Sony bolsters PS3 SDK, slashes price

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 20 November 2007 00:10

Your IT - Entertainment

Sony has dramatically reduced the price of its software development kit for the PlayStation 3 by almost 50 percent while adding features that were previously sold separately by a Sony subsidiary.

The PS3 Reference Tool - the hardware and software bundle used to develop PS3 games - now costs ¥950,000, $US10,250 or €7500.

The software side of the package is enhanced with the addition of several tools from SN Systems.

The ProDG programming tool is now included in the PS3 SDK, and may now be used on the Debugging Station as well as the Reference Tool, further helping to reduce development costs. "Adding this new capability to assist game title development will contribute to cost efficiency and overall productivity," Sony officials said.

The new SN Compiler will become the standard compiler for the PS3, producing code for the Cell processor from C++ source and working more efficiently for improved productivity. A beta release is scheduled for mid December.

The SN Linker is up to eight times faster than its predecessor, Sony officials claim. Build times can be further reduced by using the SN Distribute Build System to harness the power of multiple PCs for the task. According to Sony officials, compile times are reduced by around 80 percent when six PCs are used.

Whether the price cut is an attempt to spur further development efforts or a reflection of economies of scale is moot.

Sony officials sad "As more and more new titles are developed for the PS3 format, SCEI will significantly reduce the price of the Reference Tool in order to contribute to the cost saving measures of the development community," suggesting further cuts are ahead.

Some commentators suggest the change smacks of desperation, and that the company needs a killer game in order to keep up with the Xbox 360 and Wii. They reason that such a game is more likely to appear if the number of companies developing for the platform can be boosted. With major games costing tens of millions to develop, it's hard to see that saving around $US10,000 per Reference Tool will make that much difference to the choice of platform.

The news follows recent changes to price cuts and changes to the hardware specifications of the PS3 itself.