The Cell processor must have seemed like a good idea at the time. A complex, proprietary setup, with a central PowerPC core and eight independent co-processors, it was powerful and multifaceted, but difficult for under-pressure studios to get to grips with. The major problem was, the design ran against the prevailing trends in PC architecture and, in an era of multiplatform development, this meant developers rarely got the chance to push it to the maximum. Sony learned its lesson. Four years ago, when the company started R&D on the console's follow-up, a different approach was decided ... Read More