Pluto Probe Is Powered By The Same CPU As A PlayStation

Pluto Probe Is Powered By The Same CPU As A PlayStation

This week, the world has looked on with awe as the New Horizons probe sent back the first ever detailed pictures of Pluto. Those images weren’t taken using the latest technology, though; New Horizons launched in January 2006, and was obviously designed and built even earlier.

So the gear inside is a little more primitive than what you’d put in a probe today. Case in point: the CPU powering the mission is a 32-bit MIPS R3000 processor. The same one used in the Sony PlayStation (via The Verge).

Not the PS2. The original PlayStation. Basic and low-fi by even 2005 standards, sure, but hey, it worked! And is still working, nearly a decade on, despite the best efforts of (quite literally) time and space.


The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans

Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


13 responses to “Pluto Probe Is Powered By The Same CPU As A PlayStation”