Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are pretty cool toys, but with a simple adjustment they could both become powerful tools for science, helping researchers trace evidence of extraterrestrial life and testing possible cures for cancer. What's missing? A distributed computing client for game consoles.
The next generation of console gaming is going to see a huge increase in machine performance and overall computing power. Already planned for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are multiple 3.2-GHz PowerPC processors capable of handling advanced gaming and graphics simulations, along with out-of-the-box internet capabilities such as Xbox Live Silver. With all that horsepower in a machine that is used for only a fraction of a day, we should offer gamers a chance to put these unused resources to good use.
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