by Dan Moren
The future of the PlayStation
Wired’s Peter Rubin has an exclusive chat with Mark Cerny, lead system architect on Sony’s next-generation console, in which they talk about the technology key to that platform, including solid-state storage:
On the TV, Spidey stands in a small plaza. Cerny presses a button on the controller, initiating a fast-travel interstitial screen. When Spidey reappears in a totally different spot in Manhattan, 15 seconds have elapsed. Then Cerny does the same thing on a next-gen devkit connected to a different TV. (The devkit, an early “low-speed” version, is concealed in a big silver tower, with no visible componentry.) What took 15 seconds now takes less than one: 0.8 seconds, to be exact.
We’ve been used to SSDs in our computers and our devices, but game console have lagged behind, in part because there tend to be several years between generations, but also because games are big and large capacity drives have been pricey. The impact on game experiences could be huge, and I’m curious to see just what Sony (and Microsoft) have in mind for the next generation of consoles.