Meep meep. The PlayStation 3's powerful hardware does it again, contributing its powerful Cell Broadband Engine to create the world's fastest supercomputer, er... again. Named the Roadrunner, this new supercomputer runs at speeds exceeding one petaflop - that is, one thousand trillion calculations per second. Let's see Wile E. Coyote try to catch up with that. Watch a mini-documentary of the supercomputer in the full article.

Gamers who are looking for a unique perspective into their video gaming habits will definitely get a kick out of Emotiv Systems' Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset. This unique gaming accessory allows you to control in-game characters using the neuron signals transmitted by your brain. Other details about this neat gadget can be found in the full article after the jump.

Yellow Dog Linux v6.0 has been released, and according to the Terra Soft website, this version will come pre-installed with future PlayStation 3 units. Could this be another link to an unannounced SKU to be released in the future? More in the full article.

Thanks to R7i1c3K for the tip!

We all knew that Big Blue would come through some day. As Intel preps it's new Penryn 45nm processors for the personal computer market, IBM also takes a stroll down the same reduced die package lane. And at the recent ISSCC, short of International Solid-State Circuits Conference, IBM made their plans known to roll out a 45nm version of the CELL Broadband Engine whose 90nm, 65nm cousins currently power the various Sony PlayStation 3 SKUs.

We know that you are already proud of the Cell Broadband Engine that can be found in PlayStation 3 units. Aside from providing you with the most exciting gameplay experience, the chip is also responsible for bringing about medical breakthroughs.

Today, we learned that Mayo Clinic and IBM decided to collaborate yet again to help improve medical imaging technology. At the heart of this project is the unassuming chip. Know more after the jump!

Intel might have missed out on the current gen consoles, thus allowing IBM to lend its hand to the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. No doubt, IBM has proven itself to be more than capable of moving mountains - or at least map interstellar space with the help of eight PS3 units. But will this faze Intel? Not by a long shot. They approached video games console makers and presented their microchips that could be incorporated into future consoles. Read more for details from Intel's chief tech officer. Hint: it's about motion-sensing and markets.

The power of Sony's PlayStation 3 can be attributed to the Cell Broadband Engine. While its chief architect is Peter Hofstee, this particular microprocessor is the result of the joint venture among Sony, IBM, and Toshiba Corporation. The partnership began in 2001 and is expected to end by 2010.

In an interesting turn of events, Sony has announced today that it is withdrawing from the project to focus on developing the technology for producing microchips with 32nm circuitry or less. Click the "read more" link below to know the full story.

Moving beyond being a more-than-capable multimedia player, Sony's PlayStation 3 has proven itself to be very useful even in the field of science. Eight PS3s clustered together are helping scientist Dr. Gaurav Khanna investigate the gravity waves that are supposed to emerge once a massive black hole swallows up a star.

Khanna said that the PS3 was an ideal tool for his research due to the fact that it can run Linux, and that its powerful Cell processor - which is also used by IBM's fastest supercomputer Blue Gene/P - is more than capable of doing the computations needed to solve the mystery of the gravity waves.

Prior to getting eight PS3 units, Khanna was used supposed to get a supercomputer. But since a supercomputer cost US$ 5,000 in grant money, the scientist figured that he can save more by buying eight 60GB PS3 units (worth US$3,200) and clustering them together, calling them his "gravity grid".

Khanna was able to petition Sony to grant him the PS3 units, which were given to him free of charge. "Once I was able to get to the point that I had this kind of performance from a single PS3, I think that's when Sony started paying attention," Khanna said.

So how are the PS3 units - the gravity grid - faring in his research? "I don't have to use that supercomputer anymore, which is a good thing," he said. It tells a lot on how powerful the PS3 can get.

Pundits have made comparisons between versions of Activision and Infinity Ward's upcoming Sony PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Microsoft Xbox 360 video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was pointed out that CoD4: Modern Warfare looks no better on the Sony PS3 than it does on rival console Microsoft Xbox 360. This prompted IBM Cell Project architect Jim Kahle to react.

Kahle said that the next-generation of gaming is taking on more than just pushing graphics to extremes. He indicated that artificial intelligence (AI) will be higher on the priority list than ever before. He said:

I think we've got to get back to where is this edge of graphics going to be. I'm not sure that pushing the graphics all the way to the extreme edge is where people are going to go. It's going to be the simulation part, the AI.

Kahle adds that there are many characteristics going into games. "You haven't seen the full power of the PlayStation [3] exploited yet," he adds. "That's what we worked on... we still have a ways to go."

IBM was the manufacturer tapped by Sony during the process of designing its high-end PS3 game console to design a processor that would be powerful enough to give the Sony PlayStation 3 a "future-proof" effect.

The release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by Activision and Infinity Ward, on the other hand, is among the most anticipated gaming events this year. It's the first iteration in the Call of Duty franchise to take the setting out of World War II and into contemporary time frames. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare comes out for Microsoft Windows-based PCs as well.

Just the other day, it was reported that Sony was supposedly undergoing some negotiations with Toshiba about selling their (Sony's) microchip production facilities. Though the Cell microprocessor itself is developed by Sony, IBM, and Toshiba, it seems as if Sony wanted quits so they could, from our previous article, "focus on the production of other products such as image sensor chips in digital cameras and camcorders."

It turns out that the news from Nikkei was nothing more than hearsay. Sony's just denied the fact that a deal has been made between them and Toshiba. Sony spokesperson Tomio Takizawa said that "nothing has been concretely decided."

It's a vague statement, but if taken as is, we can simply glean that a deal hasn't been struck... which doesn't mean to say that there aren't any deals going on either. Because Takaziwa refused to comment on whether or not Sony and Toshiba really were talking about it. He did, however, reassure everyone of the fact that Sony is exploring some new ways to make its chip-making business more streamlined.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, Toshiba spokesperson Keisuke Omori commented that they "are considering various plans, but [they] cannot comment on individual cases." Like Sony's rep, the Toshiba spokesperson refused to talk about anything regarding the supposed deal we've heard of a few days ago.

Now who would have thought that genetically cloned Saiyans could cause so much fuss. But then again...