If you want a more realistic take on the expectations for the PS2 back near launch, I'd recommend reading the Ars Technica dissection of the Emotion Engine:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/ee.ars
What is hysterical in their summary is that what they wrote in 2000 re: the PS2 is being parroted nearly verbatim now about the PS3.
From the 'Conclusion' section on Page 7:
"Not only does the Emotion Engine have horsepower under the hood, but its aggressively new, cutting-edge design means that it's going to take a while for developers to really learn to use all that power. It'll be interesting to see if the PC has caught up with the PS2 by the time PS2 developers figure out how to exploit this hardware to its fullest potential.
Although I've stated repeatedly that the PS2's number one application is 3D gaming, neither Sony nor Toshiba (Toshiba designed the Emotion Engine, and Sony licenses it) are going to sit by and let this hardware get pigeonholed in that application space. Sony has invested big, big money (I think it's around $100 million) in developing non-game applications for the PS2. So by the time the PS2 goes stateside, we should see other types of software available for it. This device is going to be the centerpiece of Sony's assault on the world's living rooms, so you can bet they'll milk it for all they can.
Toshiba is also planning to leverage the Emotion Engine in other markets. I don't have any details, but I'd imagine that before too long we can expect to see a whole range of devices based on this chip. As far as its options in the embedded market, it's not exactly the lowest power device available."Uh-huh ... it's not a games machine, it's really a super-computer and entertainment hub, plus it has power so incomprehensible you won't believe what's being rendered on it in three years or so, heck we probably won't need another console for 10 more years, and even Toshiba is so convinced in the chipset they're going to eventually put it in everything from toasters to TVs!
LOL!
Emotion Engine (2000) = Cell (2006)
/ sarcasm
// ok, not really 
