PlayStation3 info from CES

[Eridanis]

Interesting. Consoles are so well known, and a proven product, that they're driving new computer technology instead of following current PC tech:

From GameSpy

 

[Ristamar]

I've been hearing about Sony's 'Cell' technology for awhile now. Admittedly, the concept is very intruiging. On the other hand...

1) I can see a myriad of reasons as to why this won't work, or won't work even half as well as expected, especially on a game console.

2) I'm not going to believe any specs Sony throws out considering how badly they exaggerated the capablities of the PS2 before its launch.

It is a clever idea, but I don't really feel like replacing my appliances with new ones that have integrated Cell compliant chips, nor do I want anyone leeching my 'idle' processor power via the internet.

This may be too far ahead of its time.

 

[Henry]

I particularly loved this little piece of speculation:

Thus, for example, the PlayStation 3 will be able to use its broadband Internet connection to draw additional computing power from idle processors across the Internet. If still more horsepower is required, the PlayStation 3 can even tap into a home network to enlist support from other available machines.

If it's voluntary, then great. But if Sony makes the same mistake as Intel did with the pentium 4 "ID code", then expect a public backlash.

 

[drothgery]

2) I'm not going to believe any specs Sony throws out considering how badly they exaggerated the capablities of the PS2 before its launch.

Sony seems infatuated with 'clever' architectures these days. They don't seem to realize that the PlayStation trounced the Sega Saturn because it had a simple, easy-to-program design, while the Saturn was a pain to code for. They got away with this on the PS2 because Sega was broke, so they couldn't hype the Dreamcast as much as Sony hyped the PS2, and then got in a dominant position before Microsoft and Nintendo released their consoles. Even with that, Microsoft and Nintendo aren't going away.

With the next generation, though, it's a virtual certainty that Xbox 2 will launch within months of the PS3, if only because designing a backward-compatible Xbox 2 is not a hard design problem. If Sony decides that the PS3 doesn't have to be backward compatiable (and they may; the 'Cell' architecture means they either have to do what they did with the PS2, and include some previous-generation components in the new console, try to emulate the PS2 in software [tricky], or give up on backward compatibility) then they're conceding a major point.

 

[jdavis]

wow a hundred times more powerful than a pentium 4 2.5 gig, and they are using it for a video game? I'm sure that by 2005 a lot of things will change computer wise but this seems very theoretical right now. Not only does this technology have to become viable by 2005 but it will need to become relatively inexpensive. (for comparison the pentium 4 2.5 chip sells for about $250 right now, just that chip is more expensive than a whole Playstation 2). It's sort of like saying that not only will we have flying cars in 2005 but they will be so cheap everybody will own one.

 

[jdavis]

More info on Playstation 3

http://www.redherring.com/insider/2002/0719/playstation071902.html

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=7078

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-866288.html

 

[Shapermc]

I'll belive it when I see it.

PS2 claimed that it could produce a frame rate and quality that the Final Fantasy: The Spirits within movie was having. I am still waiting for that! Dreamcast has smoother textures and poly's than the PS2. Sony likes to lie. There is the proof. Also when this is released their will brobably only be 500 released for the first 5 months