Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) outlined its Playstation 3 (PS3) just prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo and saw an outpouring of support from the gaming community, not to mention the semiconductor community.
The long-awaited gaming system based on the Cell processor -- jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM -- will also feature a graphics processor (RSX) co-developed by Nvidia and SCEI, and XDR memory developed by Rambus. Staking out its place in the gaming world, Elpida Memory said it also plans to support demand for XDR DRAM for PS3.
The gaming system further adopts Blu-ray Disc ROM with maximum dual layer storage capacity of 54GByte for full high-definition quality. PS3 supports high quality display in resolution of 1080p (progressive scan method) as standard, which SCEI claims is far superior to 720p/1080i (interlace method). Computing power comes in at 2 teraflops, above the more than 1 teraflop spec Microsoft released Friday in its Xbox 360 announcement.
"Each generation of PlayStation has made a dramatic improvement in how we create and play videogames," Larry Probst, chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts, said in a statement. "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."
Delivery of Cell-based development tools have already begun, pushing development of game titles, as well as tools and middleware, into progress. SCEI said it has collaborated with leading tools and middleware companies to ensure full support to new content creation.
“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," added Yoichi Wada, president of Final Fantasy maker Square Enix Co., in the statement. "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.”
Demonstrations of PS3 will be held at Electronic Entertainment Expo, which begins Wednesday in Los Angeles. Preparations are under way for launch of PS3 and new generation software in the spring of 2006.
