The CPU from the original PlayStation is guiding a probe to Pluto

You probably already know that your smartphone is more powerful than the computers used to land astronauts on the Moon. But did you know that the processor used in the original Sony PlayStation is currently guiding a space probe the size of a grand piano towards Pluto? Yep, the same MIPS R3000 CPU that once rendered graphics for Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid was repurposed by NASA in 2006 to fire thrusters, monitor sensors, and transmit data from the New Horizons space probe. You may have thought defeating Ruby Weapon was an achievement but try orchestrating a gravity-assisted flyby past Jupiter on a four-hour time delay.

NASA’s engineers don’t need power; they need reliability

This isn’t unusual behavior for NASA though, as the space agency always prefers the tried-and-tested to the cutting-edge. The next-generation Orion spacecraft, for example — the one that will hopefully take humans to Mars one day — is controlled by an IBM processor made back in 2002. The CPU in New Horizons may have been tweaked a little to better survive the radiation bombardment of space, but other than that it's the same old chip: NASA’s engineers don’t need power; they need reliability.

This is why there’s nothing better than a reputation staked on years of commercial use. Is your old PlayStation still working? Good. Because New Horizon has been in space for nine years already. The probe was launched back in January 2006 but is now on its final approach to Pluto, moving at a speed of approximately 36,373 mph with a projected arrival date of July 14th. Once there it will explore the dwarf planet and its moons before moving on to travel through the Kuiper belt — the massive asteroid belt that fringes our Solar System. This chip is going to parts of space where man-made objects have never been before, meanwhile your PlayStation is stuck in a closet somewhere beneath a stack of Pokémon trading cards.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/15/7551365/playstation-cpu-powers-new-horizons-pluto-probe

At least it's not going to Uranus

That is really cool, also it gives me some comfort in the product when i know that big corporations like Nasa use said product in their million dollar projects.

also PS3 has been used to analize black holes as well, but i dont recall if it was Nasa doing said study.

Also, the Curiosity rover that's on Mars right now shares CPU with the Gamecube, but in a more "radiation-hardened" variant.

Well, the PS1 is one of the best consoles of all time so I can hardly blame them .

BraLoD said: I'm so proud of you PS! My PS is also still working and plugled, almost 15 years strong! PS2 helped in weapon tests and PS3 is black holes study didn't they? Now it's just wait to see what the PS4 will help as well xD Good guy PlayStation always lending a helping hand

PS4 will help us create warp drives in 2018.

so it already surpassed the Saturn :P

So NASA prefers tried and tested technology over raw power... they're the Nintendo of the space exploration! (j/k)

And, not to be one of those guys but this line "This chip is going to parts of space where man-made objects have never been before, ...". That guy has never heard about the Voyager probes?

uranus sounds very different in german, the language the discoverer spoke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jCUtQvfNR0

neither of the Voyager probes visited Pluto, Voyager 1 swung by Jupiter and Saturn and then left the orbital plane to exit our solar system on the shortest way, Voyager 2 stayed in the plane until Neptune and then left it aswell

New Horizons will be the first probe to visit Kuiper belt objects