Sony unveiled its new game machine a few days after Microsoft unveils its machine. The Sony machine seems amazingly powerful, with microprocessors far speedier than those in most personal computers.
The Chronicle suggests that the Sony microprocessor is more powerful, using some crude benchmarks:
Under the hood of PS3 is Sony's Cell microprocessor, which has nine cores. The main core, which is based on IBM's PowerPC chip, will run at 3.2 GHz, the same speed as Xbox 360's central processing unit. Xbox 360, however, has only three cores. Eight of the Cell cores will run at 3.2 GHz, Kutaragi said.
PlayStation 3 will have six USB 2.0 ports, slots for Memory Stick and compact flash memory cards, digital audio output, and 3 gigabit Ethernet ports. The console will also have built-in Wi-Fi for wireless networking and connecting to the Internet and an ability to wirelessly connect to seven game controllers using Bluetooth technology.
While PlayStation 3 will employ the new Blue-ray Disc format, which can hold nearly 50 GB of data, the console will also play CDs and DVDs. That also means the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games can be played on the new system.
The Sony machine offers a tremendous array of connectivity and multimedia possibilities. It runs Bluetooth to its game controllers, it offers an Ethernet hub so you can connect other computers, it has a wireless card built in, and, most importantly, it supports the next generation of high-def DVD movies. Hard for Microsoft to compete on the hardware; Microsoft will just have to do well on the marketing and the games.
The newspapers report that Microsoft might gain ground on Sony because it will release pre-Christmas. But I'm not so sure. Avid gaming fans will wait, not wanting to be left technologically behind when Sony's new machine becomes available in the Spring.