Now that the Zune HD has been officially announced and a variety of retailers are already taking pre-orders for it with delivery on September 15th, we have to wonder if Microsoft might have just the ticket to take a bite out of Apple’s iPod Touch and Classic sales.

Powered as we now know by the Nvidia Tegra technology, the Zune HD will, in fact, be the most advanced portable to have been released so far in such a small form factor. With the 3.3-inch sizzling OLED screen and the HDMI docking station, as well as the HD radio built-in to the device, the 480x272 16:9 formatted screen could be a hit with those looking to take their movies mobile.

What might be more interesting, however, is the actual raw power that the Tegra offers in the Zune that currently is unmatched by Apple. The big thing, however, might actually be in the power that Tegra offers developers who wish to create applications for the platform. The 3D graphic-enabled chip lies dormant, so as not to suck the battery life out of the device when not being used, but when unleashed it could offer a very compelling performance.

While Microsoft will be the first out of the gate with a device using the Tegra technology, according to our sources it will not be the last. Over fifty prototype devices are in design labs all over the place, with companies evaluating the technology for a variety of uses and devices.

The Zune HD will go for $290 U.S. in the 32GB model and $220 U.S. for the 16GB model. Right now you can pre-order it from Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon, or Microsoft itself, if you like. From whispers that we hear, a variety of accessories are already in the pipeline for the Zune HD and sales are expected to be brisk this holiday season; but that still remains to be seen. The screen, in our opinion, is the key and it will have to look darned good and the battery life to be on target for the device to be successful. However, we do think Microsoft may have gotten it right this time around. If it does turn out to be highly successful, Microsoft will have Nvidia to thank for it, as Tegra could be the technology that saved Zune.