BBC fuelled rumours of NVIDIA’s next big thing yesterday with news that the graphics company is working on a new gadget that plays both Android and PC games.

It’s apparently an Android device that uses NVIDIA’s powerful Tegra K1 chip to play games from the Google Play Store at high frame rates, but it also allows for the streaming of PC games to a TV via an HDMI output using NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience software.

The BBC said that they’ve learned the unnamed gadget will also have an affordable – and separate – controller accessory that will allow gamers to game without holding the actual device in their hands, potentially turning it into a games console suited to living room use.

The whole thing is remarkably similar in concept to NVIDIA’s Shield, a handheld gaming console that streams PC games across your home network and also plays Android games; analysts spoken to by the BBC said the Shield on its own hasn’t sold very well, however.

The BBC isn’t sure whether the new gaming machine will require a high-end NVIDIA graphics card to be present in the PC being streamed from, as is the case with the Shield. Should that be so, analysts believe it may limit the market for the new machine somewhat.

There have been no official statements from NVIDIA about the project so far, but Shacknews says the company is expected to launch an “awesome new gaming product” soon, so news on this new gadget may shortly be forthcoming.

[Source – BBC News, Shacknews, Image – NVIDIA.com]