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Sony Considers Outsourcing Cell Production

Posted by Zonk on from the get-on-up-get-on-out dept.

Gamasutra reports on comments from the Sony home office, where executives are considering plans to outsource production of the expensive/complicated Cell chips that power the PS3. Executive deputy president Yutaka Nakagawa is quoted in a Reuters report, saying that when the PS2 launched there just weren't other companies to turn to. With the chip market better-developed in 2007, there are third parties Sony is now considering to take on the task of advancing/producing the Cell. Outsourcing could also help financially with their beleaguered semiconductor division. The next move for the Cell is to 45 nanometer manufacturing, from the 90/65 the company is currently using. This scale change could not only help with profits, but may eventually make dropping the price on the PlayStation 3 an easier pill to swallow.

4 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yeah well by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's a serious shortage of these systems, dispite the price.

    Dude, haven't you heard? There's no PS3 shortage.

  2. Re:I'll do it by bunions · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have no PS3, but I would like a canoe and to take up white water rafting instead.


    voted "Most Baffling Slashdot Comment of the Day", Feb 14 2007
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    there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
  3. For sure by Bullfish · · Score: 3, Funny

    This will help them with their profits and make the PS3 more saleable, provided of course that people realize the Wii is just a fad and the 360 is never ever going to be as good as the PS3, regardless of its spiffy games like Gears of War.

    Just wait until next year!

    BTW: I am being sarcastic!

  4. Re:The real sucess by pionzypher · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wouldn't it be funny if Sony became a direct competitor to Intel and AMD? Next gen PCs could run on cell processors!
    That would be entertaining. I envision that Sony would claim within the first quarter that they had won the processor race, then move to introduce proprietary hardware based security- allowing only trusted devices to deal with "protected content". Then whatever mainstream OS out there would implement some sort of copy protection at the software level that would kee.. wait..... oh frack me..

    *ducks and waits for the rendundant mod*

    --
    I'll believe in corporations having personhood when Texas executes one... - advocate_one