Comments Comment from the forums
  • killerclick
    Pretty much all games on handhelds are crap, no matter how good their graphics are. It's just not a type of device that allows immersion.
    Reply
  • joytech22
    killerclickPretty much all games on handhelds are crap, no matter how good their graphics are. It's just not a type of device that allows immersion.
    Explain how it is any different? You sit down, you play. You do the same thing on a computer, with a console etc..

    Actually if anything, the sensors in devices would allow for a different level of immersion.
    You are blind to believe that all phone titles are bad.

    They aren't supposed to compete on the same level, they are generally time-wasters, not games to play 24/7.
    Reply
  • drwho1
    Of course consoles are stagnant....
    they "appear" once every 5-7 years or so, then they don't upgrade until the next version is out...
    in another 5-7 years.
    Reply
  • drwho1
    forgot to mention, their "upgrade" is already behind PC newest graphic power horse.
    it will always be this way.
    Reply
  • radnor
    I'm still waiting for the cell phone or console that would pack more punch than my 4850 CF. And it is 2 years old.
    Reply
  • killerclick
    joytech22They aren't supposed to compete on the same level, they are generally time-wasters, not games to play 24/7.
    Exactly, and that's why games on handhelds are crap. You could cram a GTX 680 inside a tablet and it wouldn't make a bit of difference.
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    drwho1Of course consoles are stagnant.... they "appear" once every 5-7 years or so, then they don't upgrade until the next version is out...in another 5-7 years.
    It seems more like their refresh schedule was unofficially extended to about a decade since we're not expecting the Xbox 720s and the PS4s until past 2013 or 2014.
    Reply
  • kaisellgren
    joytech22Explain how it is any different? You sit down, you play. You do the same thing on a computer, with a console etc..Mobile gaming suffers from:

    1) Small screen size
    2) HQ audio
    3) Good input device (try using touch for RTS or FPS)
    4) No keyboard for shortcuts

    Of course you could plug in a keyboard and a mouse and a larger 3rd party monitor and speakers, but then you have essentially a "desktop computer".
    Reply
  • besplatan
    The future of gaming is mobile, social and cloud based. It's sad to see old people clinging to their consoles, clunky controllers, desktops and sad, lonely single player games. Get with the times, people.
    Reply
  • exban224
    besplatanThe future of gaming is mobile, social and cloud based. It's sad to see old people clinging to their consoles, clunky controllers, desktops and sad, lonely single player games. Get with the times, people.This is why the game industry is stagnating, people expecting mobile devices to become serious. They should stay as casual gaming devices only, no matter how good the graphics are, same with motion controls and 3d.
    Reply