LONDON-Graphics processor manufacturer Nvidia will announce its latest offering at Mobile Content World in London this week.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company will unveil its GoForce 3D 4500, which features high-performance three-dimensional graphics and 3-megapixel functionality. The processor initially will be brought to market in the Gizmondo, a handheld gaming and messaging device that is scheduled to be released in Europe next month and in the United States early next year.
Nvidia officials said the processor will help create a more engrossing gaming experience without rapidly draining batteries. A long-time computer graphics developer, Nvidia entered the mobile market four years ago.
“The mobile revolution is upon us,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia’s president and chief executive officer. “By working closely with developers throughout the introduction of the GoForce 3D 4500, we have ensured that consumers will not only have a great hardware platform, they will also have an unprecedented multimedia experience.”
Some analysts believe the mobile gaming industry is nearing a tipping point in the United States, with new technologies allowing content providers to create arcade-quality games. And enticing games could lure some users who were left unimpressed with earlier offerings.
“When mobile gaming initially came out, some people didn’t manage expectations correctly,” said David Linsalata, an analyst with IDC’s mobile devices program. “You had hard-core gamers who were led to believe in some way that they’d have this great gaming experience on a device, which wasn’t possible when gaming first came out.”
That’s one of the reasons mobile gaming has been more successful among casual users, Linsalata said. But technological improvements like Nvidia’s new processor may lure the cyber-athlete away from the console and back to the handset.
In its latest study, IDC projected mobile games will generate $1.7 billion in annual revenue in the United States by 2008. For that to be realized, though, developers and handset manufacturers must work in conjunction with technological firms to create games that translate well to the small screen and limited controls of a handset.
“We understand that it’s not just about throwing a chip out there,” said Manish Singh, Nvidia’s senior director of marketing. “You have to get the value chain going.”
