Xbox 2 tech details revealed in patent!

January 26th, 2005, 12:02 Posted By: wraggster

While it seems that Sony, Toshiba and IBM are about to unveil a whopping 4.6 Ghz processing chip for PS3, we've been rather left in the dark as to the computing muscle that'll benchpress heavy chunks of code in Microsoft's Xbox 2.[br]But we do know graphics tech firm ATI has signed to work on the next-gen beast's chips, so every little nugget of news concerning the company twitches our speculation nerve.[br][br]Well, here's something that should make your brain melt and dribble out of your ears like pink pus. ATI has filed a patent that could possibly, maybe, potentially have something to do with the chip technology planned for Xbox 2 - if only we could work out what it means.[br][br]Tech website The Inquirer uncovered the patent, which describes a "Method and apparatus for determining a processing speed of an integrated circuit". That's the idea, here's a sample line from the explanation of the idea: "a first flip flop having an input port receiving an input signal, an output port providing a flip flop output signal and a timing port receiving an incoming clock signal."[br][br]As far as we're concerned flip-flops are those scabby slabs of foam that keep your stinking feet cool in summer, but we're informed that in the technical sense they're actually transistors, the basic building blocks of circuits. Does that help?[br][br]Even The Inquirer is flummoxed, although it speculates that the patent suggests ATI are working to get standard processing working on the same chip as dynamic logic - a more complicated processing procedure that operates at much higher speeds. The patent could describe a system to switch speeds between these two processing modes. Which is evidently a good thing as it enables more calculations to be done quicker, resulting in graphics so detailed, smooth and fast that they'll destroy your soul.[br][br]But, to be honest, we've consulted our tech experts and they're not convinced that the patent describes anything of much interest. So we're throwing this riddle open. If you've got a degree in Complicated Computer Technology Jargon Smashing from the University of Massive Brains, you can find the full text of the patent here . Decipher it and tell us what it means in the forums below. Thanks.[br][br]More Xbox 2 news soon. And hopefully it'll make sense next time.

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