PlayStation 2 development to be driven by Linux

Sony has selected Linux as the development environment for PlayStation 2 titles, according to a report in Japanese games-oriented Web site Gamespot. The report is in Japanese, which The Register has a bit of a blind spot, but the story essentially suggests Sony is to offer its development tools for Linux. It's not clear whether the next-generation games console will use Linux as its on-board OS -- Tuesday's launch focused more on the hardware specs. and the PlayStation 2's graphics engine -- but it would certainly be a good choice given the kernel's portability and the fact that the PlayStation 2's nearest rival, Sega's Dreamcast, is based on Windows CE. The PlayStation 2 also contains even more PC-style features than its predecessor, including PC Card slots, USB and FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports, Rambus Direct DRAM support, and a DVD-ROM drive. That too would make the choice of an existing PC-oriented OS, particularly one where so much of the hardware support is carried out by the open source community, more logical. A full list of the PlayStation 2's technical specs. can be found at SharkyExtreme. Sony said the console's 128-bit CPU, co-developed with Toshiba, was three times as powerful as the Pentium III and 15 times more powerful than the PII. Japanses gamers will be able to get their hands on the machine at the end of the year; it will go on sale in the US and Europe in the second half of 2000. ®