Before the end of this gen, Sony will release a laptop with the Linux operating system, a normal SATA hard drive just like currently in the PS3, and whose guts will be Cell and RSX at 45nm.  It'll have a Blu-Ray drive.  But when you turn it on...what's this?...it boots to the XMB.

In fact, it will be a PS3 system.  The 13"-15" screen will look mighty sharp displaying HD graphix.  Bluetooth controller for Dualshock 3 controller use, or use the track pad while you're in Linux.  It may have additional RAM to use in Linux, web browsing, etc, but of course for your PS3 games only the original 512 will be utilized.

At say $500, the value will be...um...very high. 

Discuss!  Who will consider buying a portable PS3 / laptop?

I'm already a Laptop/Linux as my only computer guy. If I could get that deal even for 800$, I'm sold.

THe ps3 sucks at using linux. This is because it's CPu uses inorder processing which is pretty primitive. The last pc cpu to use in-order processing was the original pentium. SO you should just cut it's clock speed in half. Then you have that small amount of memory compared to pcs which bottlenecks it. This is using the core without the spus btw. You are also talking about years down the line when the ps3 will be even more outclassed by pcs. the most I would pay for it would be $300.

I don't really see IBM or whoever spending that kind of money to build a low power chip that can compete with Intel. Plus it makes no sense to build a laptop that can't run most of the software in the world.

sc94597 said: THe ps3 sucks at using linux. This is because it's CPu uses inorder processing which is pretty primitive. The last pc cpu to use in-order processing was the original pentium. SO you should just cut it's clock speed in half. Then you have that small amount of memory compared to pcs which bottlenecks it. This is using the core without the spus btw. You are also talking about years down the line when the ps3 will be even more outclassed by pcs. the most I would pay for it would be $300.

$300?  For a portable PS3 with a screen to play on?  Ok...

Yeah, currently PS3 doesn't allow linux to access the SPUs at all, i think, which is part of the problem there.  The PS3 can get better at using Linux.  That improvement would be a (DUH) no-brainer before releasing a laptop.

IBM is building blades and supercomputers with Cell/PPC combined chip clusters.  The shit owns.  More will probably have to be done to get the PS3 version of Linux to take advantage, but not too big a deal.

$300...way, way low, and most people would compute things way differently I think. 

FishyJoe said: I don't really see IBM or whoever spending that kind of money to build a low power chip that can compete with Intel. Plus it makes no sense to build a laptop that can't run most of the software in the world.

What?  the chip would be Cell.  it will be a PS3 internally.

"can't run most of the software"... do you mean Linux?  If you mean the PS3 utilizing Linux sub-optimally, the concern folds into the one raised by sc94597, and I think the PS3's use of Linux can drastically be improved upon with a little effort.  The effort would be worth it for this product.

The Eee and other sub-portable machines are weak and use linux.  They sell like wildfire, too.  Their bonus is their size, while the PS3portable will be able to play PS3 games, give you access to Home, play Blu-Ray discs, etc.  

Anyway. 

 

Loud_Hot_White_Box said: FishyJoe said: I don't really see IBM or whoever spending that kind of money to build a low power chip that can compete with Intel. Plus it makes no sense to build a laptop that can't run most of the software in the world. What? the chip would be Cell. it will be a PS3 internally. "can't run most of the software"... do you mean Linux? If you mean the PS3 utilizing Linux sub-optimally, the concern folds into the one raised by sc94597, and I think the PS3's use of Linux can drastically be improved upon with a little effort. The effort would be worth it for this product. The Eee and other sub-portable machines are weak and use linux. They sell like wildfire, too. Their bonus is their size, while the PS3portable will be able to play PS3 games, give you access to Home, play Blu-Ray discs, etc. Anyway.

Just curious... what expierence do you actually have when it comes to building computers/laptops.

Cause nothing you've said really makes any sense to me.

Besides which... why would you want to handicap the PS3 with a tiny screen. Kind of wastes the HD graphics.

 

I've always been of the mind that sony should produce a tv that has a ps3 built in. THey say the cell will be used in lots of things, I say put your money where your mouth is.

Loud_Hot_White_Box said: sc94597 said: THe ps3 sucks at using linux. This is because it's CPu uses inorder processing which is pretty primitive. The last pc cpu to use in-order processing was the original pentium. SO you should just cut it's clock speed in half. Then you have that small amount of memory compared to pcs which bottlenecks it. This is using the core without the spus btw. You are also talking about years down the line when the ps3 will be even more outclassed by pcs. the most I would pay for it would be $300. $300?  For a portable PS3 with a screen to play on?  Ok... Yeah, currently PS3 doesn't allow linux to access the SPUs at all, i think, which is part of the problem there.  The PS3 can get better at using Linux.  That improvement would be a (DUH) no-brainer before releasing a laptop. IBM is building blades and supercomputers with Cell/PPC combined chip clusters.  The shit owns.  More will probably have to be done to get the PS3 version of Linux to take advantage, but not too big a deal. $300...way, way low, and most people would compute things way differently I think.

Um you are talking about years from now right? By that time the ps3 will probably be about less than $300 and the screen would probably be around $30 to make. The sell isn't as good as you think. Yes for number crunching its good, but operating systems run better on an out of order processor than an in order one. You should cut the ps3s clock speed in half to see how much performance it is capable of. There is very little ram in the ps3, and in the future I could see 2gb of ram being what the mainstream pc has. The pcs are already far more capable than the ps3 at running operating systems and it will just be more capable in the future. Also FishyJoe is talking about linux not being able to support alot of software. I say use wine , but the ps3 has so little ram it wouldn't be worth it.

 

Kasz216 said: Loud_Hot_White_Box said: FishyJoe said: I don't really see IBM or whoever spending that kind of money to build a low power chip that can compete with Intel. Plus it makes no sense to build a laptop that can't run most of the software in the world. What? the chip would be Cell. it will be a PS3 internally. "can't run most of the software"... do you mean Linux? If you mean the PS3 utilizing Linux sub-optimally, the concern folds into the one raised by sc94597, and I think the PS3's use of Linux can drastically be improved upon with a little effort. The effort would be worth it for this product. The Eee and other sub-portable machines are weak and use linux. They sell like wildfire, too. Their bonus is their size, while the PS3portable will be able to play PS3 games, give you access to Home, play Blu-Ray discs, etc. Anyway.   Just curious... what expierence do you actually have when it comes to building computers/laptops. Cause nothing you've said really makes any sense to me. Besides which... why would you want to handicap the PS3 with a tiny screen. Kind of wastes the HD graphics.

Put together my own PCs; that's about it.  The question I think you wanted to ask was whether I have studied microprocessor engineering or whatever.  No.  OS programming?   No.  But suffice it to say that the laptop wouldn't have to match others in efficient use of an OS to be extremely attractive, and I think performance of Linux on PS3 can be increased quite a bit over current levels.  Instead of commenting on whether this paragraph makes sense, go ahead and say whether you agree or disagree with those two main, dispositive points, and we'll go from there.

I know I've heard several friends say of Linux on PS3, "I wish Sony would let us do x or access y when we are messing around with Linux," so I take it that there are probably some easy software improvements to be made, just for starters.  And increasing the RAM would certainly be a benefit.