24-11-2004, 04:05 PM
I have created this thread to provide some information on the upcomming Playstation 3. I have collected some information from various web sites, and i beleive most of this information to be fact unless stated otherwise. At the moment not much is known about the PS3, but i will try and post new information as it is announced.
System specs
Processor
In order to design the most powerful processor possible with current technology, Sony formed a partnership with electronics giant Toshiba and supercomputer expert IBM. Together, the companies have assigned a team 300 engineers and are spending (an estimated) $500 Million to develop a new type of processor which has been nick-named the Cell.
The processor is actually a collection of smaller processors. Software packets, called “cells”, are then sent to each of the smaller processors in order to give instructions on what tasks to perform. When implemented optimally, the processor should be able to calculate around 1 trillion floating point calculations per second. Which is better than a standard computer processor.
Memory
Sony has already ensured that the PlayStation 3 will contain some of the best memory on the market. Sony has licensed XDR DRAM for use will all of their Cell applications, including those of the PlayStation 3. XDR DRAM was developed through a joint effort by Elpida, Toshiba, and Rambus and will offer a bandwidth of at least 3.2 GHz (which is eight times that of today’s best-in-class PC memory).
Broadband connection
The Playstation 3 will most likely feature a broadband modem. Broadband internet service is spreading rapidly over the United States, Japan, and parts of Europe with a minimum of 50% coverage by the time the PlayStation 3 is released. Online console gaming is becoming more popular by the day and Sony has already shown support for such gaming on the current PlayStation 2. If shared computing is implemented, a broadband connection will be necessary to benefit from other systems in standby. A dial-up modem will most likely not be included as the demand for such a device is rapidly declining and in all likelihood, games will not be able to transfer data quick enough over a phone line for online gaming.
Hard drive
With the recent trend towards downloadable content and online gaming, it is almost certain that Sony will include a hard drive in the PlayStation 3. Upcoming games like SOCOM 2 and GT4 will make use of the PlayStation 2 HDD (hard disk drive) and games like Final Fantasy XI require such use. Sony is making an effort to get PlayStation 2 owners to adapt to using a hard drive, and it is reasonable to assume that they will continue with this mentality to include a hard drive in the PlayStation 3.
Saving
Memory cards will most likely be a thing of the past in favor of the more versatile Memory Sticks. Already designed into the upcoming portable gaming unit, PlayStation Portable (PSP), memory sticks allow for data to be transferred from a wide variety of electronic devices. By using memory sticks instead of memory cards, the PlayStation 3 will be able to share data with computers, digital cameras, and any other devices which uses memory sticks. The main use of the memory sticks will be to transfer data between devices rather than data storage. The majority of storage, including game saves, will be done on the hard drive.
The release date of the Playstaion 3 is of course yet to be announced, but an expected release date of early-mid 2006 is possible.
System specs
Processor
In order to design the most powerful processor possible with current technology, Sony formed a partnership with electronics giant Toshiba and supercomputer expert IBM. Together, the companies have assigned a team 300 engineers and are spending (an estimated) $500 Million to develop a new type of processor which has been nick-named the Cell.
The processor is actually a collection of smaller processors. Software packets, called “cells”, are then sent to each of the smaller processors in order to give instructions on what tasks to perform. When implemented optimally, the processor should be able to calculate around 1 trillion floating point calculations per second. Which is better than a standard computer processor.
Memory
Sony has already ensured that the PlayStation 3 will contain some of the best memory on the market. Sony has licensed XDR DRAM for use will all of their Cell applications, including those of the PlayStation 3. XDR DRAM was developed through a joint effort by Elpida, Toshiba, and Rambus and will offer a bandwidth of at least 3.2 GHz (which is eight times that of today’s best-in-class PC memory).
Broadband connection
The Playstation 3 will most likely feature a broadband modem. Broadband internet service is spreading rapidly over the United States, Japan, and parts of Europe with a minimum of 50% coverage by the time the PlayStation 3 is released. Online console gaming is becoming more popular by the day and Sony has already shown support for such gaming on the current PlayStation 2. If shared computing is implemented, a broadband connection will be necessary to benefit from other systems in standby. A dial-up modem will most likely not be included as the demand for such a device is rapidly declining and in all likelihood, games will not be able to transfer data quick enough over a phone line for online gaming.
Hard drive
With the recent trend towards downloadable content and online gaming, it is almost certain that Sony will include a hard drive in the PlayStation 3. Upcoming games like SOCOM 2 and GT4 will make use of the PlayStation 2 HDD (hard disk drive) and games like Final Fantasy XI require such use. Sony is making an effort to get PlayStation 2 owners to adapt to using a hard drive, and it is reasonable to assume that they will continue with this mentality to include a hard drive in the PlayStation 3.
Saving
Memory cards will most likely be a thing of the past in favor of the more versatile Memory Sticks. Already designed into the upcoming portable gaming unit, PlayStation Portable (PSP), memory sticks allow for data to be transferred from a wide variety of electronic devices. By using memory sticks instead of memory cards, the PlayStation 3 will be able to share data with computers, digital cameras, and any other devices which uses memory sticks. The main use of the memory sticks will be to transfer data between devices rather than data storage. The majority of storage, including game saves, will be done on the hard drive.
The release date of the Playstaion 3 is of course yet to be announced, but an expected release date of early-mid 2006 is possible.
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