We have been rather excited about the 64-bit PowerPC variant being developed for 3DO Co (CI No 2,488). Unfortunately, we fell foul of the public relations machine. The chip will certainly have a 64-bit data bus, which is necessary for quick input-output, but internally it will have 32-bit registers. So what we have is not a variant of the massively powerful PowerPC 620; if anything, the 3DO chip is more likely to be a stripped-down affair akin to one of the embedded processors. The chip is being designed jointly by Motorola Inc and IBM Corp at the Somerset design facility and both companies will have the rights to manufacture and sell the part, should they wish. 3DO will get first go at using the processor, and it will be subsequently be made available to other manufacturers, although we are not as yet aware of which they will be.
