The most surprising leap may be in graphics: while we knew the GPU core would be much faster, we're now seeing that the new Intel hardware can output to as much as a 2, 560 x 1, 600 display and record stereoscopic, 1080p 3D video in the event that 3D-capable tablets come back into vogue.

ENGADGET: Intel roadmap leak outlines Bay Trail-based Atom for tablets in detail: 3D cameras, half the energy draw

At the core of Project SHIELD is the world's fastest mobile processor, the new NVIDIA Tegra 4, which delivers enormous power from its custom 72-core GeForce GPU and the first quad-core application of ARM's most advanced CPU core, the Cortex-A15.

ENGADGET: NVIDIA unveils Project Shield, a Tegra 4-powered Android gaming handheld

The latest report on the next PlayStation console (courtesy of Kotaku), allegedly codenamed " Orbis, " puts AMD at the heart of both CPU and GPU: an eight core AMD64 CPU and an AMD R10XX GPU are said to drive the system.

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