Xbox "Mystery Chip" Revealed

Nvidia has released details on the much-rumored second chip it is developing for Microsoft's Xbox, called the Xbox MCP, or MCPX, which is a multimedia processor to handle audio plus connections to networking, storage, and other components, including support for both broadband and narrowband Internet access. Nvidia first intimated that there was a second Xbox chip in the works during a semiconductor conference last month. The chip will include dual DSPs, and audio processor, a Dolby Digital encoder, USB controller, modem interface, and an Ethernet controller to support home networking. "Our vision is to leverage the power of the MCP to transform platforms such as PCs, game consoles, and set-top boxes into 'residential gateways,'" said Nvidia president CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. "The MCP will eventually become a 'network router on a chip,' and distribute broadband content throughout the networked digital home." Nvidia plans to begin selling an integrated graphics chip late next year, which will add memory controller functions, plus a modified version of the Xbox chip, thus challenging a market currently dominated by Intel and Via.