Nintendo has been very tight-lipped about the IBM “Broadway” CPU and ATI “Hollywood” GPU chips set to power the Revolution but earlier today, IGN released a tasty morsel that lets in on the details. The CPU clocks in at 729 MHz, roughly 50% faster than the GameCube, but nowhere near the 3.2 GHz, triple-core Xbox 360. This is all well and good, and exactly in line with Nintendo’s assertion that they’re simply not competing for horsepower anymore, instead focusing on innovative gameplay and peripherals. Meanwhile, the “Hollywood” GPU will clock in at 243 MHz. These numbers are from sources with access to development kits, so take them for what they’re worth, but I wouldn’t expect much of an increase at launch time. System memory will come in at about 88 MBs, with (apparently) an addition 512 MB of internal flash memory for storing data and downloaded games.

Perhaps most promising is the Revolution’s announced expandability with regular ol’ SD cards, and even more exciting, USB-based storage devices. Quoting the Game Over article we mentioned earlier, “Most importantly, Iwata mentioned, were the USB ports that are built into the Revolution ‘so practically any storage method can be used’.” Perhaps any USB-based external hard drive? We’ll see.

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