PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 logo (top) and the The PlayStation 3 (bottom)

The **PlayStation 3** (プレイステーションスリー, *Pureisutēshonsurī*?) (abbreviated as the **PS3**) is a video game system made by Sony Computer Entertainment.
It competed with Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 as part of the seventh-generation of video game consoles. It was released on November 2006 in Japan and America and in all other nations during the following year. It hosts a handful of *Mitchell Van Morgan* titles.

It is the successor to Sony's most successful console, the PlayStation 2. The PS3 is notable for its use of Blu-ray technology for its game disc, becoming the first ever gaming console to use Blu-ray. It uses the XrossMediaBar (XMB) as its graphical user interface.

The PlayStation 4 (PS4), the successor of the PlayStation 3, has been announced on February 20, 2013 was released on November the same year.

## Characters introduced

* Silver the Hedgehog
* Princess Elise
* Mephiles the Dark
* Iblis
* Solaris
* Chip
* Professor Pickle
* Sonic the Werehog
* Wentos
* Brenda Hernandez
* Dark Gaia
* Orbot
* Time Eater

## Controllers

At launch, PS3 consoles were bundled with the then-standard Sixaxis controllers which based off of the DualShock 2 used for the PS2 but were wireless, lacked vibration capabilities and had an accelerometer detect motion in three directional and three rotational axes (hence the name "Sixaxis"). On 2007, the DualShock 3 was announced which had the same capabilities of the Sixaxis, but with the addition of vibration functionality.

The PS3 is also forward compatible with the DualShock 4 either via a wired micro-USB cable or wireless Bluetooh connection.

## PlayStation Network

### PlayStation Store

The **PlayStation Store** is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita game consoles via the PlayStation Network. This Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes along with games and movie trailers.

#### Games (Mitchell Van Morgan)

* *Mitchell Kart*
* *Mitchell Tennis* (PSOne version Only)
* *Mitchell Golf* (PSOne version Only)
* *Mitchell Van Morgan RPG: The Legend of the Seven Power Stones*
* *Mitchell Galaxy*
* *Mitchell Van Morgan's Dreamcast Adventure*
* *Mitchell Van Morgan's Dreamcast Adventure 2*
* *Mitchell Heroes* (Europe Only)
* *Mitchell Fighters*
* *Sarah Lynn Meadows* (Japan Only)
* *Mitchell Van Morgan Legends*
* *Mitchell Van Morgan Legends 2*

### PlayStation Now

**PlayStation Now** is a video gaming streaming service similar to Netflix where players can stream video games from a PlayStation 3, PS4, and other Sony consoles, including Smartphones and Tablets. Announced durring Sony's Keynote address in the 2014 Consumer Eletronics Show, it launched as a closed beta on January 2014, and was later started as an open beta on July 31, 2014 on the PlayStation 4. PS Now Open Beta on the PS3 was released in North America on September 18, 2014 and will be released in Europe by 2015, with the United Kingdom to get it first.

* *Mitchell and Nicktoons Racing*

### PlayStation Plus

**PlayStation Plus** is a paid PlayStation Network subscription service that was officially unveiled at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton, the President and CEO of SCEA at the time of that announcement. Rumors of such service had been in speculation since Kaz Hirai's announcement at TGS 2009 of a possible paid service for PSN but with the current PSN service still available. Launched alongside PS3 firmware 3.40 and PSP firmware 6.30 on 29 June 2010, the paid-for subscription service provides users with enhanced services on the PlayStation Network, on top of the current PSN service which is still available with all of its features. These enhancements include the ability to have demos, game and system software updates download automatically to the PlayStation 3. Subscribers also get early or exclusive access to some betas, game demos, premium downloadable content and other PlayStation Store items as well as a free subscription to Qore. Users may choose to purchase either a one-year or a three-month subscription to PlayStation Plus.

SCEA is offering a limited time offer for the one-year subscription, which is an additional three-months for free, while SCEE is offering one-year subscribers a digital copy of *LittleBigPlanet* for a limited time. Regular free bonuses are also made available. These include PlayStation Store discounts and free PlayStation Network games and Downloadable Content (DLC), PSone Classics and PlayStation Minis which the user will own for the duration of their subscription as well as themes and avatars which the user can keep after their subscription has lapsed. PlayStation Plus also offers "Full Game Trials" of some PlayStation Network and retail games, allowing the user to download the full game and use it for one hour. Users can later purchase the game and continue their progress. For SCEA, the first Full Game Trial is for *inFamous*, while European subscribers get to try out *Shatter* and *Savage Moon*. In addition, users who are PlayStation Plus subscribers have the PlayStation Plus icon by their PSN ID. Users can only sign up for PlayStation Plus through the PlayStation Store via the PS3.

After a major PSN outage during April 2011, Sony announced that on May 1, 2011, all PlayStation Network Users will get 30 days of free membership of PlayStation Plus and an extra 30 days for existing PlayStation Plus members, as part of their "Welcome Back" program.

With more information of Sony's PlayStation 4 announced during E3 2013, SCE decides to keep the multiplayer free on the PS3 although they also announced that the PS4 now requires a PlayStation Plus subscription.

### PlayStation Home

PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social networking service for the PlayStation Network. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically. Users can edit and decorate their personal apartments, avatars or club houses with free, premium or won content. Users can shop for new items or win prizes from PS3 games, or Home activities. Users interact and connect with friends and customize content in a virtual world. Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer games with others.

A closed beta began in Europe from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after. Home was delayed and expanded several times before initially releasing. The Open Beta test was started on 11 December 2008. Home is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free and requires a PSN account.

Home features places to meet and interact, dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces and events. The service undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. At TGS 2009, Kazuo Hirai announced that Home has been downloaded by 8 million users.

PS Home shut down all of its servers on March 31, 2015.

## Backwards compatibility

All PlayStation 3 models can play most PlayStation games without much issues. However, most models are unable to play PlayStation 2 games due to the omission of PS2 hardware on later PS3 models. Most fat (and all Slim and Super Slim) variants of the PS3 do not contain the Emotion Engine (EE) CPU and a Graphics Synthesizer (GS) GPU which is required to run PS2-compatible software. This was due to the high costs to produce a PS3 and it was done to make it more affordable for gamers to buy. Hence, only the 60 GB (CECHAxx) and 20 GB (CECHBxx) models can play most PS2 games without problems. That means that most Sonic games (including the PS2 version of *Sonic Unleashed*) can be played on those models and most of the games will work normally as if it was played on an actual PS2 console. There has been a few issues on a few Sonic games if used on the 80 GB NTSC version PS3 with model numbers CECHCxx and CECHExx and the 60 GB PAL version (the EE chip was removed and emulated instead) as shown below:

* In *Sonic Heroes*, there are bugs at certain points, mostly at gameplay, audio does sutter and also there are extraneous graphics that remain on-screen.
* In *Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity*, on the "Press START" button screen before gameplay, the text does not flash as it is supposed to do so.
* The Sega Genesis Collection will still work with the 60 GB PAL and 80 GB NTSC PS3 but it's unknown if that will work with other PS3 models that offer backward compatibility with the PS2.

*Sega Superstars* and *Sega Superstars Tennis* (even though there is a PS3 version of the game available) are the only Sonic games that are incompatible with the PS3.

## Trivia

* There are no PS3-exclusive Sonic games; every Sonic game on the PS3 is also on the Xbox 360.
* Recently, PlayStation as started making a series of live-action commercials in promotion to their new fighting game *PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale* (a similar title to the *Sega All-Stars* and the *Super Smash Brothers* series.) starting with the very popular commercial "Michael" which was the bases for the previously said game.

## References

1. ↑ PS3本体モデル・種類 (PS3 All Models) (Japanese). *Famitsu* (21 August 2017). Retrieved on 11 June 2018.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Morris, Chris (9 May 2006). Sony sets PlayStation 3 price at $499 and $599. *CNN Money*. Retrieved on 11 June 2018.
3. ↑ Boxer, Steve (1 February 2007). PS3 launch price is no fun for UK gamers. *The Guardian*. Retrieved on 11 June 2018.
4. ↑ BBC Staff (5 October 2007). Sony offers cut-price PlayStation. *British Broadcasting Company*. Retrieved on 11 June 2018.
5. ↑ Singapore's PS3 launch party. *CNET* (8 March 2007). Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved on 11 June 2018.

## External links

* Official Website

 **Video game consoles**