The Race for a New Game Machine: Creating the Chips Inside the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3

by David Shippy and Mickie Phipps

Book Overview

A series of secret business deals and design decisions led a creative development team to design a single microprocessor core, the heart and soul of the two biggest competing gaming consoles. Told by the two leaders of that very design team, The Race for a New Game Machine tells the exciting inside story of the race to create the revolutionary chip that powers both the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806531010
• ISBN13: 9780806531014
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Non-Fiction with a Novel's Appeal

Not normally a fan of non-fiction outside my own areas of expertise, I found this book an amazingly entertaining view into a world of which most of us are unaware - even though its products routinely touch our lives. A "How It's Made" with a story line worthy of a TV drama, this book runs the gamut from engineering to corporate intrigue. Five stars for successfully bridging the technology/storyteller gap.

A good read for Gamer Geeks

Fast read, could have divulged more "secrets" but all in all I would recommend it to anyone who loves computers or video games.

Engaging, Educational, Suspenseful, Entertaining

What an exciting book that is especially powerful in being told by the chief engineer of the project. Shippy is a genuine, open, fair minded,and entertaining hero. It is inspirational to see the team building and leadership principles that are involved in the completion of this "impossible" task. I highly recommend this book!

Exciting Race by heroes on the cutting edge of innovation!

From my first understanding of the concept of the "impossible" goal I couldn't stop reading this story of how a widely diverse group of people came together to accomplish the impossible. As the leadership gathered the team, I was amazed at the respect and accomplishments of each member. Creating something new that takes the game world to another level didn't come easy. It took innovation, risks, complex ideas and some of the greatest minds in the world working together to meet huge demands all in the space of a little processor chip. The project faced a time schedule that put the team into a vortex of deadlines, reports, updates and meetings, as the list of all that this new chip needed to do grew longer and longer. The coordination of speed, space, power, graphics, heat and design was enough to tax any engineer, but when the pressure really came on was when both super powers commissioned them to produce similar products on the same timeline. The people in the book are so real that I feel that I have been through long hours into the night with them, slaving to get it right, eating on the run, figuring out how to make it reach all of their goals. My favorite part of the book is the way the leaders keep everybody going with positive feedback, encouragement, dedication, focus, persistence, imagination and a firm belief in the team. They faced controversy, obstacles and "bugs" as they continued to forge ahead, determined to succeed. I don't play the games, design chips, manage projects or do I.T. but I learned a lot along the way as I followed this race. I highly recommend it!

This is a fantastic read!

Race for a New Game Machine reads like a Dan Brown novel. It has corporate intrigue, plot twists, and heroes. The reader is hooked from the opening page and the adventure doesn't stop until the end! It is a story of four technnology superpowers vying for supremacy in the gaming market, as well as making their mark on home computing history. David is a likable hero who takes us along on this ride, as he leads a team of engineers in the creation of the microprocessor that defines the technological advance these superpowers seek. This design team, brought to life in this book, is the soul of this new technology. The story is loaded with funny, interesting, and exciting moments that give the reader the experience of knowing and being a part of the adventure! I think it would make a great movie!