There’s no doubt that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs, but thanks to Nvidia, it looks like the opposite may be the case.

According to a new report by Wccftech, Nvidia is working with its partners to create a new ecosystem for gaming on small form factor (SFF) PCs. When it comes to Nvidia, many of us think of some of the best graphics cards as being both powerful and massive, like the RTX 4090. However, Nvidia plans to upend that narrative and take aim at an unexpected target.

With Microsoft said to be trying to open up the Xbox to PC-only gaming stores and Sony working on the PlayStation 5 Pro, Nvidia may be poised to start a real war between PC and console gaming.

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A new standard

Nvidia’s initiative appears to be more than just a big picture that will unite the companies in making mini PCs easier to understand. Mini PCs are nothing new and already have their share of fans, but unless you buy a pre-built one like the NUC, you’ll have a harder time finding components that work well together than if you were building a series-latest gaming PC. With all the parts in such tight quarters, you have to make extra sure that everything fits, and high-end builds become much more difficult to achieve.

That’s where Nvidia comes in. Wccftech reports that Nvidia is working with its partners, which include graphics card manufacturers, but also manufacturers responsible for the construction and design of computer cases, power supplies and more.

The goal is to set some guidelines for builders and create a list of parts that are suitable for SFF builds to make the task of building one a lot less daunting. Nvidia also reportedly plans to create a standard for GPU and chassis manufacturers to adhere to, including dimensions and openings for proper fit and airflow.

However, Nvidia’s involvement doesn’t stop there. It doesn’t plan to make its own small form factor Founders Edition graphics cards. However, it’s encouraging its partners to build their own GPUs that will fit into these tiny chassis and thus get the “SFF Enthusiast GeForce” label. This label is to be applied to both existing SFF GPUs and models that will be manufactured in the future as a result of this initiative. Some of Nvidia’s GPUs are truly massive, so it’s easy to imagine that the first to adapt to this task will be the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti. Over time, we may see more GPUs appear that fall into this category, such as the RTX 4070 and above.

It is difficult to assess the impact of Nvidia’s initiative, as many details are still unknown. However, if SFF PCs became easier to build and a bit more capable, console gamers would have a serious alternative – and in many ways, a better one. A mini PC that could run AAA games in seamless 4K resolution, but could also be used for work and all sorts of other tasks, would finally bridge the gap between desktop gamers and console gamers — but Nvidia isn’t the alone trying to do this.

Building bridges

A new report from The lip speaks to the future of the Xbox, and it’s clear that Microsoft is well aware of the downsides of using a console compared to owning a desktop. One such drawback is that you are limited to Xbox titles, whereas a PC can access many different game stores, be it the Epic Store or Steam.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said that the company is considering addressing this by opening up the Xbox platform to some of its rivals, such as the aforementioned Epic Games Store. This is due to more than just giving game developers the green light. the console should be prepared to run PC games in the first place. Microsoft is also said to be trying to improve backwards compatibility for the Xbox, which is another field that is usually dominated by a PC.

Sony is tight-lipped about its future plans, but development of the PlayStation 5 Pro is said to be off to a good start, with better graphics and performance. Unlike Microsoft, Sony may not introduce major changes this time around, but it’s too early to tell.

If Nvidia is trying to break into the world of mini PCs, it will be entering a market that is saturated and controlled by two other giants. However, the benefits of a versatile yet efficient mini PC could far exceed anything a console can currently offer. Unfortunately, there’s always likely to be a downside – an SFF PC enthusiast, while more versatile, can cost a lot more than a console.

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