GameSpot News' sister site, ZDNN, has printed an interesting report on Sony's Emotion Engine - the brains behind the next generation PlayStation. More specifically, the article looks at the potential financial hardship Sony will face in keeping the new system's cost low enough for mainstream users (considering the PlayStation is the most popular mainstream console ever).

　　"For Sony, the enormous size of the chips means that initial PlayStation 2 consoles will be downright uneconomical," according to a research report from MicroDesign Resources.

　　The firm predicts the Emotion Engine and its graphics synthesizer will cost US$130 each to make. That means Sony will have to spend more than $300, and probably nearer to $400, just to build a PlayStation 2, not including the $1 billion Sony will pay to help its partner, Toshiba Corp., build two new chip factories. The original PlayStation retailed for $299.

　　Sony's Harrison bristled at the numbers. "No 'arbitrary third-party report' could know Sony's business model or the actual cost to Sony of making the chips," he said. Harrison also commented that "We would not have entered into the business with this design unless we were sure we could make it work."

　　For a complete look at the wrangling between Sony's Phil Harrison and other industry sources, click to the link on the right.