Cheaper, cooler Xbox One processor in production – report

An Xbox One Slim could already be in the pipeline at Microsoft, a new report claims.

Eurogamer reckons that AMD has developed a smaller, cooler and – crucially – cheaper version of the CPU at the heart of Xbox One. The new chip is based on 20nm as opposed to 28nm tech, meaning more processors can fit onto a silicon wafer, thus reducing cost.

The Xbox One CPU is one of the device’s more expensive components, costing an estimated $50 a piece.

In using a smaller chip Microsoft would, if it desired, be able to reduce the size, manufacturing costs and shipping costs of its console.

However, factors that could dissuade Microsoft from making the switch include the costs of manufacturing new chips and the low yields. There’s also the complication that a lot of 20nm manufacturers are currently employed building Apple’s A8 and A8X chips and that Nvidia is allegedly already waiting in line to get the ball rolling on its next generation of 20nm graphics cards.

The site goes on to speculate that it’s almost certain” AMD will be doing exactly the same thing for Sony as it is for Microsoft and that a PS4 Slim is just as inevitable as a downscaled, cheaper Xbox One”.