According Kutaragi the PlayStation 3 has been designed as "a computer that's meant for entertainment", fulfilling the motivation of Sony Computer Entertainment. Kutaragi points to the custom-designed Cell microprocessor, which gives the system supercomputer-style processing power and is designed specifically with entertainment functions in mind.
"The PS3 is the product we have been aiming for since the establishment of SCEI," said Kutaragi. "We haven't been creating our [past] PlayStations for the sake of games. Our belief, and the motivation behind running our company, has been to [explore ways of] applying the power of computers to entertainment and enjoyment. We equipped the original PlayStation with a 3D graphics chip, and we equipped the PS2 with the Emotion engine. The PS3 isn't designed to lean towards games. It's not a computer for children. In the sense that our goal has been [to create] a computer that's meant for entertainment, you could say that the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 had existed as steps towards the PlayStation 3."
Like any good parent Kutaragi also took the time to bad talk his Kid's competition, Microsoft's Xbox 360. via GameSpot
"I can understand the [Xbox 360's] approach of adopting multiple, all-purpose processors. However, that will just raise integer calculation capabilities, and it will only benefit general applications. It will increase the machine's capabilities as an all-purpose computer, but it won't change the types of entertainment. On the other hand, the Cell (which is said to specialize in floating point calculations in comparison to normal CPUs) was created to 'generate,' or, in other words, to produce virtual objects and phenomenons inside the computer."
Just raising the graphics capabilities and output resolution won't change anything from the current world of video game consoles," said Kutaragi. He went on to say that Microsoft's new game console is more of an "Xbox 1.5" than a new console, in the sense that it seems like an extension of the original Xbox.
Sony's PlayStation 3 or PS3 set for launch spring 2006 , rumored Price $370 - $470 range. Microsoft's Xbox 360 set for launch around November, 2005 , rumored Price $360
Sony PlayStation 3 Images
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