Last week brought speculation that Nvidia may reveal a new Tegra 3 chip next month at Mobile World Congress. The news was based on an interview with Nvidia's Mike Rayfield who said he wanted to launch a new version of Tegra each year. Given that Tegra 2 was unveiled at CES 2010 last January, February 2011 and the Mobile World Congress event seemed to fit just right within Rayfield's overall plan.
However a new Tegra 3 chip is not the only Tegra processor in the works for 2011. If a supposed leaked Mobile World Congress slide holds any truth, then Nvidia will be revealing a 3D version of its current Tegra 2 chip. The processor will be based on a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 overclocked up to 1.2 GHz (5520 MIPS) and will enter production sometime in Q1 2011.
According to TechEye, Nvidia's 3D processor may be used in mobile devices with 3D screens using cell parallax technology. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS which uses a parallax barrier to create the 3D effect, cell parallax uses individual cells to generate 3D visuals.
Nvidia's former VP of Telco Relations Roy Taylor indicated that his new company Master Image has received interest from OEMs in regards to its TN-LCD display using cell parallax technology. Currently Master Image is collaborating with two partner companies to produce a platform that offers the new parallax screen combined with a motion sensor.
PC Magazine adds additional information to the Tegra 2 3D report, claiming that two editions of the processor are in the works: an AP25 version built for mobile phones and a T25 model for tablets. As seen in the slide (right), both are expected to arrive in products this spring-- one of which is reportedly LG's G-Slate tablet. The inclusion of Nvidia's 3D processor would seemingly confirm previous rumors that the tablet may sport a two-camera setup for recording stereoscopic images and video.
"A spokesman for LG France indicated earlier that the G-Slate was expected to have a glasses-free, three-dimensional display," the site reports. "Given that the G-Slate is expected to premiere right around the same time as demos (if not the outright launch) of Tegra 2 3D—and that the G-Slate has been widely expected to use a Tegra 2 chip up until this point—it stands to reason that the tablet could indeed be the first out the gate with Nvidia's new chip."
Despite surfacing news of the Tegra 2 3D processor appearing next month during the Mobile World Congress show, the slide reveals that Tegra 3 will make its debut as well. According to the brief list of specs, the Cortex-A9 processor--geared for tablets--will be quad-core and clocked up to 1.5 GHz (13800 MIPS). Other features include 3x faster graphics, ULP CPU mode (ultra-low power), support for Blu-ray video and a 1920 x 1200 display resolution.
Another version of the Tegra 3 will be the dual and quad-core AP30 for mobile phones offering a 1366 x 768 display-- a specific clock speed was not provided. Both samples have already left the building with a final release expected to hit products this fall.
