Report: PS3 Slim Uses Less Power With New GPU

With the unveiling of the PlayStation 3's Slim redesign late last summer, Sony aimed to reduce costs and create a profit on its hardware, but it seems the company's GPU chip has also been streamlined to reduce the console's energy consumption. Website PlayStation University, crediting a Japanese site for stripping down and analyzing the Slim's components, reports Sony reduced the PS3's RSX GPU to 40nm -- previously, it stood at 65nm. More simply, it's a decrease in chip size that reduces power consumption overall by 15 percent, according to the report, which says the redesign also reduces the chance of overheating. Coupled with the 45nm Cell processor, the streamlined GPU reportedly makes hardware failures less likely as a result. Overall, the report confirms that the redesign of the processing hardware does reduce costs for Sony, which should amplify its goal of profiting from sales of PS3 Slim units. Since the launch of the Slim -- and with it, a $100 price reduction for the platform -- it seems that Sony has indeed gained marketshare particularly on the software front. Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews recently concluded that the PlayStation 3 "finally appears to be coming into its own." Matthews found an increase in software marketshare for Sony in the first two months of the year and a more significant jump in March -- specifically, PS3 software share jumped from 25 percent of the market in March 2009 to 41 percent in March 2010 on the back of the turnaround for PS3 hardware and the release of God Of War III.