Nintendo Dolphin to use S3TC

Nintendo Dolphin to use S3TC is today’s industry move, and it is one more reminder that the games business is growing up fast, whether it is ready or not.

Nintendo and S3 Incorporated today announced a partnership to employ S3’s industry-leading graphics technology on Nintendo’s next home video game console, code-named Dolphin. Dolphin is the first home video game console in the world to embed S3’s advanced texture compression technology right onto the graphics chip. The results will include elimination of blurriness, blockiness and monotonous repetition of the same elements on screen.

It is business news, sure, but these moves shape what games get made, what stores carry them, and who is still standing next year.