It will be a sort of Wii / NES crossover gaming device

Dec 22, 2014 07:55 GMT  ·  By

Nintendo may have just been given enough of a reason to perform a radical course change in the not too distant future, due to the rather blatant success of high-quality video and computer games.

Unlike Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and PC games, the ones played on the Wii are intended to be more “fun” and family-friendly, as well as worth playing in multiplayer. They also put emphasis on a different type of control than the joysticks or mouse + keyboard.

However, the lack of advanced visuals seems to have begun to chafe on Nintendo game console lovers. As seen in the plummeting game console sales.

Because of this, Nintendo could be preparing to alter its current course by a significant degree, bringing it more in line with the principles that drove its NES line instead of the Wii.

Nintendo could ask AMD to make the chip for the console

Advanced Micro Devices has been having a merry time on the game console front. While Intel continues to dominate the high-end PC CPU market, AMD's chips power the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

That's because its accelerated processing units possess much more advanced graphics than Intel chips, advanced enough to match upper mainstream add-in graphics cards.

Also, AMD has taken to making custom APUs from its modular chip architecture called Jaguar. A smart way to render the central processing resources scalable and energy efficient.

Thus, the advanced-graphics consoles from Microsoft and Sony have done well during the past two years.

Meanwhile, Nintendo has focused on the family-friendly and fun Wii. Unfortunately, whether due to a paradigm shift in consumer interests or whatever else, this tactic isn't working well anymore.

The next Nintendo console could be a return to the NES

Nintendo NES probably summons a mental image of those old-school consoles with pixellated graphics and game cartridges. What bears mentioning, though, is that those things were quite advanced for their time.

With Wii and Wii U not showing the competitiveness desires, Nintendo has to directly challenge the Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox One.

The AMD chip could be an SoC combining x86 CPU cores with GCN GPU processors, or it could combine elements from other manufacturers with its GPU. In any case, AMD graphics are looking likely even if Nintendo sticks to IBM CPU cores.

Availability and pricing

If Nintendo really is planning a NES spiritual successor, we likely won't see it before 2015 or 2016.

AMD to power Nintendo game console (5 Images)

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