Wired News: Xbox to Switch to PowerPC
[But] Richard Doherty, research director of Envisioneering Group of Seaford, New York, said the announcement could be the first in a more general shift by Microsoft away from Intel.
“It’s a very big win for IBM. It’s a clear change of direction for Microsoft, and it’s a very unfortunate surprise for Intel,” he said.
“There’s quite a bit of irony here,” he added, referring to the fact that it has always been assumed that Apple would move to Intel, rather than Microsoft moving to the PowerPC, a chip technology co-developed by Apple, IBM and Motorola.
It’s been said many times that gaming is driving the technology in the PC industry, from clock speeds to graphics capabilities. The clear message here is that when performance matters, the PowerPC is the right choice.