The PlayStation 3 (officially marketed PLAYSTATION 3,[5] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 is competing with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
A major feature that distinguishes the PlayStation 3 from its predecessors is its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network,[6] which contrasts with Sony's former policy of relying on game developers for online play.[7] Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities,[8] connectivity with the PlayStation Portable,[9] and its use of a high-definition optical disc format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium.[10] The PS3 was also the first Blu-ray 2.0-compliant Blu-ray player on the market.[11]
History
Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005, during the E3 2005 conference.[19] A functional version of the system was not present there,[20] nor at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005,[21] although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots[20]) were held at both events on devkits and comparable PC hardware.[20][21]Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire).[22] Video footage based on the predicted PlayStation 3 specifications was also shown (e.g. 
The initial prototype shown in May 2005 featured two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports;[23] however, when the system was shown again a year later at E3 2006, these were reduced to one HDMI port, one ethernet port and four USB ports, presumably to cut costs.[16][24] Two hardware configurations were also announced for the console: a 20 GB model and a 60 GB model, priced at $499 (€499) and $599 (€599), respectively.[16] The 60 GB model would be the only configuration to feature an HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, flash card readers and a chrome trim with the logo in silver.[16] Both models were announced for a simultaneous worldwide release: November 11 for Japan, and November 17 for North America and Europe.[25]
On September 6, 2006, Sony announced that the PAL region (Europe and Oceania) PlayStation 3 launch would be delayed until March 2007, due to a shortage of materials used in the Blu-ray Disc drive.[26]
At the Tokyo Game Show on September 22, 2006, Sony announced that it would include an HDMI port on the 20 GB system, but a chrome trim, flash card readers, silver logo, and Wi-Fi would not be included.[27] Also, the launch price of the Japanese 20 GB model was reduced by over 20%,[28] and the 60 GB model was announced for an open pricing scheme in Japan.[28]PS3 titles running on final hardware.[29] During the event, Sony showed 27 playable
Launch
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006 at 07:00.[12] According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.[30]
Soon after its release in Japan, the PS3 was released in North America on November 17, 2006.[13] Reports of violence surrounding the release of the PS3 include a customer shot,[31] campers robbed at gunpoint,[32] customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,[33] and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems.[34]
On January 24, 2007, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would go on sale on March 23, 2007 in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand.[14][15] The system sold about 600,000 units in its first two days.[35] On March 7, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Singapore with a price of S$799.[36] The console was launched in South Korea on June 16, 2007 in a single version equipped with an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV.[37]
Retail configurations
- For more details on this topic, see Timeline of PlayStation 3 SKUs.
There are five PlayStation 3 hardware models that are commonly referred to by the size of their included hard disk drive: "20", "40", "60", "80" and "160" GB models.[16][38]
All retail packages include one or two Sixaxis controllers and/or a DualShock 3 controller (beginning June 12, 2008[39][40]), one miniUSB to USB cable (for connecting the controller to the system), one composite video/stereo audio output cable, one ethernet cable (20, 60, and 2007 80 GB only) and one power cable.[38][41][42]
Hardware and accessories
Hardware
The PlayStation 3 is convex on its left side when vertical (the top side is convex when horizontal), and has a glossy black finish with the Playstation logo on the left side.[111] Playstation designer Teiyu Goto stated that the Spider-Man font-inspired logo "was one of the first elements [SCEI president Ken Kutaragi] decided on and the logo may have been the motivating force behind the shape of PS3."[112]
The PlayStation 3 features a slot-loading 2x speed Blu-ray Disc drive for games, Blu-ray movies, DVDs, CDs, and other optical media.[113] It was originally available with hard drives of 20 and 60 GB[114] (only the 60 GB model was available in PAL regions).[17] An 80 GB model has since been introduced in NTSC regions,[115] and a 40 GB model has been introduced in all regions.[116][117] All PS3 models have user-upgradeable 2.5" SATA hard drives.[118]
The PlayStation 3 uses the IBM-designed Cell microprocessor as its CPU, utilizing seven of the eight "synergistic processing elements" (often shortened to SPE).[119] The eighth SPE is disabled to improve chip yields (i.e. chips do not have to be discarded if one of the SPEs is defective).[120][121] Only six of the seven SPEs are accessible to developers as one is reserved by the OS.[121] Graphics processing is handled by the NVIDIA RSX 'Reality Synthesizer', which can output resolutions from 480i/576i SD up to 1080p HD.[113] The PlayStation 3 has 256 MB of XDR main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory for the RSX.[122]
The system has Bluetooth 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and HDMI 1.3a built in on all currently shipping models.[113] Wi-Fi networking is also built-in on the 40, 60 and 80 GB models while a flash card reader (compatible with Memory Stick, SD/MMC, and CompactFlash/Microdrive media) is built-in on 60 GB and current 80 GB models.[113][122]
The PS3's hardware has also been used to build supercomputers for high-performance computing.[123] Terra Soft Solutions has a version of Yellow Dog Linux for the PlayStation 3,[124] and sells PS3s with Linux pre-installed,[125] in single units, and 6 and 32 node clusters.[126] In addition, RapidMind is pushing their stream programming package for the PS3.[127] Also, on January 3, 2007, Dr. Frank Mueller, Associate Professor of Computer Science at NCSU, clustered 8 PS3s. Mueller commented that the 512 MB of system RAM is a limitation for this particular application, and is considering attempting to retrofit more RAM. Software includes: Fedora Core 5 Linux ppc64, MPICH2, OpenMP v2.5, GNU Compiler Collection and CellSDK 1.1.[128][129][130]
On March 22, 2007, SCE and Stanford University released the Folding@Home project for the PlayStation 3.[131] This program allows PS3 owners to lend the computing power of their consoles to help study the physical process of protein folding.
Accessories
- See also: PlayStation 3 accessories and DualShock
Numerous accessories for the console have been developed including the wireless Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers, the BD Remote, the PlayStation Eye camera and the PlayTV DVB-T tuner/digital video recorder accessory.[132][133]
At its press conference at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced the DualShock 3 (trademarked DUALSHOCK 3), a PlayStation 3 controller with the same function and design as the Sixaxis, but with vibration capability included.[134] Hands-on accounts describe the controller as being noticeably heavier than the standard Sixaxis controller, and capable of vibration forces comparable to the DualShock 2.[135] It was released in Japan on November 11, 2007,[136] in North America on April 15, 2008,[137] in Australia on April 24, 2008, in New Zealand on May 9, 2008, in Europe on July 2, 2008,[138] and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 4, 2008
