Traditionally, the video card people keep their hardware a generation ahead of what's actually used by the software. For example, most current models already offer DirectX 10 scene-rendering tech, but titles made to actually use all that silicon are only just beginning to appear. With it's DirectX 10.1 technology, however, PowerVR is getting two generations ahead of the game.
Naturally, if you bought a 10.1-capable card today, there's a fair chance that you'd want to upgrade it by the time titles able to use all its features are commonplace. But if you just can't live without a machine that offers improvements in shader functionality, custom downsampling filters, discrete render target blending, and myriad other things that won't mean a damn until 2009, the PowerVR SGX is your huckleberry.
Or rather, Intel's huckleberry, as it's not a cardmaker itself, but an engineering design outfit.
First DX10.1 silicon is unexpected [The Inquirer]
