The folks at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications are experimenting with the use of the Sony Playstation 2 as a computing platform.  They’ve gone as far as creating a cluster of PS2s.  While this may sound weird, it actually makes a lot of sense.  The PS2 contains a custom CPU that is optimized for vector calculations (which are used quite a bit in graphics programming).  Further, a Linux kit is available for the PS2 that allows it to be used as a general purpose computing node.  The price-to-performance ratio makes it quite attractive, if the full potential of the chip can be obtained.

Besides, this is the sort of thing appeals to a geek on a deep level.  There’s something about taking something and doing something useful with it that it was never intended to do that brings a real sense of accomplishment.

Link via Slashdot.