The anticipated 26 April launch of ATI's next-generation graphics chip, the R420, failed to materialise yesterday, lending weight to our conclusion that the part will ship later: sometime during the next few weeks (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/23/ati_r420_slips/).

ATI wasn't inactive yesterday, we note. Its web site now features an invitation to submit your email address and be among the first to hear about the "xtreme [sic], intense gaming" R420 - aka the Radeon X800 Pro - will offer.

Indeed, the original leak of the 26 April date (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/07/ati_r420/) may well have referred to the launch of the marketing campaign rather than the GPU itself.

The R420 is, of course, expected to debut as the Radeon X800 Pro, followed a month or so later by the higher-clocked Radeon X800 XT and the low-end X800 SE. ®

Related stories

ATI R420 slips from April to May (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/23/ati_r420_slips/)
ATI targets Nvidia's 60% desktop chip share (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/16/ati_vs_nvidia/)
ATI readies PCI Express Radeon X880 XT (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/15/ati_r420/)
ATI 'to ship R420 as Radeon X800' (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/07/ati_r420/)