Rumour alert: Tegra powered Nintendo DS hardware update may be on the way
Apple and Microsoft due for some serious Nintendo competition
According to BSN, unnamed sources are suggesting that Nintendo has struck up a deal with NVIDIA to provide a powerful 'system on a chip' Tegra processor for a sequel to the handheld DS console.
The last time we heard rumours of a DS2 it turned out to be the rather disappointing DSi, which still uses the twin geriatric ARM processor setup. But if this rumour turns out to be true (and let's face it, eventually it's going to be proven true) then a Tegra brain would be a wise choice for Nintendo's highly anticipated hardware follow up.
These chips offer powerful video and graphics processing, low power consumption, lots of built-in connectivity and more than enough cerebral capacity to afford a simple backward compatibility option.
NVIDIA is placing a lot of its prospects in the Tegra line of chips as handheld computing promises to dominate the next technological decade, and is already proving its worth as the beating heart of Microsoft's powerhouse iDevice, the Zune HD.
Naturally, Nintendo has made no announcements, and is unlikely to do so until at least E3 next year, but this potential partnership with NVIDIA - and the likelihood that a Tegra-powered DS2 prototype is currently sitting on Nintendo's R & D Workbench - is very easy to believe.
