PlayStation 3 turns profitable with new 40nm RSX GPU?

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Sony has begun using a 40nm RSX GPU in place of the previous 65nm chip on its PlayStation 3, reportedly allowing the company to finally turn a buck. When the console first launched in 2006, Sony was losing between $241 and $307 per unit. It wasn't until the company released the Slim model that it claimed profitability was on the horizon, and it seems that time has come.

In addition to padding Sony's pocket, the new silicon offers a variety of benefits, such as lower power consumption and operating temperatures. It also boosts the systems durability, according to PlayStation University. "Though the Yellow Light of Death is not as common on PS3 Slims, the RSX's new chip size will also reduce such risks, making the new model more reliable."

Based on the site's numbers, the latest PS3 model (CECH-2100A) decreases power usage levels by around 15% over the 120GB PS3 Slim -- both offer dramatic improvements over the original 60GB PS3. Given its lower thermal envelope, power and cooling apparatus can be scaled down. CECH-2100A's power supply and cooling unit weigh around 167g less than the Slim's.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/38720-playstation-3-turns-profitable-with-new-40nm-rsx-gpu.html

 

[Guest]

This is great news for SONY, and I hope for consumers in the short run. I thought it was a 45nm... hmm... oh well. I may get this model for my games only when it's available, and my current fluffy for Blu-ray movies.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Sources originally reported it as 45nm, but it was later confirmed to be a 40nm chip:

"[UPDATE] – Sony has confirmed with PocketNews that the RSX graphics chip is now 40nm, rather than the previously reported 45nm. The story has been updated to reflect this information."

 

[TorturedChaos]

Well maybe now the Sony is making some money on the PS3 they will consider re-releasing the backwards compatibility via software.....

Because that is the only reason I can see they discontinued backwards compatibility, is so they could make more $$ off additional ps2 slim sales.

 

[Didou]

Software PS2 emulation was always finicky. The only to make sure it works properly would be to add the PS2 hardware inside the PS3 & they would be back at making an expensive system sold at a loss. It would probably have an effect on the power consumption of the system as well.

 

[Tekkaraiden]

TorturedChaos said:
Well maybe now the Sony is making some money on the PS3 they will consider re-releasing the backwards compatibility via software.....

Yes because they have lots of money and don't have to recoup lost revenue on the system they lost money on manufacturing from 2006 to 2009.

TorturedChaos said:
Because that is the only reason I can see they discontinued backwards compatibility, is so they could make more $$ off additional ps2 slim sales.

Yes because losing less money on the PS3 and offsetting some of those losses on PS2 sales is just Sony being greedy.

 

[Guest]

Winrar still has the option to split your rar file to floppy. Think how many of those you would have to carry around for a movie.

 

[ET3D]

I'd bet that the production cost was under the retail price for a while now. I don't believe these breakdowns when they state that the Blu-ray drive costs $60. That's about the price a consumer is paying for that. That doesn't mean they're making money, though. I have no idea what cut if any the stores take. Do they lose money on consoles as well? Then there's shipping, etc. But still, the unit price itself has probably been lower than the selling price for a while now.

 

[Richy2k9]

hello ..

cool, making a reliable system more reliable

I have a fat PS3 with HW BC, have only God of War 1 & 2 & re-purchased the HD PS3 version, so this feature isn't that important. i just like having the feature for some maybes'

Guest said:
Winrar still has the option to split your rar file to floppy. Think how many of those you would have to carry around for a movie.

huh! can't see the point !?

cheers!