The PlayStation 3 has not been selling as well as Sony or developers would have liked. Eventually, repercussions are going to be felt.
So it should not surprise anyone to hear Sony has decided to back out of a research initiative they joined with IBM and Toshiba to develop technologies focused on the Cell processor.
Scheduled to end in 2010, the research project focused on creating the components and tech needed to create chips along with enhancing the power and purpose of the Cell Processor.
Interestingly enough, this decision also coincides with Sony’s announcement that they are selling their production facility for the Cell processor to Toshiba, as well as stepping out of capital investments made for later generations of the Cell processor.
What this means for the PlayStation 3 is not really clear. Sony removing itself from plans to continue creating the Cell processor cannot bode well for the company. This is either a move done to conserve money or Sony has a new technological ace up its sleeve that it is about to release. Let’s hope, for the sake of the industry, it is the later instead of the former.
[Via Trading Markets.com]
