PS3!

[dragulongx]

What do you guys think about PS3? What do you think Sony should do to improve over the PS2? I know it is still so early in the PS2's life but doesn't it excite you that this system is so powerful and fast? Its like taking the PS2 and times it by 6! Thats $1800 worth of PS2! Theres already even a game being made for it! Hmmm kinda reminds me of Nintendo and Sega they both were creating new systems shortly after they launched a system. Nintendo started on GC the year after N64 was launched. Sega started on the new system, that won't be made anymore, a few months after DC's launch.

[Kenny_73]

Yes and Sony started making plans for the ps2 right after the psx launched. But I don't think anyone is making a game for the ps3 yet. Can you give a link to where you heard that?

[Temjin]

According to Sony, the thing is supposed to be 1,000 times more powerful than the Playstation 2. Thats a pretty big leap.

But lets not get too excited. Enjoy your Playstation 2s for now.

[dragulongx]

I don't know a site where you can find it but I found the news in magazines. Gamepro (most info about it), Nintendo Power (some reader brought it up), PS mags, Gamefan, etc theres alot. But don't worry it won't be talked about that much until 2005. Also PS3 1000 times more powerful than PS2?........lol Maybe a PC that is like 300 GHz. lol Where did you get that?

[cube4life]

yeah IBM is making ps3 chips . they said it will be more powerful and easy 2 develop 4 . the chip is called the gscube .

[cube4life]

At the SIGGRAPH 2000 computer graphics conference this week, Sony Computer Entertainment announced its "strategic vision for the evolution of computer entertainment in the broadband network era." At the core of this vision is a piece of hardware which is composed of the same building blocks as the PlayStation2, but multiplied many times. The GScube development system, as it is called, will be used in the development of "e-cinema," computer graphics movies and other new digital content.
The GScube prototypes are powered by sixteen Emotion Engines and sixteen Graphics Synthesizers. Yes, this is sixteen PlayStation2s rolled into one. It is NOT a game system, though, so don't write into Q&A asking about what games will be released for it. It's a computer graphics workstation, comparable to the systems created by Silicon Graphics and other companies to produce high-quality CG movies. It'll be a bit too expensive for you to pick up at your local Toys R Us.

The difference between GScube and some of its predecessors in this field of computer equipment seems to be that GScube is being created with real-time content generation in mind. The overall plan seems to involve generating content with this development system, which is then streamed from a powerful server to viewers downloading it via broadband Internet connections. Thus, another piece may have appeared in Sony's plan to deliver broadband content to PlayStation2. Several potential big-name content producers are involved in Sony's display at SIGGRAPH, including Square, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros.

For y'all to drool over, here are the specifications on the GScube workstation. No news regarding price, though.

- CPU 128Bit Emotion Engine x 16
- System Clock Frequency 294.912MHz
- Main Memory Direct RDRAM
- Memory Size 2GB (128MB x 16)
- Memory Bus Bandwidth 50.3GB/s (3.1GB/s x 16)
- Floating Point Performance 97.5GFLOPS (6.1GFLOPS x 16)
- 3D CG Geometric Transformation 1.04Gpolygons/s (65Mpolygons/s x 16)
- Graphics Graphics Synthesizer I-32 x 16
- Clock Frequency 147.456MHz
- VRAM Size 512MB (embedded 32MB x 16)
- VRAM Bandwidth 755GB/s (47.2GB/s x 16)
- Pixel Fill Rate 37.7GB/s (2.36GB/s x 16)
- Maximum Polygon Drawing Rate 1.2 Gpolygons/s (73.7Mpolygons/s x 16)
- Display Color Depth 32bit (RGBA: 8 bits each)
- Z depth 32bit
- Maximum Resolutions 1080/60p (1920x1080, 60fps, Progressive)
- Merging Functions Scissoring

Alpha Test
Z Sorting
Alpha Blending

- Sound: Emotion Engine native audio
- Maximum Output Channel 16
- Sampling Frequency 48KHz
- Output Data Length 16bit
- Output Data Format AES/EBU Digital Audio Format


Other Specifications

Host Interface:
Peak transfer rate 2.4 GB/s (approx.)
Parallel bus 1024 bit for data/32 bit for control

Physical Dimensions:
424mm x 424mm x 424mm(WxDxH)
fit in for 19-inch rack
Weight 106lbs (approx.)
Power Requirement 100-240V 50/60Hz

got from ign

[Kenny_73]

You guys have this stuff a little mixed up. The GScube has nothing to do with the ps3. The GScube is a graphic workstation. These workstations are used to work on movies such as "A Bugs Life", "Antz", and the FF movie. They cost over $20,000. They won't be making their way into homes anytime soon.

But what makes the GScube so special is that it's modeled on the ps2's architecture. Sony took the EE and GS and added more memory and VRAM. Not only that, but they tied 16 of them together and put them into one system. So basically, this machine is 16 ps2's tied together and on steroids. It's a very powerful system.

IBM is helping Sony and Toshiba to design the new chip for the ps3. IBM isn't doing it all alone. The new chip is code-named the cell. They are hoping to achieve a chip that's 1000 times more powerful than the EE, but that's just a goal. No one knows if they can really develop an affordable chip that's that powerful.

[Temjin]

Originally posted by dragulongx
I don't know a site where you can find it but I found the news in magazines. Gamepro (most info about it), Nintendo Power (some reader brought it up), PS mags, Gamefan, etc theres alot. But don't worry it won't be talked about that much until 2005. Also PS3 1000 times more powerful than PS2?........lol Maybe a PC that is like 300 GHz. lol Where did you get that?

Sony said that quite awhile ago... Its pretty old news.

[Kenny_73]

I hate repeating myself, but the GScube is a graphic workstation. Here's link to prove it. http://ps2.ign.com/news/22490.html

It couldn't be a prototype ps3. You could tie a whole bunch of Pentium 1 processors together to equal the performance of a P4. But it would cost more and probably have more bottlenecks. It's better just to design a brand new chip. That's what Sony, IBM, and Toshiba are doing for the ps3.

[dragulongx]

I told you guys PS3 will be like taking the PS2 and times it by 6. GSCUBE I heard about.

[Temjin]

Originally posted by dragulongx
I told you guys PS3 will be like taking the PS2 and times it by 6. GSCUBE I heard about.

Neh. Times it by 1,000. ^_^;

[dragulongx]

But thats like 300GHz! The fastest PC I have heard of was about 1.7 GHz! No machine can be that fast already.

[Bladefall]

Its not 1000 times faster. It can't be. And if it is prove it please...

[Temjin]

Originally posted by dragulongx
But thats like 300GHz! The fastest PC I have heard of was about 1.7 GHz! No machine can be that fast already.

IBM has already got a 210ghz transistor ready. And they're the ones handling the processor for the PS2. Technology is progressing quite fast.


Link: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/3/19941.html

Originally posted by Bladefall
Its not 1000 times faster. It can't be. And if it is prove it please...

A spec sheet hasn't even been released yet, how can I?

Like I just said to dragulongx, IBM has already gotten a processor at 210ghz. 4-5 years from now, things should be much better... I'm confident Sony can give us something 1000 times more powerful than the PS2 4 to 5 years from now.

[cube4life]

true temjin

[MATRIX-X]

ibm is planning to have a chip for the consumer market running at 200GHZ by +-2005.

[gratedragon]

I wouldn't get too hopeful of PS3 because I'm sure Sony would majorly pi$$ off customers if they have to spend more right after getting the PS2 which costs a little bit more than a fair price for a system with a short lifespan.

[Temjin]

Originally posted by gratedragon
I wouldn't get too hopeful of PS3 because I'm sure Sony would majorly pi$$ off customers if they have to spend more right after getting the PS2 which costs a little bit more than a fair price for a system with a short lifespan.

Its coming out 5-6 years from now. Does that really seem too soon to you?

[gratedragon]

If it's that far away why all the excitement. Enjoy your systems now and in the future find out more. Besides massive changes will probably happen so it's pointless talking about it now.

[Temjin]

Originally posted by gratedragon
If it's that far away why all the excitement. Enjoy your systems now and in the future find out more. Besides massive changes will probably happen so it's pointless talking about it now.

We crave more!!... Well, at least I do. I'm not going to let it distract me from buying an GCN and Xbox, but the thought of a console thats capable of delivering graphics more lifelike than what we're seeing now just gets me pretty excited. I just think its really fascinating how technology is progressing at such a fast rate.