NVIDIA's GoForce 5500 mobile platform demoed in action

While we've already seen some still images of the newfangled OpenKODE-based interface for cellphones, and heard plenty of details about the capabilities of NVIDIA's GoForce 5500 mobile chipset, there's nothing like a good video to pull it all together, which Shiny Shiny has thankfully provided on their recent trek through the wilds of 3GSM. As you can see for yourself after the break, the combination definitely impresses, with full 3D games, seemingly high-quality video, and other multimedia capabilities on full display, not to mention a fairly snazzy and customizable interface. Somewhat ironically, NVIDIA seems to have decided to show it all off on the biggest monitor they could get their hands on. Although that may have ultimately been for the best -- the sight of a gaggle of sweaty and tired tech journalists huddled around a cellphone screen probably isn't the best way to attract interest from passer-bys..

[Jon Graft @ Feb 16th 2007 9:34PM]

Truly amazing! Hopefully it will be out in 2 years from now because that is when my contract with Verizon is done!

[Tony Bowman @ Feb 16th 2007 9:40PM]

is that legit or is that a pre-rendered video running on a plain-jane media player?

[gRutt @ Feb 16th 2007 10:13PM]

it must be pre-rendered there are no navigation keys

[Kevin Kowalewski @ Feb 16th 2007 10:08PM]

WOW this graphics chipset looks amazing!!! I want one so badly in my next upcoming WIDESCREEN SE phone!!!

Anyone listening? lol that can actually make things happen?


mmmmmmmM chipset

[Kevin Kowalewski @ Feb 16th 2007 10:09PM]

pre-rendered or not, it looks stunning...

[Tony Bowman @ Feb 16th 2007 10:17PM]

that's what i was thinking. there's nothing special about a hunk of silicon and a screen playing a prerendered video.

call me skeptical about this thing until you show me someone actually using it, and not just faking it.

[doctorSpoc @ Feb 16th 2007 10:19PM]

that's what i want to know... ok thats the interface where's the input method? will that make sense on a tiny 3 inch screen?

[Chris @ Feb 16th 2007 11:09PM]

there's no navigation butting because that's a large LCD screen, large like 30"+ widescreen on it's side. see the logo on the left, and the row of buttons? looks just like my Dell 20", but bigger. this is just a demo of the graphics chips and the OpenKODE interface, not of an actual handheld. it would be nice to see what was actually running the thing though.

[Eric Glassman @ Feb 17th 2007 2:34AM]

It looks fantastic. More embarrassment for Steve Job's tragic huckster job on the very lame and outdated iphone. No navigation keys? What the hell are you talking about? You think nvidia hasn't made this device, that this is a con? That it's a small monitor showing the processing of a hidden Wizard of Oz supercomputer? No, NVIDIA and ATI offer the goods, not goofy paradigm shift shpiel. This is real, and it looks awesome.

[E @ Feb 17th 2007 1:23PM]

It's pre-rendered because there are no navigation keys? What kind of logic is that??

It's not a high poly model, NVidia has been making 3D chips for years I find it very hard to believe that they can't make a version that fits into a small form factor.

I am more than sure it's not pre-rendered, that's just stupid. If they can put 3D graphic chips into the smallest laptops and palm computers, why couldn't they put one in this?

[Yubal @ Feb 18th 2007 3:13AM]

looks awesome! that openKODE really makes me want to develop fot it... hmmm chipset, lol @ #3

[nbogol @ Feb 18th 2007 1:12PM]

This is pre-rendered on a PC using the mobile chipset via a PCI card slot. I believe Motorola currently uses the same series of chip on their higher end 3G handsets - Maxx, V3xx etc. It's only a matter of 1-2 years when such interfaces make it to handsets - bright future I say, if only battery tech could scale as quickly.

[Andrew Humber @ Feb 26th 2007 5:21PM]

Hi everybody! My name's Andrew and I'm in charge of PR for the handheld group at NVIDIA. Thanks for all the great comments about our UI demo at 3GSM - I wanted to jump in though to clarify a few details as there are a few inaccuracies floating about.

To begin with, this is not an *actual* cell phone user interface (UI), ie: one that can be bought or found on a shipping device. It's a conceptual UI demo that we designed in house to show what kind of UIs are possible on a handheld device that is enabled with a GoForce 5500 GPU. Specifically, the GoForce 5500 makes it possible to run multiple graphics applications concurrently, and present them to the user in ways that are more intuitive and more akin to what we have become used to in other devices.

In tech terms, the demo runs in real time on an i.MX31 board running Linux, and equipped with an ARM 11, and a GoForce 5500. The program is operated live, either through a keyboard, or through a game controller hooked up via a USB port. The GoForce 5500 can handle screen resolutions up to XGA, which is what is being shown in this video with the system outputting to a large LCD panel for demonstration purposes, but can also run at VGA and QVGA resolutions.

Hope this answers a few questions - and again, thanks for the support all!