At E3, Microsoft and Sony announce their next generation consoles, the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3. The specs on both boxes are amazing, the game demonstrations are similarly impressive. Both consoles are similarly wired for Internet-based services, though Microsoft’s service seems to be a more impressive package, and they both support DVD playback, have removable hard drives, etc. It has been said by others, better than I could say it, that the war for the living room is on.

I think I know how Sony can win.

Linux

The answer, to me, is obvious. What Sony needs to do is ship, in the box with the PS3, a Linux distribution on CD’s. It’s an optional install. Provide the world with API’s and references to allow clustering between the PS3 and personal computers. Provide X11 support for the graphics chips, much the way that OSX leverages the GPU in Mac OS X 10.4.x.

Suddenly, many non-gamers will want to buy PS3’s. You want a cheap webserver that can handle any load? Use the PS3 as a router, plug it into your DSL line, and your computers into the PS3, and you have a high performance Apache box. You want a render farm, on the cheap? Buy two or three PS3 and plug them into your workstation, via gigabit ethernet, and presto, you’re online.

All Sony has to do, of course, is allow developers to play with the box, and not screw it up like they did with ATRAC.