Adam$
17-05-2005, 04:35 PM
[Thanks to AOL Games for this]
PlayStation 2 and PSP may have been present at Sony’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on Monday, but it was PlayStation 3 that everyone had come to Los Angeles to see.
Sony didn’t disappoint, revealing that it will release its next-generation video games console in spring 2006 - though whether this includes the UK is unknown at this stage.
The new console packs some of the most up-to-date technology available inside a sleek, curved package and also features the first complete PlayStation controller redesign in more than a decade.
The heart of the console is the new Cell chip, which will provide the PlayStation 3 with two teraflops of computing power (this is the amount of calculations it can handle per second) - roughly double that of Microsoft’s recently announced Xbox 360. It also uses a new custom graphics chip by Nvidia that will power in-game visuals only possible previously in computer-generated movies.
Games will come on a new type of disk called Blu-ray, which can hold an astonishing 54GB of data, allowing for games with incredible detail.
Like Microsoft, Sony is stressing its new console’s support of high-definition TV, despite the low penetration of the new technology in some regions, including Europe. PlayStation 3 will be able to output signals at a resolution of 1080p - higher than any console available now and higher than Xbox 360.
The PlayStation 3’s controller loses the now-classic design Sony has stuck with since 1994 for a new look that could be best described as banana shaped. Also gone are the wires - PlayStation 3 controllers work using Bluetooth, and the console will support up to seven controllers at once. It will also be possible to use Sony’s new handheld, the PSP, as an additional controller.
With broadband Internet access becoming a standard feature in homes worldwide, connectivity is a key issue, and PlayStation 3 will support high-speed wired and wireless connections right out of the box.
Like PlayStation 2, Sony’s new console will be able to use a detachable hard drive. This will be sold separately, suggesting that Sony is sticking with its current approach of not creating consoles with the hard drive as a standard hardware feature. PlayStation 3 also has slots for SD and CompactFlash cards and Sony’s own Memory Stick cards.
But as impressive as the graphics, sound and connectivity features of PlayStation 3 are at this point, it’s the great line-up of support from games developers that has jaws dropping. Sequels to most of the top-selling games of this generation are already in development for the next, along with a raft of all-new games.
As the world’s biggest games publisher, FIFA creator EA’s support was never in any doubt, but gamers can also look forward to new games in such well-known series as Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Killzone and Tekken.
PlayStation 3 will also be backward compatible with both PlayStation and PlayStation 2, meaning that there will be thousands of games available for the new console on day one.
Going into Monday’s conference, there were doubts as to whether Sony would be able to keep its top hardware spot, especially considering the power of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which is set for release at the end of the year. Now it’s clear that Sony is very much still in the fight and the real hard part is figuring out what to do until the hardware is released next year.
- Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2006 for the PS3 ;[
PlayStation 2 and PSP may have been present at Sony’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on Monday, but it was PlayStation 3 that everyone had come to Los Angeles to see.
Sony didn’t disappoint, revealing that it will release its next-generation video games console in spring 2006 - though whether this includes the UK is unknown at this stage.
The new console packs some of the most up-to-date technology available inside a sleek, curved package and also features the first complete PlayStation controller redesign in more than a decade.
The heart of the console is the new Cell chip, which will provide the PlayStation 3 with two teraflops of computing power (this is the amount of calculations it can handle per second) - roughly double that of Microsoft’s recently announced Xbox 360. It also uses a new custom graphics chip by Nvidia that will power in-game visuals only possible previously in computer-generated movies.
Games will come on a new type of disk called Blu-ray, which can hold an astonishing 54GB of data, allowing for games with incredible detail.
Like Microsoft, Sony is stressing its new console’s support of high-definition TV, despite the low penetration of the new technology in some regions, including Europe. PlayStation 3 will be able to output signals at a resolution of 1080p - higher than any console available now and higher than Xbox 360.
The PlayStation 3’s controller loses the now-classic design Sony has stuck with since 1994 for a new look that could be best described as banana shaped. Also gone are the wires - PlayStation 3 controllers work using Bluetooth, and the console will support up to seven controllers at once. It will also be possible to use Sony’s new handheld, the PSP, as an additional controller.
With broadband Internet access becoming a standard feature in homes worldwide, connectivity is a key issue, and PlayStation 3 will support high-speed wired and wireless connections right out of the box.
Like PlayStation 2, Sony’s new console will be able to use a detachable hard drive. This will be sold separately, suggesting that Sony is sticking with its current approach of not creating consoles with the hard drive as a standard hardware feature. PlayStation 3 also has slots for SD and CompactFlash cards and Sony’s own Memory Stick cards.
But as impressive as the graphics, sound and connectivity features of PlayStation 3 are at this point, it’s the great line-up of support from games developers that has jaws dropping. Sequels to most of the top-selling games of this generation are already in development for the next, along with a raft of all-new games.
As the world’s biggest games publisher, FIFA creator EA’s support was never in any doubt, but gamers can also look forward to new games in such well-known series as Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Killzone and Tekken.
PlayStation 3 will also be backward compatible with both PlayStation and PlayStation 2, meaning that there will be thousands of games available for the new console on day one.
Going into Monday’s conference, there were doubts as to whether Sony would be able to keep its top hardware spot, especially considering the power of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which is set for release at the end of the year. Now it’s clear that Sony is very much still in the fight and the real hard part is figuring out what to do until the hardware is released next year.
- Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2006 for the PS3 ;[