7 November 2006
Ferry

PS3’s Cell three times more powerful as the Xbox 360 processor?

This summer Sony created a training website for Canadian Wal Mart employees. The access codes got leaked when a store visitor saw a manager put up internal documents around the store.

After logging in, Sony marketing spin quotes can be found while employees read, learn & test their PS3 knowledge. Here’s the real gem:

“Welcome to your PS3 Retail Online Training. We trust that you will find the following information valuable and assist you in understanding and explaining PS3 Technology to your customers and staff. … The Cell Processor is essentially as powerful as 3 Xbox 360 CPU’s or 35 PlayStation® 2 CPU’s”

And you wonder why store clerks so seldom know what they are talking about? How in the world is “The Cell is actually 7 SPU’s (Synthetic Processing Units) each running at 3.2 GHZ” supposed to inform customers? Here’s a screenshot (click to enlarge) of one of the tests where employees can win prizes if they get all the answers right.


Oh and by the way, most developers say that the horsepower inside both the Xbox 360 and PS3 will be comparable a few years from now as it’s all about what they can get out of their processors to use in-game. That’s a good thing and also why Gears of War look prettier in graphical detail than any PS3 launch games shown so far.

A direct quote from Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack says: “The 360 and the PS3 are equal in power in my eyes,” Dyack says. “Maybe the PS3 has more processing power. The 360 has more available memory. It’s pretty much a net, net. The public perception of the PS3 was that it was much more powerful. To developers, they look even.“

10 January 2007 15:34
JC

By the way last night for R:FOM multiplayer, ther are about 38 ppl, no lag whatsoever. I play there every night before i head to sleep. Just enjoying the game.
Why can’t we just get along?
don’t hate the playa..
just play the damn game..

11 January 2007 15:41
Bruce

All i can say is The 360 cpu overheats!! Went through 2 Xbox 360s in less then 2 weeks. With cpu problems had to get my money back.. Bought a ps3 and it works flawlessly. Blueray movies are better then expected. Until microsoft puts in a new cpu I will stick with ps3..

28 March 2007 05:16
Xbox fanboy

QUOTE: Epic told Microsoft that 256 MB is not enough so they scalled the 360 up to 512MB, Microsoft had only only one thing in mind to build a next-gen console for a cheap price, now its comming back to them. The 3 cores are less powerfull as the Cell who says it isn’t so is blind….

Good thing they did speak up else we would’ve been left with access to only 256 at any one time…like the PS3! Don’t believe all the stuff about the PS3 being 3x more powerful. I remember when Sony were saying the PS2 could outperform the original xbox twice over in some graphical apps (forget which ones tho) and look how much better the graphics were on the xbox. Halo 2 on PS2 – not a chance. GoW on PS3 – pfffft!

24 April 2007 06:41
ji

Here are new features of the PS3 that will make the PS3 more profittable.

1) Allow the PS3 to act as an access point for the PSP, so the PSP can be networked for browsing or onling gaming. This is not the same as remote play, as the PSP would be able to run PSP games and go online or use the PSP’s own webbrowser. The PS3 will just act like a bridge, using it’s own internet connection (via a regular access point or wired connection) as an access point for the PSP. This is possible because it is very similar to remote play, just that no content from the PS3 is pushed to the PSP.

2) Overhaul the webbrowser. Many sites don’t show up because the netfont browser does not support all the xhtml standards nor css. Also, when you use the gamepad, up left right down buttons to go from link to link on a webpage, sometimes the link pointed to at doesn’t actually point at the correct link (sometimes a previous link or a different link – this is a bug).

3) Make the PS3 able to play any region PS2 and PS1 games. People bought the games, why restrict what games play on what machines? A lot of people imported their PS3, or purchased a PS3 to play in a region that doesn’t sell PS3.

4) Make all PS3 able to play pal or ntsc DVDs. They can be region locked, but allow region free DVDs able to play whether they are NTSC or PAL. Currently the HongKong PS3 allows this, but make it so the US and Japanese PS3 able to play PAL. Why? Because many people burn their DVD’s (making them region free), and the PS3 should not restrict what camcorder they used to record (PAL or NTSC or even software converted to different format). Asking any PS3 to play any region DVD is probably pushing it, but if this is
possible even better (using the same concept… I purchased or imported this DVD, why restrict what PS3 I can play it in?)

5) Release a SDK allowing people to make programs that show up on the XMB. You can still restrict access to the blueray or the GPU,
but allow basic applications to run, so people can do more with their PS3. Sony can still make a profit releasing blueray and games using the GPU, so this is not a bad idea. Even better, allow these developers to sell their programs via the playstation network. Sony can take a cut, but in this case allow access to the whole machine. Don’t put a big pricetag on the SDK, make it freely available. The more people make programs to sell on the PSN, the more Sony makes via a cut of profits. If using PSN is not possible allow people to download them from other websites, and allow a SDK so other people can purchase or register (Sony can take a small cut) using their PSN id.

6) The PS Home thing is great, but before releasing it, allow people a globe like the folding at home globe, and put their home on the
map of the globe (if they opt to do it), and allow them to customize and build it to their likes. What will most likely happen is that users
will start mapping their city and their buildings and submitting them to Sony.Pretty soon you have a virtual earth made by PS3 users.
But for this to succeed, you must make lots of big default building blocks for the dumb users, then allow advanced options for those who
are good at 3D manipulation.

7) Allow PS3 users to send PSN credits to each other, so they can buy and sell stuff (kind of like paypal).

Make an official TV in and FM/AM in adapter via USB available for the PS3. So people can watch TV and listen to their radio via
the XMB interface. (It could even accept DTV or HDTV signals so you can use the XMB to watch hi def tv). I am not sure if the
USB2.0 can handle the bandwidth for HDTV though.

The following are advanced stage development, but if the money is there, it should come soon.

1) Make the PSP able to video chat with PS3 and connect to the PS3 id users. This will start the process of using the PSP as a portable “iphone” using the internet ip protocol. Later make it PSP to PSP as well, then you have a real “iphone”. People call each other using
their PSN id. If this works out, a dedicated “walkman” phone could be an option, but PSP2 is better (you can play games).

2) Make a webserver option on the PS3. People can host their own website on the PS3 harddrive. Sony would be the DNS, using the logged in PS3 PSN id to check the ip address and allow people to enter “psnid://joeblow” or “http://joeblow.psnuser.com” in the webbrowser. Of course, the “psnid://joeblow” would only work on PS3’s webbrowser, while “http://joeblow.psnuser.com” will work
with any browser in the world. The second option is better. Even better is allow a user to register a domain name and then use
sony as the DNS. Since whenever the PS3 logs in, Sony would know the ip, they can update their DNS to reflect the correct ip.
(similar to dyndns, but sony does it automatically for you). The next stage would be to make the PSP host the webserver on the memory
stick, so you can go mobile with a PSN for your PSP as well, then it becomes a PSPphone + webserver. This is important because
in the near future each mobile phone will probably have a webserver built in, might as well start the revolution now and lead it.

3) Buy up or license those transparent glasses technology that has a HUD to show video on the lens. Then offer this for sale to
people to plug into a PS3 or PSP2. The glasses can come in different resolutions (NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080p, etc) to reflect different
pricepoint. Manufacture them in China to make them affordable, and you can lead the next hot tech commodity.

The following are profit oriented and pretty neat…

1) Make PS3 able to download PS2 games and run from the harddrive. So you can sell not only PS1 games, but PS2 games as well.
(If you can buy PS1 and PS3 games online, why not PS2?)

2) Make a portable PS2 like the PSP, and sell it cheap, allow it to accept 4gb memory sticks then start asking the developers to
put their PS2 games on the PSN so people can download them onto their 4gb memory sticks. Then you have about 2000 ps2 games
to make a profit from. It would sort of be like a second cousin to the PSP’s own UMD +PS1 games.

24 April 2007 08:05
pixelsword

I don’t mean to get anyone upset, but really, the Silicon Knights guy is not so correct. Two people who programmed HUGE games on the PS3 said otherwise, but here’s their quotes ’cause I don’t want to sound like a fanboy ’cause I’m not, I’m just considering all quotes… and the majority of people says that the PS3 is vastly more powerful.

“In Gears of War there is no way you could actually go above the city and then basically go seamlessly from air to ground. Unreal Engine in the end just provides for corridor and corridor being more a metaphor here in terms of design. Our engine is always designed in a huge world bubble and that can be 32 kilometers by 32 kilometers. You can go anywhere at extreme speeds. Unreal Engine is dependent on the fact that you go relatively slowly through your world. With us, you can go through the world fast or slowly. If you are in night mode, or you are on the ground, you get all of the detail that Unreal Engine provides. But there is no way you can get the macro,”

said Julian Eggebrecht.

And he says the 360 coudn’t handle this game.

Gears and Lair also have equal quality…

news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Factor-5…

MGS4’s Hideo Kojima said

“But like I said, MGS4 is aimed for the movie theatre, it’s aimed for the PS3, so the game’s scenario and graphics need this theatre-type hardware. It’s when a producer has a game that can work on the ‘DVD level’ that a game will go multiplatform”, he says. Sorry kids. Your “OMGMGS4360″ banners will have to come out another day.

kotaku.com/gaming/go307/feature-talkin-metal-gear…

So although the Silicon Knights Prez may be correct in terms of ports, if you were to make a 360 specific game or a PS3 specific game, the quality of the PS3 will shine through.

I could be wrong, but since you only can have eight people on a gears multiplayer or eight enemies around at any one time, It leads me to believe that either the 360 is bunk or the Unreal Engine is bunk or the fact that the 360 is using a puny DVD 9 is cutting the game down. Although Resistance is less spectacular graphically, Insomniac Games said that the only reason was because they didn’t stream their textures, but in every game after Resistance, they will stream their textures, so the game quality will remain the same (40 mulitplayers, two types of enemies, ect) but the graphical quality will soar; so the next installment should be equal to Gears in graphical quality and might be better…

I don’t know… just thinking. Dont’ get me wrong, I likes mah’ Gears, But only eight people at a time? C’mon!

28 June 2007 11:53
mark

man… there are ALOT of really immature not cool people on this, swearing there heads off because, “OMGF U SES XBOX S BETTR DEN PS3 U DUM AS COK SUKER FAGGT” like,, come on guys, i like the ps3 better, but this is towards the freeking out ps3 fan boys to
personally i hate microsoft and windows and all there lying and evil marketing, i run linux on my computer, but im sure if either one of yuo crazy fan boys played the other system youd have just an enjoyable experience, so what if ps3’s cell is 0.222333 tyimes more powerful the the xboxs or xbox has more ram but the ps3s ram is faster and there gpus vary slighty, you dont need to toss insults and freek out at everyone because you like one or the other better, and dude.. that mud sling at canada wasnt cool seriously man, not f*cking cool. im 15 years old, and i bet some of you slandering biased idiots are years older then i am, and i can still say this… grow up

15 September 2007 14:58
Tom

As for an owner of both 360 and ps3, i can safely say they’re both fun systems.. currently i would have to say the 360 has more good games as they should have because it was out longer.. The ps3 however is more functional and has free online play.. I have to get rid of one of them because i need some money.. I’m probably getting rid of the 360 because of the fact that xbox live costs money, and that’s what i need.. Also my 360 scratched up a couple discs and froze a sometimes which i wasn’t happy about.. But all in all i like both systems.:smile:

15 December 2007 22:48
Coheed

who cares?????????????????????? cry ;( ?

31 December 2008 08:49
killer

hey,the ps3 has f*kin 256 mb ram even though it has ibm cell processor.xbox has 3 core processor with 512 mb ram!that is where things,in terms of processing power,even out.besides the ps3 development kit is very complex for game developers so whats d uze of powerfull processor if there are no good games?
it got a pocket shitting price aswell.the xbox has much better game selection,a better development kit.there are things(hardware mostly)which is der in ps3 but not in xbox.but the game selection,price of xbox evens the battle.

19 August 2009 19:30
Jason

I don’t know for sure, let alone care what the technical differences are between ps3 and 360. I own both, and here it is, simply stated:
The PS3’s cinematic scenes and intense graphics look more polished and movie-like. This is the case no matter the game or developer. Ps3 however does display more jaggies in some games. The bottom line for me is I feel more comfortable using the ps3 because there is much less chance of hardware failure.