The Magnus APU will reportedly power the Xbox next-generation console and a line of Xbox PCs, employing a strategy that will greatly benefit AMD.
Speaking on the NeoGAF forums, known AMD leaker Kepler L2 outright said that the Magnus APU leaked last month is not only going to power the next-generation Microsoft console but also "Xbox PCs" with the APU getting licensed out to OEM partners. Bar a few likely differences, these systems should be essentially the same, as another known insider, HeisenbergFX4, believes there won't be any special development required for the Xbox next-generation console, since no developer would put in additional work for what is setting out to be a small, niche market.
Ultimately, having a desktop chiplet powering the next-generation Xbox system as well as regular Xbox-branded PCs will be a big win for AMD, as highlighted by Moore's Law is Dead in a new video going over the leaked APUs for the next-generation consoles. Not only will production numbers be high, but AMD will likely be able to get better prices from TSMC while also benefiting from the optimization work done for the Xbox next-generation system. Considering how game optimization issues are rampant in the PC space nowadays, this could also become a great marketing point for the company and the Xbox partner OEMs.
The Xbox next-generation Magnus APU is set to mark a massive change in the console space. Its chiplet design, featuring separate CPU and GPU dies, is very different from the most recent console APUs, and will potentially power a more iterative approach to console design, allowing Microsoft to offer more frequent upgrades and possibly do away with the traditional console cycle. With console-exclusive games quickly becoming a thing of the past, it's not surprising to see how all console manufacturers seem to be going in different directions, an approach set to make the next generation of consoles one of the most interesting to date.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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