PLAYSTATION 3

2006

LAUNCH

2562 GAMES

OFFICIALLY RELEASED

87 MILLION

UNITS SOLD WORLDWIDE

PLAYSTATION
MEETS
Blu-Ray

PLAYSTATION 3

2006

The PlayStation 3 is the successor to the PlayStation 2, the best selling console of all time. The PlayStation 3 development is rumored to have begun in 2001 when Sony began a collaboration with IMB and Toshiba in developing the cell microprocessor. Sony would officially unveil the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005 at E3.

The PlayStation 3 was released on November 11, 2006 in Japan and on November 17, 2006, in North America. Initially, it was sold in two configurations which were the 20 GB and 60 GB models. The PlayStation 3 also came with a Sixaxis controller which is a wireless Bluetooth controller which would eventually be replaced by the DualShock 3.

Ambition

With the unworldly success of the PlayStation 2 (188 million units sold) Sony was hoping to top that with the PlayStation 3. Sony, confident in the success of the PlayStation 3 decided to sell the PlayStation 3 console initially at a loss of The PlayStation 3 was the first console ever to implement use of Blu-Ray technology. PlayStation also introduced the Sixaxis controller which worked based on motion similar to a Wii controller. The PlayStation 3 even came with Linux pre-installed at one point allowing you to boot the operating system straight from your PS3. The U.S Airforce even build a supercomputer made of a cluster of PlayStation 3's due to their reliable and affordable nature.

Blu-Ray

The addition of Blu-Ray has a lot to do with the success of the PlayStation 3. These disc's allowed for a total of 54GB of data to be stored on them compared to the PlayStation 2's discs which only held 4.7 GB of data. This 10x jump in disc storage now allowed for HD games with better textures, longer cut scenes, and just overall more content. One of the physical advantages of PlayStation's switch to Blu-Ray is that those discs don't scratch, or at least not as easily, unlike the traditional PS1 and PS2 discs that would look like they were used as a cutting board from simple wear or loose storage.

Legacy

While the PlayStation 3 did not see the commercial success of the PlayStation 2 the console modernized PlayStation, it introduced the PlayStation Network or PSN as known by many. The PlayStation 3 is the first PlayStation that shipped with a wireless controller. The first PlayStation to have Wi-Fi (outside of PSP and PSX). PlayStation 3 is also the first to use the Blu-Ray disc which to this day is still used in physical media for current PlayStation consoles.