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Sony already researching a multi-core PS4

post #1 of 36
12/29/09 at 10:27am
Thread Starter 
And so it starts, like the seasons and the cycle of life, so does the next generation of consoles start looming above us. There is news. Very insipid news that Sony is already researching the CPU architecture for the PS4. It seems they are looking into multi-core CPUs for the next generation, which is about as exciting to hear as to learn how I brush my teeth. Still, it’s interesting that Sony, having said they expect the PS3 to have a decade-long lifespan, is already starting to plan for the next generation. It will probably be some 3 years before we know anything concrete, but we might as well get a head start, right?
Report: Sony Working On Multi-Core Design For PS4 - PS3 - Kotaku
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post #2 of 36
12/29/09 at 12:32pm
Will be interesting to see what comes out of this.
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post #3 of 36
12/29/09 at 1:07pm
Sony don't make processors for their consoles (or at all) - they don't have any of the infrastructure to research and design a CPU.
Secondly, the current processor in the PS3 is a multi-core design.
Thirdly, it doesn't surprise me that Sony have already started, it wouldn't surprise me if they started before the PS3 was released.
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post #4 of 36
12/29/09 at 11:04pm
Thread Starter 
The Cell is not a true 8 core design which is why when Sony tried to get apple to use the Cell in the Macintosh Apple basically laughed at them. Think of a system with 6-12 Cells as a multicore design.
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post #5 of 36
12/30/09 at 2:45am
Very true. Unlike the Xbox 360, which is a true tri-core machine, the PS3 only has one core and 7 (enabled) SPEs. I may be wrong, but I remember reading that the SPEs can only operate on code that can fit directly into their caches- they either can't access system RAM for more instructions or doing so is a very expensive operation. They're useful for floating point math and not much else.

The Cell microarch makes the PS3 very difficult to program for. It would definitely be in Sony's best interests to give the PS4 multiple "real" processing cores- not many coders have the expertise needed to fully utilize the Cell.
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post #6 of 36
12/30/09 at 4:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCC View Post
Very true. Unlike the Xbox 360, which is a true tri-core machine, the PS3 only has one core and 7 (enabled) SPEs. I may be wrong, but I remember reading that the SPEs can only operate on code that can fit directly into their caches- they either can't access system RAM for more instructions or doing so is a very expensive operation. They're useful for floating point math and not much else.

The Cell microarch makes the PS3 very difficult to program for. It would definitely be in Sony's best interests to give the PS4 multiple "real" processing cores- not many coders have the expertise needed to fully utilize the Cell.
Although in the long run, Sony did do something right as their console doesn't have a 33% chance to need service within the first year.
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post #7 of 36
12/30/09 at 4:12am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Landis View Post
Although in the long run, Sony did do something right as their console doesn't have a 33% chance to need service within the first year.
You're referring to the 360, right? It's much higher than 33%. It's a whopping 54.2% chance for RROD failure rate.
Report: Xbox 360 Failure Rate Reaches 54% - X360 story - at IGN
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post #8 of 36
12/30/09 at 4:23am
I've had 2 RRoDs and one with what I presume to be memory errors. I certainly agree that Microsoft should have devised a better cooling solution than they did.

I'm willing to bet that my current 360 would fail if I used it more but I've long abandoned it for PC gaming.
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post #9 of 36
12/30/09 at 4:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCC View Post
I've had 2 RRoDs and one with what I presume to be memory errors. I certainly agree that Microsoft should have devised a better cooling solution than they did.

I'm willing to bet that my current 360 would fail if I used it more but I've long abandoned it for PC gaming.
The disc drive is also loud as hell
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post #10 of 36
12/30/09 at 4:58am
Thread Starter 
There's also no Bluray, no built in wireless adapter, and the design of the controller isn't exactly ergonomic. The list goes on.
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post #11 of 36
12/30/09 at 5:53am
Quite frankly i'm happy with the graphics coming out with the current consoles. Any better from here on out is just a bonus. But then again, i thought Gran Turismo on the PS1 was as good as it gets some time ago. =P
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post #12 of 36
12/30/09 at 6:41am
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post #13 of 36
12/30/09 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fenixdown110 View Post
There's also no Bluray, no built in wireless adapter, and the design of the controller isn't exactly ergonomic. The list goes on.
And still it's by far better for gaming than ps3
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post #14 of 36
12/30/09 at 8:22am
I haven't and will never buy a PS3 anyways so I could care less about a PS4.. until Sony embraces homebrew and better online content their video game products will continue be undesirable to me!
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post #15 of 36
12/30/09 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 
I do agree that the online content is very lacking. I really dislike the PSN network. However, the system itself is strong. It's just give and take. I'm not a heavy gamer, so it doesn't really affect me as much. Overall though, I'd rather take reliability over performance, although the PS3 is no slouch either.
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