PlayStation 4 Could Be Using Custom Chip to Power Console

PlayStation 4 Could Be Using Custom Chip to Power Console

IGN says PS4 will offer integrated and discrete chip processors.

IGN’s sources say the PS4 could use both AMD and Radeon chips in its next-gen console

IGN are reporting that the next-gen PlayStation console will offer integrated and discrete chips, from AMD and Radeon. That will be surprising, as it was previously rumoured Sony would move to just AMD to ease development for third-party developers.

The custom chips are based on the “AMD A8-3850 APU and Radeon HD 7670 GPU,” IGN say. The official product specs show the AMD chip as a processor with an integrated graphics chip. The APU will work with the GPU of the PS4, the HD 7670, which is a DirectX 11 card clocked to 1GHz.

The HD 7670 isn’t new – it’s the rebranded 6670. That’s the card that was rumoured by IGN to be in the next-gen Xbox, suggesting that both consoles will offer similar performance this time around. Sony is considered to have produced the more powerful console this generation, at the cost of frustrating first-party developers due to the Cell architecture.

The current price of the HD 7670 is $74.99, which is considered an entry-level processor. IGN says benchmark tests for games like Crysis 2 and and Metro 2033 perform at just over 30 FPS. While the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles could be similar on this front, the PS3’s other card will provide the advantage.

The A8-3850 has the HD 6550D on board, which means games can be run at baselines specs and low resolution without help of another GPU. When paired with the HD7670, IGN say, that means both cards will process realtime graphics.

IGN also say that while they are reporting this specs, it is possible these could change before the system’s launch. As the chips are based on retail products, it’s important to note that these are “custom.” It’s likely they won’t be exactly the same.