What's What with the PlayStation 3
The system, the games, the specs, and the lofty hopes we have for Sony's latest powerhouse.
Published: July 1, 2005
Now that sexy piece you call a PlayStation 3 (yep, with the Spider-Man font - that's the one) is quite the beast internally. Two teraflops (not to be confused with bellyflops) of computing power? Detachable hard drive? Also a fully-functional cupcake oven? Forget what you've heard - these are the specifications straight from the horse's mouth (a.k.a. SCEA's press release):
CPU: Cell Processor
PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
1 VMX vector unit per core
512KB L2 cache
7 x SPE @3.2GHz
7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
Total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU: RSX @550MHz
1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines
Sound
Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base processing)
Memory
256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz
256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz
System Bandwidth
Main RAM: 25.6GB/s
VRAM: 22.4GB/s
RSX: 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read)
SB: 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)
System Floating Point Performance
2 TFLOPS
Storage
HDD
-- Detachable 2.5” HDD slot x 1
I/O
USB
-- Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick
-- standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD
-- standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash
-- (Type I, II) x 1
Communication
Ethernet
-- (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 3
-- (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi
-- IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth
-- Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller
Bluetooth (up to 7)
USB2.0 (wired)
Wi-Fi (PSP)
Network (over IP)
AV Output
Screen size
-- 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI
-- HDMI out x 2
Analog
-- AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital Audio
-- DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
Disc Media
CD
-- PlayStation (CD-ROM)
-- PlayStation 2 (CD-ROM)
-- CD-DA (CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW)
-- SACD (SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD)
-- DualDisc (DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side))
DVD
-- PlayStation 2 (DVD-ROM)
-- PlayStation 3 (DVD-ROM)
-- DVD-Video (DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW)
Blu-ray Disc
-- PlayStation 3 (BD-ROM)
-- BD-Video (BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE)
For us not-so-tech-savvy gamers, what does this all mean? Welp, in terms of processors, the PS3 rocks the Cell you've heard so much about, as well as the RSX, a graphic processor co-developed by NVIDIA and SCEI. Thanks to those two teraflops of computing power we mentioned before, the PlayStation 3 will allow for uber-realism when it comes to detailing character movements, real-time rendered landscapes, and all of the other visual goodness we simply love to see border the line of reality.
If you've noticed, the PlayStation 3 features a disc drive (this time slot-loading), your standard power and eject buttons (both sensitive to the touch), four USB ports (compatible with EyeToy, microphones, peripherals, keyboards, and not to be forgotten, recharging those Bluetooth controllers). This baby's also Wi-Fi ready, which is a big green flag for PSP connectivity, as well as for any other nearby wireless devices in the front. Hidden from the eye though are ports for the Memory Stick, SD card and CompactFlash that can be accessed via a flip-up panel.
On the rear lie ports galore. Featured are two more USB 2.0's, three Gigabit LAN ports that practically make your system a high-speed Ethernet hub, two HDMI outputs (for those High-Definition TV's we know you've been hiding in your closet all this time), a digital optical audio output, your standard AV Multi Out for hooking it up to your television, as well as the expected power plug and on/off switch (yes, you can turn this monster off).
As for the controller? Besides having a striking resemblance to a boomerang, it sports everything your loveable DualShock (2) does button-wise, 'cept this sucker's wireless. While many far and wide have complained about the awkward shape, don't be deceived; the controller is actually quite small, with those handle "wings" actually only extending past your hand about a quarter inch, max (and for beefy mitts, it'll likely be a snug fit). According to Sony, you can have up to seven (not six... not eight... seven) Bluetooth controllers running on the PS3 once, all which can be recharged via the system's USB ports. Though it doesn't hold a torch to our beloved Logitech Cordless Action Controller, the out-of-the-box battery life for the PS3 controller is a good 24 hours.
So you know what the PlayStation 3 is capable above, but what about those boundary-pushing, lifelike creations we call games? The Sony Press Conference showed off many of 'em, and we've got the deets and our knock-on-wood hopes for each and every one. Read on, brave soul!
CPU: Cell Processor
PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
1 VMX vector unit per core
512KB L2 cache
7 x SPE @3.2GHz
7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
Total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU: RSX @550MHz
1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines
Sound
Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base processing)
Memory
256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz
256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz
System Bandwidth
Main RAM: 25.6GB/s
VRAM: 22.4GB/s
RSX: 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read)
SB: 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)
System Floating Point Performance
2 TFLOPS
Storage
HDD
-- Detachable 2.5” HDD slot x 1
I/O
USB
-- Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick
-- standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD
-- standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash
-- (Type I, II) x 1
Communication
Ethernet
-- (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 3
-- (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi
-- IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth
-- Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller
Bluetooth (up to 7)
USB2.0 (wired)
Wi-Fi (PSP)
Network (over IP)
AV Output
Screen size
-- 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI
-- HDMI out x 2
Analog
-- AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital Audio
-- DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
Disc Media
CD
-- PlayStation (CD-ROM)
-- PlayStation 2 (CD-ROM)
-- CD-DA (CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW)
-- SACD (SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD)
-- DualDisc (DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side))
DVD
-- PlayStation 2 (DVD-ROM)
-- PlayStation 3 (DVD-ROM)
-- DVD-Video (DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW)
Blu-ray Disc
-- PlayStation 3 (BD-ROM)
-- BD-Video (BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE)
For us not-so-tech-savvy gamers, what does this all mean? Welp, in terms of processors, the PS3 rocks the Cell you've heard so much about, as well as the RSX, a graphic processor co-developed by NVIDIA and SCEI. Thanks to those two teraflops of computing power we mentioned before, the PlayStation 3 will allow for uber-realism when it comes to detailing character movements, real-time rendered landscapes, and all of the other visual goodness we simply love to see border the line of reality.
If you've noticed, the PlayStation 3 features a disc drive (this time slot-loading), your standard power and eject buttons (both sensitive to the touch), four USB ports (compatible with EyeToy, microphones, peripherals, keyboards, and not to be forgotten, recharging those Bluetooth controllers). This baby's also Wi-Fi ready, which is a big green flag for PSP connectivity, as well as for any other nearby wireless devices in the front. Hidden from the eye though are ports for the Memory Stick, SD card and CompactFlash that can be accessed via a flip-up panel.
On the rear lie ports galore. Featured are two more USB 2.0's, three Gigabit LAN ports that practically make your system a high-speed Ethernet hub, two HDMI outputs (for those High-Definition TV's we know you've been hiding in your closet all this time), a digital optical audio output, your standard AV Multi Out for hooking it up to your television, as well as the expected power plug and on/off switch (yes, you can turn this monster off).
As for the controller? Besides having a striking resemblance to a boomerang, it sports everything your loveable DualShock (2) does button-wise, 'cept this sucker's wireless. While many far and wide have complained about the awkward shape, don't be deceived; the controller is actually quite small, with those handle "wings" actually only extending past your hand about a quarter inch, max (and for beefy mitts, it'll likely be a snug fit). According to Sony, you can have up to seven (not six... not eight... seven) Bluetooth controllers running on the PS3 once, all which can be recharged via the system's USB ports. Though it doesn't hold a torch to our beloved Logitech Cordless Action Controller, the out-of-the-box battery life for the PS3 controller is a good 24 hours.
So you know what the PlayStation 3 is capable above, but what about those boundary-pushing, lifelike creations we call games? The Sony Press Conference showed off many of 'em, and we've got the deets and our knock-on-wood hopes for each and every one. Read on, brave soul!