AMD, a long-standing partner of home consoles, extends its alliance with Xbox
Before explaining the reasons behind this new partnership between AMD and Xbox, it’s important to recall the role AMD has played in the world of home consoles for over a decade.
AMD’s adventure in home consoles began in 2013 with the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Both consoles marked a turning point by adopting AMD APUs. Previously, NVIDIA had supplied the chips for the consoles (notably the PlayStation 3 via the RSX), but the firm gradually abandoned this market. This withdrawal paved the way for AMD to establish itself as the sole supplier of APUs for Xbox and Sony home consoles. Since then, AMD has maintained its position in this high-volume market, supplying chips for current consoles such as the Xbox Series X, S and PlayStation 5. This bond of trust already established between AMD and console manufacturers makes the announcement of a continued partnership with Xbox both logical and strategic.
AMD: a rise in power focused on gaming
For several years now, AMD has been investing heavily in architectures designed for video games. One example is the introduction of 3D V-Cache, which has become a must-have for gamers thanks to the performance of Ryzen X3D processors, which have made life difficult for Intel. On the graphics card front, AMD has also closed the gap with Nvidia, both in terms of hardware and software. AMD’s rise to prominence can be seen in the latest generations of graphics cards, the Radeon RX 7000 and RX 9000, whose sales are rising sharply. The technological gap with Nvidia has narrowed considerably, thanks in particular to major advances in software. Scaling technologies such as FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) and Fluid Motion Frames have now reached a level of maturity that makes them competitive at last, and the Reds are establishing themselves as a credible player in the entire gaming ecosystem, on both PC and console.
A future of continuity and innovation for Xbox
The choice of AMD to accompany the next generation of Xbox consoles comes as no surprise. It’s part of a logic of continuity. What is surprising, however, is Intel’s failure to win over customers with its Arc range of APUs. And yet, Intel’s proposal works very well, particularly on notebook PCs and portable consoles. Is it Intel’s strategic choice not to enter this market? Or is it simply Microsoft’s decision to continue with AMD? This decision could be explained not only by a concern for continuity, as mentioned above, but above all by genuine confidence. Confidence in the Reds’ technological trajectory? Particularly in its advances in artificial intelligence, which today occupies a central place in the video game and hardware industries!
