An empirical study of technological pressure in the personal computer technology system

Abstract

This paper studies the co-evolution of the GPU (graphics processing unit) and PC (personal computer) game sub-systems, with respect to graphics performance delivered to end-users during game play. Employing the concept of the reverse salient - a component which trails in technological performance and thus hinders potential system-wide development - the paper develops time-gap and performance-gap measures of reverse salience and applies them in an empirical study. Additionally, the paper evaluates technological pressure, which is equivalent to the amount of technological performance delivered in a given period of time. The results firstly identify the PC game sub-system as the reverse salient, trailing at a steady time-gap and with increasing performance-gap. Secondly, the results show that technological pressure increases continuously over the time frame of analysis.