PS3

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the third console in the PlayStation line and part of the sixth generation of video game systems, released in 2006 to compete with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The PS3 combined gaming with multimedia features, including high-definition movie playback via its Blu-ray Disc drive.

Hardware and features include a custom Cell Broadband Engine and a NVIDIA RSX Reality Synthesizer GPU, 256 MB of XDR main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3 memory for graphics, and a built-in Blu-ray player. It supported online play and digital distribution through the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store. Across its lifespan, various hard drive sizes were offered, ranging from 20 GB to 500 GB, and the system supported HDMI output up to 1080p.

Backward compatibility varied by model. Early versions of the PS3 included hardware-based backward compatibility with many PlayStation 2 games, while later models removed full PS2 support or provided limited compatibility. The PS3 also featured OtherOS, a feature that allowed users to install Linux, which Sony removed in a 2010 firmware update.

Variants and lifecycle: A slimmer model, the PS3 Slim, released in 2009, reduced power consumption and cost. The platform expanded with PlayStation Move, a motion-control system introduced in 2010. By the end of its production in 2017, Sony had sold approximately 87 million PS3 units, making it a major platform of its generation and a pivotal step in Sony’s console strategy.