I think a big issue about the ATI vs NVidia cheating is that when you consider it, ATI doesn't NEED to cheat. The R9700Pro basically came along and kicked the crap out of the existing GF4s, and still managed to stay ahead of the first FX line. NVidia was in a position where they practically HAD to inflate their benchmark numbers because people were starting to realise that the GF4s were by and large still faster than the FXs, which were 6 months late. If they hadn't done any benchmark inflation, think of the performance numbers they'd have been getting. How many people criticized the Volari for offering that kind of performance?
I imagine that thinking is partially why ATI cheated with Quake III, though they seem to care much less about continually having the performance crown. Either way, I think people are overlooking the fact that basically a GeForce 2 Ti performs on par with a GeForce FX5200 in a lot of still played titles. The entire FX line was a step backward for NVidia. No wonder ATI felt safe in going to longer product cycle.
I imagine that thinking is partially why ATI cheated with Quake III, though they seem to care much less about continually having the performance crown. Either way, I think people are overlooking the fact that basically a GeForce 2 Ti performs on par with a GeForce FX5200 in a lot of still played titles. The entire FX line was a step backward for NVidia. No wonder ATI felt safe in going to longer product cycle.