How's this for an idea?

[rajeev84]

Given the fact that Sony is shipping some form of Linux on the PS3 harddrive, what's stopping them from entering the PC buisness (aside from the viao) with the PS3.

If Sony were to realease a PS3 in the form of a PC. That is, with a regular 3.5'' HD, and all other PC essentails, i'd defininetly want that.

Further, it'd be attacking MS where it hurts. Along with providing a huge expansion in the linux market.

Say Sony sells a PS3 PC with more ram, sizable HD, Widescreen LCD monitar (1080P would be nice ), maybe even a removable RSX video card, and possible even dual cells......they can probally sell that for $1500 to $2000......i know i'd want that.

However, this system should have a compatability PS3 mode, where the extra ram etc does not affect or improve gameplay (although i'm sure devs could even make patches to improve things a bit).


Would you buy that if song made that as a home product?

 

[Johnny Awesome]

It could have value to some people, but a low memory PC that doesn't play PC games or use Windows productivity software isn't likely to make much of a dent in MS' core business.

 

[hey69]

and why not, what if they bought the AMIGA name to badge their ps3PC machines......

i love those whatif threads...

 

[BlueTsunami]

Given the fact that Sony is shipping some form of Linux on the PS3 harddrive, what's stopping them from entering the PC buisness (aside from the viao) with the PS3.

If Sony were to realease a PS3 in the form of a PC. That is, with a regular 3.5'' HD, and all other PC essentails, i'd defininetly want that.

Further, it'd be attacking MS where it hurts. Along with providing a huge expansion in the linux market.

Say Sony sells a PS3 PC with more ram, sizable HD, Widescreen LCD monitar (1080P would be nice ), maybe even a removable RSX video card, and possible even dual cells......they can probally sell that for $1500 to $2000......i know i'd want that.

However, this system should have a compatability PS3 mode, where the extra ram etc does not affect or improve gameplay (although i'm sure devs could even make patches to improve things a bit).


Would you buy that if song made that as a home product?

If Sony supported it (Customer Support for issues) and the OS for the CELL is matured then I would totally buy it.

 

[Guden Oden]

We don't even know for sure the PS3 HDD (if there is such a product) will ship with linux on it or not. Besides, even if it did, people here are assuming Sony will take it on the chin profit-wise when selling PS3, since uneducated estimates predict the console hardware will be very expensive to produce. Selling lots of consoles to be used as computers rather than game-playing devices (which would bring in profits in the form of software royalties and such), would under such a scenario be doubly bad for Sony because A: they'd be subsidizing hardware that will never bring them any income since it'll be used as a computer rather than a gaming system, and B: the subsidized hardware they sold was NOT sold to someone that would buy games for it and bring them income.

Personally tho, I hope either Sony or MS allows or releases themselves, a real OS for their machines. These things will have very very powerful processors in them both for running program code and drawing graphics, particulary x360 would be suitable for use as a desktop system, with the slight drawback of no digital video output.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Lack of out of order execution would slow it down for the mainstream tasks of the typical PC. Sure it could encode video in HD and whatever, but that's not the most important thing for the customers.

And the real hindrance is economics. Sony is ready to sell the PS3 at a loss because they make it back on the software, the games. Selling a Linux based system would mean that there's no profit on software, yet they have to provide customer support as well. Not to mention that Linux has totally failed to get a hold of the mass market because it's still damn too complicated for the average user. And Sony certainly wouldn't sell it with Windows, nor would Apple port OSX onto it.

All in all it'd cost far too much, compared to a regular PC, and probably wouldn't worth the investment...

 

[pegisys]

I think it would fail, I don't know many people that would used linux on a closed platform with no upgrade ability

but if they started selling cell cpu's and motherboards and made them compatible with current pc hardware I would get one

 

[Carl B]

It's come up a couple of times in various threads, and the notion of PS3 as an Amiga I think is a powerful one. I don't think they need to position it as a PC per se, just as a machine that for the average home user can take care of their normal computing needs.

OOE vs IOE shouldn't be too big of a deal for the programs most people run as long as the build isn't too slow - and for people who would otherwise consider a budget PC for email/Internet and such, it would make a strong case for itself. Afterall the tasks that nowadays require 'speed' are none other than the imaging tasks that Cell excels at anyway.

We'll just need to see what happens. Talk is of the HDD shipping with Linux, and frankly I'll be all over it if that pans out.

Not sure if Sony will ever push it on the mainstream though, or take a different marketing angle with it.

 

[Guden Oden]

Lack of out of order execution would slow it down for the mainstream tasks of the typical PC.

Slow down as compared to what, tho? Computers already spend most of their time waiting for their human operators.

Sure it could encode video in HD and whatever, but that's not the most important thing for the customers.

What is that then? Run office? Surf the web? Word process? Nextgen consoles would handle such tasks with one hand tied behind their backs, particulary x360 with its larger main memory and triple general processor cores. After all, memory is the biggest (technical) obstacle I'd say, not their in-order processors.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Well if Sony DOES have Linux pre installed with the PS3 then thats pretty much their effort to put a PC on the market. The Linux OS itself is meant to be a dev environment right? So they could basically be killing to birds with one stone. Make that Dev environment but make little tweaks to it that would make it more user friendly. Pre Install common apps and its ready to go. Have it support what ever media (Video, Pictures, Music) and you've got a home computer. The only time I can see that Windows would trump it is if you needed to run Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop or any commercial app.

As far as a generic PC. Sony with Linux should be more than capable.

 

[Powderkeg]

Given the fact that Sony is shipping some form of Linux on the PS3 harddrive, what's stopping them from entering the PC buisness (aside from the viao) with the PS3.

If Sony were to realease a PS3 in the form of a PC. That is, with a regular 3.5'' HD, and all other PC essentails, i'd defininetly want that.

Further, it'd be attacking MS where it hurts. Along with providing a huge expansion in the linux market.

And precisely how much PC type software is on store shelves that would run on it?

No one would buy it if there was nothing that worked on it. The reason why most people buy PC's instead of MACs is the amount of compatible software for it, and the PS3 has absolutely no PC type software that is compatible for it.

 

[BlueTsunami]

And precisely how much PC type software is on store shelves that would run on it?

No one would buy it if there was nothing that worked on it. The reason why most people buy PC's instead of MACs is the amount of compatible software for it, and the PS3 has absolutely no PC type software that is compatible for it.

If that was the case then why do people even use Linux? The point was made that people only need a web browser, text editor and being able to play different Media. FireFox (or Mozilla) Open Office and a Linux Media player that can play AVI files (and many others). Also, their FREE. Its not like Linux is a vast desert of non existent applications.

The only problem is getting these things ported over.

 

[Alpha_Spartan]

Cell would make an awesome PC CPU. Just ask Steve Jobs...

 

[randycat99]

This theory has long since been debunked. That you bring it up again simply to get a jab, tells clearly of your agenda here.

 

[randycat99]

The reason why most people buy PC's instead of MACs is the amount of compatible software for it, and the PS3 has absolutely no PC type software that is compatible for it.

W/o a doubt some have to buy out of "compatibility". By large, the overlying component is inertia. For the things that most home users do on a computer, the software that exists on an Mac will quite adequately cover the software that they use on the PC. Arguably, it would be better designed sofware, as well. The only thing that really stops a switchover is simple inertia and uncertainty over something different.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Cell would make an awesome PC CPU. Just ask Steve Jobs...

It seems like you don't know why Steve Jobs didn't want the CELL for Apple. Nice jab though, can't wait for the left hook.

 

[dukmahsik]

It seems like you don't know why Steve Jobs didn't want the CELL for Apple. Nice jab though, can't wait for the left hook.

because it wasn't up to snuff, regardless he didn't want it

 

[PARANOiA]

A serious question here...

Sony's financials on the PS3 vs Xbox have been raised as not being 100% stable, correct? Do you really think Sony could afford to attack MS - arguably the world's richest company - on their home turf? No way in hell. Sony can't afford to, otherwise MS would knock them on their ass in about ten minutes.

Now, if Google made an OS built for the PS3, I would believe it...

 

[BlueTsunami]

because it wasn't up to snuff, regardless he didn't want it

Porting over to Cell was going to be a pain in the Ass. They opted for Pentium based OS because they would be able to get it out at a reasonable time frame, where releasing for CELL would take years. Also, the hardware isn't there.

 

[Carl B]

A serious question here...

Sony's financials on the PS3 vs Xbox have been raised as not being 100% stable, correct? Do you really think Sony could afford to attack MS - arguably the world's richest company - on their home turf? No way in hell. Sony can't afford to, otherwise MS would knock them on their ass in about ten minutes.

Now, if Google made an OS built for the PS3, I would believe it...

How would bundling Linux with the HD warrant any sort of 'attack' or expenditure of resources on Sony's part though? The fact that it might eat into the home PC market is purely tangentental. Microsoft's biggest threat will always be companies that offer a free alternative. They've staved off such threats fairly well thus far, but as you mentioned, Google is giving them a run for their money in search. I hardly see what a counterattack on MS' part could look like.