Home Gaming Is Microsoft readying an Xbox One Slim?

Is Microsoft readying an Xbox One Slim?

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Xbslim

Right now, with 13 and a half million units sold, Sony is “winning” the next-gen console war. Microsoft is slowly, slowly fighting back, and won’t win it on its exclusives alone. As the Redmond company’s already seen, the only way it’ll win is on price. One thing that’ll certainly help on that front is a newer, cheaper SKU – which certainly helped Sony with the Playstation3 in the last generation. It looks like Microsoft is already working on it.

According to Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry (via B3D), chipmaker AMD has already developed a smaller, 20nm version of the Xbox One’s core processor. Smaller, more efficient and cheaper to produce, it paves the way for a slimmer and cooler – and most importantly, cheaper – Xbox One. The news comes via the Linkedin page of AMD’s senior manager of System on a chip physical design. According to his bio, Daniel McConnell “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.”

The same bio says that McConnel “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.”

What this all means is that Microsoft is likely already well in to designing their smaller, slimmer Xbox One – though it’s unlikely we’ll see one really soon. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the factory that actually manufactures the chips will likely have its 20nm plants very busy making new chips for iPhones, and iPads, as well as Nvidia and AMD’s Desktop GPUs.

I’m aching to get my hands on an Xbox One, because I have unchecked, silly technolust – but I think it would be wise to wait for a newer, cheaper one. Right now, a few exclusives aside, I just don’t see the point of owning both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. That will probably change when we start seeing more must-have exclusives from either camp.

Last Updated: November 3, 2014

28 Comments

  1. ToshZA

    November 3, 2014 at 09:36

    Waiting for the slim versions has always been the best bet, in terms of price, performance, AND game selection.

    Reply

    • L337J1MB0B

      November 3, 2014 at 09:44

      Umm no, does not affect performance in any way.

      Reply

      • ToshZA

        November 3, 2014 at 09:48

        I think a RROD affects performance rather drastically. Just saying.

        Reply

        • Pieter Kruger

          November 3, 2014 at 09:50

          YLOD!

          Reply

          • Thats_how_I_Troll

            November 3, 2014 at 11:13

            You Live Or Die?

          • The sour1

            November 4, 2014 at 07:28

            I have a funny feeling this will b microsoft’s final console, which is a shame, because u need all 3 major consoles 2 innovate the industry

        • L337J1MB0B

          November 3, 2014 at 09:54

          That’s called reliability, not performance.

          Reply

      • Mark Treloar

        November 3, 2014 at 12:32

        Power consumption will be the biggest benefit

        Reply

  2. Captain JJ the pout

    November 3, 2014 at 09:38

    They can make a Slim but they can’t fit the power brick inside the current console?
    They’re not sharing management Eskom per chance are they?

    Reply

  3. Jonah Cash

    November 3, 2014 at 09:42

    “Microsoft is slowly, slowly fighting back”…….. Yes by throwing the X1 and Xbox 360 in the same batch on their sales line 🙂 #winning #notwinning

    Reply

  4. Pieter Kruger

    November 3, 2014 at 09:44

    Nonsense, buy it, buy it now! Xbox One offers the best online experience, best value for money, best multimedia support, best controller, best exclusive games by a mile! ????????????

    Reply

    • Jonah Cash

      November 3, 2014 at 09:46

      Nest value for money sounds about right!!

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        November 3, 2014 at 09:46

        Too slow…..???????? Fixed it….

        Reply

        • Jonah Cash

          November 3, 2014 at 09:49

          Go get yourself some coffee and get up to speed again… Or get more RAM…. 🙂

          Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 3, 2014 at 09:49

        Because all your X are in One Box?

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          November 3, 2014 at 09:50

          Too punny. 😛

          Reply

        • Jonah Cash

          November 3, 2014 at 09:50

          You are sharp this morning!! Guess you got it all!!!

          Reply

    • L337J1MB0B

      November 3, 2014 at 09:47

      Microsoft doesn’t love me bro.. so me no love them 🙁

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 3, 2014 at 09:57

      Or, wait for a cheaper console and the exclusives that are out now will be cheaper as well by the time it releases. I’d just use it for exclusives anyways. IMO the cross platform games runs better on the PS4 at the moment

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        November 3, 2014 at 10:07

        “cross platform runs better” true, WHEN they run…..????????????

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 3, 2014 at 10:12

          rofl

          Reply

      • ToshZA

        November 3, 2014 at 10:09

        Cross-Platform runs best on PC. Just saying.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 3, 2014 at 10:12

          After they patch it to run at 60fps. MS and Sony tries their best to gimp the PC versions but it is folly.

          Reply

    • The sour1

      November 4, 2014 at 07:23

      U must work for Microsoft or something, & I’m guessing u think titanfall is a good buy also? A game with no campaign, & that u can’t even play without buying xblg, u must b a fool that likes wasting $$, xb1 has no good exclusives at the moment, u can play 3rd party titles on any console, Nintendo/Sony r dominating in exclusives, where r the great ms games like Alan wake/halo/gears/mass effect, oh that’s right, most of the ms developers jumped ship, 2 actually get their titles played on a reliable console! Nuff said

      Reply

  5. Jonah Cash

    November 3, 2014 at 09:46

    All jokes aside, this falls in the same category as the “exclusives” on the X1 that is going to PC. Why would I even think of buying a X1 if I know a cheaper one is coming in the “near” future, I will just wait for that one and then have a good backlog already!! Just like a PC gamer would not buy one because chances are good that the “exclusives” are coming their way in any case (3rd party exclusives). MS grow a pair and just rip the band aid off and start selling the cheaper smaller console, and piss off 6 million to gain another 20 million in the short term!!

    Reply

  6. Ross Woofels Mason

    November 3, 2014 at 10:05

    This is primarily why I am holding off on this gen so much. There is nothing from either sony or MS that makes me jump up and down screaming i must play NAOW!!!! OAO!!!!!!!!

    So will rather wait for the slims to come out and hope they are cheaper, and at least if they are not I can pick up one of the originals at discount prices =p

    Reply

  7. WitWolfy

    November 3, 2014 at 10:48

    I’ll prob pick up a Xbone if I see one at Cash Converters for a few grand cheaper than retail…

    Reply

  8. Ryanza

    November 3, 2014 at 12:59

    The biggest problem I see that Microsoft has now with the Xbox One is that it needs internet initially before it can play games. And Microsoft is not marketing games to the offline players. There are so much more offline player than there are online players.

    Microsoft can only expect sales from internet users. That is why Xbox One is only selling at a certain rate. You might find a boost here and there for certain games but that sales boost quickly drops to it’s normal low selling rate. The PS4’s normal selling rate is just crazy.

    Price cuts. If Microsoft gets a cheaper smaller chip then it means Sony gets the same cheaper smaller chips. So if Microsoft drops the price they will see a boost in sales but only to an X amount. I wouldn’t be surprised if the boost rate drops down to normal selling rate where the Xbox One is selling now.
    PS4 with a price cut will just be Uber crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised that PS4’s new sales rate will be that Uber craziness.

    Anyway. What I am saying is that Microsoft is doomed with that initial internet update. Microsoft’s priority needs to be removing all those internet needs, initial internet update, day 1 internet updates for games, ect. Microsoft needs to focus on the offline players with lot’s of new offline single player games. Only then will Microsoft see an increase in selling rate.

    But let the Xbox One DRM console die. I don’t care for shit like that.

    Reply

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