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Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land A pretty convincing rumour reports that Microsoft is teaming up with Toshiba to make a new Xbox 360 to compete with Sony’s HD-enticing Blu-ray PS3. Here are the potential proposed specs that would come standard in the new device:
- HD DVD - 1080p w/HDMI (doesn’t sound much different) - Wireless Networking - dual HD tuners with program guide (no dvr?) - MP3 player dock (possibly a new open standard ala ipod…won’t happen, Zune is USB) - Toshiba is also exploring a 40-inch TV that can dock the 360 - This same TV dock could allow for more hard drive or component swappability - Expected in late 2008 or CES 2009
And here’s the quote that adds some more (rumored) credibility to the rumor:
Starting March 2008, Toshiba is the proud new owner of Sony’s microprocessor and graphic chip production facilities. Toshiba, Sony and Sony Computer Entertainment will set up a joint venture to run the Nagasaki “Cell” microprocessor output plant next April. The price hasn’t been set yet, but it’s likely to be over US $858 million. Previously, Sony said it planned to cut back on chip spending and possibly might not produce advanced 45-nanometer “Cell” chips. Under this new partnership, Toshiba and Sony will cooperate in producing 45-nm “Cell” chips. This is the last year of CEO Howard Stringer’s aggressive plan to cut non-core business. Sony spokesperson Daichi Yamafuji assures that gaming consoles are still one of Sony’s core businesses.
Cell Plants to be Sold [Reuters]
The HD video format war is heating up once again, as Toshiba reports that HD DVD player sales have pulled ahead of Blu-ray as of mid-September. Granted Toshiba themselves make HD DVD players, with a $US 299 model due out this month, but the numbers they cite come from NPD group unit sales figures, which tend to be more accurate than most company lines. With big releases like Heroes Season 1 and Transformers exclusive to the format, I fully expect the trend to continue. Year to date figures show HD DVD sales comprising 53% of sales, with Blu-ray trailing at 44%. Note the figures don’t take into consideration PS3 sales, though the release did state that Toshiba’s expected sales of over 5 million HD DVD PC and notebook drives in fiscal 2008 would make them competitive with the PlayStation 3.
Reuters are reporting that Sony are in discussions with Toshiba over selling their PS3 graphics chip production facility in western Japan’s Oita prefecture. Why? It’s another step on the road to cutting costs at the company’s semiconductor unit, and comes right on the back of the announcement of a new DRAM chip manufacturing deal Sony made with Infineon Technologies AG the other day. If the sale goes through, it’d be the second time this year the two companies have been linked; in September Sony were also keen to sell Toshiba their Nagasaki production facility, which was making the Cell chip. All of which is terribly fascinating to business followers, but what does this mean to you, the idle, slightly disinterested observer? Means the PS3 has cost Sony a lot of cash, cash they’re now trying to recoup. Also means you’re hopefully another step closer to a cheaper PS3, because this is all about cutting costs. Sony may sell graphic chip line to Toshiba-sources [Reuters]
In a recent interview, Sony’s Don Eklund, executive vice president of advanced technologies, had this to say about the companies they’d like to be partnering with for Blu-ray. We would love to have Toshiba and Microsoft on board.
It’s corporate BS like this that makes my day—the equivalent of Marvel trading the Spiderman IP for some free Wonder Woman comics. My other favourite quote?
A prototype chip based on the PS3 Cell processor has been developed and will be shown next week in San Diego. The prototype is for computer boards (not the PS3), and it shouldn’t come as a surprise as applications for the Cell have been mentioned for some time now. The original chip was developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, IBM and Toshiba. Called the “Cell Computing Board,” this new prototype is the Cell Broadband Engine microprocessor married with the RSX graphics processor, which, according to Sony, goes beyond the Cell chip’s power. That’s right, a super computer. Fingers crossed for 4D output! New Cell Prototype [PC Advisor]
