Not just For Gaming Anymore
Leading scientists have discovered a rather interesting use for game consoles, particularly Sony’s PlayStation 3, using them to calculate and simulate everything from colliding black holes to the effects of drugs on the human body. The PS3 has many unique features that make it ideal for complex calculations that usually require time on a supercomputer. It has an open platform that allows it to run any system software, like PowerPC Linux. The console also sports a revolutionary processor called the Cell processor, developed by Sony, IBM and Toshiba, that has a CPU, called the PPU, and six special compute engines (SPUs) that each perform vector operations. In other words, all the raw computing power required to produce those heart-stoppingly realistic graphics in today’s sophisticated video games makes for one powerful scientific tool. The PS3’s comparatively low price tag makes its computing power to dollar ratio higher than anything else available to scientists today. Doctors are also jumping on board, using Nintendo’s Wii for everything from surgical training and patient rehabilitation to research projects measuring movement deficiencies in Parkinson’s patients.