PSP2 Using Same Chips as iPad2? - A Hard Sell

This rumour (that the PSP2 uses the same chips (see rumoured list below) as the upcoming iPad2/iPhone5) has been floating around for a day now, and I don't quite buy it.

The thing with the component (chips, RAM, screen glass, sensors and so on) supply chain is that Apple rules it with an iron fist and uses that power to hinder and limit all competition. Apple is hardly likely to let ARM flog Sony a million ARM processors when it can't get enough to make iPads.

Also, why would Sony abandon the Cell processor which has successfully scaled down over the years where it could be a competitive mobile product? If it stuck with Cell, that means it could also convert over a lot of PS3 games and code engines without much fuss.

Looking back Sony sold 185,000 PSPs on its launch weekend in the UK - so let's figure it needs a 1.5 million units across a global launch. Even if it could get them, there has to be a big question if it could keep getting the supplies after the launch for continued production.

I also recall problems that were delaying PSP2 were down to an NVIDIA chip - for Sony to dump a major partner quite far into development would be a big step. Of course, the chip market is a big place and there are other users of these processors, but I seriously pray there are no Taiwanese earthquakes this year, otherwise a lot of gadgets are going to sit unchipped and a lot of consumers will be very unhappy.

- Dimensions: 17X7.4X2.3 cm
- 5" OLED multi-touch screen (12.7 cm)
- Multi-touch trackpad
- Resolution: 960 x 544
- Quad core ARM Cortex A-9
- PowerVR SGX 543 MP4+
- 512MB LPDDR2 RAM (1GB devkits)
- 16GB flash + SD slot
- Wifi, 3G, bluetooth
- Acelerometers, GPS, gyroscope, front and back camera