What a difference a month and several thousand gaming consoles makes. Sony
announced today that the 250,000 PS3s that have run Stanford's
Folidng@Home research program in the last month have delivered nearly 400
teraflops of computing power, nearly doubling the pre-PS3 computing capacity for the network. The PS3 has been a PR dream for the project too, leading to a "halo effect" increase of 20 percent in the number of PC folders, according to Sony.
A downloadable update for the PS3 version of the program will be available tomorrow, offering increased folding speed, better globe visibility and, most importantly, "the ability for users to create longer donor or team names." Finally, our dream of folding for Team "JoystiqSingleHandedlyCuresAllDiseases" can be realized.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tituspullo @ Apr 25th 2007 12:36PM
Gamer: i kinda wanted a gaming console. excuse me sony i wanted to play games..
sony: okay, we'll give you that movie BR player and we'll improve our PR by running your console night and day. what do you need games for? you can have this cool avatar and walk around and stuff.
Fernando Rocker @ Apr 25th 2007 12:36PM
I tougth the PS3 was for playing videogames... well... have a fun day playing with the Teraflops Jake.
Fernando Rocker @ Apr 25th 2007 12:49PM
*thought
Sloar @ Apr 25th 2007 12:54PM
I don't know what a "diesease" is, but I'm glad that the PS3 can figure it out.
Venator2000 @ Apr 25th 2007 12:59PM
I don't own a PS3, so forgive my ignorance, but are you even able to USE the Blu-Ray player to watch movies while running the Folding@Home program? I thought it was just a glorified screensaver, so all this shows is that no one is using their PS3s.
Almack64 @ Apr 25th 2007 1:01PM
@ #4
Yeah the PS3 is just so awesome like that. Its massive damage power pwns all dieseases.
Dolla Dolla @ Apr 25th 2007 1:13PM
Folding@Home will take such a hit when LAIR, Home, Heavenly Sword, LittleBigPlanet, MGS4, GTAIV, and FFXIII come out.
bounchfx @ Apr 25th 2007 1:16PM
Since there are no games to play yet.. why not I guess.. going towards a good cause!
FrankTheCrank @ Apr 25th 2007 1:19PM
Does Joystiq have a team number?
What is it?
DBX00 @ Apr 25th 2007 1:23PM
No games is a bit of a stretch...VF5, Motorstorm, Resistance, Oblivion, pretty much all the sports titles, PSN games, etc.
It may not have the huge library of its predessors, but it has only been on the market for like 5 months. Anyway, its nice to know my PS3 can be productive while I'm not using it and stand up to being on for 8-10 hours at a time. I don't think many other consoles could stand up to that claim with their launch batch. Heck, the XBOX360 probably couldn't pull that off with the newest revision.
stubbymonkey @ Apr 25th 2007 1:29PM
It would be used even more if it had a built in music player.
James @ Apr 25th 2007 1:36PM
PR like this is good for the industry as a whole. It will help soften the inevitable "videogame systems are the tools of Satan" memes that will pop up when GTA IV comes out. Fanboys stand down.
jaysins @ Apr 25th 2007 1:39PM
You know your a fanboy when you have to resort to insulting a charitable thing like this. Seriously, I'm all about the xbox and all but if Sony wants to help out a good cause, good PR or not, I'm just happy they do it. It's just ridiculous people use this as means to harp on Sony. You do it while not playing games ie asleep.
vidGuy @ Apr 25th 2007 1:43PM
Yes, but does it play Doom? ;)
Jake @ Apr 25th 2007 1:45PM
Curing diseases is a bad thing. For a species to survive, the weak must die while the strong carry on their traits. So, do the right thing for humanity and don't contribute to the propagation of weak genes, sometimes termed as curing diseases.
Our race is amazing in that the traits that help you succeed in our system are less desirable from a species propagation standpoint. The weak, ugly, criminal, stupid, and/or lazy people tend to have much more offspring and the strong, hardworking, attractive, intelligent, and/or morally respectable people.
(I am trying to twist this thread from fanboy frenzy to deep philosophical debate. Let's see how I do)
Arglor @ Apr 25th 2007 1:47PM
Heavenly Sword is released, Folding @ Home crashes to record lows!
Millions of Alzheimer's patients cry out in anguish.. then forget what made them angry.
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Apr 25th 2007 1:50PM
What's "Folidng@Home", and where do I find stats for Folding@Home?
Booxatron @ Apr 25th 2007 1:57PM
Amen, Jake!
The continued dominance of the human race relies completely upon the success of the PS3. Once the good games come along, people will stop folding, and the weak (and their defective genes) shall perish!
Phew!
Kiwi @ Apr 25th 2007 1:58PM
@16
looking at 18 I do believe your quest for peace and logic has been met with failure.
On a side note I am a pre-med student so rabble
rabble!
@18
I have lawled thanks to you. Thank you for this.
Monkeys
everywhere
Kiwi @ Apr 25th 2007 1:59PM
Oops, I meant 17 not 18 sorry!
Jonathan Tran @ Apr 25th 2007 2:05PM
This is just like Seti@home, or the Google research background things. Except um, I didn't pay $600+ to do those charity works.
Jake @ Apr 25th 2007 2:05PM
If Heavenly, MGS4, and FFXIII aren't released this year, the human race fails. Sony, Square, Konami, others, our species needs you now more than ever. Do the right thing. Release some kickass games; there isn't much time. Use your Killzone2 graphics to attack Folding Home for massive damage.
Game Artist @ Apr 25th 2007 2:22PM
I wonder if they will make a 360 executable?
Striderhayasa @ Apr 25th 2007 2:22PM
@dbx00
I'm with you on that. I'm getting mileage out of my PS3. It's a good console and I'm having a blast with the games I have. But then again I got mine for free and bought the Wii at launch soooooo I'm covered.
---------------------------------------------------
Folding I usually do overnight and while I'm work. I'm with Team Kotaku but I can't seem to check my stats against other members of Team Kotaku. Oh well. As long as I can help out it's all gravy.
Almack64 @ Apr 25th 2007 2:34PM
@ 22, Jon Tran
While I appreciate where you're coming from (I too feel the PS3 is a waste of money, I got one as a gift took it back for hundreds of dollars worth of target gift cards), I personally have to be fair and remind you that the PC that you used to do Seti@Home was not free either.
Jonathan Tran @ Apr 25th 2007 2:36PM
@26 true, but I need to have a PC. otherwise how could I post annoying Joystiq comments?
oGMo @ Apr 25th 2007 2:53PM
@1: The "PR" mentioned in this story is not PR for Sony. It's PR for the F@H project. Please read it again: "The PS3 has been a PR dream for the project too, leading to a "halo effect" increase of 20 percent in the number of PC folders". Note "for the project". Note the additional benefit for the project.
Yeah, Sony gets some bragging rights about how fast Cell is, but that's pretty much it. What altruistic efforts are Microsoft and Nintendo working on for the 360 and Wii? (Contrary to popular opinion, the Wii itself is not an altruistic effort.)
And as there are 10+ new AAA titles scheduled for the PS3 in its first year, plus a lot of lesser titles, and all the remaining PS2 titles, and all the backward-compatible titles, games are not much of an issue.
lobato @ Apr 25th 2007 2:59PM
Is it me or Jake has watched Idiocracy way too many times?
Anthony S @ Apr 25th 2007 3:38PM
With this new news would it be safe to say we have heard the last of: "But it cost 50 extra dollars for xbox live!!!" By my calculations it would cost me around 108.00 dollars a year to run this for my brother's PS3 and as of right now I receive none of the benefits of this but Sony receives tons.
ihavenoideawhatisgoingon @ Apr 25th 2007 3:51PM
"Our race is amazing in that the traits that help you succeed in our system are less desirable from a species propagation standpoint. The weak, ugly, criminal, stupid, and/or lazy people tend to have much more offspring and the strong, hardworking, attractive, intelligent, and/or morally respectable people. "
and
29. Is it me or Jake has watched Idiocracy way too many times?
Posted at 2:59PM on Apr 25th 2007 by lobato
Idiocracy is an awesome movie!!!! I finally got my wife to watch the beginning of it yesterday!! I love the first 5 minutes with that family tree!
rfom @ Apr 25th 2007 4:12PM
#13 "PR like this is good for the industry as a whole."
Well said James. When was the last time the movie industry did anything like this?
#30 Its not Sony doing this..even PCs do folding...its more a question of M$ not giving two hoots for something which doesnt add to their bottomline.
And you are free not to spend a single cent on this...your wish, and as far as I know, Sony doesnt care whetehr you do or not...am sure some researcher at Stanford does, though.
The 50 extra dollars you pay for xbox live is for a service EVERY other provider (PC / PS / Ninty) gives for free
lukee @ Apr 25th 2007 4:24PM
@Jake: I am sure hitler would agree with you.
Jake @ Apr 25th 2007 4:47PM
lobato, I honestly have never seen Idiocracy, and will add it to my blockbuster online que since it sounds like something I'd like.
lukee, you are an idiot. First off, I clearly was having a little fun with the post. Second off, facism and not wanting to keep people with genetic diseases alive are two completely different things. Hitler wanted everyone a certain way. You either had to change or die so in the end he could have a "master race".
What I am saying is that as we use and develop more anti-biotics we are breeding bacteria that is immune to everything. By keeping people alive with fatal illnesses, often linked to genetics, we are propagating genes that will lead other humans to be born sick. In the natural world, the strong survive and pass the genes. The weak die before they can court a mate, or are not strong enough for a suitable mate to want them.
In the human world, the weak get welfare, pills for their mental/physical illnesses, and screw like crazy, thus increasing the percentage of genetically weak people. By genetically weak, I don't mean race or religion, as Hitler was after. I mean your likelyhood of developing serious illnesses that require tons of resources to keep you alive so you can spread your bad genes and your intelligence and your propensity towards crime, all things with genetic and environmental links.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for how we do things and don't think we should change. If I or a loved one needs these new drugs and treatments, I want them available. But, at the same time, I am aware of the consequences of practicing reverse Darwism.
Are you? Fortunately, like global warming and diminishing resources and water, these issues won't seriously cause the shiite to hit the fan until we are too dead or old to give a damn.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Apr 25th 2007 5:27PM
How dead is too dead?
reppy @ Apr 25th 2007 5:39PM
Folding@Home sounds like some sort of misogynistic pejorative for a female.
Brian @ Apr 25th 2007 6:35PM
@10
Please tell me you're just trolling and aren't actually that ignorant. I mean, to even survive 15 days on infinite mode in Dead Rising, you have to have your 360 on and running for more than 30 hours (and that's if you play nonstop).
Brian @ Apr 25th 2007 6:41PM
Whoops, sorry for the doublepost.
Just so we're clear, Idiocracy is a humorous look at the basic premise of dysgenic theory...Hitler's 'solution' is not even in the same ballpark. Please don't godwin Luke Wilson movies :(
And yes, you're paying for the electricity for folding@home on your PS3, just like I am for it on my PC. It's for a good cause, but if the money really is hitting you a little hard and you want some back, keep in mind that you can calculate the electricity cost for the calendar year and apply it as a tax deduction for charitable donation.
steve Johnson @ Apr 25th 2007 7:10PM
I was wondering how the dumbshit xbots were going to spin this. How is this anything but good news? If you morons haven't noticed, we're ALL susceptible to cancer, so how is helping Folding at Home a thing to mock?
Guess the only answer would be some sort of warped, pea-brained jealousy that your console doesn't (or can't) do it.
I don't own a PS3, but I think what they're doing here is admirable, even though, yes, it does help their PR.
Matt @ Apr 25th 2007 9:29PM
Why do you need F@H when you have Jesus Christ (our lard and savior) to cure it for you?
Cthulhu8u @ Apr 25th 2007 10:14PM
Jake,
Your 15 & 33 comments are mislabelled (and misspelled) Darwi(n)ism. He never came up with the idea of "survival of the fittest" per se, but the media took what they understood and called it that, thus creating popular Darwinism. Which really wasn't Darwin's to begin.
"So, do the right thing for humanity and don't contribute to the propagation of weak genes, sometimes termed as curing diseases.
The weak, ugly, criminal, stupid, and/or lazy people tend to have much more offspring and the strong, hardworking, attractive, intelligent, and/or morally respectable people."
Actually, lukee is not wrong. Hitler's brand of fascism and your tongue-in-cheek(?) statements are synonymous with one another. I noticed above you say "sometimes". Concentration camps were also created to take care of the Bad Things you list above, while his ideas of Master Race and Leibenstraum would help propogate what he saw as the Good Things.
Hitler offed everyone he saw as weak including: certain races, all religions, political beliefs other than National Socialism, the mentally handicapped, the elderly, and homosexuals. I think that speaking out against curing a disease or to prevent solving genetic malfunctions could qualify as being Hitleresque.
So, in fact, Hitler didn't want everyone a certain way. If you didn't qualify as fit, you had to die.
But of course, your rant is just a big ol' joke...
Piemaster @ Apr 25th 2007 10:44PM
@Jake
You're right, humanity in general is pissing in the face of natural selection, but one has to wonder, since we have the ability, is it our duty to try to cure diseases, or should we let natural selection take its course and weed out the weak. To allow Homo sapiens to evolve into a higher life form, we would have to let natural selection take its course, but thats not likely to happen unless there is a major catastrophe that leads to the abandonment of major institutions (government, world organizations, etc.) that would lead to total anarchy. And then, the wrong kind of people would still end up gaining power and reproducing...
Rhyzz @ Apr 25th 2007 11:18PM
Folding @ Home is amazing! I used to run it constantly on my laptop. Gonna put it on my new PC when I build it.
JBDragon @ Apr 26th 2007 2:20AM
Well I guess you want to use your PS3 for something! Otherwise that $600 console is just sitting there collecting dust, except now it not only is doing that but folding also. WOW, how Exciting, what fun that must be. I guess Sony was really telling the Truth, it's NOT a Game console, but a computer. I guess when you have NO good games, you can have it sitting around doing this garbage. What a joke.
KyleK @ Apr 26th 2007 7:28AM
I was wondering: How much power does the PS3 use up when folding?