Sony unveils academic PS3 dev kit

Speaking at the Games/Edu strand of the Develop Conference 2009, SCEE R&D’s Sarah Lemarie has confirmed that a PS3 dev kit designed for academia is now in closed beta.

"I have exciting news. We have started a PS3 Academic Development Programme, and we’re refering to the dev kits as mini-dev kits, which I can best describe as being in a closed beta stage at present. We’ll be opening this beta up slowly," confirmed Lemarie, who works as SCEE R&D’s education contact and support infrastructure development team manager.

"Of course universities can use Linux to program on the PS3," added Lemarie, "but I would really strongly recommend that if you are interested in the PS3 you look into this, as the experience you will get over Linux is quite incredible."

The dev kit includes a consumer sized PS3 with a low power function, two USB ports, and a full SDK.

"We’re making PhyreEngine available as part of this program," added Lemarie.