Introduction, Continued
While software companies spend many dollars in the development of these new, next-generation games, one thing is apparent: the technology that is in these next-generation cards becomes more difficult to use with each introduction of new cards and features. We believe that the onus is partially on the graphics card companies to make sure that the software developers are properly briefed and educated so that they are able to deliver these next-generation technologies in their next-generation software titles. Recently, ATI invited us to what they called "ATI Mojo Day." ATI Mojo Day was an opportunity for software developers to get first-hand briefings, training and information about how these new graphics card technologies will change the development of software titles. What is important to note is that the level of sophistication of the modern GPU is so advanced that no level of immediate, out-of-the-box training can substitute for real hands-on experience. Rather than putting on an event that was centered around optimizing performance for ATI products, ATI chose a different route: ATI partnered with Microsoft and Intel to offer an event for developers that was 'API agnostic.' This allowed the developers, whether they choose DirectX or OpenGL, to benefit from the information presented at this conference. The information and instruction was designed for the benefit of developers, regardless of the kind of products they are developing, and no matter what HLSL they are using. One thing is for certain: while consumers are dying to see what the capabilities are for these new graphics card technologies, without being properly briefed and trained, there is no possibility that the developers will be able to successfully implement them.
Mojo Day class is in session.
The struggle for backward compatibility is something else with which graphic card developers are still trying to deal, from both an internal and a marketing perspective. It is obvious that backward compatibility will play a role in the development of new software titles, since not all graphics cards support DirectX 8.1 and 9 technologies. Although people are excited about the next-generation technologies, next-generation technology titles generally would not sell enough copies for them to be very profitable unless these technologies continue to support the older cards, as well.
When we talk about next-generation games not selling enough titles, it is important to understand that the market in PC games is so small that it is difficult to sell titles period, let alone attempt to sell them after narrowing the pool of available customers by customizing the game to take advantage of these new technologies. While it is true that DirectX is the game developers' common programming interface, the ability to harness the DirectX technology is still somewhat difficult to come by. In order to get to the next level of graphics development, it is essential that graphic developers understand now what the capabilities of these new technologies are. It is interesting to note that graphics technology is moving at such a torrid pace that it is unlikely the companies that are introducing the cards even understand the full limits and capabilities of those cards.
While technology demos provide a brief glimpse into what these new technologies may offer, they are no substitute for hard-core software titles that use this new technology. It is unfortunate that we cannot have more titles that are able to take advantage of these new technologies, right out of the gate. Instead, these new innovations must be implemented into the next-generation of software titles.
ATI agreed to give us behind-the-scenes, limited access to their Mojo Day event. We believe two things are clear. First, ATI is committed to software developers. That goes without saying. For this event, ATI teamed up with Microsoft and Intel to help them educate software developers on the finer points of coding for their own GPU and to provide information on coding for DirectX and coding for the CPU. The second clear point is that ATI wanted this event to be more developer-focused, so they carefully avoided making this event a media circus. We had to be like flies on the wall, and cover this event from a respectful distance. While we had the same full access to all of the events and areas that the usual attendees do, we were told to take a more 'hands-off' approach, so that this event did not get labeled as nothing more than a media circus, or a showcase for the media. The focus of the Mojo Day event was solely on the developers and the technology.
We believe that events like this are important for strengthening not only a particular company's dominance in the graphics card industry, but also technology dominance in the graphics card industry. With the advent of DirectX 9, you will see evolutionary things being executed with these cards. ATI is committed to providing as much support and information as is available through its developer relations team. This developer relations team is committed to assist game developers in software development for optimization with ATI products, as well as for performance and optimization on the platform in general. As we explained earlier, this goes back to ATI's new strategy and philosophy that conferences such as these should be API-agnostic.
It takes quite a team from ATI to put on the Mojo Day show. As you can see, this is only part of the crew.
This event was not the usual dog and pony show to which many may be accustomed. It was low-key, high-end information with high-level impact. With the level of sophistication in GPUs continuing to increase, we believe that it will be more commonplace for companies to hold events such as this in support of the developers. After all, the software is the key to selling the hardware. What good is having the fastest graphics card on the planet if you have no software to take advantage of its features? That said, let's take a peek into ATI Mojo Day.
