Better Battery Life for the PSP, Faster Cell Processor?

Lower power tech could see longer, faster PlayStation goodness.

Posted by Staff
I love you long time: PSP Viaaggraaa RX
I love you long time: PSP Viaaggraaa RX
US chip designer Transmeta confirmed speculation on Monday that Sony has licensed its LongRun2 technology. Old and not altogether riveting news, you might think. We suggest it's potentially quite exciting. LongRun2 is a power management technology that reduces the voltage required to activate transistors in Large Scale Integrated circuits (LSI), even shutting them down completely when they are not in use. As more transistors are crammed on each chip, the more pronounced the problem becomes - and the improvements LongRun2 can bring.

Sony plans to use the technology on it's 90nm chip fabrication, such as those used in its DVD recorders, and of course, the PSP's 90nm CPU and Media Engine. Lower power consumption can only be a good thing for the PSP, blighted since conception by claims of sub-two hour battery life. Though the release of the handheld has demonstrated much better battery life, it's far from ideal. There's no doubt that LongRun2 will help improve the situation, though isn't going to alter the heavy drain created by the UMD drive motor.

Of course, a reduction in power consumption results in less heat generated within the chip. In applications where battery life is never going to be an issue, let's just suggest the PS3's 90nm CELL processor, then as every overclocker knows, there's the opportunity to increase the chip's clock speed for better performance. Don't get your hopes up just yet. With license deals of this magnitude taking months to cut through corporate red-tape, there's a pretty good chance that the recently announced 4.6GHz clock speed for CELL already catered for the inclusion of LongRun2.

On an interesting side note, Transmeta and nVidia have long been close friends and collaborators, with rumours going so far as to suggest that nVidia may even buy Transmeta. With Transmeta, Sony and nVidia all working closely together, it's hard not to speculate that PS3's nVidia GPU might use LongRun2 for better performance.
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Comments

gamereview 27 Jan 2005 21:22
1/8
Here go Sony again with these rip off plans of theirs, and the thing is going to cost you maybe around $60 and we americans are going to eat it all up and waste our money on a machine thats going to produce crap games anyway.
NiktheGreek 27 Jan 2005 22:12
2/8
gamereview wrote:
Here go Sony again with these rip off plans of theirs, and the thing is going to cost you maybe around $60 and we americans are going to eat it all up and waste our money on a machine thats going to produce crap games anyway.

I always thought that developers made the games, myself. If an audience buys crap games for a system, it's not the system's fault - it's the fault of the developers for making the crap games, and of the public for buying them. If a system's audience demonstrably prefers on genre above all others, then developers will make games predominantly of the genre.

Granted, things like exclusivity deals will change that a bit, but it's still not the hardware's fault. Of course, no hardware manufacturer wishes for it's system to be flooded with crap, because it reflects poorly upon them. So they're hardly likely to encourage bad games.

So, is the system's software content the fault of the mindless slab of hardware you buy? No.

And aside from all that, how is improving the battery life of the PSP a rip-off idea? Doesn't it improve functionality for the consumer? It's not a far cry from the difference between the Game Boy Advance and GBA:SP - the new hardware corrects the faults of the old.

If Sony releases a PSP with improved battery life, it's no worse than anything the current handheld giant does.
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Ditto 28 Jan 2005 09:13
3/8
I'm really annoyed.

I spent half of last week trying to buy Transmeta shares at their low because I had a feeling they were going to change into a mainly R&D company, licencing technology.

Typically, I hit the red tape of "send in 100 certified documents" and didn't get a chance to buy any :(.

How typical is that?!
tyrion 28 Jan 2005 09:13
4/8
gamereview wrote:
Here go Sony again with these rip off plans of theirs, and the thing is going to cost you maybe around $60 and we americans are going to eat it all up and waste our money on a machine thats going to produce crap games anyway.

Erm. What exactly are you talking about?

What are Sony going to make in the near future that plays games and costs $60??

Not the PSP, that'll be more expensive based on the Japanese launch price converted to US dollars. Certainly not the PS3, that'll be miles more expensive than $60.

Maybe one game for either system will cost about $60?
config 28 Jan 2005 09:50
5/8
Adam M wrote:
I'm really annoyed.

I spent half of last week trying to buy Transmeta shares at their low because I had a feeling they were going to change into a mainly R&D company, licencing technology.

Typically, I hit the red tape of "send in 100 certified documents" and didn't get a chance to buy any :(.

How typical is that?!


DrDee and I set up accounts with Datek (now Ameritrade) about six years ago - I don't recall that level or red tape.

You did go through with the setup though, right? Get it done now so you don't have the delay next time you want to bet on a hunch.



Ditto 28 Jan 2005 11:33
6/8
config wrote:
You did go through with the setup though, right? Get it done now so you don't have the delay next time you want to bet on a hunch.


Yeah, I'm trying to. But I'm having trouble getting a couple of sets of documents signed by accountants (which I don't have) or lawyers (again, I don't have a lawyer). I'm not paying just for a sig.

They've upped the red tape with new money regulations and terrorist acts. I tried to open a savings account last month and had to send off several proofs of IDs signed by the police.

It's a pity about all this, I've been quite good at predicting shares without investing (been doing it just "out-of-interest" several years now) and I've got a feeling after the current silicon depressions Transmeta in particular will be a valuable and innovative company.

Joji 28 Jan 2005 12:36
7/8
Well if this is all about Sony correcting any PSP battery problems it's very welcome in my opinion. Sorting problems before they grow makes sense.

Still waiting to hear how much the PSP games are gonna retail for in the u.k though. Sony have gone quiet.
tyrion 28 Jan 2005 12:53
8/8
Joji wrote:
Well if this is all about Sony correcting any PSP battery problems it's very welcome in my opinion. Sorting problems before they grow makes sense.

Problem is it would take a re-design of all the chips in the PSP for this to work. Probably not going to happen for a while.
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