PlayStation 3
The supercomputer for your living room.
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, followed by November 17 in North America and March 23, 2007, in Europe and Australasia. It competed primarily with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- thatgamecompany
- Director
- Jenova Chen
- Release year
- 2009
- Genre
- Adventure; Puzzle
- Distribution
- Free download, PlayStation Network (PS3)
- Playtime
- Approximately 20–30 minutes
Lore & Background
The PlayStation 3 was built around the custom-designed Cell Broadband Engine processor, co-developed with IBM and Toshiba. SCE president Ken Kutaragi envisioned the console as a supercomputer for the living room. It was the first console to use the Blu-ray disc as its primary storage medium, the first to be equipped with an HDMI port, and the first capable of outputting games in 1080p (Full HD) resolution. It also launched alongside the PlayStation Network online service and supported Remote Play connectivity with the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita handheld consoles. In September 2009, Sony released the PlayStation 3 Slim, which removed hardware support for PlayStation 2 games (though limited software-based emulation remained) and introduced a smaller, more energy-efficient design. A further revision, the Super Slim, was released in late 2012.
Reader's Guide
At launch, the PS3 received a mixed reception, largely due to its high price and limited selection of launch titles. The hardware was also costly to produce, and Sony sold the console at a significant loss for several years. However, the PS3 was praised for its technological ambition and support for Blu-ray, which helped Sony establish the format as the dominant standard over HD DVD. Reception improved over time, aided by a library of critically acclaimed games, the Slim and Super Slim hardware revisions, and multiple price reductions. Ultimately, the PS3 sold approximately 87.4 million units worldwide. Nearly 1 billion PlayStation 3 games had been sold worldwide. The PlayStation 4 was released in November 2013 as the PS3's successor. Sony began phasing out the PlayStation 3 within two years. Shipments ended in most regions by 2016, with final production continuing for the Japanese market until May 29, 2017.
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