Sony exec plays up Cell chip's strengths

Kenshi Manabe, Sony's semiconductor chief, has gone on record as saying that the Cell processor will be "as good as the Pentium, if not better". According to Business Week, Sony's electronics division has been running without profit for two years, and Sony are pinning their hopes on the new chip to provide proprietary technology that their rivals won't be able to match. Unlikely, as the rivals will just come up with more technology in response.

The PS3 launch and sales figures will prove crucial to the processor's success elsewhere, and Sony are remaining very tight-lipped on their plans for the technology. Sony are also being slow to send out upgraded PS3 prototypes to game developers, with one developer claiming that "the machine we have is 10 times slower than the PS3 should be"
– this may have repercussions for launch titles if Sony fail to deliver further prototypes on time.