One advantage video game consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have over standard PCs when it comes to gaming is that the configuration options and packaging are so much clearer. Generally, an average consumer can go into an average electronics retailer, purchase a video game system, and come away reasonable secure in the knowledge the system is going to do what they expect. Not so with PCs, where the complexities of operating systems, graphics controllers, optical drives, firmware revisions, hard drive speed, RAM, and other factors all make the process of setting up a decent gaming rig a little like rocket science. And who wants to have to be a rocket scientists just to blow up some alien spaceships?
AMD wants to bring the process of selecting a gaming PC closer to the process of selecting a gaming console through its new AMD Game program. The idea is to help consumers easily pick out hardware that will deliver a solid gaming experience right out of the box, including high-definition video capabilities. Components in AMD Game-branded systems will have been matched and tested to have the power to blast through demanding game titles, with the idea that both casual buyers and serious game players will know from the branding that the hardware and PC components were selected with gaming in mind.
Systems bearing the AMD Game badging will run on AMD’s Phenom processors (as well as the company’s upcoming Turion and Athlong CPUs), sport ATI Radeon 3000 graphics, and AMD chipsets. AMD has partnered with system makers and retailers to launch the branding compaign: online retailers on board with it right now include Alienware, Maingear, Velocity Micro, iBuyPower, and Cyberpower; retailers should start displaying the badging by the second half of 2008.
AMD Game requires an Athlon X2 5600+ CPU, ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics, and the AMD 770 chipset as a minimum. Not enough? The minimum requirements for AMD Game Ultra wants an AMD Phenom X4 9500 processor, ATI RAdeon HD 3850 graphics, and the AMD 770 chipset. Of course, the badging for the AMD Game initiative is a little bit of rocket science itself, with logos and lots of small print perhaps making buyers wonder what the badge is about.
