Today, AMD debuts a PC gaming initiative, dubbed “AMD GAME!” and designed to make purchasing a new gaming PC just as simple as purchasing a video game console. Based on currently available information, we predict that this initiative will fail — miserably.
How did we come to this conclusion? Simple. AMD’s chief marketing officer, Nigel Dessau, outlines three goals for AMD Game in this quote, pulled from the press release:
We in the PC industry owe consumers the same predictability, simplicity and affordability in finding a PC for gaming that the console industry currently provides.
Predictability, simplicity and affordability. Let’s refute these, shall we?
Simplicity
By now, you’re no doubt wondering what AMD Game actually is — we haven’t quite addressed that yet. But we did so on purpose — now you know how we felt about twenty minutes ago, after we finished reading AMD’s entire “GAME!” website without a hint as to what the initiative actually does. There’s talk of testing and matching components, of balanced gaming systems, even a laundry list of affiliated partners and PC parts, but nothing concrete.
Finally, in frustration, we turned to our competitors — and lo and behold, Joystiq had a FAQ. Note to AMD: if your new initiative confuses gamers enough that it needs an FAQ — on day one — then you can pretty much kiss simplicity goodbye.
Predictability
So here’s the skinny: AMD Game is all about predictability. You buy a PC that comes with a shiny AMD Game sticker on it (of which the core components are, you guessed it, all AMD) and in exchange they promise you that it will run “the latest, most challenging” games. There’s two levels: “AMD Game” and “AMD Game Ultra,” each of which promises to run games at 30 frames per second (Game at a standard resolution of 1280×1024, Ultra at a generous 1600×1200) and each of which has standardized minimum specifications as follows:
AMD Game:
- AMD Athlon™ X2 5600+ Processor
- ATI Radeon™ HD 3650 graphics
- AMD 770 chipset
AMD Game Ultra:
- AMD Phenom™ X4 9500 Processor
- ATI Radeon™ HD 3850 graphics
- AMD 770 chipset
Just buy a PC with the right label, and you’re good to game? If only it were that easy. You see, the games themselves differ in the raw power they require to run at those resolutions and at that framerate — try getting Crysis to run at a comfortable 30FPS, even on a PC that runs Sins of a Solar Empire at 60 — and the games themselves look vastly different when scaled to run on inferior hardware.
There’s two simple solutions to the first conundrum. You could either label the games themselves, so that consumers know each time they purchase a title that it will run well on their existing hardware — just like every time I buy a Wii game, I know it will run well on my Wii — or you can develop lists of games that run well on each hardware configuration.
In a recent interview with Shacknews, AMD’s Brent Barry has indicated that they will pursue neither. Not labeled games:
Shack: Will the AMD Game! logo appear on game boxes to steer mainstream gamers towards compatible games?
Brent Barry: Some of our partners are gonna be using the logo as part of their box and packaging, but that’s more of a nod, I think, to what we’re doing. It’s not a focus for us.
We’re not trying to get the AMD Game! logo on a [game] box. It might be a future part of the program. Our focus is on helping people find the right PC.
And not compatibility lists either. Instead, they will update the specifications of “Game” and “Ultra” every six months, with no recognizable differentiation between today’s Ultra and the Ultra you might see in November 2008:
Shack: When you update the AMD Game! specifications every six months or so, will you modify the logo or the name? AMD Game! 2, AMD Game! 3, that sort of thing?
Brent Barry: No. It’ll always be AMD Game! We looked at a couple of different ways that we could try to identify what you needed. One idea was essentialy to do an AMD Game! 1, AMD Game! 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and keep going like that. Another one was to do AMD Game! 2007, AMD Game! 2008, AMD Game! 2009, those kinds of things.
At the end of the day, we decided all of those pieces ended up increasing complexity. We were trying to solve the simple problem of helping people to buy the right PC for gaming if they wanted to game. The direction that we’ve chosen is to make a simple program that can help people to quickly identify the PC on the shelf or in the store which is good for gaming today.
Shack: How are customers going to tell the old and new machines apart?
Brent Barry: As part of our guidelines with our customers–the system builders and OEMs and e-tailers–we’re going to be changing out what our guidelines are for usage of the logo. So any time you see an AMD Game! PC, it should be built upon the latest platform specifications.
Shack: So then, what happens to the outdated machines on store shelves once the AMD Game! requirements are updated?
Brent Barry: The way that we are able to manage that is, number one, we work well ahead of time with all of our customers. For example, we’ll be developing the 2009 guidelines over the next couple months. When you’re dealing with a retail piece, you always have to be in cycle with the retailers to make sure that the retailers and the OEMs have time to be ready for any kind of change.”
I doubt we have to call your attention to Barry’s inadequate responses. And as far as graphical scaling within games, AMD isn’t worrying its pretty little redhead over that: they run their tests by letting the games auto-detect settings. For the uninitiated, an auto-detect continuously lowers graphical settings until the game is playable — which means that AMD could well claim a typically beautiful, graphics-intensive title like Oblivion is completely playable at 1280×1024 at 30 frames per second, even when it actually looks like this:
Saying a game runs at a particular resolution and framerate means nothing unless you specify a level of detail.
Affordability
Now here we’re likely getting far too complex for most gamers, let alone those who seek a console-like experience, but years of building my own PCs and reading dedicated component reviews have taught me that up to a point, you get what you pay for. If you buy more expensive components, you have a faster computer — but when it comes to today’s games, the best bang-for-the-buck comes not from buying the “balanced” machine AMD would have you purchase, but instead by buying a decent machine and outfitting it with a killer graphics card.
If you have the stomach for benchmarks, histograms and techspeak, I strongly suggest you check out this article at Tom’s Hardware, which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the graphics card is far more important than anything else you’d put into a gaming machine.
Conclusion
If AMD had accounted for the potency of the graphics card; if AMD had partnered with game publishers to ensure software, not just hardware was properly tested and categorized; if AMD had made their system transparent from the get-go… perhaps this could actually lead somewhere.
But as is, what with AMD blatantly slapping the label on not only processors and graphics cards, but keyboards, mice and even computer cases, it’s hard to see this as anything more than a marketing ploy designed to move more product while giving gamers little or nothing in return.
Full press release:
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — May 19, 2008 –From the company powering the visual experience of the two most popular gaming consoles in the world today1, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announces AMD GAME!. This program is designed to help consumers select perfectly suited PCs for high-definition gaming. AMD GAME! platforms combine the powerful balance of multi-core processors, exceptional HD digital media2, and next-generation graphics processing power. Industry leaders including Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft are joining AMD to ensure consumers can easily identify PCs that deliver HD gaming and entertainment experiences out of the box.
“With the support of industry leaders in PC gaming, AMD GAME! ensures consumers don’t need an enthusiast-level knowledge of PC hardware for an optimal gaming system,” said Nigel Dessau, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, AMD. “We in the PC industry owe consumers the same predictability, simplicity and affordability in finding a PC for gaming that the console industry currently provides.”
According to Jon Peddie Research, of all desktop and notebook PCs sold last year, two-thirds had only the most basic of capabilities, lacking the technology needed to drive a great gaming experience. AMD recognizes this and is working to provide a consistent source of reliable and accurate information before and at the point of purchase for gaming consumers.
“AMD GAME! is a new initiative focused on delivering a novel experience for consumers, addressing a problem that has long existed in the PC industry until now,” said Dr. Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research in Tiburon, California. “Our research has shown that PC gaming is on the rise and this effort from AMD not only rallies industry support for PC gaming but also acknowledges that computer gaming needs balanced systems for the best consumer experience.”
Gaming and HD Entertainment Support
AMD believes consumers should have a balanced platform with matched and tested components that meet their needs – not compromise their overall computing experience by choosing which components and software are more valuable. Computers should have the power to surge through the demanding moments of gaming action or HD entertainment without stutter or lag. The AMD GAME! initiative helps ensure that the computer system has been optimized for gaming with the right graphics and processor components. Hardware and PC components that carry the AMD GAME! logo let PC buyers and do-it-yourself gamers know they will have a customized and exceptional gaming experience.“AMD and Microsoft share the vision of delivering better gaming experiences on PCs running Microsoft® Windows® operating systems,” said Kevin Unangst, Microsoft’s senior global director of Games for Windows. “Microsoft’s Games for Windows program and AMD are both working to expand gaming accessibility and ease of use to consumers. Games for Windows titles and Microsoft’s gaming hardware, along with the AMD GAME! initiative, are great examples of how we can bring more value to PC gamers across the industry.”
As part of the AMD GAME! initiative, AMD is dedicated to working closely with industry leaders to help create personal computer configurations that are optimized for all types of users.
“AMD GAME! is a great initiative that will help Acer drive consumers toward the best solution for their gaming needs,” said Brian Bogaard, product business manager – EMEA desktop PC, Acer. “PC gaming is an important area for Acer and with AMD’s help, we can meet the expectations of consumers with a solid gaming experience.”
“We are happy to see the growing interest in PC gaming and now AMD is adding a much needed program to help continue that trend,” Patrick Cooper, director of product group, Alienware. “The AMD GAME! Experience enables Alienware to quickly and easily help consumers identify the experience that is right for them and the high performance Alienware solution that delivers it.”
“AMD GAME! is a great program to help consumers easily identify a solution that addresses their gaming needs,” said David Reid, vice president of marketing at NCsoft North America. “With this partnership, we hope to ensure consumers will enjoy our titles at the highest levels of quality possible.”
AMD GAME! Availability
AMD GAME! systems combine proven AMD technology including AMD Phenom™ processors, the upcoming AMD Turion™ Ultra processors, AMD Athlon™ processors, ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 series graphics, and AMD chipsets to deliver an enhanced and simplified mainstream PC gaming experience.AMD GAME! platforms are available immediately on-line from system builders such as Alienware, Cyberpower, iBuypower, Maingear and Velocity Micro; retail availability is expected in the second half of 2008.
Information about AMD GAME! can be found at http://game.amd.com, the central source for PC gaming information. Supporting more than three million visitors per month, this website provides product information, contests, spotlights on industry partners, informative articles and purchasing information.
The AMD GAME! press kit offers additional information and collateral material for this launch and can be found at http://www.amd.com/GAME/presskit/.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Phenom, AMD Turion, AMD Athlon, ATI, the ATI logo, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
1 See VG Chartz
2 HD-capable monitor required for full HD performance.
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