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Posted: **2006-05-14 08:53am**

Playstation 3 development kits explored

EEE 2006 Close up pics

By Charlie Demerjian in Los Angeles: Sunday 14 May 2006, 13:22

THE MOST WORRYING thing at E3 was that Sony did not have prototype PS3 hardware on display, it used dev kits and the same mock-ups from E3 with a new controller on the turntable. Either way, there were some interesting things to be seen for those who don't have a current gen dev kit. Feast your eyes on the new kit.

First off, the display models appeared to be simply boxes painted in pretty colors to wow the throngs of unwashed (if you were at E3, you know I am not kidding) masses. The problem is if you looked at the display models, they had all the fan grates blocked. This either means they had solved the modern problem of semiconductors and drives using electricity, or they were still empty. It is hard to see here, but it was clear on the stand.

[sip the rest]

Sony, sony, what happened to being ready for 2006?

Posted: **2006-05-14 11:54am**

I believe it- when Activision took me with a small media group behind closed doors for a Marvel: Ultimate Alliance showing, they ran it off PS3 dev kits, which were huge, rather than actual PS3 hardware- and I did not see one PS3 hooked up on the show floor, only in cases.

Posted: **2006-05-14 01:18pm**

I'm not sure what their problem is regarding getting the PS3 inside.

Are they trying to cram the power box inside instead of keeping it out like the X360?

Posted: **2006-05-14 01:48pm**

Ace Pace wrote:I'm not sure what their problem is regarding getting the PS3 inside.

Are they trying to cram the power box inside instead of keeping it out like the X360?

Their problem with it it's that it's hollow. As in, no circuitry whatsoever. As in, they don't have a presentable, working model. The ones shown on the floor were dummy shells.

Posted: **2006-05-14 01:49pm**

Ace Pace wrote:I'm not sure what their problem is regarding getting the PS3 inside.

Are they trying to cram the power box inside instead of keeping it out like the X360?

I'd just do it like Microsoft did with the 360. So what is the PSU is outside. I've never had one problem with my 360 - no overheating, no freezes, no nothing - and I got mine on launch day. I hope the PS3 will be problem free too, and I'd bet they are working their asses off to fix whatever needs fixing.

When will they have to start producing PS3s if they really want to ship 1 million in November? I know Microsoft was producing 360's about 2 months before release, if I'm not mistaken.

Posted: **2006-05-14 01:51pm**

Bounty wrote:[

Their problem with it it's that it's hollow. As in, no circuitry whatsoever. As in, they don't have a presentable, working model. The ones shown on the floor were dummy shells.

I'm not an idiot, however I am wondering what exactly is the issue in terms of getting it inside.

Is it the heat produced by the components? Or simply the physical size of things?

Posted: **2006-05-14 02:04pm**

Looks like I was the idiot, then. Sorry.

Posted: **2006-05-14 02:26pm**

Ace Pace wrote:I'm not an idiot, however I am wondering what exactly is the issue in terms of getting it inside.

Is it the heat produced by the components? Or simply the physical size of things?

Could be heat, component size, PCB layers/manufacturing issues, or design just isn't finish. Given the spec changes since last year, I'm betting the design's not finished. I'll be surprised if Sony gets a stable box shipping in November (I'm sure they'll kick something out the door, but I'm questioning how well its going to work).

Posted: **2006-05-14 02:34pm**

Praxis wrote:I believe it- when Activision took me with a small media group behind closed doors for a Marvel: Ultimate Alliance showing, they ran it off PS3 dev kits, which were huge, rather than actual PS3 hardware- and I did not see one PS3 hooked up on the show floor, only in cases.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance needs to be kept behind closed doors. It's as ugly as sin, the 360 and PS3 screens look like someone's plastered high res skins over PSP models, and then bump mapped the result using algorithms that would have barely been acceptable in 1999.

Anyway, many sites have been noting that the PS3 demos on the floor at E3 were running on devkits that look not unlike rackmounted servers.

The last rumour I heard for why indicates that stable PS3 hardware does not fit inside the case designed for it.

Posted: **2006-05-14 02:55pm**

That would be a major problem, you would think. You design the friggin' casing around the hardware, not the other way around. I'm not exactly an engineering maestro, but I know that sounds totally retarded.

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:01pm**

Vendetta wrote:The last rumour I heard for why indicates that stable PS3 hardware does not fit inside the case designed for it.

I suppose that was part of the risk with going with the Cell processor, then? I'm barely even sure of how the Cell is different from a regular processor. I assume it's much the same as a multi-core processor?

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:04pm**

Count Dooku wrote:
Vendetta wrote:The last rumour I heard for why indicates that stable PS3 hardware does not fit inside the case designed for it.
I suppose that was part of the risk with going with the Cell processor, then? I'm barely even sure of how the Cell is different from a regular processor. I assume it's much the same as a multi-core processor?

From what I can tell, it's a multicore processor using each unit to perform specialized functions. So processor A, B, and C each do seperate types of tasks for more efficiency. So it sounds messy.

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:06pm**

Nephtys wrote:
Count Dooku wrote:
Vendetta wrote:The last rumour I heard for why indicates that stable PS3 hardware does not fit inside the case designed for it.
I suppose that was part of the risk with going with the Cell processor, then? I'm barely even sure of how the Cell is different from a regular processor. I assume it's much the same as a multi-core processor?
From what I can tell, it's a multicore processor using each unit to perform specialized functions. So processor A, B, and C each do seperate types of tasks for more efficiency. So it sounds messy.

Tom & Jerry, anyone

We all know how well that worked...

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:09pm**

Ars technica article part 1

Ars technica article part 2

Sumup: One main in order core thats reletively normal, 6-8 small tiny in order cores with tiny cache, all connected by a very fast connection to RAM.

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:16pm**

Nephtys wrote:From what I can tell, it's a multicore processor using each unit to perform specialized functions. So processor A, B, and C each do seperate types of tasks for more efficiency. So it sounds messy.

IBM is trying to write a compiler to abstract away as much of the grunt work as possible, but that problem has been an outstanding one for decades in CS. It may be years before developers really understand the Cell's architecture and how to work it well.

Ace Pace wrote:Sumup: One main in order core thats reletively normal, 6-8 small tiny in order cores with tiny cache, all connected by a very fast connection to RAM.

Uh, the SPEs and the PPC are connected via 512KB L2 cache. RAM would be far too slow.

Posted: **2006-05-14 03:19pm**

phongn wrote:
Ace Pace wrote:Sumup: One main in order core thats reletively normal, 6-8 small tiny in order cores with tiny cache, all connected by a very fast connection to RAM.
Uh, the SPEs and the PPC are connected via 512KB L2 cache. RAM would be far too slow.

I wasn't sure of cache size so I decided not to mention it, my bad.

Either way thats a tiny cache size for all those cores.

Posted: **2006-05-14 04:01pm**

The current PS3 shell, while not the worst I've ever seen, looks like either a George Forman grill or a refridgerator, depending on how much you jacked off the other night.

Perhaps Sony would be better off delaying the system. Manufacture Cell using 65 or 45 nanopeters. On top of that, add some RAM exclusively for the OS. Taking 90-something megs out of the 512 for OS functions is stupid.

Posted: **2006-05-14 04:52pm**

Yeah, the PS3 design looks odd.

They seems to be going for the same "Oooh, curvy!" look as Microsoft, but only on top. Hence the George Foreman look.

Hopefully it will do OK vertically though.

Posted: **2006-05-14 05:01pm**

Maybe they're hoping to have Duke Nukem Forever as a launch title.

Posted: **2006-05-14 05:06pm**

I thought that had been secured for Vista?

Posted: **2006-05-14 06:00pm**

Whatever replaces Vista, you mean.

Posted: **2006-05-14 06:06pm**

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Whatever replaces Vista, you mean.

...some time later...

"Computer, run program... Duke Nukem Forever.."

*bleeeooop* Program not available. Estimated release date: Stardate (insert jibberish here.)

Posted: **2006-05-14 10:21pm**

Man, I have to say, I am really not impressed by Sony's performance lately, and the PS3 is just another nail in the lid of the coffin of my opinion of them.

EDIT: Dang you, AV, but you're completely write....er, right.

Posted: **2006-05-15 07:10am**

DesertFly wrote:Man, I have to say, I am really not impressed by Sony's performance lately, and the PS3 is just another lid in the coffin of my opinion of them.

I believe you mean "nail in the coffin", unless you have some wacky multiple lid coffin there.

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PS3 final hardware still missing

PS3 final hardware still missing