PS3 SDK Leaked!!!

[Chameleon]

Its a rumor, it has no underlined or defined source... it proves nothing.

[acn010]

Updated Info on the PS3 SDK Hardware
by Greg Gergen

PC Watch, a Japanese PC news site, posted some interesting news today regarding the technical specifications of the PLAYSTATION 3 SDK units. Not only that, but they gave the public insight into some issues developers are having while programming for the PS3.

Sony had announced a while back that the SDK unit to be shown at TGS would be the final version. However, instead of SDK v1.0, the model shown at TGS was v0.93. This is also the model that most developers are using to program their games on. While some may be concerned about Sony's delaying of the final SDK unit, some may also be pleased that Sony still has a chance to add to the final PS3 specifications. Either way, the PS3 is so close to its launch date that if Sony does change the PS3 specifications, it will not be anything drastic.

Developers are also dealing with certain restrictions revolving around the Cell processor. For instance, out of the 256kbs of memory allocated to each SPE on the Cell, only 128kbs can be used due to buffering. Despite this small set-back, developers are saying what most PS3 fans have been thinking all along, "It is impossible to extract the full performance of the Cell on launch titles, it will take time get familiar with it."

Until just recently, developers had been developing PS3 games on a nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX card. The RSX, however, uses nVidia's G70 which allows for very high shader performance. The downside to the current RSX specifications is that it has a 128-bit memory interface and 8 ROP (Rasterizing Operation). So there within lies a current hurdle for developers. How can they get the most out of the RSX's shading abilities without dealing with the bottleneck to the ROP memory? While that's a minor hurdle needing to be jumped, the biggest issue facing PS3 developers is HDR and FSAA. With the memory bottleneck, it becomes hard for developers to achieve PC level HDR and FSAA. Yet thanks to the flexibility of the Cell processor, developers are using Cell memory for textures and FlexIO for a texture lead. This greatly frees up GPU bandwidth.

Sony is also sticking with their plans to make PS3 not only a gaming console, but a computer entertainment system. There will be a governing OS which controls gaming, the home menu, etc. called the Cell OS. There will also be a second LinuxOS which allows for an open programmable environment. If Sony is to utilize this programming ability properly, SCE needs to create a set of tools which allow want-to-be developers to take advantage of the PS3 hardware. We must remind Sony that in order for the PS3 to succeed as a computer, it must first succeed as a gaming console.

[-Xandu-]

They will fail in making an OS. They aren't good at making it. Microsoft and Apple will wipe them out .

[acn010]

what about linux??

[Chameleon]

They will fail in making an OS. They aren't good at making it. Microsoft and Apple will wipe them out .

youre probably right... the cell proccessors are just not a good idea, a couple of them dont even work in most ps3s.

and having a linux based system, and a media center do not seem feasable, with the alloted proccessors, so the OS probably dont stand a chance

[mavsman4457]

You guys sound like you are talking as though the PS3 hasn't come out yet. Linux is OK but we just need the ability to use the RSX to make it all that it can be. Hopefully these tools will help us make that possible.

[JKKDARK]

Well luckily if it's true, DCEmu will not support discussion about homebrew relased with this SDK

[F9zDark]

The SDK doesn't ensure that programmers will instantly know how to program for the PS3. It will allow them to learn from it and see how things work in the PS3, but even still, custom firmwares are a long ways off.

I mean look at the PSP scene. We never had THE SDK from Sony, but we had one that was reversed engineered and the PSP uses C programming, which is far more well known than Cell programming, and it still took 1.5-2 years to get custom firmwares.

And besides even if we get programs for the PS3, they will be:

-Illegal to host
-Illegal to download

Aside from:

-Knowing absolutely nothing about getting Games onto the HDD, which is NECESSARY to run games period (unless we can burn these files to a CD or DVD and have them work that way...)

This wont really lead to anything good IMO. Why? Because what makes PSP homebrew legitimate is that it was all REVERSE ENGINEERED, which is legal to do as per US Fair Use laws.

Even if someone was to use the official SDK to find a way to reverse engineer the PS3 to discover and subsequently make an 'Unofficial SDK' it would still be illegal...

The fact that this SDK was leaked, will make it VERY hard for any site to justify any PS3 programs. Sad really, almost seems like this was the INTENTION all along; end homebrew by throwing the SDK out there, which gives Sony legal grounds to sue anyone making, hosting and releasing PS3 programs.

[acn010]

damn, that really sucks balls now... i wanted to create something on the system... as for now i officially name my ps3 as dusty- the dust collecter

[-Xandu-]

what about linux??

That's not going to work out because who would get a desktop set(Mouse,Keyboard) and sit in front of a TV?
How lame is that?

PS3 isn't made to be a computer, just a gaming device..