Sony to launch Playstation-based (Linux?) workstation

Sony is to follow up the launch of the Playstation 2 next March with a move into the business workstation market, according to this morning's Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The new line of machines will use the Playstation 2's Emotion Engine processor, and although the company doesn't seem to have said anything about the OS as yet, Linux would seem the logical choice. The news reinforces what Sony's Ken Kutaragi was saying about the Emotion Engine in San Jose yesterday. (Playstation 3 to ship 2002). Kutaragi puts the Emotion Engine as being equal in transistor count with the Pentium III right now, but says Sony will surpass Intel with 50 million transistors on the Emotion Engine 2 in 2002. So for workstations, that would roadmap a product based on current silicon for second half 2000, probably moving to 0.13 micron the following year (if Sony doesn't go for this process immediately), and then an upgrade to the next version the following year. Sony intends to aim the workstations at broadcast, film production and software developers. This morning's Japanese reports also extend Sony's processor roadmap a tad. Yesterday in San Jose it went to 2002, but this morning we've a second refresh in 2005. Things move fast in IT... ®