VIA Grace Platform - Highly Integrated, Ultra Low Power Platform for a New Generation of Portable x86 Entertainment Appliances

The VIA Grace Platform is a suite of x86 silicon technologies that enable a new generation of ultra compact, portable gaming devices with an emphasis on minimal heat dissipation, while still retaining high levels of performance and an extensive feature set.

The VIA Grace Platform

As part of the VIA Spearhead Platform Initiative, the VIA Grace Platform will enable OEMs, system builders and consumer electronics manufacturers to reduce product development costs and time, and so drive new markets for portable x86 gaming and entertainment consoles, and advanced PDA devices.

PC Gaming
With its native x86 architecture, the VIA Grace Platform inspires a new generation of portable Gaming consoles capable of instantly playing thousands of games developed for the PC, as well as having full connectivity to the latest digital devices. As a native x86 platform, it is compatible with a huge number of existing PC games, potentially offering more game titles than any other Handheld Console on the market.

Video Player
The VIA Grace Platform can play the most popular digital video formats with the best visual experience. Integrating hardware-based MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 accelerators, the VIA Grace Platform handles highly compressed digital video playback with ease, and can connect to the latest high definition displays, completing the Hi-Def visual experience.

Audio Jukebox
With support for all the most popular digital audio formats, including MP3 and wav files, the VIA Grace Platform is ideal for storing and enjoying digital audio content with optimal audio quality.

VIA Grace Platform Key Components

VIA Eden-N Processor
Due to its ultra low power consumption and advanced PowerSaver 3.0 technology, the VIA Eden-N processor requires minimal active cooling and helps to extend battery life of entertainment consoles. The VIA Eden-N processor's cool operation helps to ensure that entertainment consoles do not overheat and get uncomfortable in the hands of the user. As a native x86 processor, the VIA Eden-N is fully compatible with Microsoft® Windows® and Linux embedded operating systems enabling the VIA Grace Platform to connect to other personal gaming consoles and PC devices.

World's Most Advanced Native x86 Processor Hardware Security Features
To address the growing need among corporate, government, and home users to protect sensitive data on their PCs and over networks, the VIA Eden-N processor features advanced on-die security features with the VIA PadLock Hardware Security Suite, which incorporates the VIA PadLock ACE (Advanced Cryptography Engine) for industrial strength AES encryption, and the VIA PadLock RNG with two hardware based Random Number Generators.

VIA CN400 Digital Media Chipset
The VIA CN400 Digital Media chipset features the S3 Graphics UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core. Integrating the VIA FastStream64™ memory controller, the VIA CN400 can provide lightening fast access to up to 8GB of DDR400 memory for optimal system performance. The VIA CN400 also features the high speed Ultra V-Link interface for combination with the feature-packed VIA VT8237 South Bridge.

Leveraging an advanced shared memory architecture, UniChrome™ Pro ensures optimal performance for multimedia, entertainment, and productivity applications. It's 200MHz clock drives a pixel rate of up to 200 million pixels per second with two textures each. The graphics engine also features support for Z-bias, anti-aliasing, alpha blending, Microsoft DirectX 7/8/9, and OpenGL™.

The VIA CN400 also features the Chromotion CE Video Display Engine for a multi-faceted approach to displaying multimedia content, implementing a number of advanced tools at every stage of video processing. These include hardware-based MPEG-2 decoding and MPEG- 4 acceleration for flawless digital video playback with ultra-low CPU-utilization. It also features advanced rendering tools such as Adaptive De-Interlacing and Video Deblocking that ensure clearer playback of digital content on all display devices. Rounding off the Hi-Def experience, the VIA CN400 integrates support for a comprehensive range of display devices, supporting outputs to CRT, LCD, standard definition TV and HDTV.

VIA Vinyl Audio
VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC audio provides crisp, clear high quality sound with advanced sound positioning that maximizes the gamer's immersive environment for the greatest realism possible. 6-channel surround sound is effortlessly achieved through six standard speaker ports in the rear panel of the Glory Platform personal gaming console.

VIA Glory Personal Gaming Console Platform Diagram

Resources

Mobilizing the World of x86-Based Games and Multimedia Entertainment VIA and MoMA mobile gaming console press release