The PS3 may not have made record sales this year but it sure has managed to show its power in the field of research. Earlier this year we had mentioned of how an array of PS3s were used for research over illnesses. Well now the researchers at the University of Alabama and University of Massachusetts have answered a question about the nature of black holes - not with the use of a supercomputer, but with the processing power of a cluster of 16 PS3s. They could have rented processor time from a supercomputer specifically designed for that sort of scientific calculations. Instead, they used 16 Sony PlayStation 3 consoles. Through the PS3 and its Cell processor, astrophysicists have solved the mystery about the vibration of black holes, and at which speed said vibrations, cease. A cluster of this sort could be managed at $6,000, but additional costs are incurred when further simulations are needed. With their PS3 Gravity Grid, the savings lies in a single investment, and no additional cost when requiring future simulations.

The perks about this manner of setup, aside from the efficiencies of cost, reside in technical demands of the research. While a large number of calculations are typical for the operation, the RAM requirements are minimal, not to mention an awesome gaming setup to play when the researchers are on their time off.

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