From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The first console in the series, the
PlayStation, was the first video
game console to ship 100The
PlayStation
(プレイステーション Pureisutēshon?, officially abbreviated PS) brand is a
series of
video game consolescreated and developed by
Sony Computer Entertainment.
Spanning the
fifth,
sixth, and
seventh generations of video gaming, the brand was first
introduced on December 3,
1994 in
Japan.
[1] The brand consists of a total of three consoles,
a media center, an online service, a line of controllers and a handheld as well as multiple
magazines.
million units after 9 years and 6 months of its initial launch.
[2] While its successor,
PlayStation 2, is the
best-selling console to date having reached over 150 million units sold
as of January 31, 2011.
[3] Sony's current console,
PlayStation 3, has sold over 50 million
consoles worldwide as of March 29, 2011.
[4] The first
handheld game console in the
PlayStation series,
PlayStation Portable(PSP), has sold a total of 67.8 million units
worldwide as of February 25, 2011.
[5] The
Next Generation Portable, an upcoming handheld
being developed by Sony as a successor to the PlayStation Portable, it is set to be released
in 2011.
Other hardware released as part of the PlayStation series include the
PSX, a
digital video
recorder which was integrated with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, though it was short
lived due to its high price and was never released outside of Japan as well as a
Sony Bravia
television set which has a PlayStation 2 integrated. The main series of controllers utilized
by the PlayStation series is the
DualShock which is a line of
vibration-feedback gamepad
having sold 28 million controllers as on June 28, 2008.
[6]The
PlayStation Network is an online service with over 69 million users worldwide (as of
January 25, 2011).
[7] It comprises an online virtual market, the
PlayStation Store, which
allows the purchase and download of games and various forms of multimedia, a subscription-based
online service known as
PlayStation Plus and a social gaming networking service
called
PlayStation Home, which has over 14 million users worldwide.
[8] PlayStation Suite is an
upcoming software framework that is aimed to provide PlayStation content cross-platform and
cross-devices, currently only
Android and the Next Generation Portable devices are supported.
Content set to be released under the framework consist of only original PlayStation games
currently.
[9]
PlayStation
The original PlayStation released in December
1994 was
the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation
series of console and hand-held game devices. It has
included successor consoles and upgrades
including the
Net Yaroze (a special black PlayStation
with tools and instructions to program
PlayStation games and applications), "
PSone" (a smaller version of the original) and the
PocketStation (a handheld which enhances PlayStation games and also acts as a memory card).
It was part of the
fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the
Sega Saturn
and the
Nintendo 64. By March 31, 2005, the PlayStation and PSone had shipped a combined
total of 102.49 million units,
[16] becoming the first video game console to sell 100 million
units.
[2]PS One
The redesigned PS One with optional LCD Screen
Released in July
2000, concurrently with its successor the
PlayStation 2, the PS One was a considerably smaller, redesigned
version of the original PlayStation video game console.
[17]
Originally launched on July 7, 2000,
[18] it went on to outsell
all-other consoles including its successor,
PlayStation 2, throughout
the remainder of the year.
[17] It featured two main changes from its
predecessor, the first being a cosmetic change to the console and the
second being home menu's
Graphical User Interface.
PlayStation 2
Released in
2000, 15 months after the
Dreamcast and a year before its other competitors, the
Xbox and the
Nintendo GameCube, the PlayStation 2 is part of the
sixth generation of video
game consoles, and is
backwards-compatible with most original PlayStation games. It has also
been released as a
media center configuration and also having, like its predecessor, a slimmer
redesign. It is the
most successful console in the world,
[19] having sold over 140 million
units as of July 20, 2008.
[20] On November 29, 2005, the PS2 became the fastest game console to
reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its
launch. This achievement occurred faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation, which took
"9 years and 6 months since launch" to reach the same figure.
[2]Slimline Model
Released in
2004, four years after the launch of the original PlayStation 2, the PlayStation
2 Slimline was the first major redesign of the PlayStation 2. Compared to its predecessor,
the Slimline was smaller, thinner, quieter and also included a built-in
Ethernet port
(in some markets it also has an integrated
modem). In
2007, Sony began shipping a revision of
the Slimline which was lighter than the original Slimline together with a lighter
AC
adapter.
[21] In
2008, Sony released yet another revision of the Slimline which had an
overhauled internal design incorporating the power supply into the console itself like the
original PlayStation 2 resulting in a further reduced total weight of the console.
[22]PlayStation 3
Released on November 11, 2006, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the Main article:
PlayStation 3 series. It competes with the
Xbox 360and the
Wii in the
seventh generation of video game
consoles. It is the first console in the series to introduce the use of motion controls in
games through the use of the
SIXAXIS Wireless Controller along with other features, such as
Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Full
High-definition resolution graphics capability. The PlayStation 3
comes in 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB, 120 GB, 250 GB, and 320 GB, with only the 160,
and 320 being the current models. Like its predecessors, a slimmer redesigned model of the
console has been released. As of December 25, 2010, the PlayStation 3 has sold 41.5 million
units worldwide according to Sony Computer Entertainment.
[23]
Redesigned Model
Released in
2009, the redesigned model of the PlayStation 3 is the only model in production.
The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than
previous models.
[24][25] In addition, it features a redesigned cooling system and a smaller
Cell processor which was moved to a
45nm manufacturing process.
[26] It sold in excess of a
million units within its first 3 weeks on sale.
[27] The redesign also features support for
CEC
(more commonly referred to by its manufacturer brandings of BraviaSync, VIERA Link, EasyLink
and others) which allows control of the console over HDMI by using the remote control as the
controller. The PS3 slim also runs quieter and is cooler than previous models due to its 45 nm
Cell. The PS3 Slim no longer has the "main power" switch (similar to
PlayStation 2 slim),
like the previous PS3 models, which was located at the back of the console.
[24] It was
officially released on September 1, 2009 in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009
in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
[24][28][29]
Main article: 
