The chip is in development, but it will most likely take a long while until we see the cheaper, slimmer Xbox One SKU

Oct 31, 2014 14:48 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft might currently be in the early stages of development of a cheaper and slimmer Xbox One computer entertainment system.

As opposed to the previous console generation, with each of the devices' CPU based on different architectures, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are both based on the same AMD Jaguar microarchitecture, being powered by octa-core semi-custom APUs derived from AMD's design, acting as a CPU and GPU on a single chip.

The rumor that Microsoft might be working on a new chip originates from a LinkedIn listing. Daniel McConnell, a senior manager at AMD, the company manufacturing the chips of the new generation of home consoles, has some interesting bits of information on his profile.

The relevant pieces are "successfully planned and executed the first APU for Microsoft's XBOX One Game Console in 28nm technology and a cost-reduced derivative in 20nm technology," and "assembled and grew two cross-site execution teams for 2 successive XBOX APU revisions. This included developing key technical leads into senior positions allowing for successful execution and future team expansion to handle more SOCs."

These listings would indicate that Microsoft is currently involved in the making of a new Xbox One SKU, a slimmer and potentially cheaper variant. The current Xbox One CPU is based on the 28nm technology, and the 20nm variant would translate into a smaller box, with cheaper and more effective cooling solutions.

Additionally, the processor is one of the most expensive components in the Xbox One, and moving to the 20nm technology would cost Microsoft less for every unit made, resulting in an overall cheaper SKU.

We might have to wait a while until we get a new iteration of the Xbox One

Digital Foundry points out that, although this is something unavoidable in the long run, there will still be a while until we get to see a new SKU make an appearance.

First of all, the cost-reduced design of the 20nm processor still has to wait for the actual fabrication technology to increase its yield, as new chip manufacturing technologies are prohibitively expensive in their early years.

Another problem is the fact that most of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's production line is busy making chips for the new iPhones, iPads, and for Nvidia and AMD's next lineup of PC graphics cards, all of which are based on 20nm technology.

For the time being, there is no official word on this from either Sony or Microsoft, but it is quite certain that AMD has been working on the same technology for the PS4's APU. However, don't hold your breath waiting for the announcement, as there is still a pretty long time until the shift makes sense from a financial point of view.