NewsBuilding a Rig? Don't Forget the Playstation 3 Cell Processor Add-In Card!
Posted 10/02/08 at 05:22:00 PM by Paul Lilly
One of the high points with the technology used in Sony's Playstation 3 console is the Cell processor technology. A similar concept could be coming to the PC, and you'll have Toshiba to thank, not Sony.
Toshiba's SpursEngine is based on the same Cell processor technology as found in the PS3 and is used to process HD video with its four Cell cores. The technology makes easy work out of encoding and decoding HD content and can upscale standard-definition video to high-definition video without bogging down the CPU. Toshiba is already using the technology in its Qosmio G50 and F40 notebooks and hopes to expand to the desktop market via add-in cards by the end of the years.
LeadTek and Thomson are already on board with plans to release a SpursEngine card within the next few weeks. LeadTek's version is expected to debut this month at about $286 and its Winfast PxVC 1100 card has already been shown at the Ceatec Exhibition in Japan. Thomson is targeting a November release in the $375 to $400 range
NewsPlaystation 3 Has Strict Video Rental DRM
Posted 09/25/08 at 04:00:14 PM by Paul Lilly
We don't know what it is about Sony and DRM, but the company just seems intent on unnecessarily pissing off customers. For those who might have thought the whole rootkit fiasco would turn out to be a learning experience for Sony, well, guess again.
This time its console junkies who plan to download movies who have reason to be angry. On the Playstation 3's support page, the terms state that purchased "content cannot be re-downloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP system." That means if you run out of room and delete content to make room for new flicks or upgrade to a bigger hard drive, you're hosed. Sort of.
"If a consumer deletes a purchased movie from their PS3, they will not be able to redownload the movie without assistance from SCEA's consumer services," said Lincoln Davis, who handles media relations for the Playstation Network, in a statement to Arstechnica. "Consumer service can issue a redownload as a one-time courtesy, as provided by our guidelines, for the title to allow the consumer to go back and download the movie from their PSN download list."
In other words, you get a one-time do-over, should you need it, which requires jumping through a hoop. To be fair, Sony may not be entirely at fault and it could be the content providers who are pushing the issue. But no matter who's really to blame, as is always the case with DRM, it's the paying customer who ultimately gets the shaft.
Who do you blame more, the studios or Sony? Hit the jump and sound off.
NewsSOE Points Out Roadblocks on Path to Connected PS3-PC MMO
Posted 09/11/08 at 08:41:11 PM by Nathan Grayson
SOE does what Blizzardon't. The online-focused branch of Sony's empire is trying its darndest to wed console and PC MMOs with its upcoming title, The Agency. However, the bride and groom to be aren't exactly hitting it off.
First up, PC games are much more susceptible to hacks and 'sploits than their console brethren, and "Being able to manage that is no simple task," said Executive Producer Matt Wilson.
Second, the mouse-keyboard vs. controller feud continues to rage, and neither side seems interested in saluting the ol' white flag.
"We can do things to equalize them, whether that's aim assist on the console or other things on the PC, but when we've actually done focus group testing and so forth, you're always going to have the console players versus the PC players," Wilson noted.
However, the final hurdle is definitely the tallest. Wilson explained:
"MMOs live and die by their updates, and we need to be able to update our product frequently," says Wilson. "The console requires a certification process, while the PC does not. And so it's going to be really difficult for us to maintain that synchronization across both platforms, and make that work really easily with the value of the MMO."
Assuming that SOE satisfactorily solves all of these issues, would you even want to play a PC-PS3 MMO?
NewsLegally Bound PC Gamer Finds Loophole in Contract to Play PlayStation 3
Posted 07/17/08 at 04:24:27 PM by Norman Chan
Back when the PlayStation 3 launched in November of 2006, PC Gamer magazine tempted the gamers waiting in front of the Sony Metreon in San Francisco (the official PS3 North American launch headquarters) with a Faustian bargain (look it up). Our sister publication offered to give away a $7,500 Falcon Northwest gaming PC to one of the campers if they willingly relinquished their place in line. The catch: the unfaithful console fanboy who accepted the PC would also have to sign a legally binding contract preventing him from owning a PlayStation 3 for three years – an eternity in game industry time.
The (in our opinion) lucky gamer who volunteered to defect to PC gaming was one Neal Chung-Lee, a local student had at that point been waiting in line for several days to be the one of the first people to own a PS3. But after selling his console-loving soul to PC gaming (and making the front page of Digg), Neal fell off of our radar. That is, until we bumped into him this past week. And you’ll never guess where.
Read on to find out where we found Neal playing a PlayStation 3.
NewsE3 2008 Coverage Begins Today!
Posted 07/14/08 at 01:47:55 PM by Norman Chan
For gamers reading the site (we know there are a lot of you), we wanted to let you know what Maximum PC will have some great E3 coverage this year. In fact, Will Smith and I are at the SFO airport right now, and our plane is boarding in next 10 minutes. We'll be down in LA for the whole week, blogging live from the various press conferences and posting hands-on reports for all of our scheduled game demos and appointments. Be sure to check back frequently for the latest updates. You can also click the E3 Coverage tablet link on the right side of the website to only filter our E3 reports.
Oh crap, the plane is boarding now!
NewsNot Just Another Big Network Drive: Maxtor Prepares to Put 1TB of Media-Savvy Storage on Your Home Network
Posted 06/27/08 at 04:35:09 PM by Mark Edward Soper
Maxtor, Seagate's home storage brand, is set to centralize home network storage with its new Central Axis network drive. In a world of other network attached storage devices, what makes it different than the competition?
Read on to discover how Central Axis is designed to "play nice" with today's diverse network configurations, and how much it will cost to add it to your home network.
NewsSony Set to Sizzle This Summer with Playstation 3 Movie Download Service
Posted 06/26/08 at 09:06:45 PM by Paul Lilly
When Blu-ray won the high-definition format war, Sony's Playstation 3 transformed from a high priced console into a viable living room entertainment console, but it lacked the video download infrastructure that Microsoft could boast with its Xbox Live Marketplace. Not anymore. Sony CEO Howard Stringer spoke out on the company's goal to rollout its new video service across a varity of products through 2010, and it all starts with the PS3 this summer.
Find out why PS3 owners should be excited, and Microsoft worried, after the jump.
FROM THE ARCHIVEDaily News Brief: Australia Declares 'Game Over' for Soldier of Fortune
Posted 10/18/07 at 04:09:40 PM by Paul "One4yu2c" Lilly
Australia bans Soldier of Fortune: Payback, fighter jets outfitted with speech recognition software, Intel gets ready to axe single-core CPUs, and much more!
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