IBM Unveils Xbox Processor

By Jimmy Daniels
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

IBM has released some info on the brand new processor they created for Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console, and are expected to discuss the chip today at the Fall Processor Forum in San Jose.

The IBM-built chip features three customized PowerPC computing engines that can each handle two simultaneous tasks at clock speeds greater than 3 gigahertz. It was customized for Microsoft in less than 24 months from the original contract.

“Working with IBM gave us the flexibility to design a processor to give game developers the kind of targeted power they need to make great games,” said Todd Holmdahl, Microsoft vice president of Xbox hardware.

Source: Yahoo.com

We Say: This will certainly provide a big jump in performance compared to the Intel Corp. 733-megahertz Pentium III microprocessor of the first console. I hope we see some games that can actually take advantage of the “horsepower”. Some new versions of Project Gotham Racing and a couple other games have been announced, but, realistically, I doubt we will see “the” killer game for a few months, as nothing major has been announced so far.

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