Cell processor to power Wii 2?

Electronics giant IBM has confirmed that it intends to remain at the heart of future console development – while at the same time confirming that the Cell processor remains at the forefront of its planning.

IBM currently provides the processors powering consoles such as the Xbox 360 and Wii. It’s also now the sole driving force behind the infamous Cell processor that it co-developed with Sony and lies at the heart of the PS3.

We want to stay in the [console] business, we intend to stay in the business,” IBM’s systems and technology group CTO Jai Menon stated, according to PCWorld.

I think you’ll see [Cell] integrated into our future Power road map. That’s the way to think about it as opposed to a separate line – it’ll just get integrated into the next line of things that we do. We’re working with all of the game folks to provide our capabilities into those next-generation machines.”

However, Menon also reaffirmed his commitment to its Power series of processors, which the exec asserts will in future be able to do the kinds of things you used to be able to do with the Cell”.

In reality, it would not make a fundamental difference what chips lay at the heart of Nintendo’s next machine, but certainly use of the Cell would be a fascinating development.