internationalcasinoreview G2e10 REPORT


Quixant prepares for huge January launch


A new era could be looming for games designers with the launch of a new high-performance combined core and graphics processor from AMD. Quixant is the launch partner for the gaming sector.


graphicimprovement QUIXANT


Early in the new year, the chip manufacturer AMD/ATI will be launching a new chipset called Fusion, a combination of both CPU and GPU to create a new APU - Accredited Processing Unit - its applications across the computing world will be manifold and will particu- larly be used to create the next generation of games for home consoles. And that level of perform- ance will very soon after be available to the gaming indus- try. Quixant is the launch partner in this sector, and at the moment has exclusive access to the technology: it


will be launching products based on Fusion just two- weeks after the worldwide launch at ICE. At G2E, it was talking to developers to prepare them for the new capabilities it will offer. “Fusion will vastly


increase the levels of graph- ics performance available to games designers,” said Nick Jarmany, managing director of Quixant. “The first Fusion product will have three times the graphics performance of current solutions. And it will be cost-effective as you don’t need to pay for separate and expensive graphics chips. Stunning graphics at a very competitive price level. It means designers will be able to offer all kinds of things


like 3D and HD streaming.” The Fusion chip removes


the physical and software barrier between the GPU and the CPU: as the GPU has massive amounts of process- ing power available, it means it can be used for some of the core processing, for example encryption, which is particu- larly suitable function for the GPU.


“There will be new gener- ations of Fusion every year of development offering varying level of capability,” said Jarmany.


Because all the processing


power is in one place, the power requirements and heat generated are very low. “Green issues and cost to the casino operator are


Classically advanced ambitions from Abbiati


hugely important. People his- torically haven’t asked the question of how much it costs to run a machine, but typically, operators have had to provide between 2W-3W of air conditioning for every 1W of heat generated,” he continued. “And reliability goes down the more heat there is, and that’s particu-


larly the case if a fan is needed; fans are notoriously unreli- able - they need servicing and replacing and also make a lot of noise. With the Fusion boards, you won’t get the heat in the first place - perform- ance without the heat.” Additionally, all the SAS


protocols are the same and all the software models for


Quixant’s


managing director Nick Jarmany (r) with sales director Gary Mullins


the various markets have been pre-approved on the regulatory side. “We’ve seen huge interest in the upcoming launch,” said Jarmany. “Everyone is always after that extra bit of graph- ics performance and they will be blown away when we release the finished product in January.”


The business of trust


cardsplus US PLAYING CARDS/FOURNIER


Spanish/American card man- ufacturer US Playing Cards/Fournier deals in more than just playing cards these days - although it holds some 35 per cent of the world market. It is using its unri- valled knowledge and network of customers to promote related products such as an intelligent baccarat shoe and durable layouts. “It’s been one-and-a-half


Giorgio Abbiati (centre) with colleagues Reda Seiliute and Alexandrv Poplev


designclassics ABBIATI


At the luxury end of the casino equipment market are the classic designs of Italian manufacturer Abbiati. At G2E it showed its latest creation, custom-developed for salons privés of certain casinos in eastern Europe. The white lacquered roulette and blackjack tables are decorated with real gold leaf as are the accompanying chairs and details on the roulette wheel. The design is echoed in the dedicated displays and other acces- sories such as the card shoe.


Abbiati may offer new iterations of classics, but it also pushes the bound- aries with new materials and new technologies. Giorgio Abbiati com- mented: “Like last year, we have seen a growing inter- est in RFID chips and plaques. Even if RFID is still a new technology, we con- tinue to receive a number of requests from our clients that show casino operators are starting to realise the value and the benefits of the technology.” He continued: “We have


also received a very posi- tive feedback from our cus- tomers regarding our new


58 January 2011 •G2ereport


ceramic chips line. As was foreseen, great quality and an attractive price have attracted a number of inter- ested clients.” The company’s main goal for the coming year will remain the continual improvement of the product line, trying new designs and materials and looking for new technologies. “We will concentrate on looking for the best quality combined with the best price,” said Abbiati. “Looking for new partner- ships and valuable collabo- rations will also be a part of the next year’s plan.”


years since we launched the intelligent baccarat shoe,” said Javier Berasategui, export manager. “It has done very well, not only in the


Asian markets for which it was originally designed, but also in the US and Latin America, anywhere where baccarat is played. That’s because of the additional security it provides - it’s impossible to introduce false cards. And there are fewer dealer mistakes.” He continued: “We just


started earlier this year with our Dura+ layouts, which our customers asked us to develop. Their main advan- tage is durability but also their velvet touch. It comes complete with the Fournier service.” But cards remain the core business for the company:


“In the last year or so, we have made a big investment in manufacturing, with new machines and a new location in the US and more machines in Spain,” said Berasategui. He continued: “It’s a busi- ness of trust with ISO stan- dards of manufacturing. We’re proud to say that we can deliver 100 per cent con- fidence to the industry - the message


around the


company is that we don’t print playing cards, we print money. We thought that maybe with the crisis, oper- ators would try cheaper cards but they haven’t. Playing cards are not to be messed with!”


Javier Berasategui, export manager of Fournier/US Playing Cards


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