With the stakes getting higher and more lucrative in the world of console gaming, it's no wonder that trade secrets are incredibly valuable. Four AMD employees are now accused of stealing sensitive documents, including some about the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4, and jumping ship to NVIDIA.
NVIDIA has largely been shoved aside in the console GPU race by AMD, which is reported to be supplying chips for both the Xbox 720 and PlayStation. The Xbox 720 will use an IBM PowerPC CPU and a custom version of AMD's 6670 GPU, while the PlayStation 4 will have an AMD A8-series APU and HD 7670 GPU, according to IGN.
Former AMD Strategic Division vice president Robert Feldstein, who is at the center of the lawsuit, previously worked on graphics chips for the Xbox 360 and Wii consoles. It seems that he and three others went over to NVIDiA after stealing 100,000 files with some insider information.
As of now, it seems that only AMD's side of the story is being told, so we'll have to wait until the defendants get a proper chance to clear their names to get the whole picture.
Nintendo raced out ahead with its Nintendo Wii U late last year, but both Microsoft and Sony are expected to catch up with next-generation console releases of their own in 2013. The Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 should both be unveiled by E3 and cost around $400, according to rumors from around the web.
Both consoles should be sporting at around 8GB RAM, and will come with all the usual bells and whistles of a new console. There will be an increased emphasis on connectivity, and expect both Microsoft and Sony to try and convince buyers this holiday season that their console should be the center of living rooms everywhere.