Pundits have made comparisons between versions of Activision and Infinity Ward's upcoming Sony PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Microsoft Xbox 360 video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was pointed out that CoD4: Modern Warfare looks no better on the Sony PS3 than it does on rival console Microsoft Xbox 360. This prompted IBM Cell Project architect Jim Kahle to react.

Kahle said that the next-generation of gaming is taking on more than just pushing graphics to extremes. He indicated that artificial intelligence (AI) will be higher on the priority list than ever before. He said:

I think we've got to get back to where is this edge of graphics going to be. I'm not sure that pushing the graphics all the way to the extreme edge is where people are going to go. It's going to be the simulation part, the AI.

Kahle adds that there are many characteristics going into games. "You haven't seen the full power of the PlayStation [3] exploited yet," he adds. "That's what we worked on... we still have a ways to go."

IBM was the manufacturer tapped by Sony during the process of designing its high-end PS3 game console to design a processor that would be powerful enough to give the Sony PlayStation 3 a "future-proof" effect.

The release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by Activision and Infinity Ward, on the other hand, is among the most anticipated gaming events this year. It's the first iteration in the Call of Duty franchise to take the setting out of World War II and into contemporary time frames. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare comes out for Microsoft Windows-based PCs as well.

Our source recently had an interview with Jim Kahle, the brains behind the PS3's Cell. Yep, he's the man behind the cell. This guy's really a pro when it comes to microprocessor stuff, as he's been working on it for about two decades now. He's also one of the founding members of the Somerset Design Center, which "designs chips formed by Apple, Motorola and IBM", as well as the chief architect of IBM's Power 4 microprocessor.

Now that his gargantuan credentials got you convinced of his "Cell authority," let's move on to the interview itself.

Basically, he said that the Cell chip designs were finished around 2004, and they have been working on improvements ever since. There's the cost reduction factor plus better performance factor, which spells good news for PS3 fans (come on, a cheaper and better Cell is bound to make anyone happy, right?).

In regards to future plans, Kahle said that they're aiming for a teraflop chip by 2010, which is about four or five time faster than the current Cell installed on the PS3. He added that it's also possible for the Cell to go outside the PS3's realm, as "it will be useful in high-performance computing and open another set of markets."

Also, the Cell might be fused with the graphics chip, like what Sony did with the PS2's Emotion Engine back then. However, Kahle says that they have to look at how it will affect the Cell's performance: "I don't know if it is inevitable. We have to understand the pros and cons of it."

Hmmm... sounds like there's much in store for the PS3's tiny Cell. I'm definitely looking forward to the cost-reduced-but-way-better-performance" part. Hopefully it will get implemented really soon.