New Xbox One chip could bring a thinner, cheaper and cooler console

The interwebs are whispering that an Xbox One Slim could already be in the pipeline.

Reports that AMD has developed a smaller, cooler and, more importantly, cheaper version of the CPU which currently beats at the heart of Xbox One.

The new chip is based on 20nm as opposed to 28nm tech – to most of us this means that more processors can be squeezed onto the silicon wafer, which reduces the cost. This is good news for all as the Xbox One CPU (Central Processing Unit) is one of the device’s more expensive components, costing an estimated $50 a piece.

In using a smaller chip Microsoft could, if it so wished, reduce the size of the console. This would save them yet more manufacturing costs as well as shipping costs. If they went ahead with this plan then the huge cooling system in the current Xbone would be swapped out for a thinner, possibly quieter model.

So far this all sounds ideal. Microsoft saves money and should pass that on to the consumer bringing the cost of buying the console even further down.

However, this would mean that Microsoft would have to set up new manufacturing and then there’s the cost of manufacturing the new chips. There’s also the inconvenience caused by a lot of the 20nm manufacturers being kept busy by building Apple’s A8 and A8X chips. Furthermore, Nvidia is probably tapping its feet patiently waiting in line to get the ball rolling on its next generation of 20nm graphics cards.

Don’t forget though, what’s good for the goose is certainly good for the gander and it’s a pretty safe bet that AMD will be doing exactly the same thing for Sony – this means that a PS4 Slim has the potential to be equally on its way.

Are you excited about the prospects of a next generation of slimmer gaming consoles?