GDCE: 'Feature: Developing for PlayStation 3'

In today's coverage of GDC Europe in London, this afternoon session provided a useful overview of the PlayStation 3 system architecture and the development tools Sony intends to provide for its developers. In this extract, SCEE Developer Support Manager George Bain talks a bit about the PS3's controllers: "After running through the statistics for the Cell processor and NVidia's RSX GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Bain paused to discuss the new controllers in more detail. He reiterated that the new boomerang designs were concepts only and were not necessarily representative of the final retail models. He clarified too, that the odd numbered limit of seven wireless controllers per console were a product of the way in which Bluetooth 2.0 operates, where the console itself is considered to be the eighth device in the network. In answer to a later question from the audience Bain admitted that the wireless signal could be interfered with by another nearby PlayStation 3 console and in those instances where many consoles would be close by, such as at a LAN party, it would be necessary to default to using wired controllers via the console's USB ports. It was also mentioned that keyboards, mice and other devices could also be used as games controllers but that Sony would always insist that any game could also be controlled with the default controller." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject (no registration required, please feel free to link to the article from external websites).