Source: NX "Is Definitely Not Aiming To Compete With PS4 On Horsepower"

[JEMC]

bonzobanana said:
My belief at this point is its an AMD apu design and while the console itself will be capable of running the same games as ps4 and xbone easily I think it will do so with a lower spec gpu. End result is a console that can deliver fantastic cartoon graphics, competitive performance for multi-format games but using a low cost APU with perhaps 4 decent performance x86 cores (zen architecture perhaps) but with a gpu around 1 terraflop which will be the max level of their integrated radeon graphics for the new generation.

I believe the optical drive will be top loading for cost reduction and the controller will have a small touch screen in order to faciltate wii u backwards compatibility.

The handheld will be x86 based too using radeon graphics but at a lower performance level than the home console perhaps less than a third of the raw performance. Perhaps 4 low power cpu cores and a radeon gpu around 200-300 gflops. This will likely be the first 64bit handheld. It will run the same games as the NX console but with a simplified game engine and lower resolution graphics. All NX games will be jointly developed for both consoles with a single retail or digital purchase price to run the game on both systems.

Pairing of the consoles is exhaustive. Lots of benefits to owning both consoles in addition to dual access to games. Any game can be played from beginning to end either on home console or handheld at any stage. I.e. you start the game on the home console then you could play a couple hours on handheld etc.

I think the NX will easily beat the ps4 and xbone in cpu performance because that is something cheap to do but I don't think it will match ps4 graphics and likely won't match xbone graphics either but not sure about this.

That's my guess for the new console based on it likely being based on a new AMD architecture as already hinted by AMD and my hope that it won't be arm based which isn't up to speed yet in matching xbone or ps4 but more importantly I want NX games similar to ps4/xbone/pc performance not crappy android ports.

But, and that's my biggest doubt with all the theories of a handheld and a home console sharing the same hardware design, wouldn't an x86 based handheld be too power hungry? Because the autonomy of the 3DS is rather low despite using an ARM chip, and ARM has quite a big advantage over AMD in power efficiency.

And that makes me wonder: could an x86 processor emulate an ARM one?

Because if it can, it would make more sense for Nintendo to launch the handheld version of NX with an ARM based APU and use an x86 APU for the home console. That way, you are offering the publishers 3 options: 1-Develop their games for both platforms. Of course, that would mean developing for an ARM CPU, but the home console could run the game at a higher resolution and maybe even higher graphics quality thanks to its more powerful GPU; 2-Develop only for the handheld. It would limit the market without a good reason except for the development being maybe cheaper and shorter or because they want to take advantage of the "gimmick" it will have (like the dual screens, 3D display or whatever Nintendo comes up with next); and 3-Develop only for the home console. That will allow developers to make use of the full potential of the hardware (whatever it is) as well as also use whatever new trick Nintendo has decided to use.

I think that going this way, Nintendo would cover most of their bases without incurring in too many extra costs and without upsetting any of its customers. But of course, that's only if an x86 processor can emulate an ARM one.