Did NVIDIA Steal Apple's Retina Display?

When NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) announced its first game system this morning, most consumers and investors were focused on the company's plans. Is this smart, foolish or merely a weak attempt at raising the firm's value?NVIDIA shares closed down roughly three percent today. The stock declined by more than 12 percent in 2012. Over the last two years NVIDIA has lost nearly 34 percent of its value. There is little hope that a game system could change that.Nonetheless, NVIDIA is moving ahead with this unusual concept.Now that the dust has begun to settle, investors might want to take a closer look at the official announcement. The press release is filled with quotes, testimonials and the usual dose of self-praise.In addition to those elements (and other hyping points), NVIDIA makes an interesting claim. It says that the device has a "Retinal Gaming Display."That's right -- a Retinal display."Brilliant gameplay and video are provided by Project SHIELD's integrated 5-inch, 1280x720 HD retinal multitouch display, with 294 dpi," NVIDIA claims. "Plus, Tegra 4 with Direct Touch technology gives it touch responsiveness that is a more consistent, accurate and smooth-flowing touch input experience than a standard touch device."As impressive as the display may be, it sounds suspiciously similar to the marketing gimmick Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has applied to its high-resolution monitors. Those are called Retina Displays. Their inclusion comes with a hefty price tag that helped raise the MacBook Pro's MSRP by several hundred dollars. If the Retinal Displays are successful, who knows -- NVIDIA might be tempted to raise the price of its products as well. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ