MyGaming spent last week in London at an AMD press conference. Most of the information shared was provided under the terms of a non-disclosure-agreement (NDA) stating that various details on the upcoming products may not be published until later this month.
As always, a fair amount of the information has already found its way onto the internet, and it is no secret now that AMD is gearing up to launch the world’s first DirectX 11 GPU over the next six weeks. It is also common knowledge that the GPU will be the first to make use of a 40nm fabrication process. Smaller die sizes allow for better power and heat efficiency and generally allow developers to squeeze more performance out of CPUs and GPUs.
This is all information that has in truth been available for some time now, but AMD did release some new information that we are actually allowed to discuss already.
DirectX 11
Without going into too much detail at this stage, we can say that the upcoming GPU series will focus on making the best of DX11 and Windows 7. Unlike DX10 which many gamers elected to skip altogether along with Windows Vista, DX11 in combination with Windows 7 is looking like a very good platform.
Apart from various technical improvements which improve visuals, the API also looks set to offer great performance along with a healthy barrage of release titles that are set to take advantage its new capabilities. These include Stalker: Call of Pripyat, Dirt 2, Aliens Vs Predator and Battleforge. According to AMD, there are a number of other exciting games which are being developed for DX11 that they can’t discuss just yet.
Lead developers working on Aliens Vs Predator and Dirt 2 spoke at the conference detailing some of the improvements made with DX11 and expressing general excitement at the prospect of the new API.
Of course it would not make sense for AMD to launch a DX11 exclusive GPU, and gamers can expect the new generation to be backwards compatible with DX10 and DX 9.
Eyefinity
The conference also saw AMD announce a brand new technology called Eyefinity. Eyefinity will allow players to render 3D applications on up to six screens using a single graphics card. Gamers can set up various different combinations with our favorite being the 3 24” full had monitors running Left4Dead in what can only be described as complete panoramic emersion.
AMD’s Vision program
AMD also announced that it will be differentiating its various devices using a simple three-level step process. Products carrying the basic ‘Vision’ logo will target casual users, while the ‘Premium’ level will cater to more demanding media and gaming consumption and the ‘Ultimate’ range will be aimed at high end gaming and HD movie editing.
While enthusiasts won’t care about the new branding structure, it should make the AMD product range far easier for entry level PC buyers to understand.
We will be uploading Eyefinity videos as well as more information on AMD’s new products over the coming weeks.
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