Since E3, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi has been calling the PlayStation 3 an "entertainment supercomputer" rather than a gaming console. Now, he's revealed a new plan to make sure that it's acknowledged as one.

In an interview with Impress PC Watch, Kutaragi disclosed that he plans to install the Linux operating system on the PS3's hard disc drive (HDD) so it will be recognized as a computer, rather than a mere console.

But while Linux would require a hard drive to run on, Kutaragi told Impress PC Watch, "We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won't be enough." It was unclear whether he was referring to the previously known fact that the PS3 would not have an internal hard drive or whether he was indicating that the device would not come with the external 2.5-inch detachable HDD outlined in the specs revealed at E3.

If the latter is the case, then hard drives will be optional--and will cost extra. Kutaragi seemed to confirm this when he said, "There are still some issues if the machine doesn't come with an HDD." Further comments seemed to indicate that there will be more than one model of optional add-on PS3 HDDs available at launch. "We've added a 2.5-inch HDD bay so that users can equip HDDs, such as 80GB and 120GB, even though that's still not enough [capacity]." By contrast, the Xbox 360 will ship with a 20GB hard drive, standard. No other 360 HDD models have been announced, although Microsoft officials have indicated larger-capacity models could be produced if needed.

A complete translation of Kutaragi's interview with Impress PC Watch is below:

Impress PC Watch: The PlayStation 3 has some extremely high specifications, but it doesn't come with an HDD. Why?

Ken Kutaragi: We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] an HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won't be enough. The next step is definitely network drives. With the Cell server, they can be accessed from anywhere, via network. Whether it's your own house [or] your friend's house, you can access the [network hard drive] anywhere. That's the kind of world we're imagining. But there are still some issues if the machine doesn't come with an HDD. So this time, we've added a 2.5-inch HDD bay so that users can equip HDDs, such as 80GB and 120GB, even though that's still not enough [capacity]. Although a network drive would allow for terabytes of storage, there's still the necessity to run an operating system offline. A hard drive for running an OS will be required for [the PS3] to be recognized as a computer.

IPCW: Do you mean to say that you'll run an OS on the PS3 to use it as a computer?

KK: I believe its wrong that, while we've been calling PlayStations "computers," Nintendo, which is in our same business, keeps telling the world their consoles are "toys." So even though we're making something that has the capability to be recognized as a supercomputer and requires paperwork when exporting or importing, the government sees it as a "toy." The PlayStation 2 has something as great as the Emotion Engine, and it can even run Linux, but it's still considered a gaming machine. I thought that the situation would become better since Microsoft appeared [in the gaming industry] from the IT field. But they won't say it either, since they want to protect their business. They see problems if the Xbox could run Windows, so they keep calling the Xbox a "game machine." It is really a pain in the neck. This time, we're positioning the PS3 as a "supercomputer." But people won't recognize it as a computer unless we call it a computer, so we're going to run an OS on it. In fact, the Cell can run multiple OSes. In order to run the OSes, we need an HDD. So in order to declare that the PS3 is a computer, I think we'll have [the PS3's HDD] preinstalled with Linux as a bonus.

IPCW: So Linux can be run on the Cell?

KK: Linux is legacy, but it will be a start. In the case of the Cell, operation systems are applications. The kernel will be running on the Cell, and multiple OSes will be running on top of that as applications. Of course, the PS3 can run Linux. If Linux can run, so can Lindows. Other PC Operating Systems can run too, such as Windows and Tiger (Max OS X 10.4), if the publishers want [them] to do so. Maybe a new OS might come out.

IPCW: Does that mean that we can expect applications that take advantage of the Cell, aside from games?

KK: As an example, HD video-editing software is basically the same as the nonlinear editing system used in broadcasting stations. What we're trying to do on the PS3 is that level of software. Nonlinear editing systems are incredible, but if it was done on the Cell, it would be even more incredible... The difference will be obvious. I think other PC applications, like photo-retouching software, will also be able to be done on the PS3. The user interface will also get interesting. In the case of the PC, users will have to wait for years between XP's UI to Longhorn's. But the PS3's UI will evolve much faster. For example, if we had an interface where we could control applications using gestures and words using the EyeToy, it would be like Minority Report. Of course, that kind of an evolution will also reflect on games. This will be the first form that [the Cell] will be spread. It can connect a keyboard, and it has all the necessary interfaces. It can run media, and it can run on a network. It's got such an all-around purpose, and it's open. It will become completely open if we equip it with Linux, and programmers will be able to do anything with it. It's the same thing with the graphics, since it's got the shaders.

In an interview with Jiji News Service, Sony Computer Entertainment's Ken Kutaragi disclosed that PS3 development kits have been shipped out in large numbers to developers in Europe, America and Asia. Kutaragi didn't give a specific number of development kits in circulation, referring to the number as being over 100 but under 200.

That's apparently not enough for the hungry game development community. Kutaragi also reveals that there's a shortage of kits, and Sony cannot keep up with demand.

In an interview with Impress PC Watch, Kutaragi disclosed that he plans to install the Linux operating system on the PS3's hard disc drive (HDD) so it will be recognized as a computer, rather than a mere console.

Second, Lindows

Edit: I would just like to voice that I think no having a hard drive is going to be a huge mistake. If Sony doesn't support it out of the box, it will fail to catch on much like PS2 HDD did. With no developers (outside of Sony) working on HDD support, Kutaragi's idea of a network drive will never surface. He needs to worry about technology available today, and integrate new technology as it comes along. I have much hate for this interview.

We've provided you with translations/summaries of two Ken Kutaragi interviews from Japanese tech website PC Watch (be sure and read both part 1 and part 2 of the interview here). Great comedy occurs in three, though, so we were pleased to open up our browsers early Monday morning Japan time for part three of Kutaragi's PS3 commentary.

This interview starts off with Kutaragi offering a reason that the PS3 made use of a specialized graphics unit (GPU) from NVIDIA (the RSX), rather than a GPU based on the Cell processor. "The seven SPEs (Synergistic Processor Element) of Cell can be used for graphics," reveals Kutaragi. "In fact, many of the E3 demos were made without a graphics chip, with only Cell used for all graphics. However, this means of use is wasteful."

Kutaragi reveals that there was once the idea of using two Cell chips in the PS3, with one used as the CPU and the other used for graphics. However, this idea was killed when it was realized that Cell isn't appropriate for the functionality required for shaders, software tools that are used to draw images to the screen. The decision to go with a separate GPU was made in order to create the most versatile architecture possible.

Backwards compatibility is also on the cards in the latest interview. Referring to the means of backwards compatibility used in the PS3, Kutaragi reveals, "We use a combination of hardware and software." While Kutaragi won't specify what hardware components are being brought over from the PS2 to the PS3 (the specs don't seem to reveal anything), he hints that some hardware solutions were required in order to max out compatibility due to the fact that some PS2 games do things with the hardware that are not theoretically possible.

In the area of backwards compatibility, Kutaragi finds some time to take shots at the competition (he also does this quite a bit in part 1 of the interview). "With the Xbox next generation coming in November of this year, the current Xbox will become last generation. With that, the Xbox will kill itself. The only way to save it is to have 100% backwards compatibility from the first day. However, it seems that [Microsoft] cannot make that commitment -- on a technology level, it's difficult."

With the PS3 approaching its expected September playable debut, we expect to hear more from Kutaragi in the coming months. Stay tuned!

In the latest issue of Nikkei Electronics, Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi talked about some of the various functions and aesthetics of the Cell chip, which will be used in the PlayStation 3. In the article, Kutaragi detailed how the aesthetics of the Cell chip will cut its production costs as well as how it may also lead to a dual-CPU Cell home server.

Kutaragi stated earlier that although the Cell microprocessor comes with eight synergistic processor elements (SPEs) for multi-core processing, the chip only uses seven of them. Kutaragi explained that ignoring one SPE as a redundancy will improve the chip's production yield and allow costs to drop dramatically. In other words, Sony can ship a Cell chip with one defective SPE (out of its eight) as a working product, since the chip only uses seven SPEs to begin with.

"This is the ultimate aesthetic. The number of SPEs we equip to the Cell and how many we will actually use are two different things. I wanted to adopt the idea of 'redundancy' to the development of semiconductors. Logic LSIs, excluding memory chips, are considered defective and un-shippable if just one transistor or line doesn't work. If the Cell's final chip dimension is about 200 square millimeters, making one without any defects is extremely difficult. We can't reach our anticipated production yield with that. Of course we'll take various measures to lower the defect density, but that won't be enough. But by considering one or two SPEs as a redundancy from the very beginning, we can still use a Cell chip even if it's partially defective," Kutaragi said, who also revealed that a similar scheme would also be used for the PlayStation 3's RSX graphics processor.

"An interesting question is what will be done with the Cell chips that only have six working SPEs," continued Kutaragi. "We won't use it for the PS3, of course. Rather, I'm seriously thinking about using two of these chips to create a home server. Home servers have less of a constraint in case size and board dimension when compared to the PS3, and we can make enough space for two Cell chips. That will make it a product with a total of twelve SPEs. This is possible with the Cell since it can use as many SPEs as it needs. And this will bring a use to Cell chips that aren't fit for the PS3."

Kutaragi went on to explain that one of the reasons why the Cell chip for the PS3 was announced to run at 3.2GHz at E3 was due to heat issues. Back when the chip was first announced at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), its spec said that the chip could run at 4GHz. "We could create a 4GHz Cell if we were aiming to sell it for a high-end computer," Kutaragi said. "There's also the issue of heat. We might have had to create the PS3 with a bigger body if we adopted a 4GHz chip for it."

Kutaragi commented that the PS3's detachable hard drive would most likely be 80GB, since that is the standard capacity of a general 2.5-inch hard drive. "We're going to run an all-purpose OS on it." Kutaragi said, which seems to back up his previous comments that he plans to pre-install Linux on the PS3's HDD.

Kutaragi was asked if he has any plans to add a DVD recorder or home server capability to the PS3. "In that case, you'll need at least one Terabyte of disc space" he said. "Even that much space won't be enough if it's going to be HDTV compliant. To put that much HDD space into this machine is impossible. Rather than to equip some mediocre amount of HDD space, it's better to make it detachable. There's also the possibility of a home server equipped with the Cell chip. But when we first release it as a game machine, we won't need a HDD."

Kutaragi also talked about his decision to adopt Blu-ray for the PlayStation 3 rather than wait a bit longer to see if the Blu-ray and HD-DVD factions would come to a final conclusion on a unified disc standard. "E3 was the last chance," Kutaragi said. "The PS3 is the console of the future, so I wanted an extreme amount of capacity. But for that, we need cutting-edge technology, and not technology that is currently available. My suggestion was to come to an agreement with a physical format that is as close to [the Blu-ray's] 0.1mm as possible. But the PS3 launches in Spring 2006. If we had continued to wait for a unified standard, we wouldn't be able to release the PS3. We no longer have any more time. It's game over."

Kutaragi strongly stressed that he has no plans to compromise on the Blu-ray's 0.1mm physical format, which gives it the upper hand to HD-DVD in terms of capacity. However, he said that he could wait until Spring 2006 to see if Sony and Toshiba could come up with a unified standard that's still based on the Blu-ray's physical format. As long as the change is only in the disc's logical structure, the PS3 can still adapt to it with some software updates. Despite Kutaragi's comments, it has been reported that the Toshiba and Sony are still in negotiations to work on a standard format.

Kutaragi also talked about the look of the PS3, commenting that he and Teiyu Goto, the console designer of the original PlayStation and the PS2, decided to give the PS3's body a curved surface after considering shapes that hadn't existed in either consoles or computers in the past. When asked if the curved surface made developing internal architecture difficult, Kutaragi said that internal architecture was already being considered when the body was designed, like where the BD-ROM reader's motor and connectors would be placed, as well as how heat would be released. Kutaragi also stated that he prepared three PS3 mock-ups for E3 in silver, white, and black. He settled on the silver one, after gathering a consensus from a variety of different developers and distributors.

"When we released the PlayStation in 1994, Nintendo's Famicom was mainstream," Kutaragi said. "We wanted to create a game machine that wouldn't lose to them, so it's true that we were conscious about the Famicom when we decided on the PS's color and shape. When we released the PS2 in 2000, our goal was to make it blend in naturally with home electronics. We wanted it to be lying around the TV, but not as a game machine, and we worked hard on its DVD playback capabilities. When people used the [original] PS, they'd take it out and unwrap the controller's cord, and then put it back when they're finished playing with it. I hated that. Home electronics always sit right next to a TV, and home electronics are black, so we made sure that the PS2 was black. However, the PS3 will go beyond home electronics and computers. There is no prior example to what the PS3 will be."