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Forums - Nintendo - Will NX be based on a Zen+Polaris APU?

Soundwave on 12 May 2016

If Nintendo was smart ...

Main NX - Based on a *custom* 14nm Polaris 11 (laptop centric GPU), is semi-mobile console (your PS4/XB1 can't do that, new console concept) with new type of controller. $299.99. Comes with free Amiibo + Amiibo starter game for the kiddies. Runs games at 720p mainly, some 1080p games, XB1-ish fidelity. This is the main version of the NX and maybe the only one sold in Japan for a while.

Stationary NX - Speciality SKU, based on *custom* 14nm Polaris 10 (desktop GPU), 4+ TFLOP horsepower, runs the same Nintendo games as mobile NX but at 1080P-4K resolution. This is not for everyone more for hardcore Western players. Limited quantities at first. $399.99.

And then later

Pocket NX - 2018 release, 10nm version of the custom Polaris 11 chip, super-low power draw, $229.99 MSRP. Runs games at 540p resolution.

No they probably wouldn't beat Sony or anything like that, but they'd do OK I think (30 million-ish between the two console SKUs, maybe even 40 mill if they really get their shit together, 50-60 mill for the Pocket NX).



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Miyamotoo on 12 May 2016

There are good chance that NX instead AMD x86 will have ARM, so we could have ARM A72 + Polaris APU.



Soundwave on 12 May 2016

What are the power savings between the lowest comparable ARM core vs. an x86 core?



Miyamotoo on 12 May 2016
spemanig said:
onionberry said:

Emily rogers said that the console is not going to be more  powerful than the ps4 based  on the specs that she supposedly has, those specs are not more powerful than a ps4 if you use those numbers on a current gpu. polaris, could be more powerfull than a current gpu even if the gpu has a lower clock speed and less power comsuption.

 

PS, I don't think that she has that kind of info.

She literally just tweeted out that the stupidest rumor she's heard about the NX was the polaris one, citing her NX sources as the reason.

Of course she does. Either that, or she's lying, and she's been right enough times about enough very specific things for it to be clear that she has no reason to.

Actually she said that those rumour isnt true mostly because rumoured referred that NX will powerful almost like PS4 Neo. That doesn't mean that NX will not use Polaris.



Soundwave on 12 May 2016

Obviously too when people are saying Polaris, they don't literally mean Nintendo is going to take a Polaris GPU and slap it into a box and call it a day, it would naturally be heavily customized of course.



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Miyamotoo on 12 May 2016
shikamaru317 said:

I'm almost 100% certain it'll use a custom Polaris 11/Zen based APU. We pretty much know they're using AMD tech because of what AMD has said about their "design wins" and Nintendo would be dumb to release with outdated AMD tech when they're going up against PS4 and PS4K Neo. Only way it doesn't use Polaris/Zen is if Nintendo decided to go with ARM for unified console/handheld reasons, but honestly if they went with ARM the console is going to be quite weak, likely weaker than PS4, let alone PS4K Neo, possibly even weaker than XB1, which would not be a good position to be in if they want ports of current gen 3rd party games. 

ARM A72 is noticeable stronger than XB1/PS4 CPU, even ARM A57 could be stronger.



Airaku on 12 May 2016
CosmicSex said:
                                        
  
  The Nx will not be more powerful than the PS4 but neither is the Xbox One and it gets plenty of 3rd party support. 
  
 

So essentially a Wii U then? A shitty ass console that's outdated if the Neo-PS4 is real and the 40/60 possibility of a mid-cycle Xbox One. Coming out 3 and a half years later.

bigtakilla said:
                                         

I predicted a 2017 release. She couldn't even predict that, lol.

Exactly, she'll probably try and claim that it was a last minute call on Nintendo's part. Which would be incredibly unlikely. There' just seems to be too many hardcore fans of her.




Soundwave on 12 May 2016
Miyamotoo said:
shikamaru317 said:

I'm almost 100% certain it'll use a custom Polaris 11/Zen based APU. We pretty much know they're using AMD tech because of what AMD has said about their "design wins" and Nintendo would be dumb to release with outdated AMD tech when they're going up against PS4 and PS4K Neo. Only way it doesn't use Polaris/Zen is if Nintendo decided to go with ARM for unified console/handheld reasons, but honestly if they went with ARM the console is going to be quite weak, likely weaker than PS4, let alone PS4K Neo, possibly even weaker than XB1, which would not be a good position to be in if they want ports of current gen 3rd party games. 

ARM A72 is noticeable stronger than XB1/PS4 CPU, even ARM A57 could be stronger.

What's the benefit to ARM though? If AMD can provide an x86 core that's low power draw, I think Nintendo might opt for that instead.



fatslob-:O on 12 May 2016
Soundwave said:

What's the benefit to ARM though? If AMD can provide an x86 core that's low power draw, I think Nintendo might opt for that instead.

x86 is hardly usable in ultra mobile devices like phones, you ask Intel about their experiences in dethroning ARM thus far ... 



Miyamotoo on 12 May 2016
Soundwave said:
Miyamotoo said:

ARM A72 is noticeable stronger than XB1/PS4 CPU, even ARM A57 could be stronger.

What's the benefit to ARM though? If AMD can provide an x86 core that's low power draw, I think Nintendo might opt for that instead.

Lower price, lower consumption, of Nintendo go with unified platform they can put also ARM in handheld too.