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July 17, 2015   3DS, Nintendo NX, Wii U   25 Comments

More Hints AMD is Powering the Nintendo NX’s Processor

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While nothing is confirmed at this time, evidence is building that AMD will power the Nintendo NX’s processor. Here are some tidbits from a VentureBeat article on the matter.

- AMD has won a third semi-custom chip design
- the promise of these chip designs is that they could yield products that could generate a billion dollars in sales
- AMD would have to enable a way for the new console to use software translation in order to run older Wii and Wii U games

The following comes from Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy

- “I think it’s a very high probability (of AMD pairing with Nintendo) unless Nintendo goes Android where I would expect them to go with Nvidia.”

Via: GoNintendo, Source: VentureBeat

 

Author: Francis@PE (19166 Posts)


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  • person

    Hmmm, intriguing… ROLL ON E3 2016!!

    Too early

  • getagrip

    NVIDEA jesus these ANAL-ists just cannot shut there mouths can they

  • Hardin Twentyfive

    If the NX runs Wii and Wii U games, shut up, and take my money.

  • getagrip

    maybe zen x86 but far more likely custom ARM

  • getagrip

    ITS KINDA OBVIOUS LIKE WATER BEING WET!!!!!! THAT NINTENDO WILL GO TOTALLY ARM -AMD

    ITS VERY LIKELY WIIU CHIP SET IS SHRUNK TO 20NM OR 14NM, AND MADE INTO A SYSTEM ON CHIP, CPUS WILL BE ARM INSTEAD OF PPC OR PPC WILL REMAIN FOR BACKWARD COMPATABLE

    THE CPU WILL BE A CUSTOM ARM LIKE GEKKO-BROADWAY-EXPRESSO WERE CUSTOM PPC750S

    WITH LOTS OF CATCH MEMORY

    IF A HYBRED A CLOCK SCALING SOC IF A DUAL SYSTEM TWO SOCS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS-SPECS BUT BASED ON IDENTICAL SOC’S

    AMD ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN CUSTOMIZING ARM CORES K12 ARMS SUPER ARM CORE IS DESTINE FOR 2017

    NINTENDO COULD GO WITH A 4CORE CUSTOM A57 WITH BIG DEDICTAED CATCH PER CORE

  • Micah Ma-at Maragh

    This is laughable LOOOL. AMD has been partnered with Nintendo for years. AMD are long time partners of IBM and also own ATi, who have always and still power Nintendo’s graphics. Chances are AMD works with IBM to design the silicon chips for Nintendo’s consoles and they definitely do the graphics. This in no way means Nintendo is going x86 not by a long shot, I’m not saying it can’t happen (doubt it for many reasons), but this is nowhere near even close to a hint. They could easily be talking about the GPU.

  • uPadWatcher

    If the rumor of Nintendo’s “NX” using AMD’s processor (possibly the x86) is true, this could change the way for Nintendo to deliver more fun, challenging, and unique games for a late 2017/early 2018 launch. I’ll take it with a small trace of salt as a precaution. For now, let’s hope that Nintendo delivers the best when they introduce their ninth generation system (home or hybrid).

    • awang0718

      NX is still a mystery, but I can pretty much guarantee that it won’t be a hybrid. That is for sure.

      • uPadWatcher

        Are you denying the fact that you’re ignoring the “X” cross? NX is a codename initial for a Nintendo CROSS-PLAY system- a combination of a HOME console with a GamePad/portable device.

        • Hardin Twentyfive

          Hybrid is a logical conclusion. Nintendo isn’t big enough to support an HD system, and a handheld. Combine both, and they got it. Some games, like Pokemon, might be playable only on the handheld component, while… Xenoblade might be console exclusive. It can work.

        • awang0718

          Iwata on the Possibility of a Hybrid

          “What we mean by integrating platforms is NOT integrating handhelds devices and home consoles to make only one machine. What we are aiming at is to integrate the architecture to form a common basis for software development so that we can make software assets more transferrable, and operating systems and their build-in applications more portable, regardless of form factor or performance of EACH platform”

          Iwata on “Sibling Systems” idea

          “Nintendo won’t face these issues going forward beyond the Wii U and 3DS, Iwata said, because the company’s new unified approach will allow consoles and handhelds to become ‘like brothers in a family of systems.'”

          • eaglebob345

            Nintendo revered its stance on mobile too, you know. They never say yes to rumors, usually with the idea that they need to keep it a secret from competitors.

          • awang0718

            They aren’t going to reverse 12 months of R&D on NX. What they have stated regarding NX back then probably won’t change too much now. On the other hand, Nintendo probably didn’t start developing mobile games until a few months prior too their mobile DeNA initiative announcement.

    • person

      I like the ‘stop gap’ theory that I’ve seen on YouTube. Nintendo consoles seem to have 5 years lifespans, and the twins will probably be dominant for another 5 years. So, if Nintendo release the NX in 2016 and give it an x86 architecture a little bit weaker/stronger (i.e. basically the same) then it’ll be 100% competing with the twins.

      ‘Why is this good’ you ask? Well, if Nintendo did this, and its launch sales are good (it’s a Nintendo console so…yeah), and it’s primary controller is either an improved Wii U pro controller then 3rd parties will have NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER to not support it. If it gets good support then great! If it also gets Wii remote support (optional) and extremely high connectivity with the new 3ds’s successor then it’ll be F**king amazing!

      As a postscript, if 3rd parties still either a) ignore the system, while giving stupid excuses or b) only release crappy ports with many features inexplicably removed (while also giving stupid excuses) then Nintendo can just say: ‘F**k you guys, still, I guess we tried’, then move onto to just getting great 1st party games.

      I’d love 100% third party support on the NX, but at least, this way, if it has no 3rd party support, we’ll have irrefutable proof that 3rd parties have an irrational hated of Nintendo.

      • uPadWatcher

        Personally, I severely doubt Nintendo will launch the NX in 2016. That would be suicidal. They’ll reveal the system in 2016, but won’t be released that year. Just give them at least 2 more years to perfect that system and then their system (with a finalized name) will be released.

        • person

          Why would it be suicidal? (Just asking, not picking a fight or anything).
          IMO, if they released it in 2018, It’d probably be released about 2 years before the rest of the 9th gen. Nintendo need to fit into Sony and Microsoft’s time frame so the NX it known as a proper competitor. Not to mention the WiiU will probably only have gotten about 4 decent AAA games in those 3 years, if their E3 event is to be believed.

      • Jon Turner

        Actually, no. If thirds don’t feel interested in supporting NX Nintendo should still, IMO, try to work out a deal to bring over games that their customers really want to play. Like for instance, the FFXIII games. Say that SE still doesn’t feel confident bringing it to NX, then Nintendo goes and talks to them, they strike a deal with SE and negotiate commissioning a porting studio to bring the game in question. That, IMO, is a better option than just saying “screw you”, because IMO, that would arguably be worse.

        • person

          Yeah, that’d be a great idea. The thing is, is that Nintendo suffers from a cycle: low 3rd party support-low sales-low third party support. I guess Nintendo could make the NX mega-cheap to make so low ales are enough, but I’d really like Nintendo to BREAK the cycle. I’m going to use a dirty word here, but Nintendo really should ‘bribe/partnership/whatever say three key third party games to make people interested. For example, a decent FPS (Cod, I guess-talk to Activision), a decent non-Nintendo JRPG (FF-talk to SE) and a decent western RPG/Adventure game (Mass Effect?).
          Literally these 3 genres (or any 3 decent 3rd party series) would begin to distance the NX from it’s ‘Nintendo-box’ image and gradually, sales and 3rd party support would gradually increase.
          …
          Or they could make the console only a tiny bit more powerful than the Wii U, give it a gimmick and make a decent profit from hardcore Nintendo fans.
          I wonder what Nintendo will do(?)

        • Justin Finnegan

          Considering all the negativity gamers seem to have towards FF XIII, I think if SE doesn’t want to bring those ones to the NX on their own, Nintendo should pay to bring games that have been better received by the community, such as the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 HD remasters, Kingdom Hearts III, and FF XV if the final product gets decent reception (I’m not talking about perfect reception, just less hatred than XIII). To be honest, I feel that even if SE loves the NX, they may not feel so confident about porting over games that have that much hostility surrounding them. If Nintendo has to pay to bring something over, they would also probably prefer something that has more positivity. Now, I don’t know if the FF XIII games deserves all the hate it has gotten, and I’d still be willing to try them if they did come to a platform I own regardless. I sometimes like games that everyone else seems to hate. For example, I enjoyed FF Mystic Quest. But I think that if Nintendo has to pay to bring SE games over because they won’t come to the NX otherwise, Nintendo should go for the ones that don’t seem to be universally hated. Especially considering that SE might not be the only company Nintendo will have to make deals with, but Nintendo can’t pay for every single multiplat. They definitely need to get some of them, whatever it takes, but they’ll have to pick them carefully imo. Kingdom Hearts is an absolute must, especially since Nintendo’s handhelds got several spinoffs.

          • Jon Turner

            Well of course Nintendo can’t pay for every multiplat; it’s outrageous. But yes, definitely get the titles that would be popular. I second kH3. That should be important to get on NX.

  • Travis Touchdown

    After the whole Unseen64 debacle, I am almost NOT going to trust any NX statements until Nintendo releases information themselves.

  • Me

    If this is true, then that’d mean backwards compatibility back 2 gens. Not sure I want that to be a focus for NX.

  • RoyRelapse

    Would be interesting to see if they are indeed moving away from the PowerPC architecture.

    • uPadWatcher

      I hope Nintendo moves away from the PowerPC and use a different architecture for their new system.

      • Jon Turner

        They’ll have to, PowerPC, for better or worse, isn’t going to be around much longer. Plus, if they really want to compete, they will need third party support. And they will have to make the system at least easy to port games to. Now whether that will yield the intended results remains to be seen, but Nintendo should not close the door on that option for their next system at all.