Nvidia Ion - first test

Actual products have yet to be officially announced, but the platform has already gained Microsoft WHQL certification, and retail hardware is expected to appear by this summer with a starting price of $299 - that's around £210, before VAT and the inevitable European price hike.

How these systems will fare remains to be seen, however. Intel itself has already announced an upgraded GPU for forthcoming Atom systems, dubbed the GN40, which it promises will, like the Ion, support smooth 720p video - at a lower cost and with lower power consumption than Nvidia's platform. If Ion systems don't appear until summer, Intel may steal their thunder.

But however the battle plays out, the real winner will be the customer. With the advent of full-screen video, cheap netbooks and compact PCs, whether Intel or Nvidia-branded, are taking a big step closer to equalling the versatility of a full-power desktop.

Author: Darien Graham-Smith