Sony PlayStation

The PlayStation ) brand is a series of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Spanning the fifth,sixth, and seventh generations of video gaming, the brand was first introduced on December 3, 1994 in Japan.[1] The brand consists of a total of three consoles, a media center, an online service, a line of controllers and a handheld as well as multiple magazines. The first console in the series, the PlayStation, was the first video game console to ship 100 million units after 9 years and 6 months of its initial launch.[2] Its successor, PlayStation 2, is the best-selling console to date, having reached over 150 million units sold as of January 31, 2011.[3] Sony's current console, PlayStation 3, has sold over 50 million consoles worldwide as of March 29, 2011.[4] The first handheld game console in the PlayStation series, PlayStation Portable (PSP), has sold a total of 67.8 million units worldwide as of February 25, 2011.[5] The PlayStation Vita, an upcoming handheld being developed by Sony as a successor to the PlayStation Portable, is set to be released in the first quarter of 2012 in the US. Other hardware released as part of the PlayStation series includes the PSX, a digital video recorder which was integrated with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, though it was short lived due to its high price and was never released outside Japan as well as a Sony Bravia television set which has an integrated PlayStation 2. The main series of controllers utilized by the PlayStation series is the DualShock, which is a line of vibration-feedback gamepad having sold 28 million controllers as of June 28, 2008.[6] The PlayStation Network is an online service with over 69 million users worldwide (as of January 25, 2011).[7] It comprises an online virtual market, the PlayStation Store, which allows the purchase and download of games and various forms of multimedia, a subscription-based online service known as PlayStation Plus and a social gaming networking service called PlayStation Home, which has over 14 million users worldwide.[8] PlayStation Suite is an upcoming software framework that is aimed to provide PlayStation content cross-platform and cross-devices; currently only Androidand the PlayStation Vita devices are supported. Content set to be released under the framework consist of only original PlayStation games currently.[9] Current-generation PlayStation products also use the XrossMediaBar, which is an award-winning graphical user interface.[10] A new touchscreen-based user interface called LiveArea is being designed for the PlayStation Vita, which integrates social networking elements into the interface. Additionally, PlayStation 2 and original PlayStation 3 consoles also featured support for Linux-based operating systems, though this has since been discontinued. The series has also been known for its numerous marketing campaigns, the latest of which being the "It Only Does Everything" commercials in the United States. The series also has a strong lineup of first-party titles due to Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, a group of fifteen first-party developers owned by Sony Computer Entertainmentwhich are dedicated to developing first-party games for the series. In addition, the series features various budget re-

releases of titles by Sony with different names for each region; these include the Greatest Hits, Platinum and The Best ranges of titles.

PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (3 Pureisutshon Sur?, officially abbreviated as PS3.[6]) 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 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan,[7] with international markets following shortly thereafter.[8][9][10]

PlayStation 3

Original (left) and slim (right) PlayStation 3 consoles

Main article: PlayStation 3 Released on November 11, 2006, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the series. It competes with the Xbox 360 and the Wii in the seventh generation of video game consoles. It is the first console in the series to introduce the use of motion controls in games through the use of the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller along with other features, such as Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Full Highdefinition resolution graphics capability. The PlayStation 3 comes in 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB, 120 GB, 250 GB, and 320 GB, with only the 160, and 320 being the current models. Like its predecessors, a slimmer redesigned model of the console has been released. As of December 25, 2010, the PlayStation 3 has sold 41.5 million units worldwide according to Sony Computer Entertainment.
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[edit]Redesigned Model Main article: PlayStation 3 Slim Released in 2009, the redesigned model of the PlayStation 3 is the only model in production. The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than previous

models.

[25][26]

In addition, it features a redesigned cooling system and a smaller Cell processor which
[27]

was moved to a 45nm manufacturing process. weeks on sale.

[28]

It sold in excess of a million units within its first 3

The redesign also features support for CEC (more commonly referred to by its

manufacturer brandings of BraviaSync, VIERA Link, EasyLink and others) which allows control of the console over HDMI by using the remote control as the controller. The PS3 slim also runs quieter and is cooler than previous models due to its 45 nm Cell. The PS3 Slim no longer has the "main power" switch (similar to PlayStation 2 slim), like the previous PS3 models, which was located at the back of the console.
[25]

It was officially released on September 1, 2009 in North America and Europe and on
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September 3, 2009 in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.