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[cormack12]

Source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com...l-enter-production-in-2022-new-report-claims/

Sony will reportedly start production on a PlayStation 5 hardware redesign in 2022.

That’s according to Taiwanese business website DigiTimes, which claims that suppliers including semiconductor foundry TSMC are planning to start producing the redesigned PS5 console between the second and third quarters of 2022.

As noted by Kantan Games analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, DigiTimes’ supply chain sources say the redesigned PS5 will come with a “new semi-customized” 6nm CPU from AMD, which will be cheaper than the 5nm one currently used.

“As I said earlier, we’re aiming for more sales volume than the PS4 [during year 2]. But can we drastically increase the supply? No, that’s not likely,” he said.

“The shortage of semiconductors is one factor, but there are other factors that will impact on the production volume. So, at present, we’d like to aim at [beating] second year sales of 14.8 million, which was the second year of PS4.”

Asked specifically about the shortage of semiconductors, which is affecting all consumer electronics industries from smart phones to cars, Totoki suggested Sony had means with which it could cope.

“For example, we could find maybe a secondary resource, or by changing the design we could cope,” the exec said.

 

[Hendrick's]

A rushed redesign because of supply chain issues doesn't sound like a great idea, but I get why they have to. Let's hope they can also make the console smaller too.

 

[Papacheeks]

So does this mean thermals might change? As in not as an aggressive cooling solution? Or is this more or less just makes it easier to produce the chips with no real big change in overall internal or external design?

Can anyone chime in on this?

 

[JediMind]

supply chain sources say the redesigned PS5 will come with a “new semi-customized” 6nm CPU from AMD, which will be cheaper than the 5nm one currently used.

But it's on 7nm right now, not 5nm.

 

[Craig of War]

A New Model of PS5 will enter production in 2022 - Gaming Route

According to a recent report by Digitimes which states “Suppliers including foundry TSMC are expected to kick off production for the redesign of Sony’s

gamingroute.com

"According to a recent report by Digitimes which states “Suppliers including foundry TSMC are expected to kick off production for the redesign of Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) games console between the second and third quarters of 2022, according to industry sources.” Dr Sekan, an analyst has also stated on Twitter earlier that the next PS5 will come with a “new semi-customized” 6nm CPU from AMD.
Sony previously stated that PS5 production issues would not resolve this year, so it seems very weird of them to launch a new model in 2022 even though most people cannot buy a PS5 yet because it is not in stocks anywhere.
Sony CFO did state that the company was looking for various solutions to help the production shortage end, which could have included altering hardware designs and stuff like that. I am still kind of surprised. I mean, I don’t really mind another PS5 model as long as it helps to end the production shortage. I still do not have a PS5, yet just like many other people out there, I still cannot manage to buy one because of these production issues.
Thanks to VGC for the source"

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I wonder if it is gonna be even bigger than now

 

[SaucyJack]

No surprise. I guess we’re talking PS5 slim?

 

[longdi]

But it's on 7nm right now, not 5nm.

it means tsmc currently is at 5nm, but sony chose to use a cheaper 6nm

 

[Lupin3]

Perhaps v1 will be available by then.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

it seems very weird of them to launch a new model in 2022 even though most people cannot buy a PS5 yet because it is not in stocks anywhere.

Sony CFO did state that the company was looking for various solutions to help the production shortage end, which could have included altering hardware designs and stuff like that.

The answer was right there, a design that makes the system simpler to assemble, smaller (easier to ship) etc. Will help with the productions issues.

I don't see why people find this so surprising.

 

[ZywyPL]

Interesting if true, wonder how much of an impact that 1nm difference would make in terms of power drawn and generated heat, but I guess not much? So the cooling/overall size would remain pretty much the same as the OG PS5.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

So does this mean thermals might change? As in not as an aggressive cooling solution? Or is this more or less just makes it easier to produce the chips with no real big change in overall internal or external design?

Can anyone chime in on this?

Both, voltage needed will decrease (thermals as well), clock speed could get higher, and 6nm seems to be an odd node that not too much fighting over it so you can saturate the market with so much consoles quickly. They are aiming for it, breaking the PS2 historic milestone.

 

[killatopak]

So is it a slim model or just an internal change without modifying the shell of the console?

 

[nightmare-slain]

this is a bit earlier than expected. i'll be waiting for the redesign. i think a lot of people will be the same... it's hard to find a PS5, plus not many games worth buying for it, so a lot of people will find they can easily wait another year/year and a half.

maybe it will have a knock on effect. now people know a new model is coming it might force scalpers to shift their units at lower prices making it less attractive and then everyone can get a PS5 much easier.

 

[Birdo]

This happened with the PS3 a few years before the Slim. Not because they couldn't keep it in stock, but because they cost too much to make. It was basically a cheaper-made version of the Fat with redisigned innards (It felt lighter too).

 

[Outlier]

Well if it makes things better for production then sure. I still really like the current version.

 

[DenchDeckard]

This seems pretty crazy to me, but I suppose they shrunk the OG PS3 pretty quick with the 40GB model right?

Redesigns being discussed already!

 

[Andodalf]

Interesting if true, wonder how much of an impact that 1nm difference would make in terms of power drawn and generated heat, but I guess not much? So the cooling/overall size would remain pretty much the same as the OG PS5.

I think this is more likely to be driven by supply, they might’ve just been able to secure more silicon through that fab.


The global semiconductor shortage ain’t slowing down anytime soon fellas

 

[nightmare-slain]

So is it a slim model or just an internal change without modifying the shell of the console?

i'm guessing slim. you'd expect a slim model to be out in 2023 anyway.

if it was just a basic internal redesign sony would do it without really any fuss.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Interesting if true, wonder how much of an impact that 1nm difference would make in terms of power drawn and generated heat, but I guess not much? So the cooling/overall size would remain pretty much the same as the OG PS5.

It has to do with meeting the extreme demand before it fades away. You must capitalize on it, and this is a very smart move from Sony. Expecting minor improvements in wattage, clock speeds, thermals. Something subtle though, like PS4 OG and PS4 Slim (1.84TF vs 2.1TF with other improvements).

EDIT: Both are 1.84TF just checked again.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I wonder how much money they are losing on the current PS5, this has to be due to both shortages and cost.

 

[GHG]

So is it a slim model or just an internal change without modifying the shell of the console?

According to what was said during the recent earnings call nothing is off the table.

Depends on whether they are experiencing supply chain/cost issues for any other components and if they can find solutions that are more readily available and/or are cheaper without compromising anything.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

I think this is more likely to be driven by supply, they might’ve just been able to secure more silicon through that fab.


The global semiconductor shortage ain’t slowing down anytime soon fellas

This is good news for you, AMD cards will have more breathing room with the next RDNA3 5nm. PS5 have eaten a massive chunk out of the recent RDNA2 cards.

 

[Rolla]

It'll need to be as quiet as my launch PS5 for me to consider it.

 

[Clear]

Probably just a board re-design. Retooling the chassis is additional expense which would further demand additional marketing (more cost) for no real monetary benefit.

 

[Heisenberg007]

And a certain group on Twitter is celebrating it, equating it with a failed PS5 design with bottlenecks that now need a redesign instantly Ah, good day and fun times! lol.

 

[evanft]

This happens all the time. The 360 and PS3 had multiple internal revisions due to process changes to the chips.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

 

[MaulerX]

I can already feel scalpers chomping at the bit.

 

[MayauMiao]

Current PS5 design is just plain ugly.

 

[MaulerX]

This happens all the time. The 360 and PS3 had multiple internal revisions due to process changes to the chips.

True but I don't remember hearing about a revision less than six months after a launch.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Current PS5 design is just plain ugly.

I like it personally, Wall-E & Eve’s baby

 

[Radical_3d]

It worries me a little that they are planning on overcome the supply issues by Q3 of next year. It means the semi conductor crisis may be last even longer. Well, it’d worry me if I hadn’t a launch PS5.

 

[Md Ray]

So does this mean thermals might change? As in not as an aggressive cooling solution? Or is this more or less just makes it easier to produce the chips with no real big change in overall internal or external design?

Can anyone chime in on this?

Yes, they'll likely use a less beefy cooling solution and regular thermal paste rather than liquid metal since the power requirement goes down as die shrinks happen. Lots of savings.

 

[SantaC]

So thats why Warhol got cancelled.

 

[Heisenberg007]

I like it personally, Wall-E & Eve’s baby

Same. But I think unless they are dramatically altering the internals and especially the cooling solution, I think most of the changes will be internal, and the external design will be more or less the same.

 

[evanft]

True but I don't remember hearing about a revision less than six months after a launch.

Products are planned well in advance of when they hit the market. If the launch is Q3 next year, that would be ~2 years since launch, which is a pretty normal cycle

Xbox 360

• November 2005: Xenon, 90 nm GPU/CPU/eDRAM
• May 2007: Zephyr, 80 nm GPU, 90 nm CPU/eDRAM
• August 2007: Falcon, 80 nm GPU/eDRAM, 65 nm CPU
• Late 2008: Jasper, 65 nm GPU/CPU, 80 nm eDRAM

PS3

• November 2006: COK-001, 90 nm CPU/GPU
• November 2007: SEM-001, 65 nm CPU, 90 nm GPU
• August 2008: DIA-002, 65 nm CPU/GPU

That's just the first few years for each system. After this mobo revisions you get into the slim models that further shrunk the processes.

 

[jroc74]

Well....thats one way to try to stay ahead of the chip shortages.

Hope this works out for them.

 

[FranXico]

True but I don't remember hearing about a revision less than six months after a launch.

You also didn't hear about a global semiconductor shortage during the period consoles were launched.

 

[rofif]

This would be super too fast... Many people just got ps5 and it's a middle finger to them

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Interesting if true, wonder how much of an impact that 1nm difference would make in terms of power drawn and generated heat, but I guess not much? So the cooling/overall size would remain pretty much the same as the OG PS5.

The number in the process node is mostly just a representation and isn't indicative of any real measurement (hasn't been for a while).

For example, nvidia's Samsung 8nm for their current GPUs is mostly just a performance iterative step with the same dimensions as Samsung's 10nm node. It's the same as TSMC's 16FF vs 12FN.


In the case of N6, it's presented by TSMC as an easy upgrade over N7P ("no retooling"), using mostly the same electrical and area characteristics but with 4 EUV layers which supposedly decreases production time.

In effect, N6 is an upgrade path to N7 chips to allow higher production output.

 

[Xyphie]

TSMC 6nm is basically a refined version of their 7nm node (adds a few EUV layers and is design compatible) so it wouldn't be a major change. Likely a new chip on that node would keep the same floor plan, just be more power efficient. Think RX 480 -> RX 590 or Zen -> Zen+ kind of thing.

 

[jonnyp]

This would be super too fast... Many people just got ps5 and it's a middle finger to them

What the hell are you talking about? This is to be able to supply more PS5s to the market. It's not a PS5 Pro.

 

[ZywyPL]

Many people just got ps5 and it's a middle finger to them

How so? They already have the console, they're already playing the games, whenever a newer models shows up, it won't play any other games, at any other resolution/framerate settings.

 

[rofif]

What the hell are you talking about? This is to be able to supply more PS5s to the market. It's not a PS5 Pro.

if only that then ok but how would you know?

 

[Bo_Hazem]

if only that then ok but how would you know?

Same as Slim, mate. If anything it'll be a subtle improvement (PS4 OG 1.84TF vs PS4 Slim 2.1TF).

 

[Skifi28]

Yes, they'll likely use a less beefy cooling solution and regular thermal paste rather than liquid metal since the power requirement goes down as die shrinks happen. Lots of savings.

This doesnt sound like a slim model with a complete redesign and it's hardly a die shrink, more of a refinement. I wouldn't expect such drastic internal changes. I'd expect something closer to launch PS4 pro VS newer versions.

 

[GHG]

And a certain group on Twitter is celebrating it, equating it with a failed PS5 design with bottlenecks that now need a redesign instantly Ah, good day and fun times! lol.

 

[jonnyp]

if only that then ok but how would you know?

Because I say so. But really, come on dude.
1) 6nm is not enough of a process improvement over 7nm to justify a Pro. That would make the chip much bigger, worsen yields and the Pro prohibitively expensive.
2) Why on earth would they release a Pro less than 2 years after launch when they are nowhere near able to supply the current demand for the current model?

 

[muteZX]

TSMC Update: 2nm in Development, 3nm and 4nm on Track for 2022​

by Anton Shilovon April 26, 2021 2:15 PM EST