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Forums - Sony - How much does the cell processor and RSX cost now?

disolitude said:
McDonaldsGuy said:
disolitude said:
Regardless of what it is, it's a shame they couldn't throw the Cell/RSX in to a PS4, charge 100 bucks more for the console and provide backwards compatibility.

Could have released 2 models...

PS4 basic - $399 - current PS4
PS4 awesome - $499 - PS4 with RSX/Cell

Same goes for Xbox One.


This is why I want to know actually. There would be an add-on module with an embedded Cell/RSX graphics chip that would connect to the back of the PS4 via an external PCI bus adapter so it can have access to the PS4's I/O and AV-Out subsystems.

The x86 architecture is fast enough to handle the subsystems necessary to emulate the PS3 properly, due to having 512MB of the memory it needs.

Do PS4 or Xbox One have somesort of add-on slots or ports that could be utilized for this purpose? Even if they do its doubtful... Only company that would have the balls to do this would be 1990s Sega lol. The only possibility I see here is a new hardware SKU that has BC coming out in a few years when PS3 is on its last legs hardware wise.


Yeah the Power Base Converter gave me that idea. I have another question then: Will the Gaikai service allow you to play your OWN games or do you have to rebuy them?



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Sony already planned RSX at 28nm and cell at 20nm. Probably for this year.

Digital foundry tweeted last year about that. So expect cheaper PS3s in the future.



I would also like to know much they cost now



VITA 32 GIG CARD.250 GIG SLIM & 160 GIG PHAT PS3

McDonaldsGuy said:

I have another question then: Will the Gaikai service allow you to play your OWN games or do you have to rebuy them?

Sony announced that they will have a library of PS2 and PS3 best sellers and arcade titles available for rent/download/stream for either a one time fee, a monthly subscription separate from PS+, or a small fee per game. Gaikai doesn't come to the PS4 until summer 2014 which is why Sony themselves are unsure. Eventually more details will be announced.



Well, according to ol' Wikipedia, in 2009 the Cell was at 45nm and the RSX was at 65nm. In 2010 the RSX chip was shrunk to 40nm. Since then neither chip has received a die shrink.

Having said that, as lithography processes mature and are replaced by smaller geometries the price of the previous sizes tends to go down, so its not inconceivable that the Cell and RSX chips have decreased in price from 2010, though it would be a minor reduction. Conversely, each new lithography process is more expensive than the one before (per wafer) due to escalating R&D costs. The effect of this is that eventually at small enough die sizes the R&D and manufacturing cost at smaller processes outweighs the cost saving of the smaller die. Unless you are selling gigantic volume of processors (think Intel or the various ARM SoC designers), its not cost effective to keep shrinking the process of the same design, which is why plenty of semiconductors are still made today at >180nm sizes.

Regarding combining the Cell and RSX chip into a single die, that will be expensive due to the Cell chip being on SOI (silicon on insulator) and the RSX chip being on bulk silicon. To combine them would require the Cell processor be completely redesigned to be fabricated on bulk silicon, and at this late stage in the PS3's life I don't believe that they will sell enough die's to justify the cost. MS and IBM did it for the Xenon processor in 2010, but back then with another 4-5 years of 360's life to go it would have made financial sense to. I think the ship has sailed on that one for Sony.



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Actually Cell is 45nm and RSX is 40nm.

Sony have plans to move to a unique SoC this year in 28 nm... so it will get a hell of cheap.