Sony mulls memory options for next game machine

By Jack Robertson
EBN
(05/08/02, 01:56:40 PM EDT)

TOKYO -- The projected DDR-II SDRAM memory is a memory candidate for the next generation Sony Corp. electronic game machine, but a top executive told EBN Wednesday that even that advanced new chip may not be fast enough.

Kenshi Manabe, senior vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Semiconductor division, said the yet-unnamed successor to the current Sony Playstation-II "will need memory with incredibly high speed and tens-of-gigahertz bandwidth.I'm not sure that even what we have seen for DDR-II on the present (industry) memory roadmaps will be high enough performance for us.

"The next (game machine) may require an entirely new type of memory architecture. Right now we are discussing with our semiconductor development partners, IBM and Toshiba, how we can solve the memory technology issue," he said.

As previously reported, the three chip companies have a joint development program working at IBM's Austin, Tex., research center to design the next game machine's advanced processor and manufacturing process.

Separately, Sony and Toshiba have a joint development for the machine's highly-integrated graphics chip.

Manabe said it is certain that even the highest projected speed Direct Rambus DRAM or DDR-I memory aren't fast enough with high enough bandwidth for the next Sony Corp. game machine.

The Sony official also said the new machine will need an equally super-speed memory bandwidth interface. He said HyperTransport designed by an Advanced Micro Devices-promoted consortium "may be a candidate, but at this time we have made no decision."