"Yesterday, I was among a few lucky journalists in New York City who got a rare chance to play a collection of new games on the eagerly awaited Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console. In short, I was impressed. The brain, capable of one teraflop, is three symmetrical IBM cores running at 3.2 GHz each. Stellar graphics performance is provided by a 500 MHz custom ATI graphics processor and backed up by super fast memory, 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM that is shared with the CPUs via a unified memory architecture."
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RE: I myself really think that the one teraflop spec
Member since:2005-07-27
Member since:2005-07-06
If by 'general...' then I think we will have to wait and see which chip has more applications. You will note that IBM/Toshiba/Sony have big plans for Cell and other vendors are already coming out with products based on cell. How many products are based on xenon. Seems xbox360 is the only one. Which probably means that cell is more general purpose and probably more general.... too.
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2005-07-06
RE: why don't you sign in anonymous?
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Member since:2005-07-06
How about use of their bandwidth and the services they provide? I'm pretty sure PS3 is going to charge too. PS2 didn't even have a unified way to play games online like Xbox did. Xbox live is something Microsoft did right, and they deserve praise for it.
Revolution is supposed to have free online gameplay, but we'll see. They do need something to offer over xbox and ps3, because sadly, better gameplay may not do it.
Member since:2005-07-08
I'll preface my comment by saying I have no idea how xbox live does its communications - but with all of the advances recently in the area of p2p communications, why can't online console communications be done via a similar system? Maybe it does it this way already, not sure - anyone out there know?
Member since:2005-07-06
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2005-07-06
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2005-07-06
I don't think anyone who cares about their desposable cash buys these systems right away (or who wants to pay the $75 pricetag for the games).
I look on the next generation of Xbox and PS3 as decent performing computers, not gaming consoles. You know some 14 year old is going to hack them up into doing cartwheels, and we can all take advantage of it.
Even with low intel system prices, I would think either of those systems would be decent price/performers.
just my $.02
Microsoft Fanboy
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I'll probably do like I do now, have both systems. I like it because I can get exclusive titles for each system, and currently if a game is available for both systems I purchase the XBox version (better graphics, better load times, etc). It may be the opposite in the future, purchase the PS3 version if it's available for both. As long as both of them play the games from the previous system I'll purchase them. Haven't ever wanted a Nintendo, though.
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For one, all three games systems will look the same. Why?
Because the majority of us are poor, and can not affored hi-def television.
Seconly, there have to be comprimises in the hardware to sell it so cheaply, I'm willing to bet they run about 2ghz if that.
Sony has lied time and time again. Microsoft isn't above that and Nintendo..
...seems to have the right idea.
Games will truely sell the systems, not gfx.
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..consumer electronics.
People whine now that these beast of computing power, the ps3 and xbox 360, are "to expensive" .. These things have more or as much as a high end workstation.
I hope these an be modded to run full OSes like a linux port or *bsd. They will be one hell of a personal computer.
Member since:2005-06-29
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Member since:2005-08-30
Well 1280x720p that a 720p HDTV can support is reasonably close.
If you happen to have a 1080i you get 1920x1080 (interlaced).
I'm fairly sure the XBOX360 at least can't output a true 1080p signal however.
So yeah, on a crap tv it's pointless as a computer, but on an HDTV it might have some use.
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Actually they don't. People think that because they have fast processor speeds that have a small amount in common with high-end equipment, that somehow these systems are the epitamy of end-all be-all hardware. Truth is these are gaming systems. They are specifically designed to be polygon pushing gaming machines, not general purpose number crunchers. It was shown at one point that unoptimized code for the 360 runs at roughly the equivalent to PIII 1.7 ghz (something in that era). I would hardly call that a "high end workstation" equivalent. I doubt people will ever run linux on these systems (unless sony makes a commercial distro again). But if someone does manage too, I really have to question why.
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I am still looking for the "next page" button in the so called preview article, but I have yet to find it. What's new in there except a rehash of MS press releases an already known specs? "I was impressed" doesn't really say anything whatsoever, because it all depends on where you come from, your previous experiences of consoles and PC gaming, and so on. If there's just that one page, I'd label it a CrappyArticleNotWorthyOfLinking(tm)
Member since:
2005-07-06
I'm hoping that "System Link" games will still work the way one can use them now...
http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/index.php
(although unfortunately offline at the moment)
Check it out if you have your Xbox plugged into a LAN along with a PC that can act as a gateway (I haven't tried the PS2 so can't vouch for it).
I am *really* looking forward to having a play on the next-gen consoles... I so much prefer console gaming to PC gaming.
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"Actually, the Xbox's CPU is more general. Its three multi-threaded PPC Cores, where Cell is 1 PPC core + 7 SPEs."
Correct. This makes the PS3 more difficult to program for if you want to take advantage of all the processors. If not you have games that will run much slower on a PS3 than an xbox360. Games for the PS3 will also be between $70-$79 according to a PS3 game developer.
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<Quote>
Correct. This makes the PS3 more difficult to program for if you want to take advantage of all the processors. If not you have games that will run much slower on a PS3 than an xbox360. Games for the PS3 will also be between $70-$79 according to a PS3 game developer.
</Quote>
I am really getting tired of all these people saying that they PS3 is more difficult to program for. Thing is that it *will* be more difficult if not impossible if you are using current existing toolsets and programming methods that are based on single threading and current existing architecture or if you are gonna try and use the xbox360 toolset to program for the cell (You're a dork if you intend to try this).
The cell is a different breed altogether and will require different compilers and different toolsets and a different mindset. Change you ways, cuz the world is changing and you are being left behind. The games/applications being programmed for the Cell will use these toolsets and will run as fast if not faster, so live with it.
Cheers.
Member since:2005-07-06
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All these posts about power and price and resolution and online capabilities. I'll be buying the one that has the best games. Like most consumers I won't give a damn what processor it uses or if it can go online. If it has excellent games that I can play on my sitting room TV with my mates then I'll buy it. I think the old version has some life in it yet though. Anybody played Burnout Revenge?
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Actually, I noticed that Sony has lined up a lot of software companies (graphics/gaming related) to port their software for PS3. Alias and other companies like that, for example.
I myself don't think the situation of programming for all of those PS3 procs will be too bad because someone is going to come up with the frameworks/engines that will take care of all of that low-level gruntwork for you and you'll only have to worry about writing your game.
I doubt developing for the PS3 is going to be quite as sweet as developing with Microsoft's XNA, but I don't think it will be "hard" either (it should have similar frameworks). I remember the exact same thing being said about the PS2 but I don't think it stayed that way for very long.
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2005-10-05
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So saying that one framework is 'sweeter' than another is a reference from your point of view, not others.
It happens to be a reference from John Carmack's POV also: http://www.gamespy.com/articles/641/641662p2.html
Not sure if his opinion is worth anything but interesting to note all the same.
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2005-10-05
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Actually, there have been instances where this has occured. IBM had previously showcased a Blade server configured with Cell Processors running Linux OS. They have also contributed the kernel changes which allow Linux to run on the Cell Processor.
In fact, around 6th October 2005, Mercury Computer Systems came out with a newsflash about their product running the Cell Processor. Go to http://www.mc.com/mediacenter/pr/news_details.cfm?press_id=2005~*~@...
for more information.
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The 360 is a nightmare to code for.
The 360 CPU has been given the nickname "OS/2's Revenge" It is amazing just what a hackjob it is. It is basically your everyday dual core in-order PPC chip with a third core bolted on. All three cores all have to share the same cache. Anyone who does modern multimedia programming can tell you that cache is everything when it comes to operating on large amounts of data. Having to optimize your code for the in-order execution logic in the 360 would be bad enough, but the retarded cached design means you have to manually partition out cache space so you don't end up having different threads clobbering your various working sets of data. Thankfully I'm not stuck on a 360 project. Nothing but pity for those who are.
The PS3 is turning out to be an absolute dream to code on. And it shows from the realtime demos that we are seeing. And the final devkits aren't even out yet.
It should be perfectly clear why Microsoft is desperately rushing the 360 out the door. The PS3 is looking like it will hit the shelves sometime in March.
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