With the PS4 and Xbox One both coming up to their one-year anniversaries, you can bet that behind the scenes Sony and Microsoft are hard at work trying to save costs on the components inside. Components get combined, parts get smaller, and ultimately the console gets cheaper to manufacture.
In the case of the Xbox One, AMD’s Senior SOC Physical Design Manager has accidentally leaked an important piece of information: AMD has developed a cost-reduced 20nm version of the console’s APU. The existing model of the Xbox One ships with a 28nm APU at its heart, but moving to 20nm brings with it a number of advantages. A smaller APU is cheaper to manufacture, but it’s also more efficient meaning it requires less cooling. That in turn means Microsoft wins some space back inside the Xbox One case, can use a smaller, quieter fan, and makes a little more profit on each Xbox One sold.
The Xbox One is struggling to compete with the PS4 right now and Microsoft needs every advantage it can get to make the console stand out. One way it could do that is to introduce a slim version of the hardware earlier in the lifecycle. By switching to a 20nm APU that’s certainly possible, and possible next year if the revised APU is ready to go.
A slim Xbox One offers a big marketing opportunity for Microsoft, but also the chance to reduce the sale price further. The Xbox One is currently on offer until January at a $350 price point, but with a slim model that could become the new permanent price, or maybe it could be offered even cheaper than that? Initially a Slim machine may cost more due to retooling costs, but the reduced size means less materials, weight, and packaging so it’s worthwhile long term to do it.
One thing Microsoft must not do is compromise on build quality or noise levels in order to ship a smaller machine. However, managing to do so could offer a major boost to sales, especially if combined with a price cut.
We can’t forget about Sony in this equation, though. The PS4 also uses a 28nm APU, so we have to assume a 20nm version of that chip is also in the works. But Sony doesn’t have as much pressure on it right not to change things due to holding such a large sales lead over the competition. It can afford to wait and watch what Microsoft does then react.
Source: geek.com
Now You Know.
In the case of the Xbox One, AMD’s Senior SOC Physical Design Manager has accidentally leaked an important piece of information: AMD has developed a cost-reduced 20nm version of the console’s APU. The existing model of the Xbox One ships with a 28nm APU at its heart, but moving to 20nm brings with it a number of advantages. A smaller APU is cheaper to manufacture, but it’s also more efficient meaning it requires less cooling. That in turn means Microsoft wins some space back inside the Xbox One case, can use a smaller, quieter fan, and makes a little more profit on each Xbox One sold.
The Xbox One is struggling to compete with the PS4 right now and Microsoft needs every advantage it can get to make the console stand out. One way it could do that is to introduce a slim version of the hardware earlier in the lifecycle. By switching to a 20nm APU that’s certainly possible, and possible next year if the revised APU is ready to go.
A slim Xbox One offers a big marketing opportunity for Microsoft, but also the chance to reduce the sale price further. The Xbox One is currently on offer until January at a $350 price point, but with a slim model that could become the new permanent price, or maybe it could be offered even cheaper than that? Initially a Slim machine may cost more due to retooling costs, but the reduced size means less materials, weight, and packaging so it’s worthwhile long term to do it.
One thing Microsoft must not do is compromise on build quality or noise levels in order to ship a smaller machine. However, managing to do so could offer a major boost to sales, especially if combined with a price cut.
We can’t forget about Sony in this equation, though. The PS4 also uses a 28nm APU, so we have to assume a 20nm version of that chip is also in the works. But Sony doesn’t have as much pressure on it right not to change things due to holding such a large sales lead over the competition. It can afford to wait and watch what Microsoft does then react.
Source: geek.com
Now You Know.
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