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PS3 and XBox 2 Processors to be Exactly the Same?

Posted by Zonk on from the one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other dept.

themuffinking writes "IBM (the manufacturers of some of the parts for the PS3 and Xbox 2) told Alex Albrecht that the processors they are putting in the new PS3 and Xbox2 are going to be the same processor, with the parts around it arranged slightly differently. Alex pried this information out of an IBM employee, likely while interviewing him for the show on which Alex is a cohost, The Screen Savers. Alex equivocates by saying "Now again, this is a rumor... so no Slashdotting". Too late for that, but keep in mind this is just hearsay at this point.

68 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. No Slashdotting by alatesystems · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "No Slashdotting" is a sure way to get slashdotted, just as sure as saying "I'll get modded down" will get you modded up.

    I doubt Sony will actually do this, since they are developing their own "grid" technology in their console and are not known for outsourcing the core of their business.

    With that said, Alex is awesome. I liked Patrick and Leo. I liked Leo and Kate. I even liked Kevin and Patrick. I really like Kevin and Alex. The show is more immature now, but it's a lot funnier too! Alex is one of the funniest tv personalities I have ever seen.

    PS - Vote tomorrow(if you're a US citizen registered to vote).

    1. Re:No Slashdotting by FLAGGR · · Score: 1

      I doubt Sony will actually do this, since they are developing their own "grid" technology in their console and are not known for outsourcing the core of their business.

      Hehe, but they are known to lie about how great something is going to be, then have to settle for less later. Story sounds fishy though.

    2. Re:No Slashdotting by RedWizzard · · Score: 1
      just as sure as saying "I'll get modded down" will get you modded up.
      Anyone who says "I'll get modded down" when I have mod points will get modded down as they've predicted.
    3. Re:No Slashdotting by Dizzle · · Score: 1

      But, but, you just said it twice!

      --
      -Dizzle
      "I most likely AM so interested in myself."
  2. If the PS3's processor... by HaloZero · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...is a PowerPC G5, will Sony use an emulation layer to make PS2 and PSX games cross-evolution compatible? I can't see them breaking that trademark functionality now, when the console market game is really starting to get interesting.

    --
    Informatus Technologicus
    1. Re:If the PS3's processor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Actually they just included the main processor and implemented the PS1 graphics chip as softemu

    2. Re:If the PS3's processor... by g1ant · · Score: 1

      An acquaintance of mine relocated to the states to work on backward compatibility on the PS3 recently so I'd imagine they were fairly serious about it.

  3. Sony??? by kannibal_klown · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I thought the big thing with Sony was that they made pretty much everything in the PS2, so they didn't have to rely on other companies and suppliers, and thus got it at cost.

    Going with the same CPU and the XBox 2 (with similar components) is going to mean that Sony is going to have to rely on external suppliers.

    1. Re:Sony??? by Rhys · · Score: 1

      Isn't there a nice little MIPS 3000 processor sitting in there, providing the PS1 emulation? I'd guess they've been farming produciton of that out to SGI, tho I suppose they could have bought the rights to do it themselves.

      --
      Slashdot Patriotism: We Support our Dupes!
    2. Re:Sony??? by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "so they didn't have to rely on other companies and suppliers,"

      Which means they get all of the blame for another PS2-esque launch "shortage." This way, if (i. e. "when") it happens again, this time they can try blaming IBM for not supplying processors fast enough.

    3. Re:Sony??? by Phil+Wilkins · · Score: 1

      The MIPS core in question (the IOP), sits on the same piece of silicon as the other MIPS core in the PS2 (the EE). Both cores are licensed, not farmed out.

  4. Porting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since the PS3, XBox2, and Mac all use the same processor, porting games should be a snap, right?

    1. Re:Porting by Seahawk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes - as easy as porting a windows program to linux...

      There is MUCH more to it than just the architecture.

      Look how many platforms linux runs on - supporting different architectures is not THAT hard - but porting between two completely different api's are.

  5. This is old news by CRobin · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Its been known for a long time now that both Mirosoft and the Cell where to have an IBM power based core... So build it up with some vague hype, and you get this article. Of course IBM gave their most recent power core to both of them, did you really think that either MS or Sony wanted an old PPC core? They both are looking and paying for the bleeding edge power core, which is what they got. Did anyone tell them Apple is going to be using the same CPU core too, oh no!!!! Geez what hype.

    1. Re:This is old news by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

      were....

      Burn Karma Burn!

    2. Re:This is old news by liquidzero4 · · Score: 1

      I disagree. I do believe that MS and Sony would be more interested in an older core than the latest core. From a price point it makes more sense that they would user a older, cheaper core. Especially since a lot of the work will be done by the GPU and not the CPU. Especially when you consider that theses devices will run custom OS's that are optimized for their application. It all boils down to money. Remember these deceives will cost in the 300$ price range. What ever CPU they use has to be cheap, (Sub 50$) Good luck licensing and Manufacturing the latest PPC for under 50$

    3. Re:This is old news by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 1
      Of course IBM wansn't going to have two separate PPC projects, one ("Cell") with Sony and another for Microsoft. But from Sony's hype, the Cell was supposed to be something quite revolutionary and specifically designed for their game machine. I was imagining lots of small cores, or somesuch thing.

      So it is a surprise that the Xbox processor will essentially be the same. I expected it to be much more like the regular Power5 than like the Cell. So does this mean the Cell itself is really not so different from a regular Power5, despite the Sony hype, or does it mean that the Xbox will be getting some of the architectural goodies that Sony and IBM custom-designed for the Cell? Since the latter sounds so implausible, I have to believe the former. Either way, it's much more of a surprise (to me, at least) than you make it out to be.

    4. Re:This is old news by themuffinking · · Score: 1

      Well, believe it or not, IBM has the resources and the smarts to make things other than PPC cores. And, Sony and Microsoft paid them to design new cores especially for their systems, but Sony and Microsoft don't know that IBM only made 1 core for the both of them.

  6. Hmmm by polyp2000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I remember reading something along these lines on the register or was it here on
    slashdot

    It is certainly true to say that IBM are having to do with the new cell chip- but it is also doing this in partnership with hitachi and sony.

    If the PS3 is to be using G5's (which are available now) then how come they are specifically branding it as CELL, plouging development costs into it when the chip already exists? Its idle speculation - and who knows who this infomation anway it could be IBM's tea boy for all we know ...

    Nick...

    --
    Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
    1. Re:Hmmm by rtaylor · · Score: 1

      CELL likely refers to an interconnect (similar to Hyper Transport, but for longer distances and varried latencies), but the G5 is perfectly good at processing, so why not save a few ten-billion dollars and use an existing CPU for the actual core.

      Nobody designs new CPUs fron scratch anymore.

      --
      Rod Taylor
  7. So what's the next Gamecube getting? by lion2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    IBM is also making the Gamecube chip. So if the gamecube get's a different chip, will it be less powerful? IBM must be in a tough position and probably has to make sure that each chip perform about the same.

    --
    #####Free and Open Source Game Directory#####
    1. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by seann · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why.

      You get what you pay for.
      if nintendo pays for a faster chip, thats what they get.

      --
      I'm a big retard who forgot to log out of Slashdot on Mike's computer! LOOK AT ME.
    2. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by The-Bus · · Score: 1
      IBM must be in a tough position and probably has to make sure that each chip perform about the same.


      Not really. Just a similar speed as what they promised each company.
      --

      Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

    3. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by lion2 · · Score: 1

      Which is one of the reasons why I said if the nintendo processor would be faster. Nintendo does not have the deep pockets that Sony and Microsoft have(I believe that this might be Nintendo's last system). Sony and Microsoft can definitely pay for the fastest CPU. IBM would probably recieve complaints from the companies if their(Sony or Microsoft) processor turned out to be slower than the competition. Well the processor is only one component. What matters is how well the overall system is built and that's up to Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

      --
      #####Free and Open Source Game Directory#####
    4. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by scot4875 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nintendo does not have the deep pockets that Sony and Microsoft have

      Wrong. Nintendo isn't as big, but they have assloads of cash. The 'loss' that they posted a couple quarters ago? It was because they had too much cash in weakening US dollars.

      Sony and Microsoft can definitely pay for the fastest CPU

      Wrong. Customers pay for the fastest CPU. (Well, except in the case of the XBox, where Microsoft *does* actually heavily subsidize the cost of the console)

      IBM would probably recieve complaints from the companies if their(Sony or Microsoft) processor turned out to be slower than the competition

      Wrong. What would they have to complain about? These are large corporations with huge R&D budgets -- they know what they're getting, and they know what they paid for. Don't equate the manufacturers of these systems with the moronic, irrational fanboys that buy them and then try to convince everyone that their system is teh r0x0R, and all others sux0r.

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
    5. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by Troed · · Score: 1

      Nintendo ONLY does games. Compare Nintendo with the games-sections of Sony and Microsoft and be amazed where you'll find Nintendo at.

      They have truckloads of money.

      Nintendo has a lot of systems yet to make.

      The Gamecube has almost sold as much world wide as the Xbox - and there are no chipped cubes in those numbers like there are chipped Xboxes.

      --
      it's in my head
    6. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by bugbread · · Score: 1

      Sony and Microsoft can definitely pay for the fastest CPU

      Wrong. Customers pay for the fastest CPU.

      Wait, they don't have to pay IBM until their product sells? That's a pretty sweet deal. I would have imagined that IBM would require some money up front.

      /smarm

    7. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by HeliosTrick · · Score: 1

      But there certainly are a lot of used Gamecubes in the market. I work at a Game Crazy in suburban Chicago, and we almost never get Xboxes traded in, people usually only trade in their PS2 units when they're broken... we get 'Cubes traded in all the time.

      It's unfortunate, because I think the Cube is a great system, but we must have at least 15-20 used Cubes in the back room. I can't speak for any other store, but this is at least what I see.

    8. Re:So what's the next Gamecube getting? by Phucilage · · Score: 1

      I'm a technician at a best buy and from all the other techs in the company as well as at other stores, we never see Gamecubes come in as faulty, the returns simply come in as, "we didn't want this" or it simply needed a good blast of air to clean out the dust puppies.

      Xboxs and PS2s however (PS1 way back when) come in constantly for more than just cleanings, bad hardware, brand new games no longer working, where a good dusting and cleaning doesn't do the trick.

      I've had my Gamecube knocked over by my spawns of satan (cats) many times and it's never done anything but skip if it was running at the time (i got smart and have it only an inch off the floor back in a shelf now). I've had 5 PS1s, 3 PS2s, and now 3 Xboxs that have never had cat attacks and just stop working from CD/DVDrom malfunctions, video card failures, power and av hookup component failures, as well as overheating.

      The Gamecube's real problem, is lack of quantity in games, they have some excellent 1st party games no one else ever gets, as does each platform, that appeal to the old school game geeks, as opposed to the MTV-hyped gamers of today, who never played Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc... but instead started out with the PS1 and up.

  8. why not sony? by BortQ · · Score: 1

    I was under the impression that Sony manufactured all of the PS parts using its own companies. Doing so would make tremendous sense, since they would get a huge hunk of business out of it, as opposed to IBM.

    --

    A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
    1. Re:why not sony? by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1
      but it's still an IBM design based on the PPC architecture. IBM's made a small to-do about how they've been selling the PPC "core" to other companies to modify for their designs. I.e. they sell the design to sony engineers for PS3, sell the design to MS for XBox2, of course they have some fab available too...and they've got REALLY good numbers on efficency... so good even nVidia and AMD partner with them for research and a little fab!

      Big blue may have lost the PC wars, but they're making it up in spades on the back end...quietly selling to more and more companies and raking in the royalties!!!

    2. Re:why not sony? by BortQ · · Score: 1

      Hmm, that makes sense. Thanks for your reply.

      --

      A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
  9. Don't think so... by JensR · · Score: 1

    I had the feeling before, that maybe CELL will be a PowerPC with (several?) custom vector coprocessors.
    For PS2 compatibility they could just use the PStwo chipset, so they don't depend on MIPS. And I think they already announced that PS1 compatibility will either not happen, or be a software emulation.
    But in general I think this is BS. Neither Microsoft or Sony are so stupid that they don't recognize a similar. What is most likely is that Sony just uses IBM's manufacturing plans.
    And I couldn't really think of many reasons to change the core architecture from MIPS to Power. Sony already has toolchains for MIPS, and their engineers (and all licensees!) have a lot of experience with that.

  10. Unforseen dissection? by Sentry21 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As it says on his weblog, they are supposedly rearranging the components on the motherboard and hoping that Microsoft and Sony won't notice.

    Honestly, I can't believe that a giant like IBM, or any of its decisions, would not forsee someone at Sony tearing open an XBox2 or someone at Microsoft tearing open a PS3, stripping it down to transistors and seeing what makes it tick. If I were working on the XBox2 team I'd have two PS3 preorders in as soon as I could - one so I could have, and one so I could dissect.

    This is likely BS meant to start an uproar, or a misinterpretation (i.e. perhaps they are both using G5 processors with slight differences, or the chipset is slightly different). The machines won't be identical beyond what's required by the processors, I'm sure.

    --Dan

    1. Re:Unforseen dissection? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I doubt they'd be hoping that Microsoft and Sony wouldn't notice. IBM is too savvy to screw around with either of them too much. They make their money on their reputation of being able to provide anything to anyone, though rarely the fastest product (currently, they're having no trouble there) and never at the lowest price. Hence, if Sony and Microsoft are getting basically the same thing, they're both either fully aware of the situation, or they just simply don't need to know because it's irrelevant to the market - which is true. What is under the hood is completely irrelevant once the system comes out, it's the performance and the available titles that make a difference.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Unforseen dissection? by RedWizzard · · Score: 1
      As it says on his weblog, they are supposedly rearranging the components on the motherboard and hoping that Microsoft and Sony won't notice.
      Not the motherboard, the CPU. "It turns out that what IBM is doing is moving around parts on the CPU to make them look different". Of course the two chips would still have essentially the same performance, instruction sets, and features, so it wouldn't take either Sony or Microsoft long to figure it out. Which indicates to me that this rumor is all rubbish.
  11. Re:Huh? by Curtman · · Score: 1

    and have one more thing to point out to Sony fanboys.

    So what does that make you then?

    "Bill's Bitch" ?

  12. want rumors? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I heard that the next XBOX will be red! I'm serious! Can we post it on /. please?

  13. Yes & NO: (To Sum It All Up...) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    MS had switched to PPC prior to the introduction
    of XBox. Sony had planed to do something like a CMP game cube (sound familiar- PS1 and PS2 came out of Nintendo plans.) Sony borrowed the Cell fluff from IBM marketing hype. You can find the Cell buzz in the industry and occassionally in IBM stuff way prior to the partnership with Sony. Sony's Cell development money is really about becoming a PPC member and gaining a fab.
    Ironically IBM would practically do that for free- its probably marketing money save for Sony trying to suck off the forbidden blue gene hype.

    IBM has also announced that it has selected ATI to do the Graphics chips for the PS3. What does that say? What it really says is that these things are Apple PCs. Note the the Game Cube was nothing but a iMac G3. And an iMac G3 is nothing but a PCI PC running PPC and a unix varient. It might as well be a Linux PC.

    Tie it all together and we see MS hedging its bets just like it did with MIPS, Alpha... and the original NT.

    Bottom Line: All consoles are going to be WIN/XNA PCIe BTX(like) PPC varients of the Media Center PC. MS wins!

    Don't think so? Remember Sony in the DVD forum saying that WMVHD would get included in the format over its dead body? Why is WMVHD now going to be included not just in HD-DVD but also in Blu-Ray? Why the changed time lines for the consoles? Why all the rhetoric from Peter Moore about Sony and Nintendo just Using XNA? Why all the lovie dovie between MS and Nintendo. Why is Nintendo saying its not about Hardware? Because it isn't.

    THIS STUFF IS REAL.

    So what is the difference between an Apple and a PC? Not much. Its operating system. If a PC were to somehow show up with an Itanium varient would it be a PC? Yes. What if it really were an 'IBM PC' (ala PPC) running Win/XNA? What if it were an IBM PC running Apple OSX? That is what a Mac is: a PC running OSX. And guess what, a PS3 will no be nothing more that a VAIO branded XBOX2. And NT on PPC helps MS with the embedded market.

    And while we are at, lets realize that WiMax and big hard drives coupled with streaming and background downloading make the next gen optical disk (HD-DVD;Blu-Ray)and CES irrelevant.

    True convergence is upon us. Next step involves serious losses in the Satilite,Cable,Telco, video store, software retail sectors.. and also in CES and CES retail.

    Watch and see.

    1. Re:Yes & NO: (To Sum It All Up...) by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

      You make me wish I had mod points.

    2. Re:Yes & NO: (To Sum It All Up...) by justin_saunders · · Score: 1

      THIS STUFF IS REAL!!!

      The US Government, in coperation with the Illuminati and the Tyrell coporation (a crypto-jewish religious brotherhood - linked with Al Qaeda, Twinkies, and the faked moon landings) have started SECRET experiments on slashdot readers researching INTERNET3 which will run on the brainwaves of the new intellectual-slave class.

      Gray Aliens are invovled somehow.

      Watch and see.

      >So what is the difference between an Apple and a PC?

      A whole lot. Take some deep breaths and repost when you can see straight.

      cheers,
      Justin.

      --

      "My cat's breath smells like cat food." - The Tao of Ralph Wiggum.
    3. Re:Yes & NO: (To Sum It All Up...) by themuffinking · · Score: 1

      Eh... someone's going to have a hangover for the next few days, it seems... Unless you seriously can't tell the difference between a desktop computer and a console game system, then you're just stupid. "a PS3 will no be nothing more that a VAIO branded XBOX2" Last time I checked, VAIO is not a company, and thus it cannot put its own brands to the Xbox2.

  14. Blow for Sony by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

    This is a huge blow for Sony, an admission that their brilliant Cell design sucks the big one? Ouch.

    Someone needs to get on making a Dual emulator pronto!

  15. Pretty clear whats going on by Zeromous · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seems to me, that both the Xbox and PS2 will use a powerpc core.

    Now as anyone knows, this does not make two processors the same. Its obvious this is speculative hype, hinting at something many observers have suggested over the past few months with the announcement of IBM supplying XBOX2 chips.

    Let's not forget there is something else to Sony's chip design. It was designed by Kenny-boy remember? in *cooperation* with IBM? Hmm sounds like a propietary architecture based on a powerPC core to me... likelihood of a Ken Kutargi chip in an Xbox? not bloody likely.

    --
    ---Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A START
    1. Re:Pretty clear whats going on by bozoman42 · · Score: 1
      Indeed.

      Remember that PS2 has MIPS-based core. Does this make it exactly the same as a Nintendo 64? I didn't think so.

    2. Re:Pretty clear whats going on by Cuthalion · · Score: 1

      That actually does mean that all N64 games are exactly as fun as all PS2 games. Any reviews that tell you otherwise don't understand the underlying technology.

      --
      Trees can't go dancing
      So do them a big favor
      Pretend dancing stinks!
  16. duh? by greywire · · Score: 1

    Has anyone considered that the "Cell" chip of the PS3 is just a graphics processor (or maybe for more general use, but highly specialized just the same) and that they still need a GPU for controling the whole system?

    So maybe they both use a PPC core, so what? Do you realize how many things have PPC cores in them? There are cars with them. Does that make your car an XBox II or PS3? Of course not.

    I'm sure Sony and Microsoft know exactly what they are getting from IBM and what the similarities are (and arent). And I'm sure they all have numerous contracts and NDA's and other legal paperwork that would prevent IBM from "pulling a fast on" on sony and MS by giving them the "same chip rearranged", unless of course that's what they ordered.

    --
    -- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
  17. Re:Huh? by Deliveranc3 · · Score: 1

    You don't have to oppose someone to think they are an idiot.

    His sentence was console neutral.

    Stupid 2 party system warped little minds yada yada :P

  18. Re:Huh? by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sony has previously announced (no reference sorry) that the cell will be delayed until a future playstation model, probably (?) the fourth generation unit. I guess they're not cheap enough yet to actually put them into all their devices, nor do the majority of sony devices yet have the i.Link (aka IEEE1394) that will be necessary to make the cell useful in a distributed fashion.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  19. Re:I liked Leo and Kate by MindStalker · · Score: 1

    Yea, so you gotta better idea for figuring out time travel?

  20. Re:Huh? by bugbread · · Score: 1

    A non-fanboy, perhaps?

    The world is not binary.

  21. Re:Do some research by YeahIThoughtSo · · Score: 1

    Correct. I read the patent ages ago when it came out, and basically it said that within each Cell would be 1 "system" cpu and muliple PS2-style vector units. The vector units would be running the user-level code (all game code, tv decoder / tivo code, etc) and the system cpu would be in charge of divvying out some of the onboard resources to each of the VUs, ensuring security permissions, and stuff like that. Oh, and the system CPU was, IIRC, a PPC core.

    It's cool stuff, really.

  22. MIPS is an open standard by jbellis · · Score: 1

    I don't think the ps1/2 mips chip is SGI's at all. It doesn't have a test-and-set instruction, for one thing. (Which is why postgresql is such a dog on the ps2 -- you need TAS for quick mutex support.)

  23. It doesn't sound too crazy. by Zangief · · Score: 1

    I think that makes sense. And shows (one more time) how Sony lies with respect to their future technology. They were hyping the CELL as the new supercomputer, revolutionary, etc. But, at the end, it will probably be just a powerpc processor (still a great processor).

    Still, the PS3 should be more powerful than Xbox2, since it will come out almost a year after.

  24. ...On the 3rd day by slumpy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I might be crazy, but I have a theory where game companies consoles have the most success with their 2nd system and begin puttering out with the 3rd system...

    1. NES...Good system...great seller
    2. SNES...Best system of all time
    3. N64...UH-Oh, not a bad system, but Uh-OH

    We're now soon approaching the PS3, which I think may follow in the footsteps of the N64, which was a decent system, but nowhere close to the success of PS1 or even SNES. Therefore, I predict Xbox2 will emerge as the new "PS2" and we'll enter Pax Microsoftana for a while until X3 or whatever we call it. Same can be applied to portables....GBA is amazing, but will the DS, or 3rd entry into the fray be successful? Following my arbitrary model, then no, although I'm hoping it is.

    Thank you for reading

    --
    http://www.commaecho.com
    1. Re:...On the 3rd day by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Same goes for Master System, Mega Drive and Saturn, BTW.

      I think it's a coincidence but analysts already predict that the PS3 will lose the lead to Microsoft's next system which could very well be. Sony's abuse of their position (SCEA rejecting 2d-like games, for example) might make third parties go to Microsoft next gen and catapult them into first place.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:...On the 3rd day by k_187 · · Score: 1

      FYI. The GBA is the third generation Gameboy. There was the original, then the Gameboy Color, then the GBA. I would say that the portable market follows different rules than the home consoles though.

      --
      11 was a racehorse
      12 was 12
      1111 Race
      12112
    3. Re:...On the 3rd day by HeliosTrick · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, from what data I've collected, Nintendo has consistently sold less and less units with each hardware revision.

      NES = 62 million units
      http://darkwatcher.psxfanatics.com/console/nes.htm

      SNES = 46 million units
      http://www.nintendoland.com/home2.htm?history/hist 3.htm

      N64 = 30 million units
      http://darkwatcher.psxfanatics.com/console/n64.htm

      I didn't see any up to date info on the sales of GameCube, but I guesstimate somewhere between 12-18 million units.

      Now supposedly, the game market is increasing, with more and more gamers everyday... why are people abandoning Nintendo?

    4. Re:...On the 3rd day by kisrael · · Score: 1

      Sega
      1. SMS -- not much
      2. Genesis -- great seller
      3. Saturn -- crash
      4. DC -- well, better than Saturn

      So that's a "maybe" for your theory

      Atari?
      1. 2600 -- best seller
      2. 5200 -- nuthin'
      3. 7800 -- still more nuthin'
      4. Jaguar -- fuhgedabouddit

      That was a peak at #1, unless you count pong systems or something. It's an interesting idea, but I think the sample size is too small and there are too many counterexamples to really generalize like that.

      Also, NES was dominant in a way I don't think SNES ever was, given its late start vs. Genesis. Which goes to show you, first to market is a big thing, though Dreamcast proves it's not everything...

      --
      SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
    5. Re:...On the 3rd day by ildon · · Score: 1

      Too bad the DS is their fourth entry (GB->GBC->GBA->DS).

  25. Not news! by Lally+Singh · · Score: 1
    The Cell is a multicore PowerPC system, with a vastly different overall architecture.

    XBox 2 PPC, hell that's been known for a while.

    --
    Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
  26. One way to get famous by julie-h · · Score: 1

    This is one way to have your homepage seen.

    First of all put a picture of your self on your homepage. Start a rumor, put it on your homepage, have /. conver the story=)

    I would like to see games come with a sticker: PS3 and XBox2 compatible=)

  27. In Other News... by marktaw.com · · Score: 1

    Apple has announced a PPC chip shortage and won't be able to make next year's targets.

  28. PowerPCs Everywhere by microbrew_nj · · Score: 1

    Seriously, what DOESN'T have a PowerPC in it?

  29. Don't tell Alex the chip is similar to the G5 by Drakino · · Score: 1

    Don't tell Alex the chip is similar to the G5, or he might start smashing perfectly good XBox and Playstations on the air to appear as an even bigger idiot then when he smashed the working Mac instead of either trying OS X, or donating it.

    I stopped watching The ScreenSavers often when G4 took over, and completly when it moved to LA.

  30. Have a link? by gabebear · · Score: 1

    Does anyone have a link to something saying this? There seem to be a lot of rumors saying this, although they all seem very sketchy.

  31. Differences by Tina+Russell · · Score: 1

    PS3 will be different... It'll be slightly faster... TO THE MAX!

  32. Whoa - its not that much of a big deal. by justin_saunders · · Score: 1

    PowerPC is an architecture, its not just a proprietry brand like "G5" which everyone here seems fixated with. The G5 is just an *implementation* of the PPC architecture.

    This is why PowerPC has supported 64bit, way before anyone but IBM actually *implemented* it.

    Also, why would IBM make up a whole new ISA just for Sony, if anyone can license PPC?

    --

    "My cat's breath smells like cat food." - The Tao of Ralph Wiggum.