The University of Massachusetts is now also beginning to harness the PS3 as a super computer. University researchers have released to the public an instruction guide on how to setup the PS3 as a supercomputer. This, the researchers hope, will be a be good low-cost alternative for more expensive supercomputing research.

Universities usually rent supercomputers at $1 per hour, with usage usually reaching 5,000 hours. But with this solution they can make their own supercomputer at the same cost.

Daisy chaining 8 PS3s sounds like a cool geek idea. This could become a secondary market for PS3s especially since it’s lagging at third place in sales.