Playstation 3

Today, 11/17/2006, Sony unleashed it's Playstation 3 (PS3) to the US market. Ok, so what does the Sony Playstation 3 have to do with Software Engineering? Quite a bit if you look out into the digital future, at least in my opionon. The PS3 is much more than a game machine. It is a supercomputer based on the IBM/Sony/Toshiba designed Cell processor (I blogged about the Cell earlier this year, The Octopiler) that runs on Linux, has a 60GB hard drive, 802.11g WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, Blu Ray disc, and is designed to be the center of a digital entertainment hub for all your multimedia desires. Oh, yeah it is also an incredible Hi-Definition (up to 1080p), networked gaming machine.

I will not bore you with the technical details because that can be found all over the internet, printed media, and whenever you need it. One very interesting aspect of the Playstaion 3 that is downplayed, at least initially, is its inter-connectivity with the PSP. I really like the portability aspect of the PSP and use it quite frequently as a portable web browsing device and gaming machine. I'd like to see the PS3 and PSP collaborate with one another in games and other forms of digital entertainment that have not been explored yet.

I don't expect to be able to get a Playstation 3 anytime soon due to sell outs and limited supplies initally, but when I do eventually get one in the near future I intend to set it up in my family room and give it a spin as a center piece for the digital living room of the 21st century. I have intentionally held back from getting a large HDTV until after the PS3 was released. Now that the PS3 is out, I have begun researching and shopping for an LCD HDTV that will provide me with 1080p capabilities.

I think the PS3 will make the digital life interesting and fun again in 2007 and beyond. Something I would like to see is a Cell based notebook computer running Linux! Now that would be a really cool evolution say in 2008 for this family of technology. For now in 2006 and in 2007, we have the PS3. I can't wait to get mine.