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According to a recent interview with Ken Kutaragi conducted by EETimes Asia, the Cell processor was originally designed from the ground up as a computer processor and not specifically for gaming. The Cell processor was created in a way to allow the running of muliple operating systems concurently using the different cells.

• The lowest-level Cell kernel, called Level 0, is a proprietary layer implemented mainly for security reasons, Kutaragi says -- Playstation game developers will no longer be able to directly control the hardware.

• A Level 1 OS will include device drivers and a real-time kernel and scheduler, and will provide all the APIs needed by real-time game developers, according to the interview.

• A Level 2 OS -- also called a guest OS layer -- might be Linux, a PC OS, or a Playstation OS, depending on how the user wishes to apply the device. Sony and its ISV (independent software vendor) and gaming content partners will sell guest OSes on interchangeable, removable hard drives pre-installed with task-based operating systems of various kinds.

For those of you that missed our earlier report on the newly announced PS3 details, we would like to take this time to point out, what many consider to be the most important announcement about the PS3 made so far. That's right, Linux has officially been announce to be shipping on the PS3's hard drive. While Ken Kutaragi did not go into very much detail, just the mere mention of Linux has the entire video game audience on the edge of their seats. We will bring you more on this as it is released.

As I am sure everyone is aware, online gaming is growing by leaps and bounds. With titles such as Guild Wars City of Heroes and, the largest MMORPG on the market, World of Warcraft pushing subscription revenues through the roof. DFC, a San Diego based gaming industry research company, has published a report detailing the rise of revenues to $2 Billion in 2005. What also may come as a shock is that over 50% of all subscription revenues in 2005 came from Asian countries, most notably South Korea, China and Taiwan.

The report predicted that in 2011, North American revenues would pass Asian revenues, and account for up to 35% of the whole. With an estimated $6.8 Billion in revenues in 2011, DFC predictes $3.06 Billion of that will be coming from the US and Canada. While online gaming is mostly restricted to PC's currently, DFC has predictedthat by 2011, online console gaming will account for as much as 29% of global online gaming subscription revenues.

Analysts and developers told CNN Money on Wednesday that Sony's Playstation 3 will likely price at 9. The prediction is in line with a Nov. 2 Merrill Lynch report that estimates the PS3 hardware to cost $ 495 to manufacture. Sony has yet to make an official announcement on price or the release date of the Playstation 3 successor.

The system was a no-show at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the company has backed away from its spring 2006 release date on press releases. A $ 499 price point would be an all-time high for the Playstation brand, which has sold at launch for 9 since its debut in 1995.The culprit for the pricey hardware lies in the PS3's complex CELL processor and its Blu-ray Disc drive that will play high-definition media.

The $ 499 is not the only price point that analysts and developers suggest. Several say that the cost could reach $ 600 - $ 700, while others believe that the electronics giant will match the Xbox 360's premium price of $ 399.

Konami of Europe has released details of key titles to be shown at this year's Tokyo Game Show, including the publisher's first Xbox 360 and PlayStation® 3 games.

Held at the Makuhari Messe from September 16th-18th, Tokyo Game Show is one of the most significant events in the gaming calendar. Konami will have a massive presence at the show, with the first public showing of Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4 (Working Title) certain to be one of the key draws. Directed by series creator, Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid 4 shows off the capabilities of PlayStation 3 as its incredible aesthetic detail and ground-breaking gameplay drops Solid Snake into a battlefield environment. Kojima says the new game will "pave the way towards a revolutionary change that will lead us away from past concepts based on 'realism' as we move towards the 'natural." The game will be shown via a nine-minute video presentation, with Kojima on hand to answer questions.

Konami will also be showing extensive footage of Rumble Roses XX (Working Title), its first title for Microsoft's new Xbox 360 system. Rumble Roses XX stars over 20 female wrestlers and boasts an amazing array of throws, pin-downs and counters, with additional moves individual to each fighter. The girls also bring distinct personalities into the ring, and have special combination attacks and taunts for the player to master. Four-player tag team competitions, online competitions and a number of solo modes will ensure the Rumble Roses will enjoy the adulation of a new wave of 360-owning fans.

Other new PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles on show include a Baseball game, although European releases for these are unlikely. Konami will also be using the show to showcase key titles for existing formats, with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence available to play at the show, with Konami hosting an area where the online modes can be sampled. Suikoden Tactics and Suikoden V, the latest in the phenomenally popular role-playing series, will also debut as will Ys: The Arc of Napishtim, a conversion of the popular PlayStation 2 adventure for PSP (PlayStation®Portable).

Previously announced Konami of Europe releases will also feature prominently, and visitors to TGS 2005 will be able to play Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, the latest 3D action title in the long-running series; Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, the first Castlevania game for Nintendo DS; and Metal Gear Acid 2 - the sequel to the hugely popular card-based action title for PSP and starring Metal Gear legend, Solid Snake.

source: IGN


Much to our dismay (and surprise), the 2005 Tokyo Game Show has yielded absolutely no playable PlayStation 3 videogames. Only a handful of trailers and real-time presentations show off what the system is capable of, but not what it's currently doing. Of course, the kick-ass Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer was almost good enough to make us forget about the lack of PS3 software, but the general disenchantment on the show floor is pretty noticeable.

Industry rumors had been flying for months that TGS was going to be the big coming out party for hands-on time with the PlayStation 3 ever since the end of E3 last May. But as we approached the last free hours left before Makuhari's prominent event, expectations began to fall sharply downward as we saw fewer and fewer companies that were willing to divulge any PS3 plans.

When we contacted Sony representatives and asked when we could expect a more concrete PS3 presence, there was no real answer to give. But considering the system's expected spring launch in the first half of next year, we expect that it'll be sooner rather than later. Then again, we expected TGS to yield a similar result. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Metal Gear Solid 4 debuts, Subsistences online modes revealed, and all-new Metal Gear Acid features on show

Konami of Europe today unveiled further information on three new Kojima Production titles being displayed at the Tokyo Game Show for the first time.

A new Konami development force, Kojima Productions is named after and headed up by Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear Solid and Boktai series. The team is using the September 16th-18th event to show the first footage of the already eagerly awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 (Working Title) for PlayStation 3, and new additions to the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for PlayStation 2 and Metal Gear Acid 2 for Sony's PSP (PlayStation®Portable).

Metal Gear Solid 4:

Following Kojima's comments that the fourth Metal Gear would be set after the events of Sons of Liberty, he is using TGS to show a nine-minute trailer featuring the first actual game footage from the PlayStation 3 title. Metal Gear Solid 4 sees Kojima Productions taking on the task of 'creating inner qualities.'

"The inner aspect is unseen and establishes the presence only through time and the volition of the player," explains Kojima. "This will pave the way forward to a revolutionary change that will lead us away from past concepts based on 'realism' as we move towards the 'natural'."

For the new game, series hero Solid Snake moves into a battlefield scenario, which will bring many new challenges in the harshest of infiltration missions. The drama and chaos of the battlefield, as well as questions of who to trust in war, will set the scene for a new era in the Metal Gear Solid series.

source: IGN


Remember Nippon Ichi's planned PlayStation Portable strategy / RPG Makai Wars? Well, don't worry about it if you don't, because Nippon Ichi does. Long thought cancelled due to its long absence, it turns out that the game has been moved to the PlayStation 3 instead. Though no other details beyond the sheer fact that it exists have been revealed, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan did confirm that the game is in development and headed for a PlayStation 3 sometime in the near future.

For the unfamiliar, Nippon Ichi is the developer / publisher responsible for such cult classics as Disgaea, La Pucelle, and Phantom Brave. If Makai Wars plays anything like those titles while taking advantage of the next generation graphical hardware available in the PS3, strategy fans could be in for quite an experience.

First Screenshot of the upcoming PlayStation 3 game, Project Assassin. Looks very impressive if this is an actual gameplay shot.