I'm getting fed up with people banging on about 7.1 channel sound on the PSP. What they neglect to mention is that it's merely going to contain a chip capable of generating 7.1, because it's a fucking programmable DSP. You pretty much get whatever configuration you want for free (apart from the cost of rendering the extra sound channels). An optical output for 7.1 is exactly the same as an optical output for mono. It's not like the things going to have 8 pairs of speaker posts hanging off the back.
The WiFi angle is interesting though. Home WiFi means the thing can talk to your 'media server', and then off to the internet, effectively giving you massively multiplayer (or any simplifiaction thereof). The specific flavour of WiFi has been left undefined, so it may or may not be fat enough for DVD quality video, but the potential (of streaming porn to the toilet ;) is interesting.
I'm not a WiFi expert, but I assume you could do something similar from the numerous WiFi hotspots that are springing up in all the technologically fashionable places. Although there seems to be some doubt as to their long term viability. Still, future payement issues can be fixed in software, and that's exactly the sort of code I'd expect to live on the 'media engine'. The more I think about it, the more I like the second core not being user programmable, as it means you don't get reliant on it, and future upgrades / tweaks to the OS can happen without having any impact on the game code. You can write to the metal, without having to worry about scheduling any time for the OS.
Hmm, I hope the WiFi angle doesn't mean you're not going to be able to use the thing on the plane though.
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Oh, and of course, the reg article being one of Andrew Orlowski's screeds, naturally he has a pop at bloggers. Jeez, does he feel threatened? Did a blogger piss on his shoes?
Posted by inpHilltr8r at August 1, 2003 10:26 AM