PlayStation 3
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"PS3" redirects here. For other uses, see PS3 (disambiguation).
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 Counter-clockwise from the top: Original logo, new logo, original "fat" model, DualShock 3 controller, later "slim" model. |
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| Developer | SCEI |
| Manufacturer | Sony EMCS, Foxconn, ASUSTeK[1] |
| Product family | PlayStation |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Seventh generation |
| Retail availability | November 11, 2006 |
| Units sold | 70 million (as of November 4, 2012)[2] (IDC January 2013 estimate: "about 77 million")[3][4] |
| Media |
|
| Operating system | XrossMediaBar System software version 4.40 (March 20, 2013)[5] |
| CPU | 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE & 6 SPEs |
| Storage capacity | 2.5-inch SATA hard drive (20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB included) (upgradeable) |
| Memory | 256 MB system and 256 MB video |
| Display | |
| Graphics | 550 MHz NVIDIA/SCEI RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' |
| Sound | |
| Controller input | Sixaxis, DualShock 3, Logitech Driving Force GT, Logitech Cordless Precision controller, standard USB controllers, GT Force, Rhythm game controllers, PlayStation Move, GunCon 3, PlayStation Portable, Keyboard and Mouse |
| Connectivity | |
| Online services | PlayStation Network |
| Backward compatibility |
PlayStation (all models) PlayStation 2 (20 GB, 60 GB and some (CECHExx) 80 GB models) |
| Predecessor | PlayStation 2 |
| Successor | PlayStation 4 |
| Website | playstation.com/ps3/ |
The console was first officially announced at E3 2005. Originally set for a spring 2006 release date, it was delayed several times until finally hitting stores at the end of the year. It was the first and currently only console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium.[12] Major features of the console include its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network,[13] and its[14] connectivity with the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita,[15] In September 2009 the updated PlayStation 3 Slim, was released. This Slim is lighter and thinner than the original version, although lacks PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility (removed on later original models), but notably featured a re-designed logo and marketing design. As of November 4, 2012, 70 million PlayStation 3s have been sold worldwide. Its successor, PlayStation 4, is set for a Q4 2013 release.
Contents |
History
Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 (then marketed as PLAYSTATION 3[16]) to the public on May 16, 2005, at the E3 2005 conference,[17] along with a 'boomerang' shaped prototype design of the Sixaxis controller.[18] A functional version of the system was not present there,[19] nor at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005,[20] although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots[19]) were held at both events on software development kits and comparable personal computer hardware.[19][20] Video footage based on the predicted PlayStation 3 specifications was also shown (notably a Final Fantasy VII tech demo).[21] The initial prototype shown in May 2005 featured two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports;[22] however, when the system was shown again a year later at E3 2006, these were reduced to one HDMI port, one Ethernet port and four USB ports, presumably to cut costs.[23][24] Two hardware configurations were also announced for the console: a 20 GB model and a 60 GB model, priced at US$499 (€499) and US$599 (€599), respectively.[23] The 60 GB model was to be the only configuration to feature an HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, flash card readers and a chrome trim with the logo in silver.[23] Both models were announced for a simultaneous worldwide release: November 11, 2006, for Japan and November 17, 2006, for North America and Europe.[25]On September 6, 2006, Sony announced that the PAL region PlayStation 3 launch would be delayed until March 2007, due to a shortage of materials used in the Blu-ray drive.[26] At the Tokyo Game Show on September 22, 2006, Sony announced that it would include an HDMI port on the 20 GB system, but a chrome trim, flash card readers, silver logo and Wi-Fi would not be included.[27] Also, the launch price of the Japanese 20 GB model was reduced by over 20%,[28] and the 60 GB model was announced for an open pricing scheme in Japan.[28] During the event, Sony showed 27 playable PS3 games running on final hardware.[29]
Launch
Main article: PlayStation 3 launch
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006, at 07:00.[8] According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.[30] Soon after its release in Japan, the PS3 was released in North America on November 17, 2006.[9] Reports of violence surrounded the release of the PS3. A customer was shot,[31] campers were robbed at gunpoint,[32] customers were shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,[33] and 60 campers fought over 10 systems.[34]The console was originally planned for a global release through November, but at the start of September the release in Europe and the rest of the world was delayed until March.[35] With it being a somewhat last-minute delay, some companies had taken deposits for pre-orders, at which Sony informed customers that they were eligible for full refunds or could continue the pre-order.[36] On January 24, 2007, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would go on sale on March 23, 2007, in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand.[10][11] The system sold about 600,000 units in its first two days.[37] On March 7, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Singapore with a price of S$799.[38] The console was launched in South Korea on June 16, 2007, as a single version equipped with an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV.[39]
PS3 Slim and console rebranding
Following speculation that Sony was working on a 'slim' model, Sony officially announced the PS3 CECH-2000 model on August 18, 2009, at the Sony Gamescom press conference.[40][41] Among its features are a slimmer form factor and quieter noise when powered on. It was released in major territories by September 2009. As part of the release for the slim model, the logo was changed from the "Spider-Man font" and capitalized PLAYSTATION 3 to a more traditional PlayStation- and PlayStation 2-like 'PlayStation 3' logo with "PS3" imprinted on the console. Along with the redesigning of the console and logo, the boot screen of all consoles changed from "Sony Computer Entertainment" to "PS3 PlayStation 3", with a new chime and the game start splash screen being dropped. The cover art and packaging of games has also been changed.[41]Console configurations
System unit
Main article: PlayStation 3 hardware
The PlayStation 3 is convex on its left side, with the PlayStation
logo upright, when vertical (the top side is convex when horizontal) and
has a glossy black finish. PlayStation designer Teiyu Goto stated that
the Spider-Man-font-inspired logo "was one of the first elements SCEI president Ken Kutaragi decided on and the logo may have been the motivating force behind the shape of PS3".[42]The PlayStation 3 features a slot-loading 2x speed Blu-ray Disc drive for games, Blu-ray movies, DVDs, CDs and other optical media.[43] It was originally available with hard drives of 20 and 60 GB (20 GB model was not available in PAL regions)[44][45] but various sizes up to 320 GB[46][47] have been made available since then (see: model comparison). All PS3 models have user-upgradeable 2.5" SATA hard drives.[48]
The PlayStation 3 uses the Cell microprocessor, designed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM, as its CPU, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based "Power Processing Element" (PPE) and eight Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs).[49] The eighth SPE is disabled to improve chip yields.[50][51] Only six of the seven SPEs are accessible to developers as the seventh SPE is reserved by the console's operating system.[51] Graphics processing is handled by the NVIDIA RSX 'Reality Synthesizer', which can produce resolutions from 480i/576i SD up to 1080p HD.[43] The PlayStation 3 has 256 MB of XDR DRAM main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory for the RSX.[52]
The system has Bluetooth 2.0 (with support for up to 7 bluetooth devices[53]), gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and HDMI 1.4[1] built in on all currently shipping models. Wi-Fi networking is also built-in on all but the 20 GB models, while a flash card reader (compatible with Memory Stick, SD/MMC and CompactFlash/Microdrive media) is built-in on 60 GB and CECHExx 80 GB models.[43][52]
The PS3's hardware has also been used to build supercomputers for high-performance computing.[54] Fixstars Solutions sell a version of Yellow Dog Linux for the PlayStation 3 (originally sold by Terra Soft Solutions).[55] RapidMind produced a stream programming package for the PS3,[56] but were acquired by Intel in 2009. Also, on January 3, 2007, Dr. Frank Mueller, Associate Professor of Computer science at NCSU, clustered 8 PS3s. Mueller commented that the 256 MB of system RAM is a limitation for this particular application and is considering attempting to retrofit more RAM. Software includes: Fedora Core 5 Linux ppc64, MPICH2, OpenMP v 2.5, GNU Compiler Collection and CellSDK 1.1.[57][58][59] As a more cost-effective alternative to conventional supercomputers, the U.S. military has purchased clusters of PS3 units for research purposes.[60] Retail PS3 Slim units cannot be used for supercomputing, because the PS3 Slim lacks the ability to boot into a third-party OS.
On March 22, 2007, SCE and Stanford University released the Folding@home software for the PlayStation 3.[61] This program allows PS3 owners to lend the computing power of their consoles to help study the process of protein folding for disease research.
In December 2008, a group of hackers used a cluster of 200 PlayStation 3 computers to crack the security protocol SSL.[62]
Original model
No official Wi-Fi or flash memory card readers were ever released by Sony for the 20 GB system, although Sony had plans to do so.[80] As of September 2009, Sony have placed no further emphasis on these proposed add-ons.[79] Nevertheless, as the model features 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 and third-party PS3-specific media hubs.[70]
It was rumored that the Cell processors in the third-generation PS3s (40 GB, 2008 80 GB (CECHL,CECHM,CECHK) and 160 GB) would move from a 90 nm process to the newer 65 nm process,[81] which SCEI CEO Kaz Hirai later confirmed,[82] and later to 45 nm. This change lowers the power consumption of the console and makes it less expensive to produce.[83]
Slim model
The PS3 slim was officially released on September 1, 2009, in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009, in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.[40][84][89][90] However, some retailers such as Amazon.com, Best Buy and GameStop started to sell the PS3 slim on August 25, 2009.[91][92] The PS3 Slim sold in excess of a million units in its first 3 weeks on sale.[93] A 250 GB Final Fantasy XIII-themed PS3 Slim, which was white in color with pink designs, was officially announced on September 24, 2009 at the Tokyo Game Show as part of a bundle in Japan for Final Fantasy XIII, it was initially revealed in U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings as the PS3 CECH-2000B.[94][95] Sony Computer Entertainment Australia also announced later that day that it would be bringing the 250 GB PS3 slim to Australia which would be bundled with other games and will not feature the Final Fantasy XIII theme. Although no North American bundles have been announced for the 250 GB PS3 slim, it is sold as a stand-alone console in North America.[96]
In July 2010, Sony announced two new sizes of Slim PS3, 160 GB and 320 GB, with the 120 GB model being discontinued in Japan.[47] These were launched on July 29, 2010, in Japan, with the 160 GB version available in "Classic White" as well as the standard "Charcoal Black".[47] The black 160 GB version was also made available as a bundle with the Japan-only DVR accessory torne.[46] It was later announced that the new sizes were to be launched in other regions, with the 160 GB model available from August 2010 in North America[97] and October 2010 in Europe.[98] The 320 GB model is to be available in North America only as part of a bundle with PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and a copy of Sports Champions,[97] and in Europe with PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and a demo disc.[98] The bundles were released on September 19, 2010, and September 15, 2010, respectively, to coincide with the launch of PlayStation Move.[97][98]
Super Slim model
In September 2012, Sony announced that a new slimmer PS3 redesign (CECH-4000) was due to be released in late 2012 and that it would be available with either a 250 GB or 500 GB hard drive.[99]In PAL regions, the 250 GB model is not available; a model with 12 GB of flash memory (CECH-4000A) is available in its place.[100] A standalone 250 GB hard drive (CECH-ZHD1) is available to upgrade this model.[100][101] In the UK, the 500 GB model was released on September 28, 2012,[100] while the 12 GB model was made available on October 12, 2012.[100]
CECH-4000B consoles (those with hard drives) weigh approximately 2.1 kg (4.6 lb),[99][100] while the CECH-4000A weighs approximately 2.0 kg (4.4 lb).[101] Both are ≈25% smaller and ≈20% lighter than the original PS3 Slim. This version has a sliding disc cover rather than the slot-loading drive found on previous PlayStation 3 consoles.
A vertical stand (CECH-ZST1J) is also available for these models and launched on the same day as the consoles in their respective regions.[101]
Model comparison
Controllers and accessories
Main article: PlayStation 3 accessories
At Sony's E3 press conference in 2006, the then standard wireless Sixaxis controller was announced. The controller was based on the same basic design as the PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller but was wireless, lacked vibration capabilities, had a built-in accelerometer (that could detect motion in three directional and three rotational axes; six in total, hence the name Sixaxis) and had a few cosmetic tweaks.
At its press conference at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced the DualShock 3 (trademarked DUALSHOCK 3), a PlayStation 3 controller with the same function and design as the Sixaxis, but with vibration capability included.[157] Hands-on accounts describe the controller as being noticeably heavier than the standard Sixaxis controller and capable of vibration forces comparable to the DualShock 2.[158] It was released in Japan on November 11, 2007;[159] in North America on April 5, 2008;[160] in Australia on April 24, 2008; in New Zealand on May 9, 2008; in mainland Europe on July 2, 2008,[161] and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 4, 2008.
During E3 2009, Sony unveiled plans to release a motion controller later to be named PlayStation Move at GDC 2010. It was released on September 15, 2010, in Europe; September 19, 2010, in North America and October 21, 2010, in Japan.[162]
On October 13, 2010, Sony announced an official surround sound system for the PS3 through the official PlayStation YouTube channel.[163]
Reliability
Approximately half a percent of all consoles are subject to a failure that is indicated by the console failing to start up, and displaying a yellow light. In September 2009, BBC's Watchdog television programme aired a report investigating the issue, calling it the "yellow light of death" (YLOD). Among the approximately half a percent of all consoles that experience the failure, they found that it occurred usually between 18–24 months after purchase, while the standard Sony warranty covers one year after purchase. After this time, PlayStation 3 owners can pay Sony a set fee for a refurbished console.[166]
Sony claimed that, according to its statistics of returned consoles approximately only 0.5% of consoles were reported as showing the YLOD.[166] In response to the program Sony issued a document criticizing the program's accuracy and conclusions; specifically that the faults were evidence of a manufacturing defect. The document also complained that the report had been inappropriate in tone, and might do damage to Sony's brand.[167][168]
Operating system
System software
Main article: PlayStation 3 system software
Sony has included the ability for the operating system, referred to as System Software, to be updated.[169] The updates can be acquired in several ways:- If the PlayStation 3 has an active Internet connection, updates may be downloaded directly from the PlayStation Network to the PS3 and subsequently installed. Systems with active Internet will automatically check online for software updates each time the console is started.
- Using an external PC, a user may download the update from the official PlayStation website, transfer it to portable storage media and install it on the System.
- Some game discs come with system software updates on the disc. This may be due to the game requiring the update in order to run. If so, the software may be installed from the disc.[169]
Graphical user interface
Main article: XrossMediaBar – PlayStation 3 XMB
Digital rights management
The PlayStation 3 console protects certain types of data and uses digital rights management to limit the data's use. Purchased games and content from the PlayStation Network store are governed by PlayStation's Network Digital Rights Management (NDRM). The NDRM allows users to access the data from up to 5 different PlayStation 3's that have been activated using a user's PlayStation Network ID.[175] PlayStation 3 also limits the transfer of copy protected videos downloaded from its store to other machines and states that copy protected video "may not restore correctly" following certain actions after making a backup such as downloading a new copy protected movie.[176]Photo management
- Photo Gallery
- PlayMemories Studio
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