Nvidia, ATI win next-gen DS, Xbox contracts?

Source: See below.What we heard: Hardware rumor-mongers got a twofer this week involving the next generation of Microsoft's Xbox console and Nintendo's DS handheld. The latter came courtesy of a report on hardware blog Bright Side News (BSN), which reported that Nvidia has landed the contract to...

Source: See below.

What we heard: Hardware rumor-mongers got a twofer this week involving the next generation of Microsoft's Xbox console and Nintendo's DS handheld. The latter came courtesy of a report on hardware blog Bright Side News (BSN), which reported that Nvidia has landed the contract to provide the chipsets for the DS and DSi's as-yet-unannounced successor.

"According to our confidential sources, Nintendo is going to use Tegra System-on-Chip processor for the successor of DS/DSi handheld console," reported the site. Currently, the Tegra line powers a series of small computer and multimedia devices, including the just-released Zune HD, which will be getting 3D games later this year.

Reportedly, the graphics chip-maker offered the least complicated option for the next-gen DS. "Unlike the current design, Nvidia offered a single-chip proposal to Nintendo, a company famous for keeping the hardware platform absolutely simple." The current generation of DS Lites and DSi's use two ARM-architecture chips to handle both graphics and processing.

BSN expects the new DS to be unveiled at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show next fall, around the same time Microsoft is expected to launch the Xbox 360's motion-sensing system, Project Natal. However, it was the 360's successor that was the subject of another report involving Nvidia's archrival, AMD-owned ATI.

Tech blog Fudzilla is citing unnamed "industry sources" as confirming Microsoft has struck a deal with ATI to provide graphics processors (GPUs) for the next generation of Xboxes. The Canadian chip firm currently supplies the GPUs for both the Wii and Xbox 360, with Nvidia supplying Sony with the PlayStation 3's RSX graphics processor.

Fudzilla's sources also echo analysts, executives, and developers as saying the next generation of hardware won't arrive anytime soon. "The consoles refresh [sic] was supposed to happen in 2010 but due to the recession both Microsoft and Sony have decided to push its plans for 2012 [sic] and keep the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 alive for more than it was originally planned."

The official stories: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."--Microsoft rep.

"We don't comment on rumor or speculation." -- Nintendo spokesperson.

Bogus or not bogus?: Both sound plausible. Nintendo will be looking for higher-fidelity graphics for the next DS, and anyone who has seen a Zune HD knows what Tegra can provide them. As for the Xbox rumor, no one has blamed the 360's woes on ATI's GPU, instead pointing the finger at Microsoft's design choices. So having the software giant reenlist the hardware provider seems completely reasonable.

307 Comments

  • Agelu

    Posted Dec 17, 2009 10:04 pm PT

    Plausible... yes, yes, plausible rumors.

    What intrigues me, is how well Natal will turn out to be, and what kind of new things will be successor to the DS offer. I mean, the DS has dual screens, touch screen, microphone... what could be Nintendo thinking of, that could be as good, if not better?

  • 5h4d0w50uL

    Posted Dec 16, 2009 11:49 am PT

    Nvidia is waaay better at making their chips. They created spore, which obviously was a huge hit, and my friends laptop has a Nvidia chip inside it with a 3.56 GHz processor. That thing is powerful. ATI is good too, but Nvidia is a better overall choice, so here's to some awesome future DS games.

  • firedrakes

    Posted Dec 15, 2009 2:40 pm PT

    yeah tegra is amazing. i do own a zune hd and dam that thing is powerful. a device size of a small cell phone can play 720p...

  • bonereaper69

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 6:35 am PT

    Im glad ATI is still going strong and Nvidia has not crushed them, i personally like ATI over Nvidia, but ATI has had drivers problems in the past for me, unlike Nvidia

  • ebookerd1

    Posted Nov 6, 2009 8:18 am PT

    Good TIme to buy some stock!!!

  • Reiken37

    Posted Nov 3, 2009 5:27 am PT

    So... XboX got ATI, who gave the Wii and 360 thier GPUs. The Wii and 360 run the worse and look the worse (I own a Wii) so I'm not quite sure what that says about ATI. I think ATI has good graphics cards for PCs but Microsoft didn't win much here. Also, Backwards Compatability is GREAT. Its something all systems need to have. (Wait they DO have that... hmm RARSON do you think that theres a reason for that...? Hmmm could it be consumers like it?"

  • ItchyIsVegeta

    Posted Oct 29, 2009 12:04 pm PT

    "Backwards compatibility has been show time and time again to be a feature that mainstream consumers will not use"

    I completely disagree. I sold my Metal Gear Solid PS3 for 500 bucks reciently because it plays PS2 games. Backwards compatibility on systems may not be a big deal now, but when the next gen hits, it will be a big deal again for atleast a year. Selling an old system to help buy a new one, but keep the games I love to play is always a selling point for a next gen system.

  • rarson

    Posted Oct 24, 2009 10:56 pm PT

    Tegra uses an ARM11 chip starting at 600 mHz with a host of improvements over ARM9, though it's worth noting that ARM11 is not the most current ARM design available right now.

    Backwards compatibility has been show time and time again to be a feature that mainstream consumers will not use. How many people actually play PSX games in their PS2s? Sure, there might be a few, but the vast majority of people discard the previous generation when moving to a next-gen system. It's a waste of money to ensure backwards compatibility; it's not a system-seller. We've already seen a reduced emphasis on BC from console manufacturers and I predict this will continue.

    The one exception might be handhelds, but even then the compatibility is dropping off. The DSi doesn't play GBA games and the PSP Go isn't even current-gen compatible with UMD games and movies.

    With BC, I think if anything, the trend may continue where the current generation of software is compatible with next-gen hardware at the outset, with compatibility being dropped to lower hardware costs as the consoles mature. It seems to make business sense in a way, and as a library expands, consumers want to play fewer of their older-generation games.

  • popping4it

    Posted Oct 21, 2009 1:58 am PT

    the tegra uses arm processors so their decision makes alot of sense. I'm not sure how similar arm9 is to tegra's arm but it should be compatible making BC a real possibility.

    As for xbox, the choice for ATi as their gpu manufacturer makes alot of sense, even with the year head start the GPU(Xenos) on the 360 is relatively powerful, even outperforming the RSX on shaders, and triangles. ATi served ms well while nvidia were poor during xbox1 and even the latent effects still linger you can sense the bad blood between them(ms had to license nvidia's graphics for BC on xbox1 games) also similar architecture on "xbox 3" means a high chance of BC without the need of additional hardware or emulation.

    at@skyman_1981, its sad that people devote you even when you're actually correct. The PPE core on the cell is equivelent to each one of the three symmetrical cores on the xbox360. both cpus are designed by IBM and as a result the cpus are actually more similar than most people realize.

  • BabyMario11

    Posted Oct 20, 2009 7:32 am PT

    this looks awesome guys

  • DPX-360

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 3:35 pm PT

    GO CANADA XD

  • skyman_1981

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 2:11 pm PT

    @vaan

    the cell is a SINGLE core processor with 7spe's attached to it. They are not individual processors. One spe locked for system and one disabled for yield.

    The Xenos is a TRUE Triple Core processor with dual thread, so essentially six instructions can get sent out at once where as the cell can load data onto the spe but still has to wait for the SINGLE processor.

  • vaan10 posted Oct 18, 2009 4:05 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    vaan10

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 4:05 am PT (hide)

    @SalarianChemist

    To bad the PS3 has 7 Cell processors, 1 locked for the OS and 6 mainly for games. And the 360 has a tri-core Xenon processor, both consoles processors all run at 3.2 GHz.

    That's 4 processors in difference, they're all 3.2GHz and PowerPC on both consoles.

  • Excedra

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 8:56 pm PT

    new xbox? im in....

  • calum1984

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 6:00 pm PT

    @voltergeist the wii does have the option but it uses a usb ethernet adaptor, and yes i know that wired is better but ppl dont like wires so the option to have it is nice especially on games consoles because games dont use much bandwidth over the network. My point was the option to improve wireless technology on the console is good having it built in is a really bad idea then your not paying for things you wont use as well in your case if you dont want to use wireless you dont have to have the extra cost having it built into console. In the same sense the way the ps3 hard drive replacement works is better than the 360's eg using a normal laptop hard drive with using a special caddie like the 360 does, no added costs and you can fit whatever sized hard drive you like in so long as ps3 supports it (1 thing i hope a new xbox does have)

  • Voltergeist

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 4:08 pm PT

    @Calum

    No matter how much things are improved, wireless is always inferior to a wired connection. The wii sucks because it doesn't even have a default option to go wired.

  • calum1984

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 2:33 pm PT

    @gfshynob i hope the next xbox DOES NOT have built in wireless (but lower price of wireless adaptor and continue to use the old) for the 1 reason what happens when wireless o/p/q or whatever the hell else they come out with which has better reception and faster speeds come out what use is 1 that is built in???? i like the fact thatthe 360 if microsoft deemed it neccesary they could make a new adaptor that uses wireless n technology and maybe dual band as well. If they did that sony would have to release a new console with the new wireless n built in same with wii so that would mean to get faster network speed you would either need to use ethernet cable or buy a new console.

  • gfshynobl

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 1:30 pm PT

    next 360 better have built-in wireless. like ps3/wii.

  • Voltergeist

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 8:40 am PT

    I can't wait until the DS's successor is unveiled. I'm so sick of the DS atm, which is why a handheld Xbox sounds promising.

  • hannify

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 4:48 am PT

    Good job they are keeping ATI in the loop.

    Giving Nvidia monopoly just means they can price whatever they want ruining competition

  • education

    Posted Oct 17, 2009 4:47 am PT

    I hope the next xbox is as reliable as it is amazing to play. I'm on my 3rd xbox. My first replacement died 2 weeks after the warranty! They told me I could get it "repaired" for 149.99 lol I was like no thanks. I just went and bought the arcade with hdmi No problems yet. This is the one area that microsoft should look at sony for inspiration. I had both the ps1 and ps2 and both were soild and were retired to the attic in working order.

  • PodXCOM

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 10:02 pm PT

    This is what Nvidia can do:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcMP_QPV-v4
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQsXualxLVs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyg9HgiD8X0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8NjUslrwM

    This is what ATI can do:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFp9RP49qr8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tb7zLCxzmU
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7dDK4KSMyM
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zANEUhyT2y8
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbni9_nlcTU

    And here's from me, enjoy:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eiWTp540Sw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_W7uXvkWfw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zUkK14bHDk&feature=channel
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx6VWr1zw6g

  • JixHedgehog

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 3:48 pm PT

    I heard ages ago that the next Nintendo handheld would have tilt screen tech..
    It's funny.. the US will get the new handheld 6 months after Japan.. and by that time, Nintendo would already be working on the next.
    I'M RUNNING OUT OF SPACE TO PUT EVERYTHING NINTENDO!

  • angelGP32

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 12:04 pm PT

    @mossongreens: what? Did you even read or listen to anything at E3, they said already it will work with ANY 360 model. ANY, so what about the people without the hard drive?? What are you going to install, you are ASSUMING things for a product that has little details released.

  • endocrine

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 10:55 am PT

    If I was Microsoft, I would fire everyone that worked on the hardware.

  • treydawg1

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 8:05 am PT

    @Vegeta-sama

    oh yeah the whole intel larabee talk i have been hearing. so far i hear its only about as powerful as a nvidia gtx295.

  • Vegeta-sama

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 5:43 am PT

    @treydog Intel is trying to get in the graphics business... they were rumored to even be trying to woo over microsoft to use their still in production chipset... not that Microsoft would even go with Intel again

  • mpeg3s

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 4:43 am PT

    How can Onlive.com keep up?

  • BadMonk

    Posted Oct 16, 2009 12:04 am PT

    lol @ people saying that sony will not release PS4 till around 2018
    they are not gonna wait till that date for sure as next time they want to be ahead of the rest in the console wars!
    360 coming out in 2011/2012 is believable and i am 99% sure that the PS4 will be around the same time!

  • YoJim8obaJoe

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 9:15 pm PT

    2010 replace year?im sure sony said before ps3 release that 2018 was expected ps4 date and microsoft said at launch of 360 we wont see another MS console till at least 2012 and both of them dates were set years before any recession

  • treydawg1

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 8:01 pm PT

    @Uzriz

    ms could do cross platforming now with windows live since its basically xbox live. also controll wise all they have to allow is mouse and keyboard support on the consoles but dont let the support be determined by the game being played.

  • treydawg1

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 7:44 pm PT

    @Tony-Baxter

    how is this bad for intel. intel is a processr maker not a gpu maker.

  • treydawg1

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 7:38 pm PT

    @fooltoast

    so you wont be checking out the new ATI 5000? i want a 5870x2 when it comes out.

  • mbrown726

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 6:47 pm PT

    All the blood, sweat & tears, I put up with on my 360. I don't want to upgrade until all my repair costs have paid for itself in entertainment costs, which I figure won't be until 2012. But if M$ does go next-gen in 2012, can gamers get a 250gig mem unit w/console as part of the actual retail price.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 6:34 pm PT

    @ HerbalVideogame, It seems like a chip from 2005 is working just fine in the 360 right now. With games like Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2 running fine with that hardware, it only seems to get better.Developers also need time with the hardware to create these games, which a good game usually takes 3-4 years of development. So I wouldn't doubt that Microsoft is nabbing a graphics chip maker now, in order to get developers familiar with the hardware.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 6:32 pm PT

    @ HerbalVideogame, It seems like a chip from 2005 is working just fine in the 360 right now. With games like Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2 running fine with that hardware, it only seems to get better.Developers also need time with the hardware to create these games, which a good game usually takes 3-4 years of development. So I wouldn't doubt that Microsoft is nabbing a graphics chip maker now, in order to get developers familiar with the hardware.

  • alexLmx6

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 4:40 pm PT

    @ deviant74 - just get a pc then...

    i love the generic comment every company rep gives, and while they say they don't comment on it they really are, because by saying nothing they are suggesting that it may be true instead of outright proving them wrong, which really just fuels the rumor mill.. but its good business i guess, since it draws attention to themselves, even if only briefly

  • joshboy101

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 4:06 pm PT

    awww nooooo don't release the new consoles in 2012!

  • ScreamDream

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 4:05 pm PT

    I'd love to see a Game Boy Advance 2 with 1 screen and wide screen.

  • mariostar0001

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 3:38 pm PT

    Not another portable DS, I just bought the DSi and would hate to have to upgrade again to keep current. Wait at least two years please?

  • xxcallmegodxx89

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 3:37 pm PT

    @deviant74
    wow you have to be the laziest person i know.it is quite sad to here say that you are to lazy to put in a game. my suggestion to you is to scrap the idea of upgrading your xbox and just get wii fit cause it sounds like you need it.

  • fooltoast

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 3:28 pm PT

    Sony and Microsoft are already trying to release something new so we'll forget about everything wrong with the current gen consoles. As for GPUs I have to say ATI beats out Nvidia in the case of the consoles. PS3 and 360 have almost Identical graphics capabilities, save for the terrible shading and antialiasing and the warmer color pallete on the PS3. I've used both Nvidia and ATI over the years and they're both fine. Using a GTX275 now, but the 4870X2 is temping if it would fit inside a case without using a hacksaw.

  • Mystic-Forest

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 3:25 pm PT

    The PS1 was out for 6yrs (Launched 1994) before they launched the PS2 (Launched 2000) but was supported for a further 4 years before support was stopped in 2004 10 years after its release. -

    Like i mentioned above the PS2 was out for 6yrs (Launched 2000) before they launched the PS3 (Launched 2006) but will be supported until 2010 when it will be 10 years since its release.

    And the PS3 will have been out for 6yrs (Launched 2006) when they finally decide to launch PS4 (2012 i predict) but they will continue to support PS3 for a further 4 years after that until 2016 when they will end support for it 10yrs after its release.

  • melty3219

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:47 pm PT

    @deviant74
    thats just stupid, if you do that then you are just too lazy get more exercise also if after you are done with the disk put it back in its origonal case that way it wont get scratched

  • chrisrob5

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:41 pm PT

    @deviant74

    You have pretty much describe OnLive, the new game streaming service.

  • deviant74 posted Oct 15, 2009 2:32 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    deviant74

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:32 pm PT (hide)

    I want to put the video card in my next Xbox. Every 3 years I want to be able to upgrade it. I want the upgrade video card to cost $150. I also want 2 dvd players in it. Because they put a cheap player inside the 360 which is failing me now. Also I play 2 games at any given moment (an rpg and a fps)and I don't want to get up and change disk. Plus when you are on one game some friends get online and want to play CoD for 30 to 60 min., and I act like I didn't get there message just because I don't want to change disk. Then the disk just get left out of the case to get scratched when I do change them. I might not be your target customer I went out and bought a ps3 the day it came out for a $1000 from a rent to own place because they were the only place that had one.

  • Trmpt

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:12 pm PT

    @ spike6958
    "What ever happened to that "10 Years" we where told the PS3 and 360 would be around for........but really PS3 and 360 are both great consoles and have both have long lives ahead of them,"

    Just because next gen will start in a couple years soesnt mean that the 360 and PS3 wont last 10. People are taking that too literally.

  • theone332

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:08 pm PT

    ps3 potential still not unlocked and there already thinking about the next project ....cool

  • TheClown24

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 2:00 pm PT

    i prefer ATI for the simple reason that at the time of purchase the HD4870 was better than its price equivalent of the GTX260 and i find ATI processors much better value than intel these days

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Oct 15, 2009 1:51 pm PT

    I will admit that I think 2011/2012 is a good time for the successors to the PSP and DS. I don't feel the same way about home consoles, though... I know strange..
    _

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