Next for PS3?

Highlander - I didn't meen to single out Sony as the reason that we don't have a standard hi def dvd format. Just making the point that we don't have one. Since I was not in on the meetings I don't know the real reasons for the fallout. I remember last year that Sony and Toshiba were discussing it and it sounded like we would get away without a format war but then it fell apart. There are many rumors as to why it happened but that isn't the focus of this article.

Sony may be removing the hardware chips that was the core of the initial backward compatibilty with little impact to anyone. They have already established a software emulation engine to perform backward compatability as well as removed the chip from the Euro versions so I don't see how that will effect anyone (slightly less compatible I know but not 0 either)

Die shrinks and re-engineering are two of the biggest reductions in cost that can be done. It is very possible that they will be shrinking the die as soon as they can in order to reduce the loss they are incurring from each PS3 sale. Even with a die shrink I think that the case will remain about the same. The smaller chips would reduce heat output which would reduce the space required but until they can passively cool both chips I suspect they will stay with the same case design. At the time when all the components can be passively cooled we may see a much smaller case.

I would also imagine that the hard drive will not be switched to a 3.5" drive simply for the cost savings. At the quantities that Sony purchases drives I don't think there is as large a difference and most 3.5" drives manufactured spin faster and consume more power then 2.5" drives.

I suppose that with a die shrink reducing the heat from the cpu/gpu you would have the thermal envelope to change to a more power hungry drive but then you lose some of the space savings. Remember that the 3.5" drives aren't just wider but they are thicker too.

My guess is that the new model number is nothing new at all. 80gig drive for Europe or maybe a 120/160gig drive for the US but nothing majorly new.

I am predicting we have a different board layout, more unified bridge chip and maybe a RSX die shrink... nothing to see... nothing to cry home about.

Sony will NEVER drop Blu-Ray from PS3

Not that I particularly like Sony's refusal to create a single next gen dvd format or the PS3 for that matter but they will never drop Blu-Ray from the PS3.

One of the benefits of console gaming is the fact that the hardware is a constant through out it's lifetime. A game made today for a PS3 will work the same on todays PS3 as a game created 5 years from now on a PS3 that is released 5 years from now.

Removing the Blu-Ray drive means that in order to keep that consistancy all games would have to be released on DVD.

If no game has been released yet on Blu-Ray then that is feasable but if even a single game has been released then that opens compatability problems never before seen in the console market.

Along with this if Blu-Ray is removed then Sony is all but conceading that they will lose the "hi def dvd war".

Linux Distro cost

Thank you for missing the point and not reading the entire post Steve.

Let me say once again. I am talking about an average person. Your mother, grandmother, your aunt who has trouble holding the mouse. While the people who read this site are probably savy enough to get a linux distro for free and probably even install it these aren't the majority of computer users.

If everyone were as smart as you obviously are then we would all have free software, the $100 billion dollar software indsutry would be non existant and maybe the French would even be able to win a war.

That isn't the case however. A lot of people need the ability for the computer to do everything for them. Insert disc and the song or video plays, or the game loads, or whatever else they do. THESE people are the ones that can't find free linux distros easily.

Steve, why is it I should send you thousands of dollars for linux distro? Are you implying that is the cost of Windows or OS X?

Linux: $0-$79 for an average distro. RH 5 ES is a lot more but comes with support. Patches are free but depending on the distro can be difficult for the average person to install.

Vista: ~$100-$400 depending on version and upgrade eligibility. New versions released every 4-5 years and require a new purchase. Intermediate service packs are free.

OS X: $129 new versions come out every 12-18 months and require a new purchase at $129.

If linux does ever take off as a desktop OS expect to see companies migrate to Apple's business plan where they use a free kernal and add their own code on top of it then charge a lot for it. (a lot being relative to the $0 of the kernal and underlying OS)

Tech Journo?...

No ATA connections?

- For USD$10 you can buy adapters that will plug into your old IDE drives and then you connect a SATA cable to the adapter. I am sure that they are available in Europe as well.

Firewire?

- As others have said. Read the specs!

-- My Rant --

Firewire is a data transfer port developed and backed by Sony and Apple. It is no suprise then that any Apple machine purchased will contain one. Firewire never took off as it was expected to because just as devices were starting to need the sort of bandwidth provided the USB consortium approved USB 2.0 which allowed speeds almost equal to that of Firewire. With the licensing fee of USB being cheaper and many more companies supporting it and already having worked with it Firewire was relegated to high end devices and all products manufactured by it's two biggest proponants (Apple and Sony).

I think for you to call yourself a tech journalist you should at least be aware of things like IDE/SATA converters before you complain about a manufacturer not anticipating every move you make with your computer. Would you bash apple for no longer having SCSI connectors in the new Macs? What if you wanted to transfer data from an old Mac you had when Apple used high quality parts?

Don't take my post as a defense of Dell or Apple bashing. I both own an Apple and I build my own PCs. No company is perfect. No company is pure evil. If you don't like Microsoft don't buy their products. If you like Apple that much buy theirs.

As an aside. Since most people don't know how to download and create cd's of a linux distro and end up paying for a boxed copy in the store how is it so much cheaper then OS X or Windows? I am not refering to you (reader) in particular but can your grandmother?

Please think before you flame.

-- Rant Off --