PlayStation 3

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PlayStation 3 logo
PlayStation 3
Manufacturer Sony, Foxconn and ASUSTeK for SCEI[1]
Type Video game console
Generation Seventh generation era
First available Flag of Japan November 11, 2006
Flag of the United States November 17, 2006
Flag of Europe March 23, 2007
Flag of World (More...)
System storage 2.5" SATA hard drive
(20 GB, 60 GB, or 80 GB included)
Controller input Up to 7 SIXAXIS controllers
Connectivity
(details)
Flash memory

Memory Stick Duo*
SD/MMC*
CompactFlash*
Audio/video
HDMI 1.3
Component video
Composite video
S-Video
Optical digital audio
Analog stereo audio
Other
802.11b/g Wi-Fi*
Bluetooth 2.0
4 × USB 2.0
Wired Ethernet
*60/80 GB versions only
Online service PlayStation Network
Units sold 4.28 million, as of June 30, 2007. (details)
Units shipped 6 million (details)
Top-selling game Resistance: Fall of Man
Backward
compatibility PlayStation
PlayStation 2
Predecessor PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 3 (プレイステーション3, Pureisutēshon Surī?, trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[2] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by 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.[3] The system was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan and on November 17, 2006 in the United States. Its primary storage media is the Blu-ray Disc, though it also supports DVDs, CDs, and SACDs.[4][5] It can output high-definition video for both video games and movies in up to 1080p resolution.

It was initially available in two configurations, the 20 GB Basic model and the 60 GB Premium model. However, the 20 GB model was discontinued in North America on April 11, 2007, due to a lack of consumer demand.[6] While still available in Japan, it was not released at all in PAL territories.[7] On May 21, 2007, Sony announced that it would be releasing the PS3 in South Korea in only one configuration, featuring an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV compatibility.[8] On July 9, 2007, the 80 GB model was released in North America.[9]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
o 1.1 Launch
o 1.2 Retail configurations
+ 1.2.1 Differences
o 1.3 Sales and pricing
* 2 Games
o 2.1 Development
o 2.2 Backward compatibility
+ 2.2.1 Removal of hardware support
* 3 Software
o 3.1 Operating system
o 3.2 Graphical user interface
o 3.3 Linux
o 3.4 PlayStation Network
o 3.5 PlayStation Home
o 3.6 PlayStation Portable connectivity
o 3.7 PlayStation 3 cluster
* 4 Hardware
* 5 Publicity and reception
* 6 References
* 7 External links

History

Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005, during the E3 2005 conference. A functional version of the system was not present there,as a working system was not readily available due to power failures and hardware problems, nor at 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).[10] The system was initially planned to have two HDMI ports and three Ethernet ports, though this was later reduced to one of each, presumably to cut costs.[11]

On September 22, 2006, at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that it would be including HDMI on all versions of the system, and reducing the launch price on 20GB models by over 20%;[12] the 60GB version of the system has an open pricing scheme.[12] Sony demonstrated 27 playable PS3 titles during the Tokyo Game Show running on final hardware.[13]

Launch

Main article: PlayStation 3 launch

The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006, at 07:00. There were reports that many of the initial systems were obtained by businessmen who paid mainly Chinese nationals to buy the system without any software to resell on eBay.[14] According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.[15]

Soon after its release in Japan, the PS3 was released in North America on November 17. Reports of violence surrounding the release of the PS3 include a customer shot,[16] campers robbed at gunpoint,[17] customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,[18] and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems.[19]

The PS3 was launched in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on March 23, 2007. After the first two days of sales, the system had sold approximataly 600,000 units.[20]

Retail configurations
Feature 20 GB[5] 60 GB[5] 80 GB[5]
Upgradeable hard drive Yes, 20 GB Yes, 60 GB Yes, 80 GB
Blu-ray Disc drive Yes Yes Yes
HDMI 1.3[21] Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth 2.0 Yes Yes Yes
1000BASE-T Ethernet Yes Yes Yes
Chrome trim No Yes Yes
IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi No Yes Yes
Flash card readers No Yes Yes

As of September 2007, there are three retail configurations of the PlayStation 3: a 20 GB model, a 60 GB model, and an 80 GB model (the xx GB names referring to the size of the internal hard drive of the system). All retail packages include one SIXAXIS controller, one USB cable, one composite video/stereo audio output cable, one Ethernet cable and one power cable.[22] The 80 GB model includes a copy of the hit title MotorStorm.[23]

At its launch in Japan and North America in November 2006, two versions of the system were released; the 20 GB model and the more expensive 60 GB model with additional features. Sony discontinued the 20 GB model in the US and Canada on April 11, 2007, citing a lack of "consumer demand",[24] though it is still on sale in Japan.

On May 21, 2007, Sony announced that only one model would be released in Korea, featuring an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV compatibility.[8] Sony Korea has stated that IPTV feature was added to the Korean version in order to keep up with FTTP, which is widely available in Korea.[8]

On July 9, 2007, Sony announced a North American 80 GB model, to be available beginning August 6, 2007.[25][26][27] On July 12, 2007, SCEE announced a Starter Pack bundle in Europe, including a second SIXAXIS controller and two first-party titles from a given selection, to sell at the same price as the standalone model. SCEE stated that there were no plans to introduce an 80 GB model or to drop the price for the 60 GB model in Europe.[28]

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves has stated that there are currently no plans for an 80 GB system to be released in PAL territories, and that a 20 GB version is "highly unlikely."[29]

Differences

In addition to all of the features of the 20 GB model, the 60 GB model has internal IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, multiple flash card readers (SD/MultiMedia Card, CompactFlash, Memory Stick) and a chrome coloured trim.[5] In terms of hardware, the 80 GB model released in Korea is identical to the 60 GB model released in European territories, except for the difference in hard drive size.[8] IPTV compatibility is supported through software and could potentially be added to other models of the system.[25][26][27] Like the Korean and European models, the North American 80 GB model also excludes the PlayStation 2 EE chip, instead providing PS2 compatibility via software emulation, thereby reducing the level of compatibility (see Removal of hardware support for more details).

No official Wi-Fi or flash memory card readers have yet been released by Sony for the 20 GB system, although plans for such add-ons are in place.[30] Nevertheless, as both models feature four USB 2.0 ports, wireless networking and flash memory card support can already be obtained through the use of widely available external USB adapters.

As of early September 2007, there are rumors circulating that Sony will release a 40 GB model of the PS3 in the US for the holiday season, to be priced at $399.99, and that they will drop the price of the 80 GB model to $499.99. Also, a copy of Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray will reportedly be packed in with one or both of the units.[31]

Sales and pricing

See also: PlayStation 3 launch — Release data and pricing

Region Units sold First available
Japan 1,143,798 as of September 3, 2007[32] 11 November 2006
North America 1,498,800 as of July 23, 2007[33] 17 November 2006
PAL territories 1,300,000 as of August 23, 2007[34] 23 March 2007 (more...)
Worldwide 4.28 million as of June 30, 2007[35]

The PlayStation 3's initial production cost is estimated to have been US$805.85 for the 20 GB model and US$840.35 for the 60 GB model;[36] however, they were priced at US$499 and US$599, respectively.[37] The high manufacturing costs meant that every unit was sold at a loss of approximately $250,[36] contributing to Sony's games division posting an operating loss of ¥232.3 billion (US$1.97 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 2007.[38] In April 2007, soon after these results were published, Ken Kutaragi, the head of gaming at Sony, announced plans to retire. Various news agencies, including The Times[39] and The Wall Street Journal[40] reported that this was due to poor sales, whilst SCEI maintains that Kutaragi had been planning his retirement for six months prior to the announcement.[40]

Since the system's launch production costs have been reduced significantly as a result of phasing out the EE chip[41] and falling hardware costs.[42][43] The cost of manufacturing Cell microprocessors has fallen dramatically as a result of moving to the 65 nm production process[44][43] and Blu-ray diodes being around $100 cheaper to manufacture.[42][45]

The cumulative reduction in production costs is as follows:

* Blu-ray (cost reduction: US$100)
* Cell B.E. (cost reduction: US$29 – US$40)
* EE removal (cost reduction: US$27)
* Chipset Modifications: Sony has removed a CXD9208GP, 2 RDRAM chips (US$5), and some passives and are planning on moving the RSX graphics chip from 90 nm to 65 nm production process and "the unification of separate smaller ICs — such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi — into single chip solutions and a change to a more specialized Southbridge." (cost reduction: unknown)

This brings the total cost reduction to at least $156 excluding the chipset modifications. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53]

On July 8, 2007, Sony announced a price drop in which the 60 GB model would sell for US$499; a new 80 GB model would sell for US$599 starting August 6, 2007.[25][26][27] According to Amazon.com, the price cut caused the PlayStation 3 to move up in Amazon's rankings by 3200%.[54] A few days after the initial price drop announcement, SCEE president David Reeves and SCEI president Kaz Hirai both confirmed that the "price drop" was in fact a sale price intended to eliminate stock of the 60 GB unit, the production of which had actually been halted at the time of the price drop announcement. After all 60 GB units were sold, only the 80 GB unit was to remain in stores in the U.S., selling for US$599.[55] On August 30, 2007, SCEA senior director of corporate communications Dave Karraker stated that it had sold and shipped all of its remaining North American 60 GB models to retailers, and that the company no longer has any inventory in its warehouses.[56] According to spokeswoman Kimberly Otzman, retailer supplies for the North American 60 GB model will probably last through October 2007.[57]

On January 7, 2007, Sony met its goal of shipping 1 million units to North America.[58] Just over a week later, on January 16, 2007, Sony confirmed they had shipped 1 million units in Japan, bringing the worldwide total to over 2 million shipped.[59] As of April 1, 2007, approximately 5.5 million units had been shipped worldwide.[38]

In the worldwide marketplace, PlayStation 3 is currently behind its competitor systems, the Xbox 360 and the Wii, both overall and in monthly sales. In Japan the Wii outsold the PS3 by 3 to 1 in August, 4 to 1 in July, 6.5 to 1 in June, 5.6 to 1 in May and 4 to 1 in April;[60][6