Nvidia confirms RTX Spark successors N2X and N3X — handheld gaming console on the table

Nvidia confirms RTX Spark successors N2X and N3X are in development, and says it would build a handheld gaming console if an OEM partner asks. Here's what's confirmed.

Nvidia has confirmed that two successors to its RTX Spark chip, N2X and N3X, are already in development, and that it would build a handheld gaming console around the platform if a hardware partner asked for one.

The details come from a Tom’s Guide interview with CEO Jensen Huang, published this week. The two chips are the next generations of the Arm-based platform that launched at Computex 2026 as RTX Spark, internally codenamed N1X. Nvidia offered no specifications, release windows or pricing for either chip — a statement of intent, not a product announcement.

“N2X and N3X are already planned,” Huang told Tom’s Guide. “We’re going to expand our family.”

The current chip, N1X, pairs up to 20 Arm CPU cores with a Blackwell GPU running around 6,144 CUDA cores and up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory. A smaller variant, N1, already ships in compact mini PCs. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra and several Asus machines run the platform.

Is an RTX handheld gaming console coming?

Huang was encouraging but uncommitted. “If somebody wants to do it, we’ll work with them on it,” he said — OEM appetite is the limiting factor, not engineering. Nvidia’s only handheld experience runs through Nintendo: the Tegra chips inside the Switch and Switch 2 are closed, first-party designs, not silicon sold to outside PC makers. A Windows-compatible Spark derivative would be a new category, and it would land in a busy one. Intel just unveiled its Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme handheld chips to challenge AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which powers most premium handhelds today.

The bigger obstacle is software. Kernel-level anti-cheat systems are built and certified for x86, and getting publishers to validate them on Arm is a publisher-by-publisher slog Nvidia does not control. Valve’s Steam Deck has spent years living with exactly this problem.

Huang’s framing suggests a slow-burn platform rather than annual refreshes. He compared the chip to R2-D2 — a small, always-on companion rather than a component inside a case — and said buyers will keep these systems “in their homes for 5 to 10 years,” like home theatre equipment.

FAQ

What are N2X and N3X? They are the two successor generations to Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip, confirmed in development but with no specifications, release dates or pricing announced.

Is Nvidia building a gaming handheld? Not itself. Jensen Huang said Nvidia would work with an OEM partner that wanted to build one, but has made no commitment to shipping a handheld.

What is RTX Spark? Nvidia’s first consumer Arm-based PC chip, pairing up to 20 Arm CPU cores with a Blackwell GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory, pitched as a local AI companion that also runs games.

What are N2X and N3X?

They are the two successor generations to Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip, confirmed in development but with no specifications, release dates or pricing announced.

Is Nvidia building a gaming handheld?

Not itself. Jensen Huang said Nvidia would work with an OEM partner that wanted to build one, but has made no commitment to shipping a handheld.

What is RTX Spark?

Nvidia’s first consumer Arm-based PC chip, pairing up to 20 Arm CPU cores with a Blackwell GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory, pitched as a local AI companion that also runs games.

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