Games Archive

Ars reviews the PlayStation 3 personal computer game console, and they say: "The PS3 doesn't have any grand ideas; Sony wanted something high-tech, so they started from scratch with the processor and GPU, but what does it get them? Very little so far. The controller is a mash-up of ideas from their old systems, the 360's triggers, and the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities, but once it has that tech it doesn't really know what to do with it. The Blu-ray adds cost, but adds very little to the gaming experience for the user. It's great as a media player, but for those of us who love games first and foremost, we have to look at it skeptically. The PS3 is a system with no core message, and that is what keeps it from being elegant. Will it do great things in the future? I hope so, the possibility and potential are certainly there. For now, it's power looking for a mission statement."

QJ.net has posted a guide on how to install Fedora Core 5 on the PlayStation 3. There are also some videos of Fedora Core 5 running on the PlayStation 3.

"Power Developer is pleased to provide the relevant Linux support patches and documentation for running Linux on the Sony PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3 games console was released in Japan today and will go on sale in the US market on Friday, 17th November."

PC Linux distributor Terra Soft has announced plans to release its Yellow Dog Linux distribution for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 gaming console. Featuring the experimental e17 desktop environment, Terra Soft's upcoming distribution release is surprisingly unconventional. Ars talked to Terra Soft CEO Kai Staats and Enlightenment developer Carsten 'Rasterman' Haitzler about Linux and the PS3.

Blogger Kiyoshi Saruwatari claims that Nintendo's upcoming Wii console runs on the open source Linux operating system. According to Saruwatari, who claims to be a Nintendo insider, the company reduced development costs by leveraging open source software and incorporating a Linux kernel into the Wii software platform. A wide variety of additional features like web browsing, video playback, file management, and emulation all run on Nintendo's custom Linux operating system, which uses a proprietary interface. Unlike the other specialized software components, the actual games will not run under the Linux platform, and can be played without booting Linux if the user holds down the "A" button while the Wii is starting up.

"Yes, it's true. It's not made out of wood, it's not behind bullet-proof glass at the Tokyo Game Show - it's a real live PS3 and we're really playing it. The two Sony reps that were kind enough to bring us the machine brought it in a bag, popped it out and placed it on our table. We connected it to our TV and we were away. Forget any dev-kit speculation and empty cases. PS3 is real and it works brilliantly."

A new company called AIseek announced what it describes as the world's first dedicated processor for artificial intelligence. Called the Intia Processor, the AI chip would work in conjunction with optimized titles to improve nonplayer character AI. Similar to the way in which physics accelerators can make a game's environment look much more realistic, Intia would make the NPCs act more true to life. There goes yet another PCI slot.

"Can you imagine controlling your computer with a peripheral that resembles a fluffy bar of soap? Well hear us out, because the Soap pointing device from Microsoft Research offers to combine the accuracy of a traditional optical mouse with the freedom of a wireless, even desk-free peripheral." There are even instructions in the video to make one yourself.

The GP2X is an open, Linux-based handheld games console manufactured by Game Park Holdings of South Korea. It has a typical handheld control layout, a good quality backlit screen, built-in stereo speakers, headphone socket, and several connectivity and expansion options. My son is completely taken with the device, and it has won me over too. At £125 (or $190), you're not going to find a less expensive handheld device that can be expanded into a full-blown computer.

Transgaming has announced Cider, their WINE-based gaming virtualization for Intel Macs. This is similar to their previous Cedega software, which served as a way to play Windows games on Linux.

In the early days of the 1970s, computer games were little more than a fantasy to most of the world’s population. Only the very few hardcore computer tech specialists had even the faintest inkling that computers could be used for more than calculating complex equations and filling huge rooms with noise, heat, and the faint stink of unwashed code math majors.

In November this year, Sony will launch the PlayStation 3. Apparantly, Sony has high expectations for the Linux-powered device, and Sony even claims it will render the PC useless. "We believe that the PS3 will be the place where our users play games, watch films, browse the Web, and use other computer functions," said Sony exec Phil Harrison. "The PlayStation 3 is a computer. We do not need the PC." Let's see how Sony's Vaio devision feels about this.

The successor to the Linux-based GP32 handheld games console will launch in the UK on 18 May, promising to bring gamers a gadget capable not only of playing native games and well-known titles under emulation, but also movies, music, and picture slideshows. The GP2X contains two 240MHz processors, 64MB of RAM, and 64MB of Flash. It sports a 320 x 240 LCD and is powered by a pair of AA batteries - enough, claimed the console's UK distributor, for six hours' gameplay. There's an SD card slot for expansion, and a USB port for PC connectivity.

Ars's Hannibal analyzes recent rumours concerning details about the operating system used for the PS3. "The site Playstation 3 Portal recently got hold of a few details of the PS3's OS, and how it will make use of the Cell hardware. Technically, these details qualify as 'rumor', but for the reasons given below I think they're pretty plausible."