NVIDIA is working with the PC industry to create a new SFF gaming PC ecosystem that will be powered by “SFF Enthusiast GeForce” GPUs, which makes me think… could this be a huge test for a GeForce-powered console?
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The new SFF Enthusiast GeForce GPU isn’t going to be a new release, nor will it be some next-gen Blackwell-based Mini-ITX graphics card. What NVIDIA is doing here is working with AIB partners to get tiny GeForce RTX series GPUs, like the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4060, into Mini-ITX systems… but what about monster GPUs?
NVIDIA’s higher-end GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER and flagship RTX 4090 graphics cards will need a much bigger case, more cooling, and a beefier PSU. There are particular SFF cases on the market that are capable of housing a triple-slot, huge graphics card, but with NVIDIA putting its foot into the SFF ecosystem this hard, we will see future chassis designs with NVIDIA’s new SFF guidelines in place.
Getting motherboard makers, PSU makers, cooling companies and AIB partners into the mix is gearing up the supply chain for something that doesn’t feel like — just — a bigger push into SFF gaming systems. It makes sense that NVIDIA could eventually release a console, where it could utterly dominate Microsoft and Sony at their duopoly of physical consoles (not including the Nintendo Switch here).
3“Enthusiasts around the world are choosing Small Form Factor chassis for their dream rigs. However, when building around modern enthusiast GPUs, finding the best components for a SFF (Small Form Factor) build can be challenging. NVIDIA has developed form factor guidelines to help Gamers pick the best GeForce RTX GPU and components for their SFF build. These guidelines provide dimensions and clearances between enthusiast graphics cards and SFF chassis, creating a standard for AIC and chassis manufacturers to help make building SFF Gaming PCs a great experience“.
This is just speculation right now, but if this were how it plays out… these are the first steps that NVIDIA would make to create an ecosystem ready to build next-gen SFF gaming PCs that could eventually be next-gen Blackwell-based consoles that could compete with the PlayStation 6, PlayStation 5 Pro, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S consoles already on the market, and some — the PS5 Pro and PS6 — in the future.
I wrote a rather popular April Fool’s Day joke (sorry, not sorry) in which I used my enthusiasm for how NVIDIA buys the Xbox brand from Microsoft. NVIDIA could shake up the console business by buying the Xbox brand from Microsoft. A standalone console from NVIDIA would be a BEAST, and I’d truly love to see it happen.