The healing power of PlayStation 3

Critical Gamer writes: There has been a lot of hype about the power of the Cell processor residing inside the PlayStation 3. Whether or not we will see its full power being exploited remains to be seen, but it has been put to good use by medical researchers in America with the folding@home project.

I’m sure a lot of PS3 owners are unaware of the program folding@home residing on their PS3. This little piece of software has been designed by boffins at Stanford University in the USA, and is used to perform mathematical calculations of proteins when they misfold in the human body. I know you’re probably wondering what I’m wittering on about, so here’s what it is all about.

[Jim Crikey]

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Why don't all machines do this?

[Shadow Flare]

I know that pc's use folding@home as well. I think all computers should use this as every little helps. Wii doesn't have it as it doesn't really have the power for the tasks at hand, and Stanford university said that the 360 is of limited help to them

http://n4g.com/news/37648/x...

[ImpartialMan]

Just pure terms of CPU.
PS3 CPU is 3 times more capable than Xbox.
"And in terms of performance measured in gigaflops, the PS3 tops out at nearly three times that of the Xbox. "- IGN
http://gear.ign.com/article...

for a same gen console, that is extremely large difference. Also the reason why 360 does not have folding@home as Shadow Flare said

[Anton Chigurh]

folding@home
Didn't heal my shoulder injury. I better go to a real doctor. /s

[ImpartialMan]

dump post.
do you realize the importance of protein folding to finding cure to many diseases and many other scientific advancements??

only injury you have is stupidity. and no doc can fix that

[Hideo_Kojima]

Calm down he was just joking :-/

[scruffy_bear]

My problem is I can't do anything with my PS3 when using folding@home if it was in the background I would use it more

[Shadow Flare]

If I'm using my ps3 just to play some music in my room, then I'll put on folding@home since it plays music while it does it

[rdgneoz3]

Yep, I do the same. Turn folding@home on and play a little music.

[lolzers]

I'm going to start doing it because my ps3 is very rarely on. Might as well do some good for the world.

[jneul]

that is because you own a 360 and pretend it's a ps3 every day....

[lolzers]

I don't own a 360 you spacker. It may come as a blow, but some people don't worship a piece of plastic and metal the same way you do.

EDIT:It's amusing how you get labeled as being a 360 owner because you dare to downplay anything wrong with the ps3. I haven't owned a 360 for over 2 years, I sold it because it had nothing out I wanted.

Which would be the same fate for my ps3 if it had nothing coming out next year. This year has been dismal.

[skyblue14213]

n/a

[jneul]

yeah gow iii, heavy rain, 3d dot heroes, wkc, rof, ffxiii, modnation racers, 3d dot heroes, demon souls (eu), move, sports champions, start the party,tumble
thats alot of game/peripherals already out this year that i bought alone, not to mention upcoming games such as time crisis, the fight, gt5.
if that is a lack of games then i call you blind

[Dan50]

Music
You can play music you have on the HDD and use the web browser. :D

[Cubes]

Microsoft should be supporting folding@home as well on the 360. Bill Gates is always seen donating money to charity, so why not help with this project? They should try and get it integrated into the OS of PC's, Mac's and all the consoles, and have it running in the background.

[metsgaming]

yea the 360 fans would never us it. Not because they dont care per say but because they dont want to risk it overheating and causing RROD.

[trevonn95]

lol
good point

[Mr2Good3]

there to busy play modern warfare 2.

[Trroy]

MS won't support folding @ home on the 360, and I'll tell you why:

The TFLOPs fact reports like this one.

A task like protein folding is something the Cell processor is exceptionally good at (as you can see from the numbers) -- and the 360 would look weak, in comparison, despite its being a decent games console.

MS will never, ever, do something that would make the 360 look markedly inferior to the PS3. Like having folding@home. Doesn't matter to them if it saves lives or not. It would be bad publicity, and would hurt their brand, and that's all they care about. Sad but true.

Honestly the RRoD issue mentioned in a comment above is also a concern. MS doesn't want *every* old 360 coming back for a free refurb. The publicity issue is the main reason, though.

[Dan50]

Microsoft will charge money to use it.
They hate the word free its their other F word. :P

[Truth]

+Bubbles

I spit Rockstar through my nose. It burns, but it was worth the laugh.

[ElementX]

I use my console for gaming and blu-rays, sorry. I also turn off my console when it's not being used for said activities.

[GoldPS3]

PS3 heals while 360 kills. XD

Sorry I had to say it.

[big_silky]

Too bad it can't cure the crippling mental illness, paranoia and fanboyism of the console's owners...

[JBaby343]

If You Think PS3 Owners Can Be Bad...
You haven't spent much time around 360 owners.

Edit: I realize not all 360 owners are fanboys.

[earbus]

Cure its lack luster jap crap games line up.

[onanie]

I suppose we can't expect the ps3 to cure everything, especially racism and stupidity.

[4LC4PON3]

I gotta agree with some above. if the Program was in the Background & you could still play then it would be a Greatly used feature by many more & myself.

But I play my PS3 Alot & I just dont have the time to get off to run the Program.

[Neko_Mega]

best time
Do it when you are sleeping and just have it play music. I leave my ps3 on just to listin to music while I sleep.