midnightguy
Member
Part 1: Sony PlayStation3
quote:
...................................................................................................................................
Sorting Fact From Fiction In The Next-Gen Race
by Patrick Klepek 04.15.2005
"Photorealistic graphics, streaming multimedia content, complete Internet integration and revolutionary new kinds of gameplay are all promises of next generation gaming. Right now, it's all executives blowing hot air and technobabble, but in just a short few weeks, the battle for the living room starts again, as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony take the wraps off their new babies and show the world their visions of the industry's future.
We have been hearing rumors about the PlayStation 3 since the PlayStation 2 was announced, which means the six years following have been filled with vague quotes, speculation, rumors and baseless facts about what comes next. Here are the basics: Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are all releasing next generation hardware. Outside of that, mum's the word, and it's taken some investigative work to find out what to expect when before each company's formal unveiling.
1UP has taken care of the hard part for you. We can't claim to know exactly what the three big guys actually have planned, but we have some pretty good ideas. Read on to see what we've found.
Sony PlayStation 3:
Just over six years ago at a concert hall in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi, known as the father of the PlayStation, took to the stage and officially announced the PlayStation 2. Keeping with tradition, Sony had originally planned to release the first details on their next hardware in March, but for whatever reason, be it pressure from Microsoft, PSP launch mania or unexplainable internal delays, we won't be hearing about the PlayStation 3 until closer to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May.
What We Know:
CELL: Much of the reason we've heard about the PlayStation 2's successor before any formal announcement can be attributed to Cell. Developed jointly with IMB and Toshiba, Cell is this generation's Emotion Engine and the ultimate horsepower behind the new machine. Cell is said to deliver 10 times the performance of the latest PC processors in several areas, and features a multicore chip comprising 8 Synergistic Processing Units and a 64-bit Power processor core.
As IBM Director of Technology for Cell Technology Jim Jahle puts it, Cell "really represents a supercomputer on a chip." Though Cell will undoubtedly have other widespread applications, its first mainstream consumer device will likely come in the form of Sony's own hardware.
BLU-RAY: DVDs are about to become a thing of the past sort of. The next generation PlayStation will play Blu-ray discs, a new digital media format technology Sony has been actively involved in for years. Blu-ray discs can six times the data of a DVD, 27GB on a single layer and 54GB on a dual-layer disc, allowing an incredible amount of storage for next generation games. Sony's the first company to release a Blu-ray disc recorder. Don't throw away those DVDs just yet, though; the machine will play older discs.
NVIDIA: Typically a PC graphics card manufacturer, Nvidia has been working with Sony for several years on a graphics subsystem for the new machine. Nvidia's contribution will supplement the IBM-supplied Cell processor, and was developed separately from the company's products in the PC market. "It's nothing to do with Windows, it doesn't use any of the Windows features, and it's not about driving Windows," CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. "It's not about the PC at all."
POWER: Several publications are citing sources stating Sony has crafted a machine more powerful than anything else coming down the pipeline, including Microsoft's machine. EGM recently said developers are calling the next generation PlayStation "orders of magnitude" more powerful than the next Xbox, and other publications are reporting similar sentiments. Given the expected launch schedule difference between the next Xbox and the next PlayStation, however, a technological advantage isn't surprising. Look at the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and expect a similar jump reversed.
SOLID: At a press stop for the European release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's, creator Hideo Kojima confirmed a sequel was in development. Though not confirmed for next generation hardware outright, the development timetable makes sense. Outside of handheld releases and ports, the series has been a PlayStation mainstay, and the fourth installment should prove no different. The game's theme is "No place to hide!" and Kojima will step down from his usual directing role in favor of a new development staff.
PLAYABLE: Last summer, Sony announced hands-on demonstrations of next generation PlayStation hardware at E3 2005. Due to the delay of the previous March announcement, however, it's not known whether this is still part of the plan. Expect to see developers showing off the hardware, but whether or not E3 attendees will have a chance to try their hands at the console is currently unknown."
...................................................................................................................................
Part 2: Xenon/Xbox360 - Part 3: Nintendo Revolution
quote:
...................................................................................................................................
Sorting Fact From Fiction In The Next-Gen Race
by Patrick Klepek 04.15.2005
"Photorealistic graphics, streaming multimedia content, complete Internet integration and revolutionary new kinds of gameplay are all promises of next generation gaming. Right now, it's all executives blowing hot air and technobabble, but in just a short few weeks, the battle for the living room starts again, as Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony take the wraps off their new babies and show the world their visions of the industry's future.
We have been hearing rumors about the PlayStation 3 since the PlayStation 2 was announced, which means the six years following have been filled with vague quotes, speculation, rumors and baseless facts about what comes next. Here are the basics: Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are all releasing next generation hardware. Outside of that, mum's the word, and it's taken some investigative work to find out what to expect when before each company's formal unveiling.
1UP has taken care of the hard part for you. We can't claim to know exactly what the three big guys actually have planned, but we have some pretty good ideas. Read on to see what we've found.
Sony PlayStation 3:
Just over six years ago at a concert hall in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi, known as the father of the PlayStation, took to the stage and officially announced the PlayStation 2. Keeping with tradition, Sony had originally planned to release the first details on their next hardware in March, but for whatever reason, be it pressure from Microsoft, PSP launch mania or unexplainable internal delays, we won't be hearing about the PlayStation 3 until closer to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May.
What We Know:
CELL: Much of the reason we've heard about the PlayStation 2's successor before any formal announcement can be attributed to Cell. Developed jointly with IMB and Toshiba, Cell is this generation's Emotion Engine and the ultimate horsepower behind the new machine. Cell is said to deliver 10 times the performance of the latest PC processors in several areas, and features a multicore chip comprising 8 Synergistic Processing Units and a 64-bit Power processor core.
As IBM Director of Technology for Cell Technology Jim Jahle puts it, Cell "really represents a supercomputer on a chip." Though Cell will undoubtedly have other widespread applications, its first mainstream consumer device will likely come in the form of Sony's own hardware.
BLU-RAY: DVDs are about to become a thing of the past sort of. The next generation PlayStation will play Blu-ray discs, a new digital media format technology Sony has been actively involved in for years. Blu-ray discs can six times the data of a DVD, 27GB on a single layer and 54GB on a dual-layer disc, allowing an incredible amount of storage for next generation games. Sony's the first company to release a Blu-ray disc recorder. Don't throw away those DVDs just yet, though; the machine will play older discs.
NVIDIA: Typically a PC graphics card manufacturer, Nvidia has been working with Sony for several years on a graphics subsystem for the new machine. Nvidia's contribution will supplement the IBM-supplied Cell processor, and was developed separately from the company's products in the PC market. "It's nothing to do with Windows, it doesn't use any of the Windows features, and it's not about driving Windows," CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. "It's not about the PC at all."
POWER: Several publications are citing sources stating Sony has crafted a machine more powerful than anything else coming down the pipeline, including Microsoft's machine. EGM recently said developers are calling the next generation PlayStation "orders of magnitude" more powerful than the next Xbox, and other publications are reporting similar sentiments. Given the expected launch schedule difference between the next Xbox and the next PlayStation, however, a technological advantage isn't surprising. Look at the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and expect a similar jump reversed.
SOLID: At a press stop for the European release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's, creator Hideo Kojima confirmed a sequel was in development. Though not confirmed for next generation hardware outright, the development timetable makes sense. Outside of handheld releases and ports, the series has been a PlayStation mainstay, and the fourth installment should prove no different. The game's theme is "No place to hide!" and Kojima will step down from his usual directing role in favor of a new development staff.
PLAYABLE: Last summer, Sony announced hands-on demonstrations of next generation PlayStation hardware at E3 2005. Due to the delay of the previous March announcement, however, it's not known whether this is still part of the plan. Expect to see developers showing off the hardware, but whether or not E3 attendees will have a chance to try their hands at the console is currently unknown."
...................................................................................................................................
Part 2: Xenon/Xbox360 - Part 3: Nintendo Revolution
