IGN have a ninja spy who has, “under the condition of anonymity,†revealed the technical specifications of Nintendo’s upcoming wonder-handheld, the 3DS.
It’s unsurprisingly quite a bit beefier than the current DS . Hit the jump to find out what sort of electronic innards will be powering the diminutive 3D marvel.
The 3DS is going to be powered by a set of ARM11 processors clocked at 266MHz, coupled with a DMP-supplied GPU running at 133MHz that’ll allow the device to deliver graphics almost on par with current consoles – only shrunk down to tiny screens and at a lower resolution. The numbers may seem small, but compared to the 67 MHz and 33 MHz processors that run on the original DS, it’s a gargantuan step up. There’s also 64Mb RAM compared to the DS’s paltry 4MB; and a further 4Mb of dedicated VRAM.
Storage capacity has also been suitable increased from 256 MB carts, to 1.5GB – so expect more voice, more cutscenes, better textures and a whole lot more content.
Here’s the breakdown :
CPU: 2 x 266MHz ARM11
GPU: PICA200 133MHz GPU by DMP
RAM: 64MB
Video RAM: 4MB
Storage: 1.5GB Flash-based
These specifications haven’t been confirmed by Nintendo, but they seem pretty accurate. And terribly exciting. If you’ll recall, pretty much everyone who went to E3 this year- including our own Gavin and Nick – walked away enamoured with the device.
Source : IGN
Last Updated: September 22, 2010
Fox1
September 22, 2010 at 15:01
Weak specs. Not very inspiring considering what the Apple devices are packing.
Sir James vannie Kaap
September 22, 2010 at 15:07
Fox are you comparing it to an Ipad? Because that wouldn’t be fair given that the Ipad is pretty much a functional computer. For a handheld, the DS3D’s specs are incredible for what it can do.
Fred
September 22, 2010 at 15:10
Higher specs = Higher price = No mass market adoption
I think Nintendo know how to play the game.
Nick de Bruyne
September 22, 2010 at 15:15
@Fox1 – Trust me, I have played with the thing myself, it’s pretty damn potent for a handheld, especially a Nintendo one.
Fox1
September 22, 2010 at 15:24
The reason I’m comparing it to the iPad is because it’s the hardware goodies same found in the iPod Touch. After seeing the capabilities of running the Unreal 3 Engine on the iPad/iPod Touch, that blows away 3D.
Nick de Bruyne
September 22, 2010 at 15:25
Yeah but the iPhone 4 packs the same processor as the iPad and it is really potent, however as Fred says below – the DS will cost a heck of a lot less than an iPhone 4
Fox1
September 22, 2010 at 15:25
EDIT- The reason I’m comparing it to the iPad is because it’s the same hardware goodies found in the iPod Touch. After seeing the capabilities of running the Unreal 3 Engine on the iPad/iPod Touch, that blows away 3D. Have you people also saw Rage running blistering smooth at 30fps on the iPhone/iPod Touch?
Geoffrey Tim
September 22, 2010 at 15:31
Yeah, Epic citadel is no doubt impressive – but also remember that the ipad/iphone/ipod has to run an Os as well, and that the 3ds has something necessary for a proper gaming experience: buttons.
All considered, the 3ds is mighty impressive.
Fox1
September 22, 2010 at 15:37
Time will tell. I still think some Tegra tech will be found in the 3DS after DMP and Nvidia launched a partnership.
Karl Thomson
September 22, 2010 at 15:51
Remember, everything Nintendo makes isn’t uber powerful, but it is cheap to produce. Gameboy was powered by a hamster in a wheel, and looks at the crazy awesome shit that came from it.
Karl Thomson
September 22, 2010 at 15:55
Similarly to how a console can have lower specs than a PC yet produce prettier games.
DKT
September 23, 2010 at 06:39
Nintendo said the 3DS will need extra juice to run 3d,so the specs are needed.but these specs are lower than the PSP? runs 333mhz. A ps2 run 297mhz. Psp 64mb ram. Ps2 32mb ram.Im expecting psp like graphics,but in 3d
DKT
September 23, 2010 at 06:44
also,the two cpu’s,work independantly.each section on the DS,1 for the top screen,1 for the touchscreen. The GPU runs with both.Even though its being fed to a lower res screen,it wont have 360/ps3 gfx levels of visuals.The PSP has better specs than PS2.yet,the closest similar games between them is GT4 and GTPSP.and theres vast differences.fewer cars on tracks etc.despite,the psp technically having better specs