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PS3 Chip Trials Set To Begin
Thanks to GamePro for their news story regarding Toshiba and Sony's imminent trial production of semiconductor chips that will be the precursor to the Cell chip that's expected to be used in the PlayStation 3. According to the article, "...the trial production of sample chips using the 65-nanometer (one nanometer is a billionth of a meter) technology will begin in 2004... [but] commercial production is not expected to begin until the first half of Toshiba's 2005 fiscal year, which is from April to 2005." Gamesindustry.biz notes that this is "...just about in time to supply components for Sony's PlayStation 3 launch at the end of 2005, if that is indeed the plan."
I didn't even know that the chip modders and hackers had already been arrested yet. Talk about swift justice!
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
I was under the assumption that Nintendo's plan was to be the first of the next generation of consoles (nintendo5, xbox2, ps3). If the PS3 truly ships for fall/holiday 2005, would this be the first of the 3?
Maybe, this is pretty early in the game. Nintendo's hype machine wouldn't want to start talking too much now while they are still trying to sell gamecubes.
The PS2 on the other hand is already in virtually any home that is going to buy a console of this generation. Talking about thier future plans isn't going to hurt their growth because they don't have nearly as much to do anymore. MS will likely stay tight-lipped regarding the X-box2 until we get closer to the launch dates as well. I would imagine all 3 of the big players are testing/well into designing something right now.
On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
I used to work at Sony, and I can state as irrefutable, unequivocable fact that Sony has had a working PS3 since Q4 1993! Furthermore, the prototype was carved entirely from hand-tempered Camembert, supports 43 controllers, and features a built-in trebuchet detector!
It's gone rancid now, though, so don't get your hopes up for an on-time release...
I seem to recall Sony stating a few months ago that production of Cell was going quite slowly, and wouldn't be ready until late 2006 and/or 2007. Now it's already back to 2005? Frankly, I don't trust anything Sony says. After they touted the Ps2 as being more powerful than a supercomputer, and after they announce the PSX, the "ultimate" entertainment center, with specs, only to cut a bunch of features without reducing price just before launch.
No, screen burn is not nirvana.