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[TheIkariWarrior]

http://beyond3d.com/#news37668

NVIDIA hiring eDRAM engineers - for Sony's PSP2?
15-Jan-2007, 10:21.03 Reporter : Uttar

A quick look at NVIDIA's website will reveal that they are currently looking for eDRAM engineers. It's worth noting that they have never shipped any such design, and it seems extremely unlikely to us that anyone in the industry is planning to use eDRAM on products aimed at the PC market. As such, this could be a further confirmation that NVIDIA has the contract for Sony's PSP2 handheld.

Indeed, the original PSP has plenty of eDRAM (2MB for the GPU alone), and the PS2 GPU has its fair share of it too. These chips are manufactured in Sony's own fabs, which thus seem rather well tuned for it. It has already looked extremely likely for a while that NVIDIA would get the contract, as past financial conference calls have had Jen-Hsun Huang say that he believes the original PSP's graphics chip will be the last one developped in-house for any console or CE device. That wouldn't theorically exclude AMD from the contract though, of course - and while it's likely it has been decided by now who won the contract, it's also impossible to be sure.

Still, this eDRAM job offer is a further confirmation of NVIDIA's likely contract with Sony on this project, which you would expect to see shipping around 2009, given the traditional industry cycles. Assuming a royalty-based model, likely per-unit revenue would be between 3 and 5 dollars, in addition to one-time payments. That's not a lot of money for either NVIDIA or AMD nowadays, but it remains financially appealing because of the 100% margins associated with the deal.

good news

 

[soundwave05]

I doubt it's for the PSP2.

The PSP needs a redesign, but the chipset is already more than good enough (hell they're still not even utilizing it fully). Having Nvidia involved would only mean Sony has to pay royalties to someone else now too for the PSP. They already have a perfectly fine chipset.

 

[TheIkariWarrior]

I doubt it's for the PSP2.

The PSP needs a redesign, but the chipset is already more than good enough (hell they're still not even utilizing it fully). Having Nvidia involved would only mean Sony has to pay royalties to someone else now too for the PSP. They already have a perfectly fine chipset.

well, it's not for PSP version 2, that's for sure, but rather, the next-generation PSP, which Nvidia and Sony teamed up for, which is old news.

I'd expect a next-gen PSP2 in 2009-2010. the Nvidia GPU for PSP2 was meant to be completed in 2008.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Just allow 333mhz already!

If Sony convinced people the PSP was a portable PS2, are they going to make PS3 comparisons with the PSP2? :lol

 

[TheIkariWarrior]

Just allow 333mhz already!

If Sony convinced people the PSP was a portable PS2, are they going to make PS3 comparisons with the PSP2? :lol

even at 333 MHz, PSP is not as powerful as PS2, but with the small screen, combined with the improvements for PSP's GPU compared to PS2's GS, it would be somewhat close.

PSP2 won't be nearly as powerful as PS3, maybe 1/5th to 1/10th. or like DS vs GameCube.

 

[Graphics Horse]

even at 333 MHz, PSP is not as powerful as PS2, but with the small screen, combined with the improvements for PSP's GPU compared to PS2's GS, it would be somewhat close.

PSP2 won't be nearly as powerful as PS3, maybe 1/5th to 1/10th. or like DS vs GameCube.

Exactly, but they won't be able to call it a Portable PS2 again

 

[Grayman]

portable ps2.5

 

[mr_nothin]

The PS3 is a total disaster on so many levels, I think It's really clear that Sony lost track of what customers and what developers wanted. I'd say, even at this late date, they should just cancel it and do a "do over". Just say, "This was a horrible disaster and we're sorry and we're going to stop selling this and stop trying to convince people to develop for it".[/b[ The happy story is the Wii. I'm betting that by Christmas of next year, the Wii has a larger installed base than the 360. Other people think I'm crazy. I really like everthing that Nintendo is doing. "

They're taking advice from GABE!

 

[Dolphin]

Maybe it's being made to compete with the Wii.

 

[TheIkariWarrior]

Maybe it's being made to compete with the Wii.

:lol