Now Nvidia won’t be powering Nintendo’s 3DS handheld?

Digital Foundry is reporting that, contrary to much speculation, NVIDIA will not be supplying Nintendo with graphics processors for the 3DS. According to the blog’s two unnamed, unconnected sources, Big N’s next portable, “features a design totally divorced from the NVIDIA Tegra.” Current speculation is that Nintendo has chosen a Japanese partner to work with on the 3DS’ GPU.

The story is corroborated by IGN, who claims to have come by the information from, “several developer sources,” which is no more or less helpful in confirming this development.

I don’t know how significant this information really is, though. Sure, NVIDIA is known for making great graphics adapters but they aren’t alone in the field or anything. And I’m not certain that I care all that much. I suppose I’d be more interested in who was manufacturing what parts of my hardware if I had any say in the matter but it’s not as if I can be “for” or “against” a company that only makes a component of the greater whole. Unless they’re murdering newborn babes and using the innocent souls to power the chips, it’s somewhat hard to feel anything beyond ambivalence.

Does this sort of thing matter to you at all?

NVIDIA unconnected with 3DS [Digital Foundry via GamesIndustry]