In-Stat has a new report about IBM and Sony’s Cell processor. Cell is targeted for broadband media and graphics for the next generation of applications, like in the PlayStation 3. Kevin Krewell, an analyst for In-Stat, says “Some have called Cell an Intel killer, which is completely ridiculous.” He goes on to say that the only competition the Cell will give Intel is in PS3 vs Media Center PC space.

Which, well, kinda makes sense. The Cell is targeted to different audience than a Pentium is. It’s not like Sony will sell general purpose Cell-based computers. And it’s not like the Pentium is going into any next-generation consoles. IBM has that space sewn up (all three platforms will use IBM processors). While it has been reported that IBM and Sony may sell Cell-based workstations, I doubt that it’ll happen. Even if it does, it’ll be a highly specialized machine - for creating PS3 video games perhaps.

The fact remains that the Cell is a mighty powerful processor. And it’s going into the PS3. And the PS3 will be High-Def. That’s all I care about.

Link: In-Stat - IBM’s Cell Processor Impressive, But Not an Intel Killer

Toshiba has shown a film that shows the Cell processor simultaneously decoding 48 MPEG2 streams at the same time. I didn’t know that the cell processor was in production, even in samples, and this article doesn’t mention if this was a simulation or the real thing. But it heavily suggests the latter. If this is indeed the case, this is quite an accomplishment. Has Sony said how many of these processors will be in the PS3? Hmm….

Link: Tech On! - Toshiba Demonstrates Cell Simultaneously Decoding 48 MPEG-2 Streams

The above article also links to another article - an interview with Sony’s Ken Kutaragi about the cell processor.

Link: Tech On! - Interview With Ken Kutaragi

Evan Wilson, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, estimates that the cost of developing a next-generation console game will quadruple because of the new devices’ HD support and other advanced capabilities. I used to work at a video game company (albeit, PC games) and I just don’t see this.

I worked closely with artists on a published video game once and I think that HD support, at least, will be relatively painless to add. The artists spent a lot of time reducing polygon counts and making images consume less memory and have less resolution. They would first paint the graphic in high resolution and then downrez it. Much of that work can be avoided in an HD game. The time savings, I would hazard to guess, might even turn out even. As to other aspects of the new consoles, well, I can’t speak to those with as much authority. But we already have background music, online capabilities, and surround sound. Those things are just being amplified in the new systems. I find it hard to believe all this will cost four times as much.

Link: Yahoo - An X-Factor for the New Xbox?

In case you haven’t seen these images (and, like, WOW, if you haven’t) I just have to post these supposed images of the Xbox 360. Everyone’s saying they’re authentic, blah blah blah. Who knows. But in case they are, you saw them here first, or second, or maybe eleventh?

Link: gamindustry.biz - Xbox 360 images
Link: engadget - Xbox 360 images
Link: SPOnG - Xbox 360 images
Link: SPOnG - 64MB Memory Card

1up.com has an article that summarizes what is known and conjectured about the next generation gaming consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

Link: 1up.com - Sorting Fact From Fiction In The Next-Gen Race

There have long been rumors that Microsoft will sell two different versions of the Xbox 2, suggesting that one will have a hard drive that the other doesn’t. Now some of the speculation has reached even further:

The basic edition will not have backwards compatibility while the advanced version will. The premium version with the hard drive will have WebTV functionality built-in, including web, e-mail, IM, and streaming audio and video.

More in the article linked below.

Link: gameindustry.biz

According to IGN, they’re getting a sneak peek of the Xbox 2 in Japan on May 13th. Their event will last for quite a bit longer than the 1/2 hour MTV show, so they’re hoping for some good info.

Link: IGN - Xbox 2 Preview

Well, it official non-official confirmation. I guess. Ah, just read the link.

Link: Digital Media Experience

Oh, and you might be wondering about all this Xbox 2 news recently. Well, it’s HD, and it’s console gaming, and it’s interesting. ‘Nuff said.

Goldman Sachs thinks that Microsoft may sell 3 million Xbox 2’s this year (at least so says this News.com article). It’s just speculation right now as to when the Xbox 2 will be released, but October and November dates are being bandied about. So lets say it’s November 1st. That gives about 9 weeks to […]

There are rumors going around that Microsoft and Pepsi are planning to give away an Xbox 2 every ten minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine weeks straight. Some kind of under-the-cap promotion like Pepsi did with iTunes and Apple.
I have a feeling that, if true, this is going to sell a lot of […]