PS3 V/S XBOX 360 - Specifications

Comparisons on the system specification can be found at www.gamespot.com
Link to specification table

Let's Get Ready to Rumble...PS3 v/s XBOX 360

Everyone was expecting Sony to deliver a technological powerhouse with its PlayStation 3 debut here at E3 and Sony sure didn't disappoint. The PlayStation 3 combines the power of the Cell processor and the Nvidia-based RSX graphics processor to create what Sony Computer Entertainment's Ken Kutaragi calls a "supercomputer for computer entertainment."



Which Numbers Are Meaningful?
However, whenever you look at console technical specs, you also have to take them with a whole truckload of salt since the game console market has a long history of making a big deal out of numbers that don't really matter, or even making up numbers that have a tenuous grasp on reality. Remember the internal data precision arguments? That specification measurement became useless fairly quickly once marketing departments start adding different specification numbers together to get up into 64-bit or 128-bit range (OK, Turbografix started doing it back when we were still in the 16-bit era).
Console specifications are a lot like statistics in that you can really change perceptions by paying special attention in selecting what you measure and how you go about measuring it. Microsoft may have been the first manufacturer to announce its next-generation console, but in order to gain that advantage Microsoft also had to reveal its console specs first--giving a fat target-list for Sony's marketing team. Do you really think that Sony would have even mentioned the 51-billion-dot-product-operations per second number during the PS3 press conference if Microsoft hadn't boasted that the Xbox 360 could do 9-million-dot-product-operations per second?
We're not saying to ignore specifications altogether--most of them are relevant in some way or another. And we're going to talk about the specifications that really jumped out at us at first glance. Let's start with the processor. Sony has announced that the PlayStation 3 will have a 3.2GHz Cell processor that consists of a PowerPC-based core with seven synergistic processing units. The PS3 spec-sheet says that there's an eighth SPE reserved for redundancy--whatever that means. The Xbox 360, in comparison, has a multicore PowerPC processor that has three dual-threaded cores that can handle six total threads at a time. You might be able to call the Cell's SPE overgrown math units, but we think Sony's Cell processor wins from a brute power perspective.
Apples to Apples on Graphics?
The Xbox 360's ATI graphics core also throws a wrench into our graphics comparison since it uses a new-fangled Unified Shader Architecture that mixes up pixel- and vertex-pipelines and makes comparison to older video card technology very difficult. The Xbox 360 graphics core may have 48-pipelines, but they aren't nearly as powerful as traditional dedicated pixel pipelines.



The PlayStation 3 has a pretty strong Nvidia graphics processor, but you can see how Sony may be afraid of the specification sheet comparison by the pipeline number conveniently omitted from the PS3 graphics specifications. We're guessing that the RSX graphics processors has a traditional, non-unified shader engine, so it likely has a smaller total "pipeline" number than the ATI chip. Even if the RSX's normal pipelines are more powerful than the Xbox 360's pipes, Sony doesn't want to risk printing a lower "pipeline" number since people won't understand that it isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.
So how many traditional pipelines does the RSX have? Sony has revealed that the RSX GPU has a 550MHz core clock and has over 300 million transistors. Sony has also stated that the chip is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra cards put together. Your first guess might be that Nvidia simply doubled the pipeline number on the 6800 Ultra to make the RSX, but you also have to remember that the Ultra only clocked in at 400MHz. If the "double" performance measurement is based on fill-rate performance rather than hardware, the clock speed increase up to 550MHz is clear sign that the hardware improvement isn't from a pure doubling of pipelines. We're guessing that the actual pipeline count is going to be at 24, which is about right for 300 million transistors and, at 550MHz, has just a slightly larger fill-rate than two GeForce 6800 Ultras clocked at 400MHz.
Memory and Media
From a memory standpoint, both systems are roughly equal with about 512MB of memory dedicated to system and graphics. The Xbox 360 has Unified Memory Architecture that lets the CPU and GPU share the system's 512MB of memory. The PlayStation 3 on the other had has 256MB of XDR memory and 256MB of GDDR3 memory dedicated to graphics. We still have to take a closer look at the memory bandwidth differences, but game developers will be happy with the graphics bandwidth and memory space available for both systems.
The PlayStation 3 comes with an array of data storage and transfer features. Whereas the PlayStation 2 only supported a memory card and the optional hard drive attachment (for a brief time), the PlayStation 3 supports numerous forms of portable media. The PlayStation 3 has 6 USB 2.0 ports, a memory stick slot, an SD slot, and, in stark contrast to many of Sony’s other consumer electronics products, the system actually supports compact flash. Sony even saved a space for a removable 2.5” hard drive.
The Xbox 360, in comparison, doesn't have as much in the way of media support. It has two memory card slots and a handful of USB ports that are rumored to accommodate a host of devices like the iPod, USB memory sticks, and even Sony’s own PSP. Don't forget that Bill Gates's new system can also reach across the network to access media from local, Windows-based PCs.
Sony and Xbox took different strategies when it came to decide on an optical drives. Sony decided to use the PS3 to further its own Blu-ray format, which allows for discs that can hold about 54GB each. The Xbox 360 will support dual layer DVDs, which can hold about 9GB worth of data. Both consoles will support older media formats such as CD-ROMs, conventional DVDs, and user-created DVDs. You'll impress a lot of ladies with the Blu-ray line, but the Xbox 360's normal DVD should serve you just fine in the near future.
A/V and Networking
Sony’s PlayStation 3 provides numerous A/V output hookups. The upcoming console comes with not one but two HDMI outputs, and PlayStation 3 will be able to utilize both at the same time to output two 1080p video streams at the same time allowing for dual-screen HDTV gaming. Microsoft hasn't finalized the console AV outputs yet, but we do know that the Xbox 360 has the more practical offerings with 720p and 1080i support. Both systems process multi-channel surround sound audio in software.
Network connectivity is going to be an enormous part of the next generation of consoles since destroying your neighbor in Halo 2 is fun, but making that random stranger cry on Xbox Live is priceless. Sony’s Playstation 3 comes with a built-it Ethernet adapter, and also includes an 802.11 b/g wireless adapter. The Xbox 360 comes with a built-in Ethernet adapter, but the 802.11 a/b/g wireless adapter will cost extra.
-Thanks to www.gamespot.com FULL ARTICLE

PS3 Revealed

Here are pictures of the forthcoming PS3 from Sony

Nintendo Revolution

Check out the pictures of the new gaming console by Nintendo - Revolution

Controlling iTunes with your PSP

Thanks to Vap0ris for this item.
What you need:
a PSP
Wipeout Pure
an Apple computer (Mac Mini works great and looks good doing it!)
a wireless router
If you’re going for a basic set up, all you have to do is set up apache and connect to it with the PSP, but if you want to get fancier (and we do) then we can add great features like playlist selection, and a “Now Playing” display, and your own DNS server to exploit wipeout. FULL ARTICLE

Nintendo going portable again with Game Boy Micro

Nintendo also unveiled the Game Boy Micro this morning, here what is known so far:
Launch is slated for this Fall.
Silver in color for now, expect all sorts of rainbow-flavored variations.
Dimensions: 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall and 0.7 inches thick.
Weight: 2.8 ounces (80 paper clips’ worth of weight).
Processor: Same as GBA SP.
Form factor: “Gleaming shoulder and start/select buttons that literally shine”, removable and customizable face plate.
Screen: 2-inches, backlit and the “best Game Boy screen ever” with adjustable brightness controls for use indoors or outdoors.
Marketing angle: “We’re making the gorgeous Game Boy Micro for image-conscious folks who love video games, the ones who want the look of their system to be as cool as the games they play on it” according to George Harrison, Nintendo of America Sr. VP of marketing. It’s clear that they’re going after the kids who are too cool to carry around an obvious gaming device but who don’t mind carrying something that looks like the cell phone that they’re already carrying.
Accessories: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; supports standard headphones.
Software: the Game Boy Advance has nearly 700 titles available, all of which will be playable on the Game Boy Micro.
Thanks to Vap0ris

iPS3? iTunes/iPod integration with the PS3?

MacDailyNews is reporting a rumor that Sony may be working with Apple, on support for iTunes and iPod synchronization on the up-coming PS3.
Given that Sony was present at the last stevenote, and Apple has already announced their support for blu-ray, the PS3/iTunes rumor isn’t that far fetched. But what if there were more to the story than just some simple, albeit handy iTunes integration with the Play Station 3?
Thanks to Vap0ris

Multi-player PSP games with one UMD disc?

Thanks to Vap0ris for this interesting hack for adhoc gaming on the PSP.

To play any multiplayer game on a Sony PSP with only one copy of a game, do the following:
Place the game into the 1st PSP. Start the game. Start a Multiplayer Ad-Hoc game. (Set the time to unlimited because moving the game between the units takes a while.) Enter the game.
Once you are in the game, remove the game from the unit. A message will appear asking whether you want to exit the game, say NO! The game should resume.
Now take the game and place it into the 2nd PSP. Start the game. Now go to Ad-Hoc games and find the server that the other PSP has already started. Enter the game.
And now you are playing each other on two PSPs with only one copy of the game. And if you want to, you can do this with up to as many units as you wish. As long as the game supports that many players.
Enjoy!

New PSP Games will require Firmware Updates

Found on IGN.comLooks like all that speculation bore out. New games will not only come with Firmware updates on them (which we already knew about), but some (most?) new games will require the update.Space Invaders, which I saw in the store today and almost bought, will be the first PSP title which requires a firmware version greater than 1.0.If you try to play one of the games with this requirement, you will first get a: "This game could not be started. To start, you must update the system software." message. So the system will not auto-update itself, at least not without some interaction.So a double dose. Good and Bad news. No auto-firmware-updating games, but, just games that won't play on an original PSP. Perhaps picking up an original motherboard might look better after all.Have a system to "hack" on, and one to play on.
Thanks to Vap0ris

Videos and Movies on the PSP

PSP Video 9 is a free PSP video conversion and management application. It can convert regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into PSP video files, as well as manage/copy these PSP video files between your PC and PSP.
When combined with another application, Videora + PSP Video 9 form the first PSPcasting solution, allowing you to download, convert and copy video to your PSP, automatically using BitTorrent and RSS technology.
Get It HERE
A good "Howto" guide can be found HERE
Thanks to Vap0ris

Game Boy fans...don't you worry!

...Game Boy emulator for the PSP. It’ll only work if you’ve got a Japanese PSP running on version 1.00 of the firmware (so don’t even waste your time if you have a North American PSP), but someone managed to get a Game Boy emulator running on Sony’s new portable game console. They haven’t figured out how to get the sound part working, but it’s probably only a matter of time until they sort that out.
Thanks to Vap0ris

Blockbuster PSP game rentals

So Blockbuster is getting in on some PSP action, but it’s not movie rentals they’re after, it’s game rentals. They’re going to be offering UMD game rentals at all 4,400 of their nationwide outlets beginning May 17. This expands a strategy that is about getting deeper into the gaming end of things, following on the heels of the March launch of 450 store-in-store retail game outlets: Game Rush@Blockbuster. The standard rental fee of $6.99 covers seven days of rental, and there’s an “all you can eat” version for $19.99 per month, although it only covers a single game out at a time. The titles that’ll be first up on the rental shelves will be Twisted Metal, Untold Legends, and Need for Speed Underground Rivals.
Thanks to Vap0ris

UMD Key Extract v1.00 released!

NEM has shared PSP Dump today, which allows v1.00 PSP users to browse (not actually dump) the v1.00 PSP firmware files and generate a Firmware v1.00 FileList. However, he does state they can be dumped via software, so it's simply a matter of time.
Thanks to Vap0ris

PSP - UMD Ripped

Another step forward in the race to crack open the PSP: ps2nfo.com user Paradox worked out how to get a dump from a UMD disc, and has released the ISO files for several PSP games (Wipeout: Pure US, Ridge Racers Japanese, and Vampire Chronicles: The Chaos Tower Japanese). Also of note, UMD discs use the standard ISO9669 format, so the released ISOs can be burned to regular CDs or DVDs. Know that the games are not yet playable in this format, but it’s a big step forward now that all the reverse engineers out there can get their hands on this stuff.
Thanks to Vap0ris