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Developers crush PS3 rumors of console being "broken"
You probably definitely caught wind of the article that ran over at The Inquirer that Joystiq reported on earlier. Well, some key developers creating games for the system that you'll soon be playing have stepped up to the podium and have declared it bogus. Some developers, which for some reason do not provide their names, have told gameindustry.biz that the figures are nothing to worry about."I didn't see that slide at Devstation, but all the numbers add up," one coder said, "and it's a total non-issue. You never, ever need to access that memory from the Cell - I can think of some useful debugging things you might do with that access in the testing stage, but that's about it. In fact, on the PS2 you couldn't access that memory from the CPU at all, and it was never really a problem!"
Specifications for cellphone payments announced
Payments by cellphone are obviously a hot area right now, with everyone from SanDisk and Philips to Visa and Nokia to PayPal getting into the game. And if you needed any more proof that it is for real, the NFC Forum (that's Near Field Communications, for anyone not versed in the lingo) have just announced the first five specifications for cashless payments by cell, although the full specs will only be available "sometime between July and September." What we do know is that the NFC's architecture will include specifications that define a modular NFC device, as well as protocols for interoperable data exchange, device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability. That also includes specifications for smart posters or other advertising, which contain embedded tags that can deliver content to cellphones. And, unlike some other standards committees, the NFC Forum has most of the major players in the industry on side, so it doesn't look like we'll see much controversy over these specifications.
More growing concerns over PS3 hardware?
It's not hard to connect the dots or figure out how all this started, but Sony's flagship console (the newest version at least) has started to become the system everyone loves to rail on.Take this latest article for example. According to the author's source, Sony is having some major problems with their hardware before manufacturing has even started. We're not talking malfunctions or anything either. Apparently the specs are not very pretty.For starters, the Cell processor has some major disparity in the memory performance. Speaking in terms of local memory, which is very crucial, the Cell can only Read 16MB/s while its Write speed is 4GB/s! The picture from the slide speaks for itself ("no this isn't a typo..."). So what does all this mean? Here's what the author had to say: "Someone screwed up so badly it looks like it will relegate the console to second place behind the 360." Keep in mind where this is coming from, and make up your own decision after reading it with a critical eye.[Thanks, Joe]
Blu-ray is very important for gamers
This is what UK boss Ray Maguire has to say about it anyway. Many gamers may have been bemoaning the steep cost of the PS3 due to the Blu-ray component, but he comes at it from a different angle.With the huge requirements of the Cell processor come bigger requirements in the media on which games will need to be stored. This is why, according to Maguire, the Blu-ray discs are a must-have for next-gen games. Thanks to the 50GB of storage, people won't be having to change discs in the middle of loading (which is apparently what we'd have to do he says). While this is spot-on for more content, it means that developers are going to need to deliver on that proclamation for quantity and quality.By adopting this high definition medium, they hope to "legitimize" the HD era where it counts most: in your home.
John Carmack talks Cell and PS3 development
During E3, the saint of first person shooters sat down to talk with G4TV and discuss the PlayStation 3's development strategy. Seeing as how he pioneered the modern day shooter and single-handedly codes some of the most cutting-edge graphics engines, people listen when he has something to say about this sort of thing. During the interview, he admitted that the PS3 will have more power backing it than the other guys. That's exactly the way Sony wants it though, and the price reflects that. However, the most interesting part came when Mr. Carmack said Sony made a mistake with the PlayStation 3. The mistake wasn't with the price though, it was with the Cell architecture. We're months away from launch, and it's still no secret that the PS3 is hard to develop for. Okay, so this isn't the first time John has said this. But he reiterated that the fragmenting of code which developers are going to have to do for development is an unnecessary evil. Even so, he still thinks the PS3 will bank on Sony's core following, despite these issues. We'll have to wait and see how much the price affects that following though.
Hands on with DDR Mobile
One of the sleeper hits at the Konami booth is something that's hardly noticeable at all. Having only about a two square yards of space, Dance Dance Revolution Mobile for cell phones is something that deserves an honorable mention.Some DDR veterans may think this is taboo, but playing it on-the-go with a cell phone is surprisingly lucid. The demo I got my mitts on had such songs like Paranoia and B4U on it, totally revamped for the mobile platform.If you play on light or standard mode, you may even be able to get away with using the familiar center controls. However the real action starts when you up the ante to hard mode and use the number pad. Even digits mark the arrow directions, giving both thumbs enough room to cross from side to side. If you're the type gamer who embraces cell phone games, then this is something to keep an eye out for.
Cell chip yields "horrible" [Update 1]
Now here's an article that is likely to hit you hard should you believe its claim. Turns out The Inquirer has "a source" that says the chip yield is "horrible" for the Cell. This article, which is small and could easily be mistaken as puny, does nothing to sway this fanboy from still regarding the Cell chip as the "mack daddy." Given this new information, are you still confident in the new chip and its sheer pow-ah? [Update: I don't get around as much as I used to and mistook the word 'fab' as a typo. I apologize and balance has been brought back to the Force.]
Ubi announces Assassin's Creed for PS3
Ubisoft officially announced yesterday that it would be bringing Assassin's Creed to the PS3 in 2007. The game, which is set during 1191 AD amidst the third holy crusade, is being developed by Ubi's Montreal Studio, who're responsible for the Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia franchises. Stating that the game will "captivate audiences and affect them on the same level as an epic novel or film," Yannis Mallat, Ubisoft's Montreal Studios' chief executive officer, seems confident that gamers will receive this title with open arms. Ubisoft's chief executive officer, Serge Hascoet, commented "Our goal to introduce three new brands into the marketplace every two years is working. With Assassin’s Creed we’re introducing a franchise that will establish itself as the must-have next-generation game for the next-generation gamer.” A trailer for the game can be viewed/downloaded at the official site here.
Warhawk, MotorStorm, & other bootleg GDC PS3 videos
So, are you tired of bootleg stills from the upcoming PS3 titles featured at GDC? (Or bootleg videos from current-gen titles like God of War 2?) Well, it looks like you're in luck, as we've got a few fuzzy PS3 videos from Phil Harrison's speech, courtesy of the embargo-ignorin' folks at Multiplayer.it.What we have above is a clip from the developer demo of Warhawk for the PS3. A voiceover describes the "ambient warfare" to be used in the air-combat simulation game, as well as the innovative mix of "Cell-based software rendering with RSX-based hardware rendering" to produce the graphics. For all you coders out there, it was also interesting to note that the programs running on the Cell's SPUs were not written in low-level assembly (easing development, but possibly degrading performance).While we wait until E3, when a playable version of Warhawk was promised to be delivered, here are a few more PS3 videos from GDC that you might find interesting (with a few unfortunately quite incomplete): Streamed video of MotorStorm GDC footage, also with a voiceover. Streamed speeded-up video clips (no audio) of Warhawk, Getaway 3, Lair, the Havoc physics demo from Heavenly Sword, the bullet-ridden car model demo, and even that video concerning Rachet & Clank. Streamed (basically) audio-only video from Resistance: Fall of Man. [Thanks, Reaktorleak89, Fan, & Da'Cheez; via PS3 Fanboy & QJ.net]See also: MotorStorm, Resistance and more: pictures from Sony's GDC keynote God of War 2 GDC video leaked online Multiplayer.it's report on Phil Harrison's GDC keynote (in Italian)
IBM/Sony Apple's biggest threat?
Adrien Lamothe, writing for ONLamp.com, thinks that Apple has gotten itself into a position where their real competition isn't the likes of Dell but rather Sony and IBM. Is he referring to Sony's VAIO series of machines? Nope, he thinks that the Playstation III which will sport IBM's Cell processor will blow Macs out of the water.Somehow, I doubt it considering that the Playstation, while computer like, has been designed to be a gaming machine. Want to do all your Internet surfer via your game console? I don't.
Proof that Apple will be launching a mobile service?
Take this with several grains of salt, but an anonymous tipster has sent the above photo to us of what appears to be an Apple branded SIM card (or an iTunes gift card modified to look like a SIM card). Our tipster says that Apple is about 85% ready to roll out a cell service using the moniker Mobile Me, which was recently trademarked. Apple will be using Cingular's network and Motorola's hardware.We are told that the service is on track to launch sometime in February (or so we are told).Update: I should point out that our source isn't claiming that the phone pictured is the fabled iPhone (it is a Samsung SGH x497). He claims that the SIM card is Apple's.Update II: Our friends at Engadget also got the same tip that we did, so check out their take on it.Another picture after the jump.
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.
