Rumor: Next generation of PlayStation and Xbox hardware leaked

A report has outlined hard data on the technology inside the next generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

Digital Foundry claims to have the scoop on the next PlayStation (codename Orbis) and next Xbox (codename Durango). While there has been tons of reports over the past few weeks regarding the hardware, this seems to be one of the most solid and rounded rumors we've seen yet.

DF claims both the next generation PlayStation and Xbox will feature eight-core CPUs clocked at 1.6GHz according to sources. The main processor architecture driving both consoles is said to be derived the new "Jaguar" technology currently in development by AMD. These are low-power processor cores designed for the entry-level laptop and tablet market, offering an excellent ratio between power consumption and performance. Married to the eight-core processor, Orbis also features Radeon HD graphics hardware. The Radeon 7970M could be a strong basis for a next-gen console graphics core in terms of power consumption and die-size. Running at 850MHz and featuring 20 of AMD's "Graphics Core Next" compute units, Orbis shaves off 10 per cent of that number, offering up 18 CUs in total, and sees a mild downclock to 800MHz.

Orbis' memory features 4GB of GDDR5, with 512MB reserved for the operating system. This is in stark contrast to the much slower DDR3 that Durango will almost certainly ship with. Volume of RAM is the key element in Durango's favour - there'll be 8GB in total, with a significant amount reserved for the OS (3GB).

The complete and in-depth report can be found at Digital Foundry. While it is a rumor, it's the strongest and most detailed indication so far this year that the hardware is almost ready.

Xbox 360 launched back on November 16, 2005; PlayStation 3 followed on November 17, 2006. Both console makers are strongly expected to reveal their next generation of consoles some time in 2013.

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