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Nvidia Chip Delivering 3-D iPod Graphics?

This is one of the strangest things to trickle down the wire in some time. According to the EE Times, Nvidia has won the privilege of providing the processor for the next-generation iPod, beating out Broadcom. "Based on our analysis, we believe Nvidia is designed into the next-generation vPod socket at the expense of Broadcom," […]

This is one of the strangest things to trickle down the wire in some time. According to the EE Times, Nvidia has won the privilege of providing the processor for the next-generation iPod, beating out Broadcom.

"Based on our analysis, we believe Nvidia is designed into the next-generation vPod socket at the expense of Broadcom," said Satya Chillara, an analyst with American Technology Research Inc. (Greenwich, Conn.), in a new report.

"We believe the Nvidia chip adds 3D graphics functionality in addition to all of the existing features (such as H.264) that Broadcom supported with the existing vPod," he said.

If true, this absolutely lends credence to the speculation that Apple was looking to position the iPod as a serious portable gaming platform. They better have an alternate means of data entry if so, though. Scroll wheel control isn't very precise even for Breakout.

(Via digg.)