While Intel has vaunted the promises of 64-bit computing for servers and high-end workstations -- most recently at its developer conference early this month -- many industry observers agree that a big market for 64-bit computing is really on the consumer side of things.

Gaming has grown more sophisticated and more popular than ever, from cell phones to other dedicated portable devices to dedicated devices in the living room to PC games that have a cult-like following.  Indeed, several Hollywood films have been spun off from the characters in games.

Sony came out with its Nintendo64, 64-bit console game machine back in the 1990s, and the visual quality impressed both game players and observers alike.  When it first hit the scene, graphics were more like a film than the video games most people were used to.

64-bit computing offers a much more stunning visual experience, something that is key in gaming.  By allowing the machine to process more data at one time and increasing the speed of that processed data moving in and out of memory, graphics gain a more lifelike quality.  Indeed, processor makers have said that high-end computing, CAD applications, and games would gain the most from the advent of 64-bit computing.

And now that 64-bit computing is finally expanding from the game space into the PC space, gamers who prefer that platform will soon be able to take advantage of it as well.  But before they can, Microsoft must release its long awaited 64-bit version of Windows, due next month. And then game developers must release 64-bit versions of their games. Announcements should come soon after the Microsoft release.

And another gaming processor entry on the horizon that looks like it will be in the console space rather than the PC space will go to production for the first time at the end of this year at both Sony and IBM fabs.

This multi-core processor “cell processor” from a partnership among Sony, Toshiba and IBM, is supposed to offer clock speeds of more than 4 GHz, and the version announced at the International Solid State Circuits Conference late last month contains eight 64-bit floating-point processors or “synergistic processor elements.”

The device will be used in Sony’s Playstation 3. Observers are speculating that the console game will be released late this year or in early 2006, and as such will be the first to demonstrate the muscle of the new processor.

And with all the new options and developments underway, gamers will continue to enjoy greater sophistication, even more visually stunning graphics and sounds, and an overall improved experience.

By: DocMemory
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