Rumor: 3DS to be comparable to 360/PS3 in power. To exceed Wii's capabilities

[ShadowLegend]

Following the chain in Nintendo's hanhelds power (GBA = Super Nintendo, DS = Nintendo 64) the analist were expecting the 3DS to have the same power as the GameCube, but seems like the assumption is wrong this time. According to reports received by IGN, the new Nintendo's handheld will even surpass the Wii in power.
The website reports:



How powerful is the 3DS?
Nintendo has not revealed any specs for the 3DS system, but expect it to well surpass the Nintendo DS in visual and processor capabilities. To provide stereoscopic 3D effects the system must have the ability to render each game field twice, one for each of the player's eyes, a technique that will require significant horsepower to produce.

Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that far exceed the Nintendo Wii and bring the device with abilities that are close to HD consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

According to several developer sources, the 3DS device is not using the NVIDIA Tegra mobile chipset, (http://www.nvidia.com/object/tegra_250.html) a rumor that's been floating around since 2009.





Sounds impressive, but as almost everything lately... we will have to wait until E3 to confirm this rumor.


http://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/80301/rumor-3ds-to-have-close-to-360-ps3-processing-power/

[ARingcade]

If this is true, it will be both amazing and bitter sweet.

[ShadiWulf]

Not hard to exceed Wii... LOL

but I doubt it's anywhere near 360 or PS3, power consumption and heat would be crazy bad

[Nuckles87]

Yeah, I don't see how it could be possible.

[Misfits Fiend]

Yeah. I don't believe it either. Considering that Xbox 360 was kind of new technology in 2004-2005, I think they could definitely make something that's maybe half as powerful as the 360 and PS3 that's the size of the original DS and have it run with decent battery life.

But I won't believe any of this until I see it.

[nkoulo]

you never know, cell phones get away with 1Ghz processors and have respectable battery life. If nintendo finds a processor that keeps cool and isn't too draining, they can probably do well with it. Plus the smaller screens will make the games look just as good even if it's slightly less powerful. . . it may also be in the sense that Wii is 50% more powerful than the gamecube, though most of it goes straight toward incorporating the motion controls.

[ShinobiShadowDancer]

its very possible, the current GPU in the Nokia N900 and 3GS is capible of Open GL 2.0 and by the time this 3DS comes out, it'll be over 2 years to the GPU in the N900. So I dont doubt it can get close to 360/PS3 GPU power or atleast Xbox x1.5

[Balobo]

It should come with oven mittens.

[Misfits Fiend]

So how much would this thing cost? Remember that Nintendo usually tries to be very cost efficient. They like to release hardware that they'll either take a minimal loss on for a short period of time or that they'll profit from on day one and that's also affordable for the consumer. Since this is a handheld system we're talking about, I can't see it go for much more than $180. I think $200 would be pushing it.

[Ghostal_Force]

Sounds too far fetched, but if true, then this is just revolutionary.

[ox12]

GBA = Super Nintendo+ , DS = PlayStation+

fixed ;)


It's possible it'll have good processing power, portable processors have gotten stronger and cheaper, but I doubt it'll be comparable to Xbox 360 and PS3. For one because it's suposedly displaying a lower res.

[TGT]

its very possible, the current GPU in the Nokia N900 and 3GS is capible of Open GL 2.0 and by the time this 3DS comes out, it'll be over 2 years to the GPU in the N900. So I dont doubt it can get close to 360/PS3 GPU power or atleast Xbox x1.5

Yeah, it's certainly possible. I don't think Nintendo would really do it though, considering the "we aren't concerned with graphics" mentality they've had. To give a handheld that kind of power would be a complete 180.

[ox12]

I don't think Nintendo would really do it though, considering the "we aren't concerned with graphics" mentality they've had.

The Wii and DS are the first (and last?) Nintendo consoles that aren't comparable to competing systems in terms of graphics ;)

edit: well, and Game Boy.

[0LunarShadow]

This sounds zetta weird. But if it is true, than damn! That's pretty bad@ss.

[MightytheArmadillo]

I don't see how its impossible, but I guess we'll have to wait till E3.

[ShadowLegend]

The 360 came out almost 5 years ago. It's certainly not impossible that a new handheld can be comparable in some ways.

I doubt it'll look better than the 360/PS3 graphics but I'm sure it'll be comparable in some ways.

[ShadiWulf]

If you want low battery life and a hot handheld, then sure.

Just because graphics will look similar to 360 doesn't mean it's the same power as 360.

[pirovash88]

Either way, if it looks half as good as a X360 game, dayyum..

[ShadowLegend]

Craig on the IGN podcast addresses this. He says he talked with developers who have unanimously told him that they're very impressed by the system's tech.

[SimoniS]

i believe it at the cost of it sell price is 1000 dollars

[ShadowLegend]

i believe it at the cost of it sell price is 1000 dollars


$1000 for 5-year old graphics tech? Eh....I don't think so.

[ShadiWulf]

$1000 for 5-year old graphics tech? Eh....I don't think so.
Stuff always costs more in smaller in handheld form

it would be 300 dollars at the lowest.

It's not possible =P unless Nintendo wants it to bomb

[ShinobiShadowDancer]

yes, cause phones these days with Open GL 2.0 features cost 1000 dollars SL lol, you can get one for as low as 300

[Misfits Fiend]

Craig on the IGN podcast addresses this. He says he talked with developers who have unanimously told him that they're very impressed by the system's tech.
That could mean a lot of things. It could mean the visuals are comparable to the best looking Xbox 1 games. Or it could mean it's much more powerful than that. Whatever they do, I don't think Nintendo would launch any handheld that has low batter life and that costs a lot more than what people would spend on a handheld system. They also wouldn't launch anything they were going to lose money on and if they did, it would be a minimal loss that would probably last 6 to 9 months, just like the GameCube.

[ShadowLegend]

That could mean a lot of things. It could mean the visuals are comparable to the best looking Xbox 1 games. Or it could mean it's much more powerful than that. Whatever they do, I don't think Nintendo would launch any handheld that has low batter life and that costs a lot more than what people would spend on a handheld system. They also wouldn't launch anything they were going to lose money on and if they did, it would be a minimal loss that would probably last 6 to 9 months, just like the GameCube.

Oh yeah man I'm definitely not implying that this thing will have 360 graphics. But the word going around is that this will apparently be a very impressive technical showcase.

[Starlight Rage Zone]

Why release a handheld more powerful then your current home console? Unless they plan to reveal a successor to the Wii.

The way I see it, it sort of defeats the purpose of the Wii once the 3DS is out and no word about a new console coming soon after....

[Misfits Fiend]

Oh yeah man I'm definitely not implying that this thing will have 360 graphics. But the word going around is that this will apparently be a very impressive technical showcase.
Who knows what they could pull off on a smaller screen. I could be totally wrong about this, but I think a small screen could hide graphical flaws that would be exposed on bigger screens. Also, maybe the 3DS has HD graphics?

[ShadowLegend]

Who knows what they could pull off on a smaller screen. I could be totally wrong about this, but I think a small screen could hide graphical flaws that would be exposed on bigger screens. Also, maybe the 3DS has HD graphics?

I would hope so.

Doesn't the Ipad/Iphone?

[ShadiWulf]

If the 3DS screen is the same size as the DS screens then it's just a waste of graphical power.

[Misfits Fiend]

I would hope so.

Doesn't the Ipad/Iphone?
I'm not sure. It probably does since I haven't heard any of the Apple haters complain that they don't.


If the 3DS screen is the same size as the DS screens then it's just a waste of graphical power.
The screens are most likely the same size as the DSi XL screens. In fact, the DSi XL was probably a marketing experiment just to see how people would react to a DS with a noticeably larger screen much like how the PSP Go was a marketing experiment to see how people would react to a fully digitized game system.