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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050516/sfm178.html?.v=2

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. to Launch Its Next Generation Computer Entertainment System, in Spring 2006
Monday May 16, 7:30 pm ET
Unrivaled Performance With the Introduction of Cell Processor and Many Advanced Technologies, and Backwards Compatible With PlayStation(R) and PlayStation(R)2

LOS ANGELES, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- At a press conference held in Los Angeles, California, today, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) revealed the outline of its PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, incorporating the world's most advanced Cell processor with super computer like power. Prototypes of PS3 will also be showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the world's largest interactive entertainment exhibition held in Los Angeles, from May 18th to 20th.

PS3 combines state-of-the-art technologies featuring Cell, a processor jointly developed by IBM, Sony Group and Toshiba Corporation, graphics processor (RSX) co-developed by NVIDIA Corporation and SCEI, and XDR memory developed by Rambus Inc. It also adopts BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc ROM) with maximum storage capacity of 54 GB (dual layer), enabling delivery of entertainment content in full high-definition (HD) quality, under a secure environment made possible through the most advanced copyright protection technology. To match the accelerating convergence of digital consumer electronics and computer technology, PS3 supports high quality display in resolution of 1080p(*) as standard, which is far superior to 720p/1080i.

With an overwhelming computing power of 2 teraflops, entirely new graphical expressions that have never been seen before will become possible. In games, not only will movement of characters and objects be far more refined and realistic, but landscapes and virtual worlds can also be rendered in real- time, thereby elevating the freedom of graphics expression to levels not experienced in the past. Gamers will literally be able to dive into the realistic world seen in large screen movies and experience the excitement in real-time.

In 1994, SCEI launched the original PlayStation® (PS), followed by PlayStation®2 (PS2) in 2000 and PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) in 2004, every time introducing the latest advancement in technology and bringing innovation to interactive entertainment software creation. Over 13,000 titles have been developed by now, creating a software market that sells more than 250 million copies annually. PS3 offers backward compatibility enabling gamers to enjoy these enormous assets from PS and PS2 platforms.

PlayStation family of products are sold in more than 120 countries and regions around the world. With cumulative shipments reaching more than 102 million for PS and approximately 89 million for PS2, they are the undisputed leaders and have become the standard platform for home entertainment. After 12 years from the introduction of the original PS and 6 years from the launch of PS2, SCEI brings PS3, the newest platform with the most advanced next generation computer entertainment technology.

With the delivery of Cell based development tools that has already begun, development of game titles as well as tools and middleware are in progress. Through collaboration with world's leading tools and middleware companies, SCEI will offer full support to new content creation by providing developers with extensive tools and libraries that will bring out the power of the Cell processor and enable efficient software development.

Preparations are under way for launch of PS3 and new generation software in the spring of 2006.

(*) 1080p/720p/1080i: "p" stands for progressive scan method, "i" stands
for interlace method. 1080p is the highest resolution within the HD
standard.

"SCEI has continuously brought innovation to the world of computer entertainment, such as real-time 3D computer graphics on PlayStation and the world's first 128 bit processor Emotion Engine (EE) for PlayStation 2. Empowered by the Cell processor with super computer like performance, a new age of PLAYSTATION 3 is about to begin. Together with content creators from all over the world, SCEI will accelerate the arrival of a new era in computer entertainment."

Ken Kutaragi, President and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc..


Supporting comments from third party developers and publishers
(In alphabetical order of company name)

"With the new generation PlayStation platform, we can create "GUNDAM WORLD" with the quality no one has ever imagined. The philosophy, connecting millions of Cell together, makes reality get closer to the world of SF films. We are delighted to share the vision of Ken, ARCHITECT, Kutaragi."

Shin Unozawa, Managing Director, Leader, Game Software Group, President, Video Game Company, BANDAI CO., LTD.

"The PLAYSTATION 3 has us really excited! So much so in fact that we are already working our hardest to get Devil May Cry 4 out for this new platform. New hardware always yields more options for developers to create exciting and fresh gameplay experiences. I believe that the PS3 is one piece of hardware that will test the mettle of our development team and help us to create some of the most amazing games, limited only by our imagination."

Keiji Inafune, Managing Executive Officer, Research & Development Division,Capcom Co., Ltd.

"Each generation of PlayStation has made a dramatic improvement in how we create and play videogames. PLAYSTATION 3 will be a breakthrough in how the world experiences entertainment. EA is fully aligned with Sony Computer Entertainment -- we share their vision and applaud their success."

Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts

"President Kutaragi has thrown down a gauntlet. That gauntlet is called the PLAYSTATION 3. We here at Koei have gladly taken up the challenge, and are striving day and night to take full advantage of all the PS3's new possibilities. Our goal is to combine cutting-edge technology with a full range of artistic expression to deliver the ultimate form of entertainment, and please people everywhere."

Keiko Erikawa, Chairman & C.E.O., KOEI Co., Ltd.

"With the arrival of the next generation computer entertainment system PLAYSTATION 3, I believe it will be possible for graphic expressions, more beautiful than before, to coexist with more deep and evolved game play which utilize the Cell architecture. I also have high expectations for the evolution by the online features that will be enhanced. We will utilize the features of the new platform and will strive to create contents that will bring new excitement for our users world wide, so please have high hopes for Konami."

Kazumi Kitaue, CEO, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc

"Each time SCEI launches a console, the video games business moves to the next level. With PLAYSTATION 3 it looks as if it might be time for interactive entertainment to become, finally, the world's dominant artistic medium."

Sam Houser, President, Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.)

"We at Namco have used and will continue to use the advancements in audio- visual technology to deliver games that are not only appealing to the eyes and ears, but that stir emotions, speak to the heart, and remain in players' minds for years to come. We are confident that the PLAYSTATION 3 is an entertainment system that will enable us to do just that."

Shigeru Yokoyama, CT Company President, Namco Ltd.

"Next-generation hardware platforms will enable SEGA to create new game concepts that offer more immersive interactive experiences. SEGA continues to pursue the fusion of creativity and technology by publishing only the best, more innovative content to gamers around the world."

Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation

"Square Enix is extremely honored to have had the chance to provide you with this technical demonstration of what the Cell processor can bring to the PLAYSTATION 3 and the world of gaming. We are committed to fully backing SCEI's new computer entertainment system and plans to bring the FINAL FANTASY series to the PS3 are just beyond the horizon."

Yoichi Wada, President, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

"Ubisoft was one of the first major international developers to have its teams start focusing on next generation consoles. We are looking forward to developing outstanding games on Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s new system. Its powerful features will help take the industry to an even higher level in the very near future."

Yves Guillemot, President and CEO, Ubisoft


PLAYSTATION®3 Specifications
Product name PLAYSTATION®3
Logo PLAYSTATION®3
CPU Cell Processor
PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
1 VMX vector unit per core
512KB L2 cache
7 x SPE @3.2GHz
7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
* 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for
redundancy
total floating point
performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU RSX @550MHz
1.8 TFLOPS floating point
performance
Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2
channels
Multi-way programmable parallel
floating point shader
pipelines
Sound Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-
base processing)
Memory 256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz
256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz
System Bandwidth Main RAM 25.6GB/s
VRAM 22.4GB/s
RSX 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s
(read)
SB 2.5GB/s (write) +
2.5GB/s (read)
System Floating Point Performance 2 TFLOPS
Storage HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1
I/O USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1
Communication Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
x 3 (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller Bluetooth (up to 7)
USB2.0 (wired)
Wi-Fi (PSP®)
Network (over IP)
AV Output Screen size 480i, 480p, 720p,
1080i, 1080p
HDMI HDMI out x 2
Analog AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital audio DIGITAL OUT
(OPTICAL) x 1
Disc media CD PlayStation® CD-ROM
* read only PlayStation®2 CD-ROM
CD-DA CD-DA (ROM), CD-R,
CD-RW
SACD SACD Hybrid (CD
layer), SACD HD
DualDisc DualDisc (audio
side), DualDisc
(DVD side)
DVD PlayStation®2 DVD-ROM
PLAYSTATION®3 DVD-ROM
DVD-Video DVD-ROM, DVD-R,
DVD-RW, DVD+R,
DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc PLAYSTATION®3 BD-ROM
BD-Video BD-ROM, BD-R,
BD-RE


About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) handheld entertainment system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new portable entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

* Storage media (HDD, "Memory Stick", SD memory card, and CompactFlash)
are sold separately.
* "Dolby" is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.
* "DTS" is a trademark of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.
* "CompactFlash" is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
* "HDMI" is a trademark of HDMI Licensing LLC.
* "Blu-ray Disc" is a trademark.
* "Bluetooth" is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
* All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

* "Memory Stick" and "Memory Stick PRO" are trademarks of Sony
Corporation.
* "PlayStation", the PlayStation logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks
of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

 

[acoustix]

2 Teraflops, I dont really know what this does but it sounds hawt.

*fap*

 

[VictimOfGrief]

No HDD built in no sale.

 

[Nerevar]

I'm confused, how much memory is in this thing? Is the memory not shared?

 

[Pellham]

Who needs a built-in hard drive when you have this?

Storage HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1

If it supports hot swappable hdd's, that would rock even more. Can you imagine just downloading stuff like movies and music onto a hard drive and then slapping it on the PS3? I'd imagine you could store game data for faster loading as well.

I love all the memory card support as well. Yay for SD support.

 

[ShadowRed]

nm

 

[Sho Nuff]

No HDD built in no sale.

THAT IS BULLSHIT!!!

1080p > 720p though

 

[EGM92]

Sweet now I have a good use for my 6GB microdrives Screw harddrives, I have like 5 of these little things from work that I never use, if I could use them on the PS3 for saves, and media that would totally own!

 

[Pimpbaa]

I'm confused, how much memory is in this thing? Is the memory not shared?

256 megs of main ram and 256 megs of video ram (seems like a PC like ram setup). It's pretty clear in those specs. Although it has me worried that they just threw in a standard nvidia part into the ps3.

 

[John Harker]

So how does it compare to 360 and Rev spec-wise?

 

[dorio]

So does it have a built in harddrive or not.

 

[xsarien]

Keerist, people. Between all of this, I think you'll find a storage solution that makes you happy. Hell, you can have one huge-ass MSDuo that you can use for both PSP and PS3 saves. Or, if that's not your thing, you can use a CF or SD card you've got lying around. Or maybe - if Sony's smart - any USB mass-storage device will do.

Storage HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1
I/O USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1

 

[dorio]

Keerist, people. Between all of this, I think you'll find a storage solution that makes you happy. Hell, you can have one huge-ass MSDuo that you can use for both PSP and PS3 saves. Or, if that's not your thing, you can use a CF or SD card you've got lying around. Or maybe - if Sony's smart - any USB mass-storage device will do.

Storage HDD Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1
I/O USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1

Is that harddrive built in?

 

[Drek]

So how does it compare to 360 and Rev spec-wise?

Well, Rev hasn't had anything announced, so who knows about that.

As for Xbox 360, here's a quick breakdown of my take (some hardware knowledge, but not like a b3d geek or something):
CPU - Sony wins, though not as handily as some were expecting.
GPU - not a whole lot revealed yet, though what new info we have helps support Nvidia's GPU having an edge over the ATi chip in the 360.
Memory - Same amount, but they differ in that the PS3 has its ram divided, half for the main system, half for the GPU, while X360 is like Xbox, all unified. Also, the PS3's 256mb of main ram is SUPER fast, a clear advatange. Going with the high speed ram makes Sony's choice for dividing the ram up look pretty smart, since 256mb of XDR (or whatever it is) should do a real good job, while giving the GPU its own ram will help it out as well. Another clear edge for Sony.

Overall, the PS3's specs validate the belief that it would be more powerful than the Xbox 360, but its not a huge gap. Some say it'll be real close, me personally I'm expecting something on par with the PS2/Xbox gap. Noticable but not a deal breaker, content will again reign supreme this generation.

Spring launch is interesting. Looks like my tax return just got spent.

 

[xsarien]

Edit: GAF timed out on me, so it never bounced me back after the message posted.

 

[Azrael]

PSOne: 9-month gap between Japan and U.S. releases
PS2: 6-month gap between Japan and U.S. releases
PSP: 3-month gap between Japan and U.S. releases

Launching PSP outside of the holiday period in the U.S. did not seem to hurt sales. It's selling well considering that consumers are customed to paying a lot less than $250 for a portable system.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the PS3 launches in the U.S. next spring rather than next fall. Sony's been moving in the direction of accelerated U.S. launches anyway, and Stringer has publicly stated he believes Sony game consoles should release outside of Japan sooner.

 

[ecliptic]

Sony's CPU power is smoke and mirrors. The actual FLOP comparison is wrong. When processing DP FLOPs it will perform 1/10th as fast as processing SP FLOPs.

The GPU is severely weak when compared to the X360 GPU.

X360 has 10MB EDRAM, PS3 has none.

X360 has a unified memory architecture, PS3 does not.

Disect the PS3 specs and you end up with alot of underwhelming hardware behind a fog of hype.

 

[mrkgoo]

Controller Bluetooth (up to 7)

7-players?!

Man, with all the slots and features, this thing is gonna cost like a billion dollars!!

 

[Slurpy]

Sony's CPU power is smoke and mirrors. The actual FLOP comparison is wrong. When processing DP FLOPs it will perform 1/10th as fast as processing SP FLOPs.

The GPU is severely weak when compared to the X360 GPU.

X360 has 10MB EDRAM, PS3 has none.

X360 has a unified memory architecture, PS3 does not.

Disect the PS3 specs and you end up with alot of underwhelming hardware behind a fog of hype.

 

[maynerd]

oops

 

[maynerd]

Sony's CPU power is smoke and mirrors. The actual FLOP comparison is wrong. When processing DP FLOPs it will perform 1/10th as fast as processing SP FLOPs.

The GPU is severely weak when compared to the X360 GPU.

X360 has 10MB EDRAM, PS3 has none.

X360 has a unified memory architecture, PS3 does not.

Disect the PS3 specs and you end up with alot of underwhelming hardware behind a fog of hype.

Tech spec sony fanboy nerds! Unite to destroy this Xbot from his lies!

He must be eradicated!

 

[Particle Physicist]

Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2
channels

maybe that analyst guy actually knew something.. by the way, he stated that both the revolution and the ps3 will exceed the xbox360 in terms of HD ..

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD

what the bloody hell is SACD HD? methinks Sony just let the cat out of the bag on an upcoming tech.

 

[accord 4 me]

Sony's CPU power is smoke and mirrors. The actual FLOP comparison is wrong. When processing DP FLOPs it will perform 1/10th as fast as processing SP FLOPs.

The GPU is severely weak when compared to the X360 GPU.

X360 has 10MB EDRAM, PS3 has none.

X360 has a unified memory architecture, PS3 does not.

Disect the PS3 specs and you end up with alot of underwhelming hardware behind a fog of hype.

proof?

 

[jedimike]

my take... nothing to bitch about, but nothing to do backflips over either. Once again... I'm guessing difficult to develop for. PS3 fans should be happy, Xbox fans shouldn't be worried.

1080P(PS3) > 1080i (360)
Half of PS3 memory is insanely fast, other half is = 360 speed
Lots of memory save options = same on 360 and PS3
Built in 20GB hard drive (360)> optional hard drive (ps3)

 

[Vince]

Sony's CPU power is smoke and mirrors.

Ok, this should be interesting. While PlayStation3 isn't the perfect system and has it's shortcomings, I do believe you've listed none of them. IMHO, the clockspeed itself is a travesty seeing as though Sony is choosing yeilds (and profits) over preformance -- due in no small part because they don't need to push it any further to maintain a significant preformance lead over Microsoft's offering.

Maybe if Microsoft was more competitive we'd have seen the 4GHz clockspeed it's capable of.

The actual FLOP comparison is wrong. When processing DP FLOPs it will perform 1/10th as fast as processing SP FLOPs.

And what will you use double precision for in a video gaming? Will PS3 games simulate alot of non-linear multivariable dynamics or statistical mechanics problems? Do you propose that all smoke and water effects on PlayStation3 must take into account fluid dynamics and model turbulant flow physically accuratly? Liberal use of the Navier-Stokes equations perhaps?

Second question: Are you stupid? (eg. Why would you even mention DP?!?)

And even if we compare DP, PS3-Cell is around 3times faster than the NEC SX-6 processor using in the Earth Simulator.

The GPU is severely weak when compared to the X360 GPU.

The GPU is superior to the one in the X360. How exactly do you get "severely weak" out of the RSX?

The RSX's Shaders can compute 92 DP's (as in Dot Products) every cycle, the R500 can do 48.

I'm sure you're responce will not recognize thje preformance differnetial and be concerning the use of unified shading resources (and you'll forget the fillrate differential and it's use in HDR, etc), but we just have to see how effecient it truely is in schedualing the ALUs. In the RSX, we have dedicated shading units that outpreform the X360. In the X360, we have unified resources and arbitration which are unproven and outside of outputting less shader ops (theoretically), we have no clue how it'll actually preform in praxis. And lest we forget there is PS3-Cell and it's SPUs which are vastly more flexible than any unified shader and pretty much roast even the WGF2.0 standard (X360 isn't even quite there yet)

X360 has a unified memory architecture, PS3 does not.

Ok, you're going to have to explain this one out to me:

XBox360 has 22.4 GB/s of bandwith from it's 512MB that's split between the CPU (capped at 10.8GB/sec) and the GPU. It then has only 10MB of eDRAM (thats only ~2X the Graphic Synthesizer) that supplies 64GB/sec to the GPU.

Note: RAM pools are in bold, bandwith is in italics.

Xbox360:

.             / == (22.4GBsec - [i]n[/i]) ==> [R500] <== [i]64GB/sec[/i] == [b][10MB][/b]
[b][512MB GDDR][/b] | 
              \ == ([i]n[/i] < 10.8GBsec) ==> [CPU]

PlayStation3 has 25.6GB/sec of bandwith from it's 256MB of XDR and 22.4GB/sec of bandwith from it's 256MB of GDDR3. The RSX can render to all 512MB of RAM BTW by the method shown below. These pools are connected by 80GB/sec of bus bandwith:

PlayStation 3:

 [[b]256MB XDR[/b]] == ([i]25.6GB/sec[/i]) ==> [Cell] <== ([i]78 GB/sec[/i]) ==> [RSX] <== ([i]22.4GB/sec[/i]) == [[b]256MB GDDR[/b]]

Seriously explain this one out. Why is having having more, unified, RAM at half the aggregate speed better than having the same amount of storage, with twice the external bandwith, connected by a bus with 80GB/sec of aggregate bandwith and 200GFlops of computataional resource at the front-end?

I will not accept answers centered around the laziness of developers and the ease of porting off the shit ass PC.

 

[Rorschach]

I'm guessing difficult to develop for.

The devs say otherwise.

 

[wldrhino]

Well, Rev hasn't had anything announced, so who knows about that.

As for Xbox 360, here's a quick breakdown of my take (some hardware knowledge, but not like a b3d geek or something):
CPU - Sony wins, though not as handily as some were expecting.
GPU - not a whole lot revealed yet, though what new info we have helps support Nvidia's GPU having an edge over the ATi chip in the 360.
Memory - Same amount, but they differ in that the PS3 has its ram divided, half for the main system, half for the GPU, while X360 is like Xbox, all unified. Also, the PS3's 256mb of main ram is SUPER fast, a clear advatange. Going with the high speed ram makes Sony's choice for dividing the ram up look pretty smart, since 256mb of XDR (or whatever it is) should do a real good job, while giving the GPU its own ram will help it out as well. Another clear edge for Sony.

Overall, the PS3's specs validate the belief that it would be more powerful than the Xbox 360, but its not a huge gap. Some say it'll be real close, me personally I'm expecting something on par with the PS2/Xbox gap. Noticable but not a deal breaker, content will again reign supreme this generation.

Spring launch is interesting. Looks like my tax return just got spent.

Finally... the voice of reason. Both of these systems are going to be good. Once again what it's going to boil down to is the Type of Games you like.

I will say this though, I have been wanting to see what The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
looked like, since I liked Morrowind. I was not dissappointed one bit with the footage they showed. Looked Great. Can't wait to see it upclose on Friday <The day I am going to E3>

 

[Scottlarock]

wasn't just 1 developer saying otherwise?

 

[Pjero]

PlayStation3 has 25.6GB/sec of bandwith from it's 256MB of XDR and 22.4GB/sec of bandwith from it's 256MB of GDDR3. These pools are connected by 80GB/sec of bus bandwith:

PlayStation 3:

 [[b]256MB XDR[/b]] == ([i]25.6GB/sec[/i]) ==> [Cell] <== ([i]78 GB/sec[/i]) ==> [RSX] <== ([i]22.4GB/sec[/i]) == [[b]256MB GDDR[/b]]

Seriously explain this one out. Why is having having more, unified, RAM at half the aggregate speed better than having the same amount of storage, with twice the external bandwith, connected by a bus with 80GB/sec of aggregate bandwith and 200GFlops of computataional resource at the front-end?

I think you are wrong Vince. The bandwidth between the CPU and the GPU is "only" 35GB/s...