Nintendo NX Rumors Point To NVIDIA’s Tegra Platform As The Engine For A Very Unique Console

You obviously have to take alleged leaks and rumors with agrain of salt in this business, but when it comes toNintendo's next generation NX console, some of theproduct concepts and speculation could be reasonably well-founded. There’s little question Nintendo needs to recapturerelevance in the console market but slugging it out withplatform giants like Microsoft MSFT -0.83% and Sony could be anexercise in futility, especially when you consider how the Wii Ufared competitively. Further, recent rumors resonate fairlywell that Nintendo is readying a device that would takeadvantage of their portable design chops, along with thealready well-established Android TV platform, with possiblyNVIDIA silicon under the hood powering the experience.

A recent product concept mock shows what an amped-upNintendo NX system could look like, with its tablet detachedfrom a dock. These recent concept projections and rumors takeNintendo’s approach with the Wii U one step further, with anAndroid-driven device powered by NVIDIA's NVDA -1.13%Tegra platform. When you take into consideration thatNVIDIA’s SHIELD Android TV settop device is the mostpowerful media streamer on the market currently, now withPlex Media Server capabilities, as well the ability to play awealth of Android-based games and ports like Borderlands 2,things come into focus. In addition, NVIDIA’s SHIELD letsyou stream PC games to your TV for big screen PC MasterRace-powered fun. Taking this one step further, SHIELD ispowered by NVIDIA’s current generation Tegra X1 chip withan on-board Maxwell derivative GPU.  However, withNintendo’s March target launch date, the NX could easily alignwith an NVIDIA Pascal-powered Tegra variant.

That’s where things get really interesting for the concept of anAndroid-based, NVIDIA Tegra-powered Nintendo NX console.NVIDIA has historically driven its latest GPU technologythroughout its entire product stack, from big iron GPUs formachine learning, to desktop graphics and their Tegra mobilesystem-on-chip platforms. With new a 16nm FinFETmanufacturing process, NVIDIA’s ultra-powerful Pascalarchitecture will likely integrate really well in NVIDIA’s nextgeneration Tegra SoC designs. The combination should offerimpressive performance-per-watt characteristics.

Of course, this also still holds water with the fact NVIDIA CEOJen-Hsun Huang went on record noting the company is nolonger interested in producing Tegra SoCs for smartphones.However, a portable game consoles with a TV docking station,powered by a more powerful Tegra chip, could make a lot ofsense in terms of the business case Mr. Huang might belooking for.