Play Station 3

The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii, as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
A major feature that distinguishes the PlayStation 3 from its predecessors is its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network, which contrasts with Sony's former policy of relying on game developers for online play. Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities, connectivity with the PlayStation Portable, and its use of a high-definition optical disc format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium. The PS3 was also the first Blu-ray 2.0-compliant Blu-ray player on the market.
The PlayStation 3 was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania.Two SKUs were available at launch: a basic model with a 20 hard drive (HDD), and a premium model with a 60 GB hard drive, and several additional features (the 20 GB model was not released in Europe or Oceania). Since then, several revisions have been made to the console's available models and it has faced competition from the other seventh generation consoles.As of July 17, 2008, the PS3 is in third place in US home console
History
Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005, during the 2006 conference. A functional version of the system was not present there,] nor at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005,although demonstrations 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: Crossfire).
The system was initially planned to have two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports, though, as shown at E3 2006, this was later reduced to one HDMI port, one ethernet port and four USB ports, presumably to cut costs. Two hardware configurations were also announced for the console: a 20 GB model and a 60 GB model, priced at $499 (€699) and $599 (€799), respectively.The 60 GB model would be the only configuration to feature an HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, flash card readers and a chrome trim with the logo in silver. Both models were announced for a simultaneous worldwide release: November 11 for Japan, and November 17 for North America and uk.
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.Also, the launch price of the Japanese 20 GB model was reduced by over 35%,and the 64 GB model was announced for an open pricing scheme in Japan. During the event, Sony showed 27 playable PS3 titles running on final hardware.
Launch
Main article: PlayStation 3 launch
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan . According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.
Soon after its release in Japan, the PS3 was released in North America on November 17, 2006.Reports of violence surrounding the release of the PS3 include a customer shot, campers robbed at gunpoint,customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems.
On January 24, 2007, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would go on sale on March 23, 2007 in Europe, Australia, the Middle East and New Zealand.The system sold about 900,000 units in its first two days. On March 7, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Singapore with a price of $799.The console was launched in South Korea on June 16, 2007 in a single version equipped with an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV.
Games
Main article: PlayStation 3 games
The PlayStation 3 launched in North America on November 17, 2006 with a total of twelve titles, with another three being released before the end of the year.[After five days of sales it was confirmed that first-person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man from Insomniac Games was the top-selling game, and was heavily praised by numerous video game websites, including GameSpot and IGN, both of whom awarded it with their PlayStation 3 Game of the Year award for 2006.Some titles missed the launch window and were delayed until early 2007, such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, F.E.A.R. and Sonic the Hedgehog. During the Japanese launch, Ridge Racer 7 was the top-selling launch title, while Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire also fared well in sales; both of which were offerings. The PlayStation 3 launched in Europe with twenty-four titles, including games that were not offered in the North American and Japanese launches, such as Formula One Championship Edition, MotorStorm and Virtua Fighter 5. Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm were the most successful titles of 2007 and both games are to receive sequels in the form of Resistance 2 and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.
At E3 2008, Sony announced a number of titles for their 2009 line-up, including The Agency, an MMO shooter allowing players to assume the role of secret agents, God of War III, the third installment to the popular hack and slash adventure series drawing on Greek mythology, inFamous, a brand new action title expanding on the ever-growing sandbox genre, Killzone 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to the hard sci-fi first-person shooter, and MAG: Massive Action Game, an online multiplayer shooter that supports up to 256 players simultaneously.