- Many American kids may be disappointed on Christmas morning
because the Sony PlayStation 2 they wanted wound up in Iraq.
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- Both the U.S. Customs Service and the FBI are investigating
the apparent transfer of large numbers of Sony PlayStation 2s to Iraq,
according to military intelligence sources.
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- A secret Defense Intelligence Agency report states that
as many as 4,000 of the popular video game units have been purchased in
the United States and shipped to Iraq in the last two to three months.
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- What gives? Does Saddam Hussein have an extraordinarily
long Christmas shopping list? And why would U.S. military and intelligence
officials be concerned about such a transfer?
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- Two government agencies are investigating the purchases
because the PlayStations can be bundled together into a sort of crude super-computer
and used for a variety of military applications, say intelligence sources.
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- "Most Americans don't realize that each PlayStation
unit contains a 32-bit CPU -- every bit as powerful as the processor found
in most desktop and laptop computers," said one military intelligence
officer who declined to be identified. "Beyond that, the graphics
capabilities of a PlayStation are staggering -- five times more powerful
than that of a typical graphics workstation, and roughly 15 times more
powerful than the graphics cards found in most PCs."
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- A single PlayStation can generate up to 75 million polygons
per second. Polygons, as noted in the DIA report, are the basic units used
to generate the surface of 3-D models -- extremely useful in military design
and modeling applications.
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- "When I first saw this report, I was highly skeptical,"
said an intelligence source. "So, I did some checking with computer
experts I know within the Department of Defense. From what they tell me,
bundling these video game units is very feasible."
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- Additionally, Sony will make the process even easier
with planned upgrades to the system. Beginning early next year, you can
purchase a plug-in, 3.5 gig hard drive for the PlayStation, along with
interface units that allow integration into the World Wide Web. If the
Iraqis have trouble developing military software for the PlayStation computer
system, they can probably find needed assistance on the Internet, say U.S.
intelligence sources.
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- What could Iraq do with such a primitive super-computer
constructed with Sony PlayStation 2s?
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- "Applications for this system are potentially frightening,"
said an intelligence source. "One expert I spoke with estimated that
an integrated bundle of 12-15 PlayStations could provide enough computer
power to control an Iraqi unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV -- a pilotless
aircraft."
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- Iraq has been working on development of UAVs for several
years as a possible platform for delivering chemical weapons, say intelligence
experts.
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- Bundled PlayStation computers could also be used to calculate
ballistic data for long-range missiles, or in the design of nuclear weapons,
they add. Iraq has long had difficulty calculating the potential yield
of nuclear devices -- a critical requirement in designing such weapons.
Networking these computers might provide a method for correcting this deficiency,
said one intelligence source.
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- So, why doesn't Saddam Hussein simply buy computers or
workstations from friendly nations or on the black market? While this is
a possibility, current United Nations sanctions prohibit the sale or transfer
of virtually all types of computer hardware and technology to Iraq. However,
computer-based video game systems -- like the PlayStation 2 -- are not
included in the ban. Iraq's scientists and engineers have apparently found
a convenient loophole in the U.N. sanctions.
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- Defense experts say it is also relatively easy to smuggle
PlayStations into Iraq, since customs inspectors don't view toys as potential
military weapons. Jordanian and Turkish inspectors rarely examine "small"
shipments under 100 pounds, making it possible to send large numbers of
PlayStations into Iraq without arousing suspicion.
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- The Sony PlayStation 2 is one of the most popular all-in-one
home entertainment systems of its kind. At just over 4 pounds, it contains
a 300 MHz-driven, 128-bit CPU. In addition to a plethora of new games designed
to utilize PlayStation 2's hardware, it can play games from the original
PlayStation's library, audio compact discs and DVD movies.
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- Not only has Saddam Hussein apparently found a creative
way around the computer embargo, he has helped to exacerbate the Sony PlayStation
2 shortage reported in many parts of the United States. eToys.com and other
e-tailers are sold out of the units and not expecting any more shipments
in time for Christmas.
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