This is why the PS3 is in some ways a good thing. Cheap fast computing power.

I detect bullshit at work here.

There are far more PCs than there ever will be PS3s and they are in an idle state far more often than a PS3, which if it isn't being used to play games is probably not on.

I don't see a problem with the feature but this was a puff piece for the PS3 and short on any substantive detail.

I agree on the bullshit at work when they are talking about it running when you aren't playing. It's just more logical to buy them wholesale as they are cheaper then more powerful supercomputers. Set up a distributed data computation network and do your research, this whole oh buy a PS3 and you will be contributing to the world is just marketing bullshit.

I still hate PS3

Wow that's cool I'm gonna do that when they release it for PS3

They should make a Wii one where it only folds as long as you shake the controller.

It is mostly marketing hype. The "big thing" about the PS3 is its Cell processor. But in essence, all it is is a combination of an ordinary CPU and a GPU. (Well, it's a bit more than that, but that's a good way to summarize it.) Sure it does some mathematical computations faster since it doesn't have to send the data out to the GPU, but the speed gained is offset by the fact that you have to communicate it back to the remote server (for the Folding application). So in the end, a high end PC using both the CPU and GPU (as ATI cards can now be implemented to do) for folding will be on par with a PS3. Add to that a dual core processor and you're easily going to beat the PS3s calculation speeds. (And now we're moving along to quad-core computers, so . . . yeah.)

Add to that what was mentioned above, about leaving the PS3 on while not in use, and it's pretty clear that this is mostly marketing.

Oh, and the whole thing about the PS3 being a supercomputer is more marketing hype. Some planned supercomputers will use MODIFIED cell processors (plural), but the PS3 is nothing like that.

i have to comment on this video as its just Sonys PR department coming up with the idea that buying a PS3 saves lifes utter bullshit. Pc's have been doing this "Distrubed Computing" for years. Nothing but a cheap ploy to the the overpriced piece of crap.

I think you guys are being too negative, sure Sony probably made the whole Folding@Home crap, just like we have SETI@HOME a few years ago and everyone thought they will be finding alien contact some time. Well no.

But there differences in cost and operation of using PS3s as computational machines in research are great. We are talking about a sophisticated piece of electronics for under 1000 dollars. Just a few facts from Harpers:

Minimum number of PlayStation 3s whose spare processing power will be used next year for biological research: 10,000
Factor by which the interconnected game systems will be faster than the world’s most powerful supercomputer: 5
- Vijay Pande, Stanford University

http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=osstats The PS3 is definitely contributing.

*dead

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by jonny.