How many years before an Android phone out classes a PS3 in graphics?

[mcsoul]

I'm just wondering, because I read that the graphics chipset generation after tegra-3
(which is basically here) will be on par with a Sony PS3 in terms of several key criteria
like polygon count.

So here we have an hdmi port to connect to 1080p, a Bluetooth receiver for wireless
controllers, and a software delivery method all rapped up into a phone.

Am I just imagining things or are these devices going to morph into an external screen
running gaming and media content delivery device?

 

[FoxKat]

An excellent deduction mcsoul. But I believe we should be discussing this under the Cone of Silence. CONTROL has many top-secret plans for these devices and we need to maintain the strictest secrecy! :biggrin:

But seriously, the level of electronic engineering that is going into smart phones of today is truly impressive and it's quite conceivable that the smart phone could become the portable game center for use as you describe. Of course, the games could then come on MicroSD Cards or be downloadable, or even better still - be completely online and utilizing 4G (or faster future protocols) to handle the bulk of the information. Further still, since Google has immense computing power at its beck and call, the game could run on their servers and all that would need to be transmitted is the static frames of the game display in rapid succession, virtually bypassing the need for a higher level graphics chip.

This is already done through Server Side Browsing with Skyfire (available on Android). The concept is that since the computers on the server side can perform exponentially more calculations per second than the phone can, and have direct access to an exponentially wider data pipeline and transmission speeds, why not let the servers raster the images and send them to the phone instead? In other words, it essentially collects all the parts of the web page, compiles it into one static image and only has to transmit a high-resolution photo for example. Then all the phone has to handle is communication and display - leaving most of the work and upto 75% of the bandwidth normally needed for things such as FLASH on the server side instead.

This idea has been around since prior to 2008, however I don't think they expected the hardware of these phones to advance as rapidly as it has. There's real question as to whether it is necessary at this point, and your observation lends credibility to that thoery.

I think more likely our phones will become our computer and we'll take them with us everywhere, since we already do now, and the Lapdock 500 is proof of concept. You would have a dock at work, a dock at home, and a dock at school. There might even be a full-fledged dock in the car as well. This way, the user experience remains with you and there's no "transition" from the home to the office to school. This would simplify so many aspects of our life as it is now, moving away from a dedicated PC tower at each location and to simply a display and control devices (no pun intended), such as mouse and keyboard. In fact, maybe a dock isn't even needed as NFC and Bluetooth are only scratching the surface with communication, and WIFI already allows remote control with breakneck throughput bandwidth. The question is, do we even need wires?

 

[Sydman]

FoxKat as always your response was well formulated, masterfully explained, and thought provoking. I have to say though if you do have or will have kids, I feel sorry for them if they ever ask why they can't have a cookie before dinner. I feel your response would render a blank expression followed quickly by a vast flow of tears

 

[bsweetness]

Just look at the graphics that the Vita is capable of. It's nearly PS3 quality (and in many instances, beyond many PS3 games) in a package that's not all that much bigger than some phones. I'd say we're not far at all from the capability.

 

[FoxKat]

FoxKat as always your response was well formulated, masterfully explained, and thought provoking. I have to say though if you do have or will have kids, I feel sorry for them if they ever ask why they can't have a cookie before dinner. I feel your response would render a blank expression followed quickly by a vast flow of tears

:rofl3: Well, I appreciate the complement...I think! :icon_eek: (just kidding!)

As always I try to provide the best possible explanation for the questions posed and the most relevant information when troubleshooting, so as to eliminate as much of what I can determine isn't the cause of failures and get to the root of the problem. I am no different than most here and judging from your volume of postings I have every reason to believe you approach every post from the same perspective. There are countless names of members here who shine as supporting and compassionate, and it's a testament to the people who run this forum. Freedom of speech is here, but with a clear and demonstrated level of respect for others.

What we have here is a very devoted community, committed to enhancing and supporting the user experience for all. I've been on MANY a forum (or user's group) over the last couple decades, sometimes just watching and listening to get a feel for the "environment" and in most cases I've left before anyone really knew I was there. In other cases, I've tried to make a difference but the forum moderators and administrators have lost control so badly that the entire threads get hijacked by trolls and flaming, leaving the OPs and their concerns completely clouded from view in a mass of free-for-all mosh-pit.

There have been some really disturbing threads on some of the "other" forums lately that are a perfect example of this lack of control, and as a result some of the developers (and even Moderators) have gone public on those forums expressing their frustration and announcing their intent to disassociate themselves from that forum. Some have come over here where they feel the community we provide is far more productive and simply a nice place to be. We should be proud of what we have and continue to head in that direction with force.

As for the son...he's 9 and he's a warm, loving, compassionate, empathetic and well-adjusted little geek! He's a high-functioning Asperger's child with an IQ in the 130s (so far), and although he deals with some social and sensory issues he's beautiful, intelligent, and a wonderful son. Still, all I have to say is One, Two, and before I get to Three whatever he's doing or not doing that I'm not happy with stops. He's also reached a level where he realizes that tears only make him feel worse, so for him they're a waste of energy. Oh yeah, there's the blank stare, and there's the attempts to "reason" why his way is better, or why I and his mother should relent, but in the end he knows his boundaries are not moving and the discomfort of changing from what he was doing to what we want him to do is soon forgotten.

My wife is undergoing Chemotherapy for Breast cancer after a double-mastectomy in December, and my son has become a very good caregiver as well. We are truly blessed.

And we are truly blessed to have members like you and others on this forum too. Please remain and continue to do all the good you do.

 

[FoxKat]

Just look at the graphics that the Vita is capable of. It's nearly PS3 quality (and in many instances, beyond many PS3 games) in a package that's not all that much bigger than some phones. I'd say we're not far at all from the capability.

And a perfect example of almost "the bridge device". There has been a lot of talk about why Sony didn't simply add cellular phone capability. Here's an article in PC magazine discussing this very subject. Sony PlayStation Vita vs. Your Phone | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Obviously the Vita can make calls through Skype, but it's not quite the same. I do believe this is not far in the future though.

 

[Sydman]

Not to jack the OP's thread here, but that is great about your son I am sure you are very proud. Kids really are a blessing, mine will be 8 this August and he never stops amazing me. Sorry to hear about your wife though I know that can be hard. My ex-wife's grandma went through the same thing about 15 years ago and she is turning 84 this year I believe, so I wish y'all nothing but the best.

And as always I will maintain this is the best forum I have ever been a part of, all in part to all the reasons you mentioned. I spend a good number of hours a day checking back to this forum for updated and new threads, and it always seems to continue to be a positive place to come for help with anything Android related.

My only regret is it took me so long to become a supporting member, really only out of laziness. The cost is a drop in the bucket compare the invaluable things I have learned from being here.

Anyway, so yeah phone gaming catching up the consoles or becoming the new go to. I think with all the negativity around the upcoming consoles that is rumoring around the web that could very well be a true thing. I have gained far more pleasure from the 99 cent Draw Something game than I have from many of the 60 dollar ones I have purchased for the 360. High end gaming developers are going to get a rude awakening if they don't start thinking about the customers over their profits.

 

[94lt1]

Not to jack the thread jacking.... sorry, I can't help myself.... lol. My sons birthday is in 11 days... omg!!!! I just went and got skylanders... odd little trinkets... and then a vita.... and to round it off, a gift card from gamestop.

Birthdays are awesome!!!

But my point is, man that vita is awesome!! If i weren't always having to burn up frets, I'd get a vita. Touch screen on both sides. Pretty awesome, it brings in a whole new perspective of game play. I'm impressed by it.

Whoever thought of that was definitely being innovative... IMHO

DROID RAZR MAXXAMIZED!!!

 

[FoxKat]

Not to jack the OP's thread here, but that is great about your son I am sure you are very proud. Kids really are a blessing, mine will be 8 this August and he never stops amazing me. Sorry to hear about your wife though I know that can be hard. My ex-wife's grandma went through the same thing about 15 years ago and she is turning 84 this year I believe, so I wish y'all nothing but the best.

And as always I will maintain this is the best forum I have ever been a part of, all in part to all the reasons you mentioned. I spend a good number of hours a day checking back to this forum for updated and new threads, and it always seems to continue to be a positive place to come for help with anything Android related.

My only regret is it took me so long to become a supporting member, really only out of laziness. The cost is a drop in the bucket compare the invaluable things I have learned from being here.

Anyway, so yeah phone gaming catching up the consoles or becoming the new go to. I think with all the negativity around the upcoming consoles that is rumoring around the web that could very well be a true thing. I have gained far more pleasure from the 99 cent Draw Something game than I have from many of the 60 dollar ones I have purchased for the 360. High end gaming developers are going to get a rude awakening if they don't start thinking about the customers over their profits.

Truth is, the portable game consoles, (PSP, et. al.), are a long standing proof of concept. There really isn't much reason anymore why a portable console of today can't be as powerful as a desktop console or box of today. Most of the size in the desktop models is taken up by the power supply (eliminated with the battery), the major chassis (just look at the RAZR to see miniaturization in chassis at work), the hard drive (who needs a hard drive now with 64GB Micro SD cards and cloud storage?), and space and fans for cooling. With the miniaturization technology that's out there now, and what's around the corner, we're looking at a quantum leap in technology and miniaturization in this decade that will be awe inspiring.

For example, an announcement back in February describes a working and controllable transistor created with a single phosphorus atom, the smallest possible component Purdue Newsroom - One and done: Single-atom transistor is end of Moore's Law; may be beginning of quantum computing. With transistors the size of a single atom, microprocessors that are exponentially smaller or exponentially more powerful than existing superprocessors is the next step.

In the TI OMAP 4430 processor which is the one containted in our RAZRs, it uses 45 nanometer technology, meaning the transistors on that processor are on average, 45 nanometers across. By comparison, the single Phosphorus atom transistor detailed in that article is 0.1 nanometers across, so this means in thoery that the processor in our phones, is right now 450 times larger than one would be based on 0.1nm technology. So that same processor could either be 450 times more powerful in about the same physical size and for close to the same costs, or 1/450 of the size with the same power.

In the case of a chip 4.5 squre centimeters in size (or about 2.1213 cm X 2.1213 cm), 1/450 of that would be 1 square millimeter across. Perhaps in easier to imagine comparison, one square acre of land is 43,560 square feet or 208.7 feet wide by 208.7 feet deep. Using the same math, 1/450 of an acre would be 96.8 square feet, or a patch of land not quite 10 feet across by not quite 10 feet deep.

:icon_eek: