PlayStation (series)
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The PlayStation series is a line of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, occupying the fifth, sixth and seventh generations.
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[edit] Distinguishing features
Unlike its competitors, which largely use face buttons on their controllers denoted by letters (generally A, B, C, X and Y), the PlayStation series uses shapes; namely 
('Triangle'), 
('Circle'), 
('X' or 'cross') and 
(Square). The Select button is a raised rectangular button while Start is a raised right-pointing triangle. It also has 4 buttons on the top[L1, L2, R1, R2](named by the side[L=Left, R+Right] and 1 or 2 [top or bottom]) Starting with the PlayStation 3, a 'PlayStation button' was incorporated into the controller, in place of the 'Analog' button. The Anolog button chose setting such as directional buttons or analouge stick. Now they are either both in use or have different purposes. The PS button on the PS3 brings up a menu that allows the options of quitting the game, turning off the system, turning off the controller, or changing the controller number. (player 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)It also has the amount of energy left in the wireless controller.
[edit] Consoles
[edit] PlayStation
The original PlayStation, released in December 1994, was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices, which 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). By March 31, 2005, the PlayStation and PSone had shipped a combined total of 102.49 million units,[1] becoming the first video game console to reach the 100 million mark.[2]
[edit] PlayStation 2
Released in 2000, a little more than a year after the Sega Dreamcast and a year before its other competitors, the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube, the PlayStation 2 is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles, and is backwards-compatible with most, if not all, original PlayStation games. It has also been released as a media center configuration and also, like its predecessor, a slimmer redesign. It is the best-selling console to date,[3][4] having reached over 127 million units in sales by the end of 2007.[5] 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 benchmark.[2]
[edit] PlayStation 3
Announced at E3 2005, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the series. It was released on November 17, 2006, two days prior to the Wii. It competes with the Xbox 360 and the Wii in the seventh generation of video game consoles. It introduces the use of the Sixaxis wireless controller along with other features.
[edit] Comparison
| Name | PlayStation | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Console |  |
 |
 |
| Launch price | ¥39,800[6] US$299[7] £299[8] |
¥39,800[6] US$299[7] £299[8] |
¥49,980 (20 GB)[6] US$499 (20 GB),[7] US$599 (60 GB)[7] €599 (60 GB)[8] |
| Release date | JP December 3, 1994[6] NA September 9, 1995[7] EU September 29, 1995[8] AUS November 1995[9] |
JP March 4, 2000[6] NA October 26, 2000[7][10] EU November 24, 2000[8] AUS November 30, 2000 |
JP November 11, 2006[6] NA November 17, 2006[7] EU March 23, 2007[8] More... |
| Units sold | 102.49 million shipped, including 28.15 million PS one units (as of March 31, 2007)[1] | 127 million (as of December 31, 2007)[5] | 13 million (as of April 21, 2008)[11] |
| Best-selling game | Gran Turismo, 10.85 million shipped (as of April 30, 2008)[12][13] | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, 14.89 million shipped (as of April 30, 2008)[14] | MotorStorm, 3 million (as of February 18, 2008)[15] |
| Media | CD-ROM-based media | DVD-ROM/CD-ROM | 2x BD-ROM (72 mbit/s), 8x DVD, 24x CD, 2x SACD |
| Included accessories and extras |
|
|
|
| Accessories (retail) |
|
|
|
| CPU | MIPS R3000A-compatible (R3051) 32bit RISC chip running at 33.8688 MHz | 300 MHz MIPS "Emotion Engine" | Cell Broadband Engine (3.2 GHz Power Architecture-based PPE with seven 3.2 GHz SPE |
| GPU | N/A | 147 MHz "Graphics Synthesizer"; fill rate 2.352 gigapixel/sec; 1.1 gigapixel w. 1 texture(defuse); 588 megapixel/sec w. 2 textures (2 defuses or 1 defuse map and other(0 around 74 mill, 1 around 40 mill, 2 around 20 mill); 2 textures per pass
Capable of multi-pass rendering; Connected to VU1 on cpu (a vector only for visual style coding things with 3.2Gflops) to deliver enhanced shader graphics and other enhanced graphics |
550 MHz RSX (based on NVIDIA G70 architecture) |
| Online service | N/A | Non-unified service | PlayStation Network Arcade Currency based store Internet browser Webcam (including PlayStation 2 EyeToy), headset, PlayStation Home |
| Backward compatibility | N/A | PlayStation | Most Playstation and Playstation 2 titles; future firmware updates will provide more compatibility.[16]
European version offers limited compatibility, but HDTV upscaling to 720p or 1080i.[17] |
| System software | N/A | proprietary OS, Linux DVD Playback Kit |
Cross Media Bar (XMB) |
| System software features |
N/A | N/A | Operating Systems can be installed and run via a hypervisor Audio file playback (ATRAC3, AAC, MP3, WAV) |
| Consumer programmability | Requires the Net Yaroze kit | Yabasic software, Linux for PlayStation 2 | Development on console via free Linux platform or PC. |
[edit] Handheld systems
[edit] PocketStation
Created as a peripheral for the PlayStation entertainment system, the PocketStation can also function as a clock and PlayStation format Memory Card. Multiplayer gaming is achieved through infrared data link.
[edit] PlayStation Portable
First unveiled by SCEI in 2004, the PlayStation Portable (PSP) was released in March 2005. It utilizes an all-new proprietary optical storage medium known as UMD (universal media disc). The first major hardware revision, Slim and Lite, was released in September 2007. As of December 31, 2007, 34 million PSP units have been sold.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b Sony Computer Entertainment (2005-11-30). "PlayStation 2 Breaks Record as the Fastest Computer Entertainment Platform to Reach Cumulative Shipment of 100 Million Units". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ PS2 on fool.com
- ^ The Jakarta Post - The Journal of Indonesia Today
- ^ a b c Ellie Gibson (2008-05-06). PS3 has outsold Xbox 360 in Europe. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Business Development/Japan. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g Business Development/North America. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Business Development/Europe. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ SCEE 1995—Key Facts and Figures. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Sony: 120 million PS2s sold - News at GameSpot
- ^ Sony plans new role for PlayStation 3. United Press International (2008-04-21). Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ "Gran Turismo" Series Software Title List. Polyphony Digital (April 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ Tom Bramwell (2008-02-18). Evolution wants MotorStorm to dominate. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ PS3 Backwards Compatibility Issues - New system has some problems with past titles.
- ^ PlayStation 3 in Europe will play fewer old games (February 23, 2007).
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