I can't believe someone hasn't already posted this...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4554025.stm

Can you say "Goodbye XBox 360!?"

Blu-Ray DVD...
HDTV Compatible...
7 Bluetooth controllers...

This thing is amazing.
There is more information at playstation.com of course.

holly
is sure going to beat xbox!!!

i was just wondering how the new tekken would be seen on that console...

Tekken is so Cool!

My favorite is King.. the guy with the tiger mask.

I have memorized all his combinations

I wouldn't really say "goodbye" to anyone or anything, actually. On the whole, the two systems are very comparable in specs, even being based upon the same PowerPC architecture. What this next generation is going to come down to (and to be fair, they ALL come down to this) is the *games*.

One thing I *will* say conclusively is that the PS3 is a LOT more attractive than the XBox 360.

Jason

your kidding, right?

Maybe you didn't check out the specs side by side...
Playstation has Bluetooth wireless controllers, allowing up to 7, XBox allows for 4 and they aren't Bluetooth.
Playstation has a Bluetooth wireless headset, Xbox does not.
Playstation uses Blu-Ray DVD technology, XBox is Dual Layer DVD.
Playstation has Flash Memory Card support, XBox does not.
Playstation has 256MB RAM running at 3.2Ghz and another 256 running at 700Hhz, XBox has 512MB at 700Mhz.
Playstation uses the much hyped Cell processor which is 7 processors in one, XBox appears to have "Three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 GHz each "


Also, by PowerPC, do you mean Mac? I can't imagine you do because Microsoft (hello!?!) would not use a Mac OS to run their box.

Yes, as a matter of fact I DID look at them side by side.

PS3 Wireless bluetooth, 7 controllers. Cool feature, I like it. 4, still, is plenty. When was the last time you had more than 4 people playing all on teh same console? It's overkill and it's intention is simple: Just to say they've got it.

PS3 Wireless bluetooth headset. Oh come on, the existing Xbox *already* has one available, you can bet your butt there will be one available for 360 as well. Silly point!

PS3 Blue Ray *might* be a good idea, but maybe not. It's FAR from clear whether Blue Ray or HD-DVD will ultimately win out. While I'd have liked to see one of the possible standards in the new system, it's hardly a requirement. And really, what if HD-DVD wins the format war? There's Sony with egg on their face and a shiny PS3 with the word "BETA tape" on the side.

PS3 flash memory card support. What? The X360 has flash memory units, what the hell are you talking about?

PS3 Memory: Yeah, 256MB of 3.2Ghz memory is pretty slick. You notice, though, that the throughput numbers posted are almost exactly the same as on the X360? Why do you suppose that is? Either way, both systems have a total of 512MB memory. This isn't going to be a defining differentiator.

PS3 Cell Processor. What's it based off of? PowerPC architecture, JUST LIKE the XBox 360. The difference is that it's got the 7 simple-purpose SPU's and ONE primary core instead of 3 primary multi-threading cores. BOTH are based off of PowerPC (yes, the same chips used in Macintosh PC's) architecture. That's a FACT, look it up. And what does the Macintosh OS have to do with it? Just because they use the same CHIP doesn't mean they have to use the same OS! I suppose you assume that a PC *MUST* use Windows, eh? Or didn't you know that you can use Linux, Unix, BeOS or any of a dozen other OS's on the same processor that runs Windows?

The only thing you've managed to show here is your ignorance about computer hardware. It's FAR too early to claim a victory for either system at this point and it's absurd for you to claim otherwise.

Jason

Questioning my knowledge of computer hardware? I live in a Microsoft world... "PowerPC" to me means Macintosh's attempt to create a PC that would dual boot their OS and Microsoft's. I will be honest and tell you that I know NOTHING about Macintrash. I don't need to know anything about them. I do however know that the "cell" processor technology that Playstation is using is completely different than anything else out there. While Macintosh may have something similar it's not the same.

The important part of this... BlueTooth.


And my PS2 has a wireless controller... big deal. This is built in. No add on plug in parts that have to sit on your TV stand.

You think that Nintendo's technology can be played on anything else? Who cares... It gives Sony the ability to place multiple DVD games onto one DVD.

While it might offer the ability to use flash USB sticks, I see no information showing you can use SD, MemoryStick(Sony) or FlashCard like the PS3 will.

It may not... but we will see...

Based off of? Maybe... Different... Definately! You must have read something wrong... I never said any of that.

OOOOO don't forget to run out and buy one of those snap on faces for your shiny new XBox... That will be the deciding factor HAHA

Too early to claim victory... Well, They both posted "official" specs... a lot can be speculated from that, don't you think?

Let me give you a little bit of my background. Worked for Compaq building $100k servers. Worked in large corporate environments as PC tech and systems administrator, these companies including Liberty Mutual Insurance. Spent years before all of that building custom systems, probably having built over 1000. I am now Director of IT for a multi-million dollar company. Check the posts I have made over the last 2 years on this forum and many others... Same name on Bink.nu and OSNN.net (used to be NTFS.net) and Neowin.net. So, go sit home and wait for your subscription of "XBox 1337" to come so you can rush back here and quote your thoughts about what you have read. Be sure you bash my knowledge while you are at it... So, if you don't mind, I'm going to jump in my sports car, go home and sit on my Italian Leather furniture and watch my big screen TV... If I am as stupid as you might believe then I did a hell of a job BSing everyone on the way. I have been a computer hobbiest since I was 12... that's 14 years ago. I have read every manual that I have ever had access to. Now, I know you are probably going to come back and say what everyone else who does this says... "I don't care about your background" You know what... if you don't, then don't make ignorant comments!

[quote=un4given1,May 17 2005, 02:45 PM]
[quote][quote]The only thing you've managed to show here is your ignorance about computer hardware. It's FAR too early to claim a victory for either system at this point and it's absurd for you to claim otherwise.[/quote]Questioning my knowledge of computer hardware? I live in a Microsoft world... "PowerPC" to me means Macintosh's attempt to create a PC that would dual boot their OS and Microsoft's. I will be honest and tell you that I know NOTHING about Macintrash. I don't need to know anything about them. I do however know that the "cell" processor technology that Playstation is using is completely different than anything else out there. While Macintosh may have something similar it's not the same. [/quote]

The world of computers is much more complex than "Microsoft/Macintosh". PowerPC has NOTHING to do with Macintosh nor any kind of "hybrid" Macintosh/Windows system. PowerPC is the processor architecture that *IBM* developed and Apple buys as the basis of its computers. Whether you like it or not, the Cell architecture is NOT "completely different than anything else out there", nor would you want it to be. It is DESIGNED on the BASIS of the PowerPC architecture, period. Its coding mechanisms will be similar to PowerPC, though with extensions for its specific design, of course. Like it or not, Cell is a VERY close cousin to the processor found in the Macintosh Computer. So is the CPU used in XBox 360, so is the CPU used in Revolution. There is no reason to be so averse to it, it's an efficient and intelligent CPU design.

[quote][quote]PS3 Wireless bluetooth, 7 controllers. Cool feature, I like it. 4, still, is plenty. When was the last time you had more than 4 people playing all on teh same console? It's overkill and it's intention is simple: Just to say they've got it.[/quote]The important part of this... BlueTooth.[/quote]

Yes? And both systems use BlueTooth. Point?

[quote][quote]PS3 Wireless bluetooth headset. Oh come on, the existing Xbox *already* has one available, you can bet your butt there will be one available for 360 as well. Silly point![/quote]And my PS2 has a wireless controller... big deal. This is built in. No add on plug in parts that have to sit on your TV stand.[/quote]

What are you babbling about now? I'm sorry, but guess what? A headset is *necessarily* going to be something that "sits on your TV stand" when not in use. What would it be built into, your head? And incidentally, a bluetooth receiver would plug into the *controller*, it wouldn't sit on the TV stand. Now you're just being silly.

[quote][quote]PS3 Blue Ray *might* be a good idea, but maybe not. It's FAR from clear whether Blue Ray or HD-DVD will ultimately win out. While I'd have liked to see one of the possible standards in the new system, it's hardly a requirement. And really, what if HD-DVD wins the format war? There's Sony with egg on their face and a shiny PS3 with the word "BETA tape" on the side.[/quote]You think that Nintendo's technology can be played on anything else? Who cares... It gives Sony the ability to place multiple DVD games onto one DVD.[/quote]
Oh, that's going to be the deciding factor, isn't it? Now they can put multiple DVD games on one disk. Woot! That sort of thing is a nicety and a rarity at best. Look at how many games are out for PS3 and XBox on DVD. How many of those come with more than one disk? Do you know? And as for Nintendo, what do they have to do with this? Can you stay on topic?

[quote][quote]PS3 flash memory card support. What? The X360 has flash memory units, what the hell are you talking about?[/quote]While it might offer the ability to use flash USB sticks, I see no information showing you can use SD, MemoryStick(Sony) or FlashCard like the PS3 will.[/quote]

As far as I know it doesn't use SD, MemoryStick(Thank God) or CF. So what? You can plug any standard USB memory stick into it, and if you've got a USB adapter for your memory card (CF, SD, whatever), then poof! You're in business. Again, this is FAR from being a selling point. It's a "bragging rights" addition, pure and simple. Moreover, it won't do a lick of good for better *gaming*.

[quote][quote]PS3 Memory: Yeah, 256MB of 3.2Ghz memory is pretty slick. You notice, though, that the throughput numbers posted are almost exactly the same as on the X360? Why do you suppose that is? Either way, both systems have a total of 512MB memory. This isn't going to be a defining differentiator.[/quote]It may not... but we will see...[/quote]

It won't, and 99.9% of end users don't even know what memory speed even *means*.

[quote][quote]PS3 Cell Processor. What's it based off of? PowerPC architecture, JUST LIKE the XBox 360. The difference is that it's got the 7 simple-purpose SPU's and ONE primary core instead of 3 primary multi-threading cores. BOTH are based off of PowerPC (yes, the same chips used in Macintosh PC's) architecture. That's a FACT, look it up. And what does the Macintosh OS have to do with it? Just because they use the same CHIP doesn't mean they have to use the same OS! I suppose you assume that a PC *MUST* use Windows, eh? Or didn't you know that you can use Linux, Unix, BeOS or any of a dozen other OS's on the same processor that runs Windows?[/quote]Based off of? Maybe... Different... Definately! You must have read something wrong... I never said any of that.[/quote]

Never said any of what? That the Cell isn't PowerPC based? That it's "completely different"? Go read your own words again. You claim it's different than anything else out there. The fact is that it ISN'T. It's a variant of PowerPC architecture, plain and simple.

[quote]OOOOO don't forget to run out and buy one of those snap on faces for your shiny new XBox... That will be the deciding factor HAHA[/quote]

Not for me, it won't, I think they're silly, but a painfully large number of people go for that kind of nonsense. Observe the mutlibillion dollar market for people who swap their *cell phone* faces for Chrissakes.

[quote]Too early to claim victory... Well, They both posted "official" specs... a lot can be speculated from that, don't you think?[/quote]

You can speculate until the cows come home, it doesn't mean that anything is decided yet. If you went by specs alone, PS2 would have fallen off the face of the eart 4 years ago when XBox and Gamecube hit the market and b1tch-slapped its "emotion engine" performance.

[quote]Let me give you a little bit of my background. Worked for Compaq building $100k servers. Worked in large corporate environments as PC tech and systems administrator, these companies including Liberty Mutual Insurance. Spent years before all of that building custom systems, probably having built over 1000. I am now Director of IT for a multi-million dollar company. Check the posts I have made over the last 2 years on this forum and many others... Same name on Bink.nu and OSNN.net (used to be NTFS.net) and Neowin.net. So, go sit home and wait for your subscription of "XBox 1337" to come so you can rush back here and quote your thoughts about what you have read. Be sure you bash my knowledge while you are at it... So, if you don't mind, I'm going to jump in my sports car, go home and sit on my Italian Leather furniture and watch my big screen TV... If I am as stupid as you might believe then I did a hell of a job BSing everyone on the way. I have been a computer hobbiest since I was 12... that's 14 years ago. I have read every manual that I have ever had access to. Now, I know you are probably going to come back and say what everyone else who does this says... "I don't care about your background" You know what... if you don't, then don't make ignorant comments!

[/quote]

Well that's very cute, and I certainly appreciate the little tirade, but you'll understand if I don't believe you at all. I've been a Systems Engineer for over 15 years. I've worked for some of the world's largest firms including Siemens, Nestle, Boeing and several others. I've designed network architecture for thousands of users and today I'm responsible for the entirety of a multi-tiered active directory architecture serving the needs of thousands of users. I'll tell you what I don't find often in my position: IT directors with a snot-nosed punk attitude and foaming fanboi discussions about hardware that won't hit the market for 6-12 months. If there is one of us sitting and waiting for a "insert-console-here 1337" magazine, it's YOU. Perhaps you've managed to blow smoke up the asses of others, but I don't buy you for a second. No one as ignorant, flippant or just flat-out mouthy as you are would ever be an "IT Director" for anything but a tiny flim-flam operation of a company.

Peddle your ignorance and arrogance elsewhere, I'm not buying, boi.

Jason

I don't need to prove anything to you. I could care less if you believe me. I am 26 and have accomplished more than most people twice my age. I enjoy what I do. My posts all over the internet prove my knowledge. Want to know where my arrogance comes from? It comes from dealing with people like you. You take an obvious landslide and try to some how prove your point. It's all in the numbers. Also, You can rave about the XBox/PS2 war, but always remember the XBox had a full year of technology thrown into it after the PS2 was selling millions.

Is anyone else wondering why 7 controllers? I can see 2, 4, 6, and 8, but 7?

Ok, I've hardly ever needed more than 4 at once (could have used 8 in college), but still, why an odd number? Why not something even so that you can have equal teams, like:

2 teams / 4 players
4 teams / 2 players

Other than the new funny looking controllers (yes I think the PS2 ones are perfect) and space the PS3 will take up compared to a PSTwo I can't wait

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/...6_screen002.jpg

They have like a 10 sec trailer around. The graphics are freakin' amazing.

About the controllers, I agree with SomeoneElse. Seven??? 7 and 8 are both considered lucky numbers in Japan. I don't think I'll be too comfortable with the new controllers at first. With videogames, I want to be holding something in my hands, not holding onto something.

****, i was going to hold off on getting one but w/ those specs, i got to get one right away now, its going to be sweet...........

@Tokugawapants, man, if i need to buy that console to play the next tekken, then i'm gonna do it

6/7/8 controllers i don't mind, probably we won't use more than 4 and that's enough

PS3 much more powerful than the XBox 360, but it will depend on the games and the AV experience.

Unfortunately, Sony says it will sell for "under $465 USD."

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2417

The Cell in PS3 can decode up to 12 HD streams simultaneously at full frame rate.


Sony also showed off Cell displaying 1000 movie thumbnails at the same time:


WOW

well its not a "play"station anymore
it does everything these days, connect to internet, plug in devices, play music + etc. etc.
i'm sure many ppl will get it, i would get it if i was 12-18 & if i was not PC fan. (I love the person who created the keyboard!!)
but for a pc without a monitor $465 value is pretty good, also if the intel chipset Cell story is true (i haven't read much about it) it will rock!
u could say $300-$400 would be for the price of cpu, rest is entertainment
and its a pc after all!!! rocks!

about the 7 controllers, i would definitely use it
i mean i dunno how that'd be managed (screen size wise) but if it can be split into 2-3 tv's that'd be awesome, me & ny friends do LAN at least once per year if not we go to net cafe's and play. when we make lan its always a trouble of setting up the network, even though they're xp's, 1 will have spyware, 1 will have virus, 1 will have symantec internet tools that block everything, so they all take a lot of time, and instead of this, me & my 6+ friends can enjoy the easy setup of the console,
ow and of course no need for installing the game on separete computers, unattended or not it takes time, also a friend might have a low spec machine, that creates trouble(lag,etc) and 7 controller would take care of that too, same view & performance on all clients!!!
while writing this i already like the idea of 7 controller and this amazing ps3, might as well get one

~£300 then in the UK then?

I spent that one the PS2 and this is gonna blow the PS2 away so I definately raise the £300 for the PS3

If the xbox 360 is being released by xmas this year, and the PS3 not until next year, it'll mean a bit of a "headstart" for Microsoft, but I'd imagine the sony fans will remain loyal - tho parents of kids probably will buy the new xbox because thats what their kids want hehe

I doubt it will make a big difference but we shall see.

Would be nice if sony sneakily announced it in time for xmas too

Does anyone know if the release is worldwide or not? i.e. does the UK/EUROPE release coincide with the US / JP release? Sorry if its been mentioned somewhere in a review - I just havent had a chance to look at the reviews, only seen some of the footage clips

Regards,
N.

it's confirmed that xbox launch will be at the same time on america/europe/asia. i think ps3 will be launched first on asia as always

btw, have any1 notice that the font used on the ps3 presentation and console side is the one used on spiderman? lol

Well Spiderman is a Sony movie, and Sony has been doing a lot of things with it considering its success, such as shipping a free Spiderman 2 UMD with the first million PSPs. Also, in the PS3 demos, there was a thing showing a CG rendering of Dr. Octopus' face (amazing) and they had clips from Vision Gran Turismo in the NYC level blended in with scenes from Spiderman 2.

I would sure pay for the PS3 at the price they are estimating it at. I'm not rich but that is is a bargain if you just compare it to most of the high end graphics cards on the market right now excfept you get a state of the art console. Just my opinion though. Can't wait man I can feel the power!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paid nearly $500 for my cell phone (MPx220)... I'll be sure to get a PS3 the day it hits the store.

Have you seen the controllers? They are hideous. I'm sure they will have different ones by the time they launch, but who was the genious who decided to showcase those?

Who cares if it allows 7 controllers too. With limited real estate on a tv, who would want that many? Doubt any game would support more than 4.

As far as I see all this is just PR. By the time the system comes out, I'm sure they will make compromises, and the system won't be nearly as good as what they advertise. The XBOX on the other hand, is probably final, so they can start manufacturing and selling by Christmas.

Take a look at some of these specs too. Looks like someone just took the crap that Sony was feeding them, and put it out on paper, much like Fox News and the Whitehouse.

When did the 1080p come out. Last I checked it was 1080i. I still prefer 720p games, over 1080i.


Much like the elusive hard drive for the PS2. This was a big selling point when it came out, but where were the HDs?


How much is this system again? I'll believe this when they launch it with that.

None of the specs even matter. It is ALL about the games. Which system gets exclusives, and plays and looks better on. There are some games I prefer to play on PS2, and some on XBOX, but to be honest I prefer my XBOX over the PS2. The PS2 also had a head start over the PS2, which made it fairly popular. Maybe this will give the xbox the kick it needs.

Will sony offer a service like xbox live, and for free?

So far I think both systems look OK, but I'm not putting my money on either system. It's all about what each system has to offer, when it comes out. I'm not going to read the PR bs, I want the hard cold facts. So sad that so many "professionals" here do that for work, but can't for a gaming console? Call me when the PS3 comes out, and then we can see which system is better.

Blimey

You guys sure managed to get worked up over this, I dread to think what it will be like when they actually ship the consoles.

But at the end of the day you can have all the specs in the world, but (as someone has already pointed out) it dont mean sh*t without good games being developed.

So this is what I'm gonna do:

Carry on playing my *old* PS2 for a while yet.

Smoke a spliff and take a dump, and wait for the first price cut. Because having paid £350 for my PS2 the first day they came out in England and having to put up with a load of s***e (games wise) for the first few months anyway. I have learnt my lesson.

By the way my PS2 is still working despite its age and hundreds of hours (ab)use, Im baffled as to how but it is

Big difference will be between xbox 2 and ps3 in universality - Microsoft is planning to make xbox 2 more similar to today xbox + XBMC then to "only" gaming console...

So in otherwords, they're trying to make sure that their own OS ends up on their system as opposed to Linux...

What could possibly make someone say that the statement concerning the finality of the specs of the Xbox360 is more credible than a statement concerning PS3? The specs both equally subject to change, as well as release dates. If Sony can feed crap to people, so can Microsoft.

About the controllers, there will definitely be games that support more than 4. There are games tha support more than 4 today (Madden?). That's why they sell multitaps.

About the Fox News, I completely agree

Yes, I'm sure you "know so much". You certainly aren't showing it in this thread. Instead you continue to show what an ignorant, arrogant little fop you truly are. For the record I doubt that you've accomplished anything more than mental masturbation, and I really don't care whether you wish to "prove it" or not.

The fact is that it is NOT "all about the numbers", the numbers are only a small piece of the puzzle. Further, the fact is also that Sony has managed to DUPE you with numbers that you clearly don't understand and haven't read. According to Sony themselves, the Cell at 3.8Ghz can theoretically push 2.18 TFlops. Is PS3 announced at 3.8Ghz? No, it's announced at 3.2Ghz. That translates to roughly 1.8TFlops. Yes, that's still a fair margin above the XBox 360's stated main CPU's numbers, but again, it's only part of the tale, and a part which doesn't even *consider* polygon pushing performance of the GPU's. ATI's GPU specifications are already significantly greater than the announced nVidia specs for PS3, delivering 48 pixel/vertex pipelines that can be programmed for either function at the developer's discretion. The nVidia chip is rumored to have 24 pixel and 6 vertex pipes, statically configured. This factor *alone* ensures greater flexibility and capability for game designers.

Further, the 10MB of *embedded* DRAM, the fastest memory you can get, gives the ATI chip more than TEN TIMES the available bandwidth of the nVidia chip as announced, which has NO eDRAM and has to rely on the slower GDDR3 memory access (which is OFF CHIP, hence the massive speed difference).

There are plenty of additional facts I could bombard you with, and if you were one TENTH Of the man you claim to be you would understand these already. However, you've managed very successfully to demonstrate your ignorance of computer hardware engineering and your own inability to critically analyze raw numbers in a meaningful way. You, sir, are a FANBOY, nothing more, and your foaming, raving imbicilic declarations will not make you appear otherwise.

The final, total fact that is clear right now is simply this: The next generation "Console War" is *anything* but firmly decided. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a drooling brand-name @ss kisser without a lick of sense (and yes, that includes YOU).

Jason

In terms of hardware, XBox 360 pretty much *couldn't* be more different than XBox in the current generation. In terms of the interface being like an XBox/XBMC, I suppose that's fair enough.

Also in terms of hardware, PS3's graphics processor is MUCH more alike to a desktop PC than XBox 360's is, and in fact nVidia has already stated that they will have faster, more powerful GPU's on the market before PS3 even launches. ATI, meantime, has said that the XBox 360's GPU has features that will not make it into the desktop market until the end of 2006 and in some cases, 2007.

Jason

I'll proberly buy it when they make a "slim" version of it.

Seeing as I just bought a PS2 Slim few months back.

i could be a happy reader of this thread if it contained less arguing!
this thread shouldn't be about who knows more about psx/xbox/etc.

Hi there i am a newbie so go easy on me...

Can some one please explain to me the 7 special purpose 3.2Ghz processors? You have to be kidding right? Its impossible. From that statement I am under the impression it has *counts* 8 prosessors...

Please keep this thread on track... I will delete any posts that take it off track. Thank you.

<removed>

Jason

No, there are *not* 8 processors in PS3. There is *ONE* 3.2Ghz processor and 7 SPE's. SPE's are for carrying out simple instructions such as streaming video or continuous floating point operations. It's accurate to say the SPE's run at 3.2Ghz only in the sense that the main processor, of which they are a subcomponent, runs at 3.2Ghz. The SPE's themselves are *not* full function processors, nor do they even understand the general instruction set of the CPU's core. They are, again, *Simple purpose* units. They have no access to a cache, nor any direct access to memory, nor any ability to perform common game programming functions such as multiple branch prediction, fetches or anything else that involves interaction with the memory subsystem.

While CELL itself is an interesting and potentially very useful microarchitecture, it is NOT well suited to gaming, and its inclusion in the PS3 is for marketing purposes *only*.

Bear in mind, too, that the primary core of the CELL processor is based off the PowerPC design from IBM, the same chip that powers Macintosh computers and another variant, the XBox 360 CPU (which has three full-purpose cores, each with multiple thread support enabled for a total of 6 concurrent processing threads).

Jason

I personally like the PS3. Both the XBox360 and PS3 are so advanced that the game creators can practically make anything they want. This in turn will allow the gamers to have a more enjoyable experience considering more games will be coming out because the possibilites are practically infinite when it comes to the games! Now, taking a look at the marketing strategy, I think Microsoft has the edge. Take a look at this. Here is another source for your reading pleasure.

I'd like the PS3 better if it actually *existed*, but I'm afraid that pre-rendered videos and empty plastic shells under glass aren't all that impressive to me. I DO like the *design* of the PS3 better than the XBox 360, but I do NOT like Sony's hype, misinformation and blatant dishonesty to the audience that makes them anything other than the trash manufacturer that they really are.

Jason

Well, it will be a beautiful battle, don't you think?

Bill Gates is quoted as saying that he will be releasing Halo 3 on the day that the PS3 comes out.

Now, from the PS2 we know that Sony sometimes backs down from their original specs... but it's nice to dream, right? And it's possible that Microsoft might pull together and push to get some other technologies into their system since they now can speculate what their competition is going to be offering.

It will be cool to see what the end result is... I can't wait.

What does SPE stand for?

I need to know.

IGN.com talks about the meaning behind the specs of the PS3 here. SPE stands for Synergistic Processing Elements. The article explains in detail.

Synergistic Processing Units

But where does SPE come from then?

Should be SPU

Well I agree for sure that it should be an interesting battle. What worries me far more than the power of the systems (both are absurdly powerful) is that game developers may get so mired in the "it's gotta be gorgeous" mentality that they skimp on gameplay, storytelling, etc. To some degree it even happened with the *current* generation early on, and we're only now starting to see games that are really special. In a way, it's sad that this generation is coming to an end, because it means a "reset" to the developers, who now have to start a new learning curve and see what level of graphics they can get from the hardware.

Jason

Note that the above article is based on old and incomplete information. For starters, PS3's CELL runs at 3.2Ghz, not ">4Ghz", indicating that they aren't able to manufacture the faster variant in quantity. Note also that the processor they discussed has 8 SPE's, PS3 has 7. Note also that they don't mention a critical fact: The SPE's aren't capable of running general computing instructions as the main PowerPC based core is. The SPE's are highly specialized and use a *different* instruction set from the Cell's primary core.

Again, this is *not* synonymous with an "8 core" processor, and a direct comparison to such a beast is inaccurate and, at best, very sloppy reporting.

Jason

Very true Jason! The developers are going to have to learn the capabilities of the new generation of gaming machines, but I'm sure everyone is willing to wait. Look how far we have come since the Atari 2600! That was some 22 years ago and look how far we have come! Yes, at first the games are more about the capabilities, but the gameplay does get better.

@ sonu27 : If you read below the picture it says :

@ JasonGW : I was only posting the article because it explained what SPE stood for and how it was involved in the whole process. By no means was I posting this as accurate specs, just an informative article on SPE for sonu27. I just noticed something...you and me joined on the same day and have relatively the same number of posts!

Oh, Atari..., here check this out: Atari 2600 History. This sucker came out in *1977*, 28 years ago!

I do agree that gameplay will *eventually* improve in the new generation, as it always does, it's just that it won't be *first* priority. Unfortunately, the storytelling and gameplay aspects always seem to really hit their stride near the *end* of a console's life, LOL. Not *always*, but often, especially in the last couple of generations. I'm still not convinced we'll have a boom like the SNES's in the near future as a result of all the copycat games that developers are churning out left and right these days. I do remain hopeful, though

Jason

We should all just stick with the good old PC for gaming! It'll never die out!

@ JasonGW: The 22 year ago thing was just an estimate. I just did a quick google and got a bunch of returns for 1983, which is explained in the article you posted. C'mon, the Atari is 12 years older than me! How am I supposed to know. I just remember playing Pitfall and Frogger for hours!

Well, since I'm on the topic of Atari 2600 here are some specs!

CPU: 8-bit 6507
RAM: 128 Bytes
ROM: 6K max
Cpu Clock:1.19 MHz
Graphics Clock: 3.58 MHz
Colors: 16 (4 on screen)
Slot Config: Rom access only
CPU Avail: Less than 50%
Resolution: 192x160
Sound: 2-channel

Sources :
Source #1
Source #2
Source #3

I might just be out of the loop, but how are you getting this information? What evidence makes you say that all Sony is spitting out is misinforming and dishonest? From what I can remember, PS2 games looked like they did in the first screenshots, even though they didn't look like what they were said to look like further in the past. I've never had any problems with Sony as a manufacturer, and considering that Microsoft has had to recall Xbox products whereas Sony has not had to recall PS2 products (although, to be fair, the recall wasn't too dramatic), I would think that the exact opposite is true about the quality of manufacterers.

It's basically personal preference. One person will have a preference for Sony and another for Microsoft. The two will argue for their company as superior leader, but the truth of the matter is it's all personal preference. I have no complaints from either companies. They both have great games and the graphics are great!

You must be out of the loop entirely, LOL I went through FOUR PS2's during the first 90 days of launch due to the (very well documented--google it!) problem with the laser going bad. The initial batch of PS2's were *awful*. This was recently repeated with the PSP launch, where tens of thousands were returned due to multiple bad pixels on their screens. I didn't buy one, but my *one* friend who did buy one went through THREE of them before he got one without dead pixels.

As for the PS2's games, Sony originally claimed a "66 million polygons!" figure as compared to the Dreamcast's 3-4 million. Of course, what Sony failed to mention is that Sega's figure included textured, shaded, lighted polygons, whereas Sony's figure included flat, unshaded, unlit polygons. Apply your effects (textures, lighting, shading) and voila! PS2 drops to around 4-5 million polygons. In short, they *lied* to the public and to their fans in order to kill their competition. Take a look at any game that has a PS2 version AND a Dreamcast version. In all cases the DC version looks as good or better. An excellent example is DOA 2, which looked better on the Dreamcast thanks to its native support for AA, which PS2 cannot do in hardware.

If you want to see an example of misleading information, look at Sony's press conference this year for pS3. First they show you the Cell processor diagrams and claim that at 3.8Ghz it will process 2.18 TFlops as compared to the XBox 360's 1.15 TFlops. A few pages later they show PS3 specs with a 3.2Ghz CPU, yet they keep the 2.18 TFlops figure. So are we to believe that a roughly 20% DECREASE in CPU speed for CELL has absolutely no performance difference? If that's true, then why bother even *talking* about a 3.8Ghz since it offers no benefit over the 3.2Ghz part, which will obviously get greater yields?

Watch Sony's announcement point for point. It attempts to do exactly ONE thing: It attempts to take the main points of XBox 360 and 1up them. Then they start throwing in nonsense features that have no business in a game console, such as a freaking *router*. Then we get a bunch of pre-rendered videos (exception: Unreal Engine 3 demo, but even that was scripted and had no interactivity besides moving the camera) running on hardware that wasn't even described but was *presumed* to be an early build of a PS3. So we've got pre-rendered videos and concept "we think we can make the games look like this" videos, but NO actual gameplay and *nothing* functional enough for a hands on demonstration. Sony showed *not one* playable piece of software at E3, nor even a view of the hardware that you could see or examine. Instead they had some plastic shells, under glass, with a little sign saying "Concept only". Well *that's* nice.

Honestly, Sony had NO business making an announcement at this E3. It's painfully obvious that they have *nothing* to show and that the PS3, as it stands, is pure, unadulterated *VAPORWARE*. They had one purpose and one alone in making any such announcement at this E3: To attempt to derail Microsoft, and they're willing to mislead and defraud the public at large in order to do it.

Jason