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The PlayStation 3 (プレイステーション3, Pureisutēshon Surī?, trademarked PLAYSTATION®3, commonly abbreviated PS3) is a video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. In sales and market share, it is currently in third place. The console was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan and shortly after on November 17, 2006 in North America, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Its primary storage media is the Blu-ray Disc, while also supporting SACDs, DVDs, and CDs. It can output high-definition video for both video games and movies via a HDMI 1.3 port, supporting up to 1080p HD resolution. After a recent software update, DVD-Video, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games can be upscaled to high-definition; however, copy-protected content (such as commercial DVDs) can only be upscaled over HDMI.
It was initially available in two configurations, the 20 GB Basic model and the 60 GB Premium model. The 20 GB model is still on sale in Japan; however, it was discontinued in North America on April 11, 2007, due to a lack of consumer demand. It was not released in PAL territories. On May 21, 2007, Sony announced that it would be releasing the PS3 in Korea in only one configuration, featuring an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV compatibility. In June, Sony stated that a release of the 20 GB model in PAL territories is "highly unlikely" and that there are no plans for a release of an 80 GB model in Europe. On July 9, 2007, Sony announced an 80 GB model will become available in August 2007 in North America.
Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005, during the E3 2005 conference. A functional version of the console was not present there, nor the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005, although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) were held at both events on devkits and comparable PC hardware. Video footage based on the predicted PlayStation 3 specifications was also shown (e.g., Mobile Suit Gundam). The console was initially planned to have two HDMI and three Ethernet ports, though this was later reduced to one of each, presumably to cut costs.
On September 22, 2006, at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that it would be including HDMI on all versions of the console, and reducing the launch price on Core models by over 20%; the Premium version of the console has an open pricing scheme. Sony demonstrated 27 playable PS3 titles during the Tokyo Game Show on final hardware. Wikipedia |
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