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PlayStation 3 launch

PlayStation 3
Original PlayStation 3 logo

New PlayStation 3 logo
Original modelSlim modelSuper Slim model
  • Top: Original PlayStation 3 (2006)
  • Center: PlayStation 3 Slim (2009)
  • Bottom: PlayStation 3 Super Slim (2012)
Developer Sony Interactive Entertainment
Manufacturer Sony, Foxconn, Asus
Product family PlayStation
Type Home video game console
Generation Seventh generation
Release date
  • JP: November 11, 2006 (November 11, 2006)
  • NA: November 17, 2006 (November 17, 2006)
  • PAL: March 23, 2007 (March 23, 2007)
Retail availability 2006–2017
Discontinued
  • NZ: September 29, 2015
  • NA: October 2016
  • JP: May 29, 2017
Units shipped 80 million
(as of November 2, 2013)
Media
Operating system PlayStation 3 system software
CPU 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE and 8 SPEs
Memory 256 MB XDR DRAM system and 256 MB GDDR3 video
Storage 2.5-inch SATA hard drive (12 GB (super-slim only), 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB included) (user upgradeable)
Display
Graphics 550 MHz NVIDIA/SCEI RSX Reality Synthesizer
Sound
Controller input Sixaxis, DualShock 3, DualShock 4, Logitech Driving Force GT, Logitech Cordless Precision controller, standard USB controllers, GT Force, rhythm game controllers, PlayStation Move, PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Remote Control, GunCon 3, PlayStation Portable, Wonderbook, PlayStation Vita, keyboard and mouse
Connectivity
Online services PlayStation Network
Best-selling game Grand Theft Auto V, 20 million (as of January 8, 2014)
Backward
compatibility
Predecessor PlayStation 2
Successor PlayStation 4
Website playstation.com/ps3

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the successor to PlayStation 2, and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November 17, 2006, in North America, and March 23, 2007, in Europe and Australia. The PlayStation 3 mainly competes against consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.

The console was first officially announced at E3 2005, and was released at the end of 2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium. The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services, including being the first to introduce Sony's social gaming service, PlayStation Network, and its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, being able to remote control the console from the devices. In September 2009, the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released. It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games. It was lighter and thinner than the original version, and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design, as well as a minor start-up change in software. A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012, further refining and redesigning the console.

The system had a slow start in the market but managed to recover, particularly after the introduction of the Slim model. Its successor, the PlayStation 4, was released later in November 2013. On September 29, 2015, Sony confirmed that sales of the PlayStation 3 were to be discontinued in New Zealand, but the system remained in production in other markets. Shipments of new units to the United States ended in October 2016. Heading into 2017, Japan was the last territory where new units were still being produced until May 29, 2017 when Sony confirmed the PlayStation 3 was discontinued in Japan.


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Wikipedia

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