Rumor: Nintendo 3DS to Pack Two ARM CPUs

By Jane McEntegart
published

Two processors in the Nintendo 3DS? That's what IGN's sources are saying.

We still don't know when the Nintendo 3DS is going to be available to buy in stores, so it's hardly surprising that Nintendo hasn't dished the full scoop on what makes its latest handheld console tick. However, though we may have to wait for an official announcement from Nintendo or an iFixit tear down to get all the dirty details, the latest rumors do provide us with some possibilities to mull over.

IGN cites people familiar with the matter that say the device will pack not one but two 266MHz ARM11 CPUs. Aside from a one-two punch in processing power, the sources say that the 3D handheld will boast a 133MHz GPU, 4MBs of dedicated VRAM, 64MBs of RAM, and 1.5GB of flash storage.

Nintendo has yet to comment on the specs revealed by IGN's sources, which were speaking on condition of anonymity. Though the company has a 3DS event planned for next week, we're not holding our collective breath for specs as Nintendo is said to only be announcing the release date on September 29. Still, don't let us stop you from being all glass-half-full about it! We'll keep you posted.

Source: IGN

Jane McEntegart
58 Comments Comment from the forums
  • godnodog
    Is it me or this is a week machine even for today´s available technology?
    Reply
  • Wow! If those specs are real, then the rumors will end up being truthful lolz!
    Reply
  • tipoo
    Those specs are very disappointing, I was thinking it would be a Tegra 2 with its dual Cortex A9 goodness. Not saying its a better gaming platform, but the iPod Touch already blows these specs out of the water. Heck, even the last generation one did, as did the Zune HD as well as just about every smartphone released in the last 2 years.

    I know bottom of the barrel specs haven't hurt Nintendo sales with the Wii or DS, but this is still disappointing.


    Yo Sony, go with the Tegra 2 and 512mb RAM for the next PSP!
    Reply
  • joytech22
    To be honest, if those spec's are right, i thought a 3D console would still pack more punch with it's hardware..

    I was expecting something similar in speed to snapdragon and a GPU as powerful as Tegra at the least?
    Reply
  • sabot00
    They will need some serious power to make good use of 3D tech, this has potential to SHRED the PSP and iPod touch, but at those specs it's not powerful enough to.
    Something like a PowerVR SGX 530 (540 would be better) would be good for the GPU, maybe even talk to AMD and use a APU or Tegra 2, but either way, you want serious power to drive 3D.
    Reply
  • slabbo
    sorry but this doesn't really mean much to me, cause I don't know how fast these chips are. benchmarks like we have with AMD and Nvidia would be helpful.
    Reply
  • darkchazz
    The aging PSP still has better specs than those except for the VRAM which is only 2mb on psp.

    But since when did Nintendo care about graphics anyway.
    Reply
  • tipoo
    joytech22To be honest, if those spec's are right, i thought a 3D console would still pack more punch with it's hardware..I was expecting something similar in speed to snapdragon and a GPU as powerful as Tegra at the least?

    Snapdragon and Tegra are both SoC's that include both a processor and a GPU.
    Reply
  • miloo
    probably cant even play a 1080p movie ~
    hopefully Sony will pack with a tegra 2 or 3 in next gen psp ~
    Reply
  • jshcastle
    its all about price. for both the consumer and for nintendo. yeah, sure the newer itouch/iphones, zune hd, and otherwise are faster, however look at cost. modern smartphones may be faster, but tend to be heavily subsidized by carriers or tend to cost 400-500$. the ds line runs much less than that. ill also throw out an assumption here and say that a good part of the final price for the 3ds will be the top screen. if they had decided not to go with a glasses free 3d screen, i guarantee the specs might be a bit more meaty.
    Reply