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The PlayStation 3 (officially marketed PLAYSTATION 3 commonly abbreviated PS3) 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,[5] which contrasts with Sony's former policy of relying on game developers for online play.[6] Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities,[7] connectivity with the PlayStation Portable,[8] and its use of a high-definition optical disc format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium.[9] The PS3 was also the first Blu-ray 2.0-compliant Blu-ray player on the market.[10]

The PlayStation 3 was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan,[11] November 17, 2006 in North America,[12] and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania.[13][14] Two SKUs were available at launch: a basic model with a 20 GB hard drive (HDD), and a premium model with a 60 GB hard drive and several additional features[15] (the 20 GB model was not released in Europe or Oceania).[16] Since then, several revisions have been made to the console's available models.[17]



Manufacturer Sony, Foxconn and ASUSTeK for SCEI[1]
Product family PlayStation
Type Video game console
Generation Seventh generation era
Retail availability November 11, 2006
(details)
Units sold 22.73 million (as of March 31, 2009)[2] (see below)
Media Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD (all models)
Super Audio CD (20 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB (CECHExx models)
Operating system XrossMediaBar
system software version 2.80[3]
CPU 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE & 7 SPEs
Storage capacity 2.5" SATA hard drive
(20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, or 160 GB included) (upgradeable)
Graphics 550 MHz NVIDIA/SCEI RSX 'Reality Synthesizer'
Controller input Sixaxis, DualShock 3
Connectivity (details)[show]
Flash memory input
MemoryStick/PRO/Duo*
SD/MMC*
CompactFlash/Microdrive*
Audio/video output

HDMI 1.3a out
S/PDIF out
AV Multi out
composite video/stereo audio cable**
S-Video cable
SCART cable
Component video cable
D-Terminal cable
Other

IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi***
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
4 × USB 2.0
(2 x in 40 GB model)
Wired gigabit Ethernet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*60 and 80 GB models
**included in box
***40, 60, and 80 GB models
Online services PlayStation Network
Backward
compatibility PlayStation (all models)
PlayStation 2 (20 GB, 60 GB and CECHExx 80 GB models)
Predecessor PlayStation 2