Sony 2007 Annual Report Download - page 39

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36
PS3 Potential: Folding@home™
Thanks to its formidable computing power, PS3 is also attracting attention as an engine that
can be used beyond the realm of games and entertainment, and be applied to the betterment
of humankind and society. In March 2007, SCE began providing PS3 owners with an
application that supports Folding@home™, a distributed computing project established by
Stanford University. This project, which requires massive computing capacity, studies protein
folding with the aim of casting light on related diseases, including Alzheimer’s and cancer.
This project with Stanford is a new effort for SCE that aims to use computing capacity to
develop treatments for disease, thereby contributing to society. PS3 users can participate in
the project simply by launching the application from the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar). Once the
application is launched, PS3 automatically receives data from Stanford University, which it
uses to run simulations.
More than 400,000 PS3 users from about 80 countries and territories are already
participating in the project, with up to 10,000 PS3s working online at any one time. These
PS3s, which are backed by the tremendous calculating capacity of the Cell Broadband
Engine™ (Cell/B.E.), constitute one of the largest distributed computing networks in the world,
delivering computing power to the Folding@home™ project in a way never before seen.
Accelerating Market Penetration for the PS3 Platform
The PS3 platform allows games and all other digital content to be enjoyed in a high definition
(HD) environment. Not limited to enjoying content in various forms, users can also enjoy PS3
as a forum for self-expression and communication. Moreover, PS3 can offer new ways of
enjoying entertainment through the combination of the Cell/B.E.’s power and PS3’s network
capabilities. SCE will sharply accelerate the market penetration of the PS3 platform.
Adding to the lineup of outstanding software titles is critical to capitalizing on this accelerated
market penetration. In addition to an enhanced lineup of first-party titles from SCE WWS,
SCE is further enhancing technical support to third-party developers to help them develop
attractive titles. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, more than 200 titles are slated for
release on disc, and over 180 new titles available over the network. In addition, approximately
250 titles will be added to the Game Archives on PSN.
Furthermore, we are expanding the world of entertainment with services and content
delivered over the network, such as SCE’s online community service, PLAYSTATION®Home,
which SCE plans to launch worldwide. PLAYSTATION®Home establishes an innovative online
user community where 3D avatars operate in real time in a virtual world with 3D realism. PS3
users around the world can engage in real-time communication and enjoy shopping and
games in this novel space on the network.
Folding@home™
PLAYSTATION®Home