OK guys,
I can speak to this:
1. We have tried out a few different LOD methods that we like for different reasons, including our announced support for texture streaming, and we've decided that not doing the work for LOD on the SPUs is a win for us right now. We're always re-evaluating everything, so this is subject to change, but what we've got looks pretty good and is fast. We might go over the details at a later time.
2. Let me say very clearly, we find the SPUs very flexible. We do in fact do some graphics pre-processing on them, including work for culling and clipping and RSX data building as I've mentioned elsewhere. At the same time, graphics alone don't make a game, and we've got lots of other systems running on the SPUs. The SPUs are absolutely central to how we write everything now - it's no longer a matter of "porting" things to the SPU - the SPUs are where everything should go by default. We've still a lot we can do, but we're definitely taking advantage of the Cell.
3. Insomniac does not use EDGE. Although Insomniac did participate in its development (a few of the Insomniac engine guys spent quite a lot of time over at our pal Naughty Dog's place, doing what they could to help them put it together in the early days), but it's simply turned out very different from where we want(ed) to go with the engine and our current tech is very much Insomniac's own.
Mike.
