I'm pretty sure I heard they switched to 45nm back in february

http://www.boomtown.net/da_dk/articles/art.view.php?id=72794

The article is in danish, so google translator helps those who do not speak danish:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boomtown.net%2Fda_dk%2Farticles%2Fart.view.php%3Fid%3D72794&hl=da&ie=UTF8&sl=da&tl=en

The sentence "The two companies confirmed in a press release that the processor in future be produced with 45nm technology." should probably have been more of a "The two companies confirmed in a press release that the processor would be produced with 45nm technology for the future."

they did not switch to 45 nm yet. in february ibm just reported that they finished the shrink to 45nm. this probably was just the engineering sample, and they still had to get production up and running for the 45nm process.

and if sony was also producing the cell at other fabs as well (ibm, toshiba and sony built the cell together so all 3 can produce it or license productions) then these would have to get the 45nm process running too.

it is still possible that the 45nm cell is coming with the same revised hardware since that articles did not say anything about the cell, but it could also be that sony decided to push for shrinked rsx first as it had no shrink yet and for the cell later.

@quaiky -- Id say that the 45nm CELL is due to be used when the 65nm RSX is done. By only needing to redesign PS3's motherboard once it will help SONY save money on R&D...

Also in February SONY / IBM said they now can manufacture 45nm CELL's... but the yield rate and cost or transferring equipment over to 45nm settings in order mass produce the 45nm chips often takes months to complete. Not to mention SONY using up ALL of the 65nm CELL chips they currently have and shipping out the majority of current PS3's...

If a Slim PS3 came out, i'd probably have to trade my current one in for it... i hate the huge bastard i got now. Lol

Hopefully, this will lower costs for the PS3. This is good and all but here's a question. What will be more important for the PS3 in the long run...a $50-$100 price cut on all SKUs, bringing back BC to all and future SKUs or slimming the SKU making it much smaller. Can only choose one.

A pricecut can be a good thing for Sony only if Microsoft decides to cut prices of their own or they can not cut the price and maybe make more money which will result in more profit. Either way it sounds like a good idea for Sony.

Maybe since making smaller chips for the PS3 will result in much lower manufacturing costs and therefore would probably be able to afford to include the BC once again like it should have since the beginning. I'm pretty sure there are tens of millions of people STILL playing their PS2s and would be a good switch over to the new platform.

Or Sony could make the console a little smaller, making it run on less power and all the other advantages that usually come from something like this. (Couldn't really think of anything right now.)

Overall, this is good news.

Still too early for a slim IMO.

Sony should stop copying MS and be original. Seriously, I think MS is getting there first so why can't Sony be original and like not copy its obviously more innovative competition. They should shrink to 55nm instead, at least that would be slightly more innovative.

Sony reduced the price of PS3 just 10 months after introduction... which was way too early from any past Playstation trends... so if they find that they need a new slim PS3 for the Japanese market then i m sure they will make one pretty soon... as soon as possible... they have reduced the processor and they will be reducing the graphic engine manufacturing process... so all the components r there in my view to make one slim PS3..

@ regin2005 )

making a slim version, because (as the PSP slim showed) it could revive the ps3 in the japanese market

 I really hope this is sarcasim