Playstation 3's 'Cell' to run at 4.6Ghz!

[Inquisitor]

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When Sony reveals the technical details of the highly-anticipated advanced microprocessor code-named Cell, they will announce that the new processor will run at 4.6 gigahertz. IBM, Sony and Toshiba will present four technical papers next month at the International Solid State Circuits Conference to be held in San Francisco.

The Cell is a multicore chip comprising a 64-bit Power processor core and multiple synergistic processor cores capable of massive floating point processing. Cell is optimized for compute-intensive workloads and broadband rich media applications, including computer entertainment, movies and other forms of digital content.

Sony plans to use the Cell to power its next generation PlayStation as well as home servers for broadband content and high-definition televisions.


Other highlights of the Cell processor design include:
Multi-thread, multicore architecture.
Supports multiple operating systems at the same time.
Substantial bus bandwidth to/from main memory, as well as companion chips.
Flexible on-chip I/O (input/output) interface.
Real-time resource management system for real-time applications.
On-chip hardware in support of security system for intellectual property protection.
Implemented in 90 nanometer (nm) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology.

Link (http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7511/Cell-Processor-to-Run-at-46-Ghz/)

[FantasyGhost]

Another Sony patent reveals:

PS3 TO WI-FI WITH PSP! SONY'S PLAN TO CAPTURE YOUR LIVING ROOM

US patent filing reveals Sony's vision of the future

15:57 The US patent office's website is a strange and beautiful thing. As well as all manner of unusual and downright wacky US inventions, it's often a repository of the great big things that companies like Sony simply don't want to tell you.
Today's revelation courtesy of the US patent office is news of wi-fi connectivity and distribution between the PSP and the as yet unseen PS3. Sony has filed a patent number 20040266529 (http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&p=1&S1=20040266529.PGNR.&OS=DN/20040266529&RS=DN/20040266529) (for those of you who'd like to check it out in full), which appears to show that the PS3 and PSP will be able to connect wirelessly and share content including games, movies and music.

It's a long patent filing, full of intriguing sounding information, but probably the crux of the matter is contained in these final paragraphs:

"In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a portable game device that is small enough to truly be portable, is capable of providing rich interactive content, and is reasonably priced."

Hm, which would seem to fit the PSP bill exactly. The patent filing then continues:

"Broadly speaking, the present invention fills these needs by providing a system, a method, and a portable game device. The method of the system and portable game devices enables execution of a video game at a base computing device and wirelessly communicates processed data to a portable game device."

So what we'd picture is an online-enabled PS3 providing a channel to the net, plus the raw grunt and processing power which it wirelessly communicates to the PSP where you'll play or enjoy the actual content. Fascinating stuff. So it looks like Sony envisages the PS3 and PSP working almost as one unit, to bring you the latest in games, movies, music and audio.

Intriguing, and it will also mount a direct challenge to Microsoft's Xbox 2 as the all-in-one entertainment system to capture your living room.

Sony's genius revealed again. The US patent office, who'd have thought there'd be so much in it?

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=114281