PlayStation 3 GPU In 2005?

[Evi]

Nvidia\'s contribution to Sony\'s next game console should be ready by the end of 2005, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang indicated yesterday. While the bulk of his recent "fireside chat" with investment firm Morgan Stanley covered the bigger picture of Nvidia\'s business, Huang filled in a few more details regarding the chipmaker\'s collaboration with Sony.

Though it\'s designed to work in concert with the Cell processor, developed by Sony and IBM, the GPU for the new console is derived from Nvidia\'s technology. "It\'s based on the next generation GPU technology," Huang said, "and our expectation is to try and put it into production this year."

Later, he reiterated that point -- "I have every expectation that we will be able to see final production silicon later on in the year."

Huang added that a sizable team is at work on the console-specific implementation of the new hardware. "This next generation architecture took several hundred people several years to build," he explained, "but this specific implementation of that architecture should take about 50 engineers. It\'s something we\'re running full throttle on."

However, he took pains to note that the new console GPU is bringing no PC-related baggage with it. "It\'s nothing to do with Windows, it doesn\'t use any of the Windows features, and it\'s not about driving Windows," he said. "It\'s not about the PC at all."

Sony plans to have some form of development hardware for its next console to developers next March, according to the timetable revealed by chief technology officer Masa Chatani earlier this year. However, it\'s been reluctant to narrow down a release window for the finished hardware, beyond some time in 2006. Judging from Huang\'s comments, though, it could arrive relatively early in that year.

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I\'m not surprised. I haven\'t heard any date other than early \'06 (1st qtr most likely) for the Japanese launch and fall \'06 for the US launch, so I should hope the GPU would be complete fall \'05 at the latest.