DF: In Theory: Could Sony produce a PS4 Switch-style console hybrid?

[KBG29]

potato_hamster said:

 

KBG29 said:

That is what I see looking off into the Road maps, and what technologies will be available by the end of 2019. Will Sony or Microsoft take a stab at it? Probably not, but I really hope they do. I think the market would go absolutely crazy at the idea of having Call of Duty, Battlefield, Grand Theft Auto, Assasin's Creed, Gran Turismo, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Halo, Gears, and Fozra/Horion all available on the go, with no compromise. But, that's just my thought's. At any rate, I look forward to what 7nm fabrication brings us, and where things go with Sony and Microsoft, whether it is Home, Mobile, both, or otherwise. It's all about gaming first hardware, and that is what I love.

  



Aside from you obvious lack of understanding of hardware that makes your speculation of what Sony/AMD/whoever can make with existing hardware at an affordable price point hilariously out of touch, Sony has already made handheld game consoles featuring most of the franchises you listed, and people didn't go "absolutely crazy" for it. They made those "compromises" because as it turns out, making a handheld necessitates making compromises. Do you think Nintendo released a $299 Switch that struggles to play PS4 ports and only gets 3 hours battery life out of demanding titles for funsies? Sorry, there's no way in 2018 or 2019 to make a handheld for under $300 that can play Uncharted 4 "without compromise". The technology isn't there, and you're going to have to deal with it.

I also think it's hilarious that you claim to love "gaming first hardware" but still berate Nintendo for not releasing a Switch that's capable of connecting with cell phone networks and make phone calls. Which is it?

I love gaming first hardware, and I want to see gaming first hardware devices expand their reach so they can be a more viable option for a wider range of consumers. Am I not allowed to want more from my gaming first hardware?

Looking at the games you listed, they where all spin offs. People have very little interest in spin-offs, there is very little interest in spin-offs in the main console space, let alone asking people to buy another device just for spin-offs. Having the ability to play the same game on your home PS4 and your Mobile PS4 would be a very different situation. 

 

As for hardware.

Look at the 20nm Tegra X1 and the 16nm Tegra X2 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegra

 

Compare them with the 14nm Raven Ridge Mobile chips (anything with a U at the end)

https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/amd/cores/raven_ridge 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:AMD_Ryzen_Mobile

 

Now use a little foresight, and where do you land logically with a 7nm successor to Raven Ridge? Take into account that Performance Per Watt gains are a focus of AMD's Road Map.

https://www.overclock3d.net/news/cpu_mainboard/amd_announces_plans_to_release_navi_and_zen_2_on_7nm/1

 Then remember, that Sony and AMD can work to make specific modifications that make the chip more power efficient and more capable than the stock chip, for use specifically in a Mobile PlayStation device as they did with the PS4 APU compared to stock AMD APU's of the time. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_accelerated_processing_unit_microprocessors

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:AMD_custom_APU

 

Looking at all of this, it looks pretty plausible that AMD will be capable of producing a chip on 7nm that is capable of surpassing the PS4 in CPU and GPU power at under 15 Watts. Raven Ridge is already capable of running circles around the PS4 CPU, and the advanced GPU tech, even at lower total flops is capable of outperforming PS4. The base 7nm Ryzen Mobile chips will only increase the power gap and reduce the power consumption. From there they can make modifications to support memory as needed, reduce power as needed, and increase performance as needed for a custom PlayStation Chip.