Thursday, May 6th 2021
Sony Reportedly Working on Redesigned PS5 SoC on 6 nm for 2022
It's not only graphics cards and CPUs that are best kept on the edge of manufacturing processes; in truth, one could even say that consoles have more to gain from these transitions when it comes to their manufacturers' financial outlooks. This happens because usually, consoles are subsidized by manufacturers in that their actual retail price is lower than manufacturing costs; this works as a way for console players to increase their platforms' attractiveness and user base, so they can then sell them games and subscription services, where the big bucks are actually made. We knew this already, but Microsoft's head of Xbox business development, Lori Wright confirmed it yesterday at the Apple vs Epic Games hearing. Lori Wright is quoted as answering "We don't; we sell the consoles at a loss" when asked whether Microsoft does or does not turn a profit on Xbox Series S | X hardware sales.
Considering the similarities between the Xbox Series X and PS5's SoC, it's very likely that Sony doesn't make a profit on console hardware sales either - or if it actually does, it's nothing actually meaningful. This is part of the reason why consoles are usually actually in the forefront of manufacturing processes' advancements, as it's a way for console players to quickly reduce the BoM (Bill of Materials) for their consoles. Since the specifications don't change within a console generation (discounting Pro models, which both companies have taken to launching some years into their generations), they choose to take advantage of process advancements due to the transistor density increases that allow for both lower silicon area for the SoC, and lower power consumption - which sometimes enables them to develop slim versions of their gaming consoles.
This brings us to the core of this news piece, in that Digitimes reports from industry sources that Sony is aiming to take advantage of TSMC's 6 nm manufacturing process for their PS5 consoles come 2022. The move from the current manufacturing process - TSMC's 7 nm - down to N6 would mean an up to 18% increase in transistor density, meaning that the SoC would use a smaller area for the same computing resources, thus improving Sony's margins on each PS5 console sold. Considering the company already moved some 7.8 million consoles since its launch, even a $10 difference would mean a cool $78 million either entering Sony's coffers, or simply not leaving them in the first place. This might also open the door for a price reduction on the console, of course, but considering the demand/supply ratio, Sony might as well just keep the money in its pockets.
Sources:
DigiTimes, The Verge
Considering the similarities between the Xbox Series X and PS5's SoC, it's very likely that Sony doesn't make a profit on console hardware sales either - or if it actually does, it's nothing actually meaningful. This is part of the reason why consoles are usually actually in the forefront of manufacturing processes' advancements, as it's a way for console players to quickly reduce the BoM (Bill of Materials) for their consoles. Since the specifications don't change within a console generation (discounting Pro models, which both companies have taken to launching some years into their generations), they choose to take advantage of process advancements due to the transistor density increases that allow for both lower silicon area for the SoC, and lower power consumption - which sometimes enables them to develop slim versions of their gaming consoles.
8 Comments on Sony Reportedly Working on Redesigned PS5 SoC on 6 nm for 2022
If anything, a die shrink is likely to happen due to other savings:
- Thermals: The PS5 runs hot, has a pretty bad cooling design overall (it's quiet, but only due to a stupidly overbuilt and likely expensive cooler, due to its inefficient design). This can let them shrink the cooler, make it cheaper.
- Power draw: Even a 10% drop in power for the same performance can net them notable savings in speccing a lower output PSU.
- Ditching liquid metal for conventional thermal paste?
Etc., etc.
A die shrink on 6nm would mean a relatively simple die revision - it's just an optimization of their 7nm rules. There is no way they are going to get 5nm at a reasonable price anytime soon (so this is the best compromise for cost reductions on an expensive system).
Remember, the PS3 was such a monster, they went through multiple die shrinks before they made it affordable...PS4 didn't have to worry about that!
This generation of consoles is in a way a return to normal - while the previous gen used hardware that was lower midrange even at launch, most consoles have been pretty cutting edge before that. (Though the PS3 did manage to be noticeably slower than the X360 even though it launched a year later, for some weird reason.)
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