Sony and Toshiba to begin mass producing 45nm cell processor in 2009 -- cheaper, slimmer PS3s to come?

Japan's Nikkan is reporting that Sony and Toshiba will begin mass production of the 45nm Cell processor in 2009 -- not this autumn as previously rumored. The smaller chip which cost less than the current 65nm Cell to manufacture also require 40% less power to run. This opens the door to possible price drops on existing PS3 consoles in 2009 as well as slimmer, cooler running rigs should Sony decide to refresh the industrial design.

[collegekid13 @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:52AM]

aww shucks. i like my ps3 dorm room heater

[JustBetter @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:03AM]

At least, it doesn't stop working! ;)

[Ignatius @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:11AM]

With my TV, 360 and surround sound system on, I have my own heater for winter and it probably even uses less energy than a conventional space heater.

Hell yeah.

[Ben M. @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:09AM]

thats exactly what i use mine for =D
but i have the old 95nm so its even warmer

[Jason Litka @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:44PM]

I've got enough devices heating up my apartment so I've skipped the PS3 thus far. If they finally release one that won't make me have to call PECO for a new electric meter (mine's not digital, it's still got those little mechanical gears) then they'll have my money as I've been wanting a Blu-Ray player and the commercials for GT5 are really making me want one.

Thing is, they're claiming that the chip will require 40% less power to run, not that the PS3 will require 40% less power. Does anyone know what percentage of the currently-monstrous power draw is due to that particular chip?

[Liam @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:59AM]

Hmm. I'm not getting an HDTV anytime soon, so buying it purely as a blu-ray player is out of the question. The games on the platform don't really justify its purchase either. So, slimmer and lighter are nice, but Sony probably have a few more important things to sort out before I get one.

[Blastar @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:59AM]

Some importand things... ??
I dont quite understand you Liam.
I would say that the price is quite good for BD Player with that specs and if you consider these Extra feautures..
- Full Music Player
- Digital TV Recorder (Probably not yet in your place)
- Huge number if compresed movies store and play any time
- Play directly any multimedia content from any PC or Media Server directly to your PS3.
- Browse you fave Pictures in HD and much much more..

Man.. I would pay even more for such wired HD player (+HD TV Recorder).

If you Just... just think all these features.. and look at the price again.. you might think that its not so bad.

And dont forget you can still PLAY Games, Watch weather and News (from the Life with Playstation) and do much more interactive things.

Its just that some people tent to overlook some very good things about Playstation.

[Liam @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:42AM]

Well, I already have stuff that can do most of those things. If I want to play music, I'll just hook my iPod or my laptop up to my stereo. If I want to record or watch TV, I'll use my freeview PVR. If I want to watch a film, I'll just grab the DVD from the shelf, or rent it from the blockbusters 5 minutes away. It does have a lot of features, but all that proves to me is that it's trying to fill a big hole that isn't there. What I really want a games console to do is play games... and the state of the PS3's software lineup is pretty terrible. In my opinion, of course.

[Zorque @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:12AM]

I don't know how it's Sony's fault that you're behind the times and are still watching standard-def TV.

I may not like them much, but place the blame where it's due.

[bongo123 @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:00AM]

wonder if toshiba will sabotage some of em in revenge for the death of HDDVD

[farfisa @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:19PM]

Yeah, might be a little awkward at those meetings.

[JasonK @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:02AM]

Cheaper is better, and smaller is definitely a big welcome as well. The current PS3 is the size of two Mac Minis plus a couple of Dell Studio computers thrown in there for good measure.
It does, however, seem a bit early for such a drastic redesign of the console. For the Playstation and PS2, it took many more years for them to come up with a smaller, more efficient design, and that was usually when the next gen console came out or was very close to release.

Mandatory statements include,

I for one welcome our cheaper, slimmer overlords.

Will it still blend?

Does it run Crysis/Doom?

Will it be hax0red?

All your xb0x are belong to us.

etc etc. what did i leave out

[kal326 @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:09PM]

However, with the PS3 Sony really hasn't been to shy to change up the hardware.... cough BC cough...to hit certain price points and it certainly didn't take years like the PS2. I have my doubts on a slimmer redesign of the whole unit, but a change in the price is almost a given with a drop in chip size and cooling requirements.

[wilcoholic @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:05AM]

They say everytime that the newer chips will cost less to produce then the older chips. Yet everytime when for instance some new laptop comes on the market with these new chips they will still cost the same or even more then their older predecessors.

This statement means nothing to consumers.

[Jon @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:05AM]

Because new chips may contain more transistors, which also increases the size of the die and decrease yield.

Cell processors used for PS3 fabbed at 45nm will likely use the same amount of transistors thus increasing yield over the same silicon wafer size.

[Ross @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:17AM]

Well they normally end up costing more cause the PC guys go "OH, look smaller chips, means we can fit more stuff in like a PCI slot"

And then they fit in bigger batteries so it makes them run for even longer, thus making the price rise.

[DSeaver @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:19AM]

If the PS3 can go sub-$300, there will be no reason for me not to buy one.

[Unknown @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:22AM]

amen to that

[Samboini @ Sep 22nd 2008 2:01PM]

If there was a redesign i'd much prefer a rectangular shape; right angles FTW! At least as far as i'm concerned.

[alexignatiou @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:35AM]

Well, I don't think it can't become slimmer. If we think its size is great for what it does, I challenge you to see what they fit in laptops..

[xcrunk @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:35AM]

Thomas Ricker, seriously dude...did you not think you were going to be taken to task for that headline?

"cheaper, slimmer PS3s to come"

Then you write:
"should Sony decide to refresh the industrial design."

WTF!?!?!

[Ross @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:19AM]

xcrunk, meet the question mark - ?

[xcrunk @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:03AM]

The question mark was not there at 8:53am.

[Hung @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:17PM]

What about at 8:35 AM?

[shapey @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:46AM]

about time the ps3 had a redesign.

be nice if they added built in playtv, higher capacity hdd's and bung a few usb ports in the back in addition to the front ones to hide those ugly cables for peripherals...

[Ron @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:45AM]

I'm not concerned about pricing right now. Because I've been through about three Playstation 3's, and I honestly think this is ridiculous. First it was the disc drive, the second time it had just died, and the third time it was a disc drive problem again, which I fixed myself and it worked for a while until it broke again.

I love the PS3 just as much as my 360, but my 360 has yet to break, which is pretty ironic. I guess this is just my luck.

[cjaggers @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:57AM]

Now they can add that second HDMI port that the prototypes had.

[Ian @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:57AM]

This chipset was once said to be going to find an amazing number of uses in equipment, but I can't think of anything outside of a PS3 with the processor....

[Raptor @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:48PM]

Not true. It also powers your mom's dildo.

[Andy @ Sep 22nd 2008 5:16PM]

Theres TVs and also servers. So far...

[The Aggie CEO @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:19AM]

I think I remember hearing somewhere that it was gonna be in cameras & Toshiba Laptops as well......

[umm....hello??? @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:20AM]

not that it matters to me ( I already have a PS3)....but getting rid of the stupid arced top so you can put another component on top of it would be nice....

[The Aggie CEO @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:34AM]

why would you WANT to put something on top of it???

thats like putting something on top of a PC or Home Theater system.........its NOT recommended at all........

[Andrew @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:53PM]

Amen. It's really difficult to find a place for unit right now due to its weird shape. It DOES look great if sitting vertically but I have nowhere to put it like that since it's too tall to sit anywhere but on top - and that's where TV is so it's a no-go.

The only device that requires nothing be placed on top of it is a receiver or amplifier. Everything else MUST be able to stack so that it can fit into a home theatre setup. No exceptions, no excuses.

[umm....hello??? @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:54PM]

not that I stack components on top of it--just a resting place for its controllers and remote. nothing that would cause overheating. when you have 4 or more consoles hooked up to your tv you end up needing places to put all the extras.

[The Aggie CEO @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:30AM]

that would be a little early to see the slim model PS3.....

the PSOne Slim came out RIIGHT before the PS2 was launched(5-6 years after the PS1 came out).

PS2 Slim came out in 2004(4 years after the Original PS2)

I wouldnt suspect to see a PS3 Slim until 2010(4 years after launch).....

BUT if they move it up a year or so(like they did with the difference between the PS1 & PS2 slim revisions from 5 years to 4 years) then it just MIGHT make it out next year.......

but hell it can only get SO small with the HDD in there........unless they go the SSD route in which case the PS3 Slim would be OUTRAGEOUSLY priced.......

[Andy @ Sep 22nd 2008 5:16PM]

If they make it laptop sized they can fit everything in and still be much smaller.

[meeee @ Sep 22nd 2008 10:53AM]

psThree perhaps?

[Anthony @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:19AM]

Yay! Instead of the PS3 using the energy it would require to run THREE refrigerators, the hypothetical new ones might only require the energy of TWO refrigerators instead. Can you say $savings$?

[jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj @ Sep 22nd 2008 12:18PM]

Your computer wastes energy also smartie. If you are so concerned about energy usage you might want to shut yours off if that kind of drivel is going to be used. Yay

[c2cd78e1 @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:47AM]

How do you know that he doesn't already turn off his computer to save energy, smartie? Yay!

[SonicForge @ Oct 15th 2008 12:21AM]

Ok, A redesign is fine as long as it isn't like the Crappy PS2 redesign. The PS2 slim was flimsy and it felt cheap and would break just by breathing on it. The top load tray I always thought would break with every use. As long as Sony doesn't skimp on the design and give us something as good as the current flagship I can't complain. As far as going to a 45 nm chip it makes since. The less heat your produce the better the unit will run. Although living up here north in the Deep Freeze of the west. It is kinda nice having a toasty PS3 to keep you warm during those all nighters lol. One request I have though is that the PS2 support is returned. I have the 60 GIG version which does. I likely won't buy another PS3 just because of that fact alone. Yea, I know buy a PS2 as well but I like only having one unit for that. Not to mention that the PS3 up converts PS2 games which is a nice bonus.