The next generation of consoles - not the refreshes - are expected around 2027. So far AMD have provided both CPU and GPU to both Sony and Microsoft, to their considerable profit. But by that time Intel will have had 3 generations of Arc under its belt. That will have given them a track record as suppliers of both CPU and GPU. So I wonder, will Intel be looking to replace AMD in the console space? Might we get an Intel-based PS6 and an AMD-based Xbox?
Is Intel making a play for the console market with Arc?
Associate
If they can offer the same performance at a lower cost, maybe.
I doubt anybody will take them serious until they start delivering what they say they are going to deliver when they say they are. Sony and MS need to know that whatever they order will be delivered without question, things like sapphire rapids being 3+ years late and other massive slippages in recent years I think will put them out of the picture for the next couple of gens. Then there is the power draw vs performance issues which in a console are very much a consideration. Id personally love to see it but dont think we will see anything for at least a couple of console gens.
Soldato
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Unless they provide Nintendo with something, as performance is less of a big deal (although a very small for factor).
If you look at the switch power budget / battery etc im not fully convinced that there is anything in the intel stack right now that fits the bill if you were to extrapolate that looking forward to a switch 2 type device. Whereas in the AMD stack and to some degree Nvidia there is plenty that they could use and that makes some practical sense. Obviously making huge assumptions on direction here... The other thing is the tegra is arm based so there are some assumptions to be made that arm would be the move and not x86/amd64. Id be surprised if they didn't lean on another arm based SoC or tegra type chip where backwards compatibility would be easier without emulation.
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Caporegime
From my basic knowledge, it could be Microsoft that is more likely to choose this option as the XBox runs in an abstracted environment so it should be easier to move games onto other platforms. Sony probably has hardware (direct-to-the-metal stuff) locked in with AMD that might mean they'd have to sacrifice all backward compatibility? I dunno.
The chip in MS consoles has basically been x86 based since its inception so amd/intel are the obvious choice. Sony is a bit more interesting and as we go back everything up to the ps4 was sony custom SoC. The pinnacle of which is the PS3 which had the cell. This is where things get interesting because while Su was at IBM she was instrumental in the inception of the the Cell which came from the IBM-Sony-Toshiba alliance so the links back down the ancestry of chips at sony have some heavy links to Su
Basically as they stand both consoles are x86 based machines while the switch runs on arm. Architecturally the current xbox and ps5 beyond the marketing are pretty much the same machines, a generation back so ps4/xbox one both the machines were AMD Jaguar based so effectively the same architecture again.
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Lower costs for console is mostly about perf/transistors. That is the cost to manufacture. Plus how low a margin someone is willing to down to (AMD certainly started that way, but now make decent margins on the consoles).
Intel's ARC is way behind in perf/transistors.
Intel's core is mostly way behind too - unless Intel could pitch 2 P cores and lots of E cores, which might make developer's lives too interesting. Which makes it risky for one of the console vendors to go down that route and the other to stick AMD; especially if the vendor going for Intel and E cores were the smaller of the two (Microsoft).
Right now, but it's a first generation product, as much a proof of concept as anything else. By the time the next consoles are launched it will be their third generation.
If memory serves me right, the gpu in the PS5 has a number of custom additions that Sony requested.The chip in MS consoles has basically been x86 based since its inception so amd/intel are the obvious choice. Sony is a bit more interesting and as we go back everything up to the ps4 was sony custom SoC. The pinnacle of which is the PS3 which had the cell. This is where things get interesting because while Su was at IBM she was instrumental in the inception of the the Cell which came from the IBM-Sony-Toshiba alliance so the links back down the ancestry of chips at sony have some heavy links to Su
Yea if you actually believe that, I am not sure I do. They kept saying "It's not just a navi chip. But when all was said and done I dont recall them ever giving solid answers to whats different.
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A small maybe
But Intel needs to be able to deliver a unified SoC that is high performance and low power at a price to performance that beats AMD and can allocate resources to quickly build many millions.
Intel has desktop Arc, but driver/software support is still a bit weak, features is a bit weak and none of this is yet sold in a high performance SoC form factor, which is absolutely needed for a console. No one is making gaming consoles, home or handheld that doesn't use an SoC anymore
With Intel's upcoming Meteor Lake processors they are moving closer to what would be required for a console but it still lacks a powerful GPU inside it
In addition Intel P cores are still power hungry. I don't think home consoles want a SoC that has P and E cores and an Intel CPu with 8 to 16 P cores consumes ungodly power which is a deal breaker for a console
I won't rule anything out because 2027/2028 is still a few years away but Intel has a lot of work ahead of them if they wish to make consoles. And in fact Nvidia is actually much closer to being able to supply a next gen console than Intel because Nvidia can actually make high performance SoCs and they are already are making them for all sorts of devices like portable gaming machines to cars and other electronics.
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I long for days gone by of the exotic architecture in different consoles rather than basically the same box with different name on, given that ray tracing will be a big selling point next gen I’d say nVidia has a bigger shout than anyone, AMD will be several generations behind by then, I could even see nVidia gpu/ARM cpu combo
Associate
I don't think so.
Why?
1. Consoles aren't a growing consumer base; Re: comments on Sony and failing to 'grow' PlayStation sales and hence the transition into services. Also Microsoft's recent email leaks about pulling out of the market if they haven't hit a ridiculous number of GP subs. There provide some clarity around the challenges two of the platforms have and lack of new entrants.
2. The FTC Microsoft leaks and timelines on their choices; Arm vs. X86 architecture means theirs (and likely Sony's choice) is to continue with AMD vs. anything more revolutionary. Also they need to have hardware design in place 3/4 years prior to their launch (the leak indicated 2028 for the next-gen MS console). DF talked about this in a recent reaction video to the MS leaks and how the current gen design choices were made in 2016/17.
3. Nintendo & Nvidia preparing next year's Switch successor. And Nvidia's expertise in mobile SoC etc.
Why?
1. Consoles aren't a growing consumer base; Re: comments on Sony and failing to 'grow' PlayStation sales and hence the transition into services. Also Microsoft's recent email leaks about pulling out of the market if they haven't hit a ridiculous number of GP subs. There provide some clarity around the challenges two of the platforms have and lack of new entrants.
2. The FTC Microsoft leaks and timelines on their choices; Arm vs. X86 architecture means theirs (and likely Sony's choice) is to continue with AMD vs. anything more revolutionary. Also they need to have hardware design in place 3/4 years prior to their launch (the leak indicated 2028 for the next-gen MS console). DF talked about this in a recent reaction video to the MS leaks and how the current gen design choices were made in 2016/17.
3. Nintendo & Nvidia preparing next year's Switch successor. And Nvidia's expertise in mobile SoC etc.