Next-gen discussion has descended into hearsay and rumours of late, with little hard facts emerging despite the general consensus being that both Sony and Microsoft will unveil new hardware next year.
However, a patent filing for “DYNAMIC CONTEXT SWITCHING BETWEEN ARCHITECTURALLY DISTINCT GRAPHICS PROCESSORS” has been picked up, and it at least hints at what the PlayStation 4 might be capable of and points to a possible chip set distribution.
Yes, it’s just a patent application and in no way guarantees what the PS3’s successor might be doing under the hood, but it’s better than the usual fluff.
“Graphics processing in a computer graphics apparatus having architecturally dissimilar first and second graphics processing units (GPU) is disclosed,” says the filing.
“Graphics input is produced in a format having an architecture-neutral display list. One or more instructions in the architecture neutral display list are translated into GPU instructions in an architecture specific format for an active GPU of the first and second GPU.”
If Context Switching isn’t something you normally discuss over the dinner table, help is at hand. It basically means that one program currently running can be swapped out with another, with internal memory used as a holding pen for the inactive application. However, in this particular patent it looks like the ‘inactive’ application can be run on the other processor – in theory they’d be running at the same time.
Real world applications? Window-in-window gaming, or – more likely – the ability to run one application on a tablet (or – yes, streamed to a PS Vita) whilst the other processor handles the lion’s share of the work pushing content to the TV.
Regardless, it does look like Sony are aiming at a APU + GPU combination, with presumably one high powered GPU and one lower powered (Mobile?) one.
There’s a little more here. The plot thickens.
Nickboss1
I’m just writting this to get my TSA account to level 4.
Nickboss1
almost there.
Nickboss1
981
Nickboss1
983
Nickboss1
I give up.
englishgolfer
Cross game chat! Finally!
dave87fez
I predict that when we finally get cross-game chat, we’ll get bored of speaking to other very soon!
I can imagine it now. I’m playing FIFA, screaming “Get in there, you beauty!” and my mate’s yelling “Die, bit*h die!” at CoD
The Von Braun
That sound you just heard? the techno-talk going right over my (balding :-( ) head.
This is’nt going to be another case of Sony doing something they can drag out when ever PS4 is compared to the next gen.Xbox and they can say, look, this is why PS4 is more powerful, is it?.
‘We’ really don’t need another generation of that, thank you very much Mr Sony Jim…just make sure the damn thing works, has the Ram needed to prevent bottlenecks and whilst your at it, pop in some features like cross-chat, decent web browser, wi-fi that’s not out of the ark and secure some exclusives, plus ensure it makes great use of the potential the link up with Vita offers and we’ll say no more about the matter…
Only few days left, so could we impose a ‘ban’ on any more PS4 ‘news’ stories for the rest of 2012? until Sony start letting out information, all this speculation bit daft really….we’ll know in a few months time i’m sure.
Kaminari
The PS3 already uses an APU+GPU architecture (Cell and RSX).
Alex C
Cell is a CPU, no?
The Von Braun
CPU is indeed the CELL in PS3 (Power PC Core+Synergistic Processing Elements) with the GPU being the RSX ‘Reality Synthesizer’.
Or so all the mags i’ve read claim….