AfterDawn: Tech news

PS3 chip info released, protos expect early 2005

Written by Lasse Penttinen @ 29 Nov 2004 9:18 User comments (31)

PS3 chip info released, protos expect early 2005 The core of the PlayStation 3 will be new CPU technology. The project is a joint effort by Sony, Toshiba and IBM. They have been working on the project since 2001, but so far very little facts about its functionality has been released. Sony expects to use the chip inside HDTV's and computers as well.
n a joint statement the three firms gave hints about how the chip will work but fuller details will be released in February next year at the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.
The three firms claim that the Cell chip will be up to 10 times more powerful than existing processors.

When put inside powerful computer servers, the Cell consortium expects it to be capable of handling 16 trillion floating point operations, or calculations, every second.

The chip has also been refined to be able to handle the detailed graphics common in games and the data demands of films and broadband media.
Source: BBC

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31 user comments

129.11.2004 10:17

YES! Its about time we got some more info on the PS3! I can't wait for it to come out. You lame XBOX users can't brag about having a better system anymore...even though the PS2 still kicks the XBOX's ass.

229.11.2004 10:29

i couldnt agree more with u the xbox has always sucked,they think their so could with their halo2-sure they have a better graphics thingy but ps2 always beats it in the sales at christmas yes thats right always!ps.ps3 will kick xbox 2 to kingdom shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

329.11.2004 11:22

-_- Say what you PS2 fanboys want. I'm just excited about PS3. Think of Final Fantasy 13 with Unreal III technology! =O

429.11.2004 13:50

In your first sentence, I think you meant "The core of the PlayStation 3" and not 2.

529.11.2004 13:57

How anyone can say that the PS2 is a good console must live in a cave. It is probably the most overrated piece of hardware that has ever been made. The technology is 4 years old, the build quality was atrocious. Why did they think it would be a dvd player? All of the green screen debarcle, lasers failed at an alarming rate, the noise the console makes is unbearable. Sony tried to make an all singing all dancing console. They ended up with a hotch potch of cheap components thrown together. A three year old could have made a better job. They new full well there would be plenty of sony zealots out there who would be fooled with all the hype. Remember the truly abysmal range of games ir opened with? As for slagging off other console users, that is for 7year old boys fighting in the school yard. PS2 kicks X-box ass? Are you smoking illegal drugs or what? Which planet are you from? The PS2 is an outdated, overhyped piece of junk. I have San Andreas, it is let down by its' aiming system & the PS2. It is unable to run smoothly, the popup is so bad it is beyond belief, all down to the clockwork processor & steam powered memory. A goldfish has more memory than a PS2. The quality of the console is my biggest gripe, crap, pure unadulterated crap. By the time the PS3 is out this new "cell" chip will be out of date, Blu-ray is already out of date, even though it has just come out in Japan. The 500gig per side disc by Pioneer & its' UV laser technology is the way to go. Blu-Ray will look prehistoric in comparison. I can only hope that sony pulls its' finger out & does a decent job of this one. A bit of quality is what people want, not quantity. It should be a console, only a console. I don't really like the X-box, purely as it is by microsoft. Enough said.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 30 Nov 2004 @ 10:24

629.11.2004 14:00

I have both the PS2 and XBOX systems and like them both. I play only the best games of each. I've been into home theater for quite a while and feel Sony dropped the ball with the PS2's lack of hardware Progressive scan, lack of seamless surround sound intergration and lack of HDTV support. Yes there are a FEW exceptions for surround sound and Progressive scan (software based). However, more of my GameCube games support Progressive scan and surround sound. Sony wasn't exactly too forward thinking at all and really didn't over do it with the GPU or system memory at all - "reality" indeed. Still, most games look and play great. I hope both the PS3 and XBOX2 are closer in power and quality as I of course I'll be getting both. I especially hope both will support home theater and HDTV systems even better. Of course neither can touch my PC and never will as I continue to upgrade, oh well still fun to play games on the big screen with quick start ups and good controllers.

729.11.2004 14:14

true the ps2 doesn't do Progressive, but I use the optical out to my surround sound system and it sounds great. What is different about the xbox as far as sourround goes? I think that the simple fact that the xbox has a faster processor and larger video memory (4 vs 32, I think), yet it still beats the xbox in sales, performance, competition. That why I know for sure that the ps3 will be awesome and set a whole new standard of gaming.

829.11.2004 16:04

im excited :D i cant wait to see which will be better xbox or ps2......... hopefully it will be easy to back games up!

929.11.2004 17:37

pulsar: why talk all this trash about the ps2 when you say you don't like the xbox either?

1029.11.2004 17:43
diabolos
Inactive

The XBox 2 will come in 3 differn't flavors. Which do you want to compare to the PS3? http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/5783.cfm The Playstation has been over-hyped since '94. Long live Sega Saturn!!! ;)

1129.11.2004 17:52

nah, its all about the Commodore 64 baby...

1229.11.2004 18:59

i think ps3 will be better........ i think hd-dvd will outnumber bluray like 10-1 i dont think people will like bluray too much....first of all........... ITS SONY.. sony always has to overprice everything so not too many people will buy them....... that will make it less likly people will/want to copy the games..... but hey... the only true systems that were practicly impossible to copy were cartrige games(now, i know they make roms and everything so dont start arguing with me) i like both xbox and ps2...... pry ps2 more because its got a wider choice of games, and more importantly ONLINE GAMING IS FREEEEE!!!! i hope its the same way for ps3!!! anyway... have fun everyone in this website is intitled to their opinion! in my opinion xboxes are HUGE!!!(size,weight wise) and the only big game they have is halo. and thats beginnning to get old... c ya

1329.11.2004 20:38

The PS2 really is the best, sure microsoft has the best graphics but the PS2 just feels better. It has more games. The first time I played the Xbox I was not feeling it, and first impressions are everything to me.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Jan 2006 @ 4:51

1430.11.2004 07:02

PS2 Games = Quantity over Quality XBOX Games = Quality over Quantity Why PS2 sold more than XBOX = It was released 1 year before, and it was the first 3rd gen console. Of course more people would buy it. It's new, afterall! Btw drzayus01, it's not Sony, it's Microsoft...

Quote:
The PS2 really is the best, sure sony has the best graphics but the PS2 just feels better. It has more games. The first time I played the Xbox I was not feeling it, and first impressions are everything to me.

1530.11.2004 08:13

I got my ps2 a year after my xbox and I only had it to play 3 games, Grand Turismo Collection, the Grand Theft Auto Collection, and the Final Fantasy Collection. If a game came out on both consoles I would get it for the xbox, so much better on the xbox because of it's better graphics power, and online play rules over ps2. Also if ps3 does end up being better the xbox2 then so be it, I will use mostly what I think is best even though I will have both. Thank-You

1630.11.2004 09:04

I think Sony took the Gamer approach, Look Good, Sound Good, Play some awesome games. Oh and play DVD's. Now that sony knows people want a high tech system that can intergrate with their audio and visual entertaiment systems, and not just a kick ass gaming box... They are going to blow microsofts ass off with the PS3. Why? Because they have Style. And Microsoft's Xbox will always been an ugly piece of shit. They have no Style when it comes to Hardware. because it's american.

1730.11.2004 09:29

djscoop, just 'cos I chose to trash the PS2 does not mean I have to like the X-box, what the hell has that got to do with it? I am fed up with the childish rants of which console is best. I have a PC, PS2 & a dreamcast(!), my friend has an X-box. Most PC games released are inevitably followed by a lot of patches, then you have to install the latest drivers or latest graphics cards to make it run better. Oh sorry, I cannot slag off PCs either! If you do not like my opinion, fine, don't resort to peurile attempts to get me to like one system over the other. I speak as I find. I have my own thoughts & will not be drawn into futile & pointless arguements, as I said before that is for the children in the playground to argue over. Just because you may prefer one over the other does not mean that other people cannot have their own opinions. This forum is great to find out what people think. The bottom line is that if you have a kick ass PC, you will trounce all consoles. this is because the technology in a console by its' very nature will always be old hat, PCs offer you the chance to upgrade & tweek settings etc to improve frame rate etc. I'm not saying PCs are perfect, far from it, they can be both very frustrating & rewarding. If you stick at it & experiment you will get the results you want. Consoles are great as they offer the chance to plug & play, but they are very limited with what they are capable of. Console game designers are restricted by the technology a console offers, PC game designers have no such limitations as the technology grows at a phenominal rate. The 6800 series of cards are a very good example of this. They are without doubt a big step in the right direction. The detail in Far cry & Doom 3 is incredible with this next generation of cards. As games progress, then card designers cannot rest on their laurels. This can only be a good thing. It is in our nature to progress & improve. The leaps made in just the last 5 years is simply amazing. Consoles will always be left behind. This is all very well, it is OK if you can afford to buy faster memory, processors, faster hard drives, better graphics cards etc. It is a hobby that can be bought by those priviliged to do so, so consoles win there, don't they?

1830.11.2004 13:07

The Reality is Xbox has better graphics, and any multiplatform game simply looks better on the xbox. However PS2 has amazing games and liscences, gt4 gta well those two games could beat all the games on xbox except halo. I ahve and xbox and ps2 and i love playing gta on ps2 but i love ea games and i liek playing those on xbox due to teh improved graphics. also PS3 will be amazing, it will ahev everything we can imagine and more and the xbox 2 will be everything we imagine and more. who will win? well who ever markets their stuff better gets the proper liscences for games and it has to has looks and honestly sony ahve always had looks for their systems. microsoft have to make the next xbox look good or it will get bullied again

1930.11.2004 13:49

Isn’t it a little early to be speculating which console will be better? We haven’t even seen any of the new console’s and we are already throwing our hands in the air clamming which is going to be better. Also I’d like to point out that the better (more powerful) console doesn’t always necessarily win, ala Dreamcast and N64 to name a few. Even today, the XBOX and Gamecube are both much more powerfully machines than the PS2, but the PS2 is still beating them at sales, in both hardware and software. As for PS2 v XBOX, in absolute raw power, the XBOX win’s hands down, you must be either blind, or a real fan boy to claim the PS2 can out grunt the XBOX. I own the PS2, and I really like it but the fact is the XBOX is better in that department. As for games it’s a matter of preference. PS2 does have a larger variety of different genres, but that doesn’t mean any of these games are any good, and as for XBOX, it looks like its main genre is the fps, which I’m not a great fan of. But when it comes to comparing the same game on both machines, i.e. FIFA 2005, Pro Evolution Soccer 4 or Driver 3, it is quite clear that the XBOX preforms much better than PS2, especially in Driver 3. The game isn’t that great in the first place, but the PS2 version is just yuck. One finally note on the next offerings from both Sony and Microsoft. MS claims that the reason the XBOX feel behind the PS2 was due to the fact that Sony got the 1 year head start on them. But if anyone remembers, the Dreamcast got 1 year head start on the PS2 and it didn’t help. People knew the next PS was coming so they waited, and this problem might hit MS with there new machine (if they are planing to release it 1 year prior to Sony). To finish off, best of luck to Sony, MS and Nintendo in there next upcoming consoles. If I were to buy any of the new one’s, it’s really going to be based on which has the better exclusive titles, not necessarily the raw power.

2030.11.2004 14:31

To be fair to the DC, sony had far more advertising power & it was riding on the success of the PS1. I still think that the DC was very underrated & was not given the chance to shine. A real shame. As for game play, well I think nintendo has that market. Again it does not have the resources that sony has to market & invest in games with. If sony put more effort into quality & not quantity they would do better. They will never learn.

2130.11.2004 16:35

I see a post mentioning the "Commodore 64", who can remember when the "VIC 20" ruled. (pokes and peeks if I remember correctly) M

2230.11.2004 17:15

guys, seriously stop fighting about this...... each console has its better things.... DEAL WITH IT. your words arent going to change the others opinion.... just shut up! another thing i just read... www.gizmodo.com -Xbox 2 will not be at CES(which must be some sort of electronics convention) somthing about it being not ready by then. well if its not ready by then will we see the same thing we saw with ps2? everyone buying ps2 and not nearly as many xboxs?

2330.11.2004 19:39
kulkar
Inactive

so this means the ps2s pretty much done with then in terms of new games when it hits huh...thats pretty gay cuz i dont wana spend $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on a ps3 when it comes out right away.

241.12.2004 07:21

Modded Xbox wins......nuff said. ----end of story.

251.12.2004 08:53

Who's fighting? I am just trying to express my opinion as eliquently as possible.

261.12.2004 14:41

Well on a different note id like to thank Sony for makeing the PS2 because remember when the PS2 first came out and they were impossible to get well my mom was workin at K-MART at the time and could get first dibs on em i made about $6000.00 to $7000.00 dollars on selling them you crazy fuckers who were paying like 1000.00 for em well sorry maybe no one on this site payed that much i hope the fu@# not anyway SO MY SINCEREST REGAURDS TO SONY FOR HYPING THE PS2 UP LIKE THEY DID EVEN IF IT WAS A PIECE OF SHIT and made very quickly to beat every other system on to the market i mean come on even the die hard PS2 FANS can figure out that if they made 10 different versions of the PS2 somethings gotta be wrong here i personally had to send my PS2 back and they paid for shipping and all but then 2 months later it f@#cked up anyway and i just got rid of it. so i hope the PS3 hits the hype that the PS2 did ive already got a friend lined up that works at TOYS R US show me the money

271.12.2004 16:46
kulkar
Inactive

ps2 still is sick u idiot

282.12.2004 08:26

i never said the games and the system its self was bad i love PS2 its my system of choice but the bottom line is they didnt think before they made it they were to worried about getting it out there that they didnt research the components that make up the PS2 like the shotty lazer and "10 more versions of the same system" i mean come on what the hell is up with that shouldnt they have gotten it right by now or what

292.12.2004 08:29

Y O U I D I O T IF ITS GOT TITS TIRES OR ELECTRONICS ITS GONNA GIVE YOU PROBLEMS.

302.12.2004 18:49

Quote:
your words arent going to change the others opinion.... just shut up!
Why are you talking then?

313.12.2004 08:01
dantetren
Inactive

How long do you think it will take us to burn and copy a PS3 game? 1 year? 2 years? I dont know.

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