The PlayStation 3 commonly abbreviated PS3) is a video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. In sales and market share, it is currently in third place.[4] The console was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan and shortly after on November 17, 2006, in North America, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was initially available in two initial configurations, the 20 GB Basic model and the 60 GB Premium model. However, Sony discontinued the 20 GB model in the US and Canada on April 11, 2007, citing a lack of consumer demand.[5] The 20 GB model is still on sale in Japan, but has yet to be released in PAL territories.[6] On May 21, 2007 Sony announced that it would be releasing the PS3 in Korea in only one configuration, featuring an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV compatibility.[7]
The PlayStation 3 utilizes the Blu-ray Disc format for optical media, while also supporting CDs, DVDs, SACDs, and other previous disc formats. A single-layered Blu-ray disc has a maximum storage capacity of 25 GB, while a dual-layered disc holds up to 50 GB, almost six times the maximum storage capacity of a DVD-9. The PS3 can also output high-definition video for both video games and movies via an HDMI 1.3 port, supporting up to 1080p HD resolution. Users can upscale PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games to HD resolution. It also allows users to upscale normal DVDs to HD, but copy-protected content (such as standard commercial DVDs) can only be upscaled over HDMI.
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