Here' s a little some thing i found .....

http://gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=3068

Well if it is right, and it seems likely it is, maybe next gen the ps4 will have a custom built gpu as opposed to a basically off the shelf product. I would assume that is good for them.
Also that they plan to produce faster Cell chips, so in theory, if the PS3 does well, devs will familiarise themselves with PS3, and when the PS4 comes out, it shouldn' t be such a difficult task to program for the PS4.

Sounds promising I suppose, but it' s a bit early to be thinking (as a consumer) about PS4 (Until we get PS3s in our hands and can say " I hope the PS4 will do this or that" "

Odd, I thought PS3 was being considered to last the next 5-10 years or so? Maybe Sony realised their RSX wasn' t up to the task and paid nV shitloads to give the PS3 an upgrade before release. That' d be interesting (it' d explain the delays...vaguely!)

haha, you think they will use it in the PS3? ...

These companies are always planning on the next system once they finish with the current one, It takes a lot of planning for them to get a console up and out there. I' m sure Ken is hard at work figuring out what 5D is so he can implement it into the PS4 given the PS3 is now " 4D" Watch out world... lol - Those crazy guys.

NVIDIA will go bankrupt before PS4 launches so it doesn' t matter. Quite frankly, NVIDIA suck when compared to ATi, but it would have been wierd for PS3 and 360 to both have ATi chips...

Since PS3 isn' t a gaming machine alone, who' s to say PS4 would be a gaming machine at all?!

And, choupolo is right, ...Sony are looking for PS3 to have a 10 years shelf life, but realistically, they' ll start looking into developing their next system proper in about 4 years and will likely release it maybe 6 years from now. They' re only just killing the PSone!

It could have nothing to do with the Playstation brand though. It could be a contract that' s focused on a CELL/GPU combo chip to use in the next generation of Blu-Ray players. OR it could be a contract that concerns the next version of the PSP.

It could be PS4 but it' s unlikely. NVIDIA might not be in favour a decade from now so what would be the point of contracting them to develop another chip now, especially when graphics technology is advancing so quickly...

ORIGINAL: Majikdra6on

It could be PS4 but it' s unlikely. NVIDIA might not be in favour a decade from now so what would be the point of contracting them to develop another chip now, especially when graphics technology is advancing so quickly...

I disagree. Do you honestly believe that Sony will sit idly by when Microsoft and Nintendo launch their next round of machines?! That would be suicide. 5 years from now Sony will be ready with its next iteration of the Play Station brand, guaranteed! All that talk about lasting 10 years is just so they can justify the price of the PS3. It' s all marketing.

The Reuter article states:

Recently, Reuters reported that IBM, Sony, and Toshiba are extending their technology partnership for another five years. The three companies had originally banded together to create the unusual, powerful Cell chip that powers the PS3 -- that partnership lasted for five years and resulted in the PS3.

...Sounds about right for the next gen.

But it doesn' t mean it' ll be for PS4 though.

I thought PS3 was being considered to last the next 5-10 years or so?

I don' t think it is too early for them to start thinking and planing the next gen system.
The 10yr life span wont change (I suppose unless the machine really fails completely). Sony will support their ps2 until it has had 10 years life, regardless of PS3, it doesn' t imply it' ll be the only system, just that it' ll be in production and supported, as it were.

Since PS3 isn' t a gaming machine alone, who' s to say PS4 would be a gaming machine at all?!

Sony are not stupid enough to make the next machine a non-gaming machine. Gaming will for a long time yet be the integral part, and losing that would lose consumers and ultimately it' d become a part of sony electronics much like PSX was not part of SCE game side of sony..

NVIDIA will go bankrupt before PS4 launches so it doesn' t matter. Quite frankly, NVIDIA suck when compared to ATi, but it would have been wierd for PS3 and 360 to both have ATi chips...

I doubt they will go bankrupt - nvidia is a big brand name. Sure ATI out perform them especially when running with AA and at high res. But there will probably be some improvements with their technology. In anycase they are get money from sony with the ps3 RSX, and the new deal they made will be worth more if i understand correctly. " pay more than it earned" .
But very true it may not be for PS4 but i think it' s more than likely.

Sony are not stupid enough to make the next machine a non-gaming machine. Gaming will for a long time yet be the integral part, and losing that would lose consumers and ultimately it' d become a part of sony electronics much like PSX was not part of SCE game side of sony..

But it doesn' t HAVE to be the successor to PS3, it could be for something that would co-exist with Sony' s next-gen gaming machine. Like i said, it could easily be a CELL/GPU combo for use in other devices like TV' s and Blu-Ray players.

I doubt they will go bankrupt - nvidia is a big brand name

I know bankrupt is a little extreme, but you get my point. 3Dfx was once a bigname in that field, Voodoo cards were hugely popular, but they fell behind eventually on the verge of becoming bankrupt they were bought by NVIDIA.

ATi simply kick ass!!!

Anyway, while it could be for pretty much anything, it' s definately possible it could be for PS4. But if it was, i doubt we' d know about it bacuse it may give some the wrong impression!

I think sony should wait and see how this works out with Nvidia before signing any more deals.

After all, microsoft was burned by Nvidia again and again because they refused to lower prices.