Ps3

The PlayStation 3 (officially marketed PLAYSTATION 3,[5] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and 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.
The system was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America and Asia, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania. It is the first console with next-gen primary storage media, Blu-ray Disc, though it also supports DVDs, CDs, and with some models SACDs.[6][7] It is capable of playing back content from Blu-ray Disc (BD) at a bit rate of multiplex 48Mbps, the maximum bit rate defined in BD standards.

History

Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 to the public on May 16, 2005, during the E3 2005 conference. A functional version of the system was not present there, as a working system was not readily available due to power failures and hardware problems, nor at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005, although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) 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).[8]

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.[9] Also announced were two configurations of the console, a “60 GB” and “20 GB”, for $599/€599 and $499/€499 respectively. The 60 GB would be the only configuration to feature a HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, and a chrome trim with the logo in silver. It was announced for a global release date, November 11th for Japan and November 17th for North America and Europe.

On September 6, 2006, Sony announced that the PAL region (Europe and Oceania) PlayStation 3 launch had been delayed until March 2007, due to a shortage of diodes used in the Blu-ray Disc drive.

On September 22, 2006, at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that it would be including HDMI on the 20 GB system with a silver logo, but not the chrome trim or Wi-Fi. Also, the launch price of the Japanese 20 GB models would be reduced by over 20%;[10] the 60 GB version of the system was announced for an open pricing scheme in Japan.[10] During the show, Sony demonstrated 27 playable PS3 titles running on final hardware.

Launch
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006, at 07:00. There were reports that many of the systems were obtained by businessmen who paid mainly Chinese nationals to buy the systems without any problems to resell on eBay.[12] According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.[13]

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,[14] campers robbed at gunpoint,[15] customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,[16] and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems.[17]

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. On March 7, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Singapore with a price of S$799.

The PS3 was launched in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on March 23, 2007. The system sold approximately 600,000 units in its first two days.[18]

On April 20, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Russia, priced at 21990 rub./US$880, including sales tax.

On April 27, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in India and Pakistan, priced at Rs39,990/$869, however smuggled components were available as early as December 2006, and were easily sold at around $1,500. Games cost about US$60.80. In Pakistan, the PlayStation 3 costs Rp. 30,000 ($500).[19]

On May 21, 2007, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would be launched in South Korea on June 16, 2007[20] in one configuration featuring an 80 GB hard drive.[21] This was the first time the PlayStation 3 had been released with a 80 GB hard disk, and it was speculated that the larger-capacity hard drive may be to accommodate IPTV applications,[22] such as the set-top box functionality for Korea Telecom’s MegaTV service launched November 20, 2007.[23] South Korea is one of four regions with the 80 GB PlayStation 3 model (North America, Singapore, and Mexico being the others).

In 2007, the 20 GB and 60 GB PlayStation 3 models were launched in Mexico. The 80 GB model bundled with Formula One Championship Edition is now on sale in Mexico for MXN$9,999.[24][25] Local PS3 game standard price is MXN$8,99.[26]

On June 16, 2007, the 80 GB PlayStation 3 model launched in South Korea. On August 6, 2007, the 80 GB PlayStation 3 model was released in North America, bundled with MotorStorm. On September 2007, the 80 GB PlayStation 3 model was released in Singapore.

On November 17, 2007, the 40 GB PlayStation 3 model launched in North America, bundled with Spider-man 3 on Blu-ray Disc.