http://www.sonyweb.com/news/1000/055.html

It's too early to talk about all this, we know. But it's too cool to ignore. We're talking more power than grampa's hearing aid!

The word on the street is that the PS2 is old school already. Well, not really, but Sony has managed to put together a crude prototype in order to show off the power it has in store for the PS3. A special effects production house, which asked not to be identified, said that Sony reps brought a makeshift PS3 to its offices recently in an attempt to establish development support.

While it should perk the ears of many, it should be noted that the prototype was not big on looks at the moment. The "prototype" was not an actual model of the unit itself per se, but rather a model of the power with, literally, six PS2 units stacked on top of one another connected with a pack of wires to a PC.

Sony showed off a few revamped demos that were used for the PlayStation 2, including one that allowed users to "fly" through a fantasy castle environment. The demo was reportedly technical in nature and geared more towards showing off the processing power rather than the graphics engine at this point, mostly because the chipset isn't finished and won't be for some time.

Does this mean that we should can the PS2 already and get ready for the PS3? Not quite. If you remember, back in late 1995 and early 1996, Ken Kuturagi made mentions of the mythical PS2 that would be appearing in the distant future of the year 2000.

It actually should be no surprise that Sony is already working on the replacement to this year's must have product. The PS3 name and logo has already been registered with Japanese authorities.

Also, at last year's Fall TGS, Shinichi Okamoto, Senior Vice President of Research and Development for SCE, spoke about Sony's intentions and goals for the PS3's power and performance. However, it is interesting to note that the first ones to get a glimpse of that power is not so much a developer, but a special effects production house.

The power of the PS3 is apparently hinged on parallel processing as noted by the wiring of six PS2 units together. Parallel processing is sort of a work-sharing set up that enables single-CPU architecture to assign work to multiple processors to maximize speed and efficiency.

Normally, this type of set up is reserved for more high-end computers with high-res graphics capabilities. Is the PS3 going to be like a PC? That remains to be seen, but the power is sure looking like it could be confused with one at this early stage.

Rest assured, there is nothing to worry about as far as the PS2's future. It will be the Peyton Manning of consoles for the next five years, meanwhile making the competition look more like Ryan Leaf. Don't expect to see the PS3 materialize in Japan until 2005. Just make a note that Sony is in this for the long haul and is gearing up for your future.

Nick "McDiesel" McDowell
Put a deposit down on the PS3 just in case.
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HA..HA..I think Sony is slipping into panic-mode guys. What do you think? Duh ya think it has anything to do with the Xbox, maybe? humm...