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New PlayStation 2 Chip

Iron Chef Japan writes "Sony has announced that they have fit the PlayStation 2 Emotion Engine, and the Graphics Synthesizer on to a single chip using a 0.13-micron process. This will allow Sony to make three times more PlayStation 2's annually, so it's all for the better."

3 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The new model will have exactly the same specs as the old one. This is not a PC based architecture, speeding it up could very well effect the playability (to do with timing) of existing games. One of the disadvantages of a highly low-level environment

    This is purely to:

    a: reduce the number of chips that they have to have custom made, thereby allowing them to more efficiently use their existing production facilities and make more PS2's per year.

    b: reduce the cost of the PS2 to produce so that they can sell it at a lower price, to make people want to buy it when given the choice of the pretty(graphics, can you say easy, low cost anti-aliasing) X-Box at a similiar price point.

    There is a possibility they may update the case somewhat to distingish the new model (eg: playstation vs PS1)

    Samn that made me look pro X-Box. I have a PS2, but the blocky graphics gets on my nerves. Pity anti-aliasing has to be done on the CPU and is therfore rarely done :-(

  2. Lame story... by RatOmeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How lame is this? Our wonderful "story" is merely a reference to a post on gamefu which, itself, points to no credible source.

    Slashdot: "Sony says... cause Gamefu says that Nikkei Microdevice says that Sony says..."

    Good, God. I don't really doubt it's happened, but where's the interview? Where's the real scoop? I'd rather know a bit more than this. I'd like to know what else might get integrated; I don't consider squeezing 2 chips into 1 is going redefine the marketplace, or even Sony's bottomline.

    Mod as you will, and let's hope someone on Slashdot can post a link with more info...

    -

  3. Re:This is unnecessary. by 19Buck · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "If you still pay $50 for a silly plastic disc and some paper, you're a sucker."

    It's because of this (very wrong) mindset that piracy is so rampant.

    You aren't paying that much for a "silly plastic disc and some paper", you are paying for the man hours and labor of some dozens of people, all working together for year long stints or more to create graphics, models, artwork, scripting, a storyline and then put it all together into a coherent package so that you can sit down, play and enjoy the game for some 10-50 hrs (depending on the game genere.)

    If you really think this, then you simply have NO freaking clue what is involved in the production of a modern video game, which today, rivals the scale and budgets of major motion pictures, of which "only" provide you with 2 or so hrs of non-interactive entertainment.