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The PlayStation brand is a line of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, occupying the fifth, sixth, and seventh generations. The numbered series and PlayStation Portable has shipped a total of over 310 million units.
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Distinguishing features
Unlike its competitors, which largely use face buttons on their controllers denoted by letters (generally A, B, C, X, Y, Z), PlayStation controllers uses shapes; namely 
('Triangle'), 
('Circle'), 
('Cross/X') and 
('Square'). The 'X' button was mentioned as a 'Cross' in some PlayStation games[which?], but not in many.
The Select button is a raised rectangular button while Start is a raised right-pointing triangle. It was the first controller design to feature 4 buttons on the top [L1, L2, R1, R2] (named by the side [L=Left, R=Right] and 1 or 2 [top or bottom] and commonly referred to as shoulder buttons). Beginning with the DualShock, the left and right analog sticks could also be depressed as buttons. These buttons are referred to as L3 and R3, respectively.
Beginning with the PlayStation 3, a 'PlayStation button' (featuring the incorporated PS logo and similar in function to the Xbox 360 "X" logo button, but the PSP had the "home" feature before the Xbox but was later changed to the playstation button with the PSP 3000 as seen on the PS3 controller, and at E3 2005, the PS3 was shown with the "home" button) was added to the controller, in place of the 'Analog' button.
The Analog button activated the analog sticks on the Playstation and Playstation 2 Dual Analog, DualShock and DualShock 2 controllers.
On the Playstation 3 Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers they are either both in use and have different purposes.
The PS button on the PS3 brings up the PlayStation 3 home screen (similar to a PC "desktop" screen) while holding it down brings up system options (such as quit the game, change controller settings, turn off the system, and turn off the controller).
Consoles
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]
PlayStation 2
Released in 2000, 15 months 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 most successful console in the world,[3][4] having reached over 140 million units in sales as of July 20, 2008.[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]It is the most popular console in the series.
PlayStation 3
Announced at E3 2005, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the series. It was released on November 11, 2006. 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, such as Blu-ray and being also to see in Full High-definition resolution. The PlayStation 3 comes in 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB, 120 GB, and 250GB, with the last two being the current models. This is the first Slim model, similar to its predecessors, of a PS3 to be released. As of July 1st, 2009, the PlayStation 3 has sold 25 million units worldwide, according to Sony Computer Entertainment.[6]
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was the first portable PlayStation game console. On October 17, 2004, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in Japan on December 12, 2004. It sold over 200,000 the first day of release. With a MIPS R4000-based; clocked from 1 to 333 MHz. It has a similar control layout to the PS3 with its PlayStation logo button and its ('Triangle'), ('Circle'), ('Cross/X') and ('Square')buttons. It is the only handheld system that has a analog stick or analog nub. Rather than a internal flash memory it uses Memory stick pro duo with an exception of the PSP Go which has 16gb internal flash memory expandable with a Memory Stick Micro (M2) card. The PSP 1000, 2000, and 3000 use The Universal Media Disc for games, music and movies but also uses digital distribution with the PlayStation Store. The PSP Go uses digital distribution only and does not use the UMD.
Comparison
| Name | PlayStation 1 | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Console Launch price | ¥39,800[7] US$299[8] £299[9] |
¥39,800[7] US$299[8] £299[9] |
¥49,980 (20 GB)[7] US$499 (20 GB),[8] US$599 (60 GB)[8] €599 (60 GB)[9] £425 (60GB)[10] €449 (160GB)[11], £350 (160GB)[11] |
| Release date | JP December 3, 1994[7] NA September 9, 1995[8] EU September 29, 1995[9] AUS November 1995[12] |
JP March 4, 2000[7] NA October 26, 2000[8][13] EU November 24, 2000[9] AUS November 30, 2000 |
JP November 11, 2006[7] NA November 17, 2006[8] EU March 23, 2007[9] More... Slim Model JP August 27, 2009[7] NA September 1, 2009[8] EU September 1, 2009[9] |
| Units sold | 102.49 million shipped, including 28.15 million PS one units (as of March 31, 2007)[1] | 140 million (as of July 20, 2008)[5] | 27 million (as of September 30, 2009)[6] |
| Best-selling game | Gran Turismo, 10.85 million shipped (as of April 30, 2008)[14][15] | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, 17.33 million shipped (as of March 26, 2008)[16] | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, 4.5 million (as of December 31, 2008)[17] |
| 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 eight 3.2 GHz SPE) |
| GPU | Unknown | 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 | 20 GB, 60GB: All Playstation 2 titles
Original 80GB: Most PlayStation 2 titles; future firmware updates will provide more compatibility.[18] European version offers limited compatibility, but HDTV upscaling to 720p or 1080i.[19] 40GB: No support for PlayStation 2 titles, support for PlayStation titles. 80 GB models sold after August 2008 price cut: No support for PlayStation 2 titles, support for PlayStation titles. 160GB & 250GB: No support for PlayStation 2 titles, support for PlayStation titles. |
| System software | N/A | proprietary OS, Linux DVD Playback Kit |
XrossMediaBar (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, WMA) |
| Consumer programmability | Requires the Net Yaroze kit | Yabasic software, Linux for PlayStation 2 | Development on console via free Linux platform or PC. |
Handheld systems
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.
PlayStation Portable
First unveiled by SCEI in 2004, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), also referred to as the PSP-1000, 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, or the PSP-2000, was released in September 2007. As of 2009, 50 million PSP units have been sold. The next and co-current revision of the PSP, the PSP-3000 released in October 2008, added some additional features, including a microphone for use in Skype, as well as an updated screen.[20] The other co-current revision is the PSPgo released in October 2009. The PSPgo is redesigned now featuring a sliding screen which sliding the screen up reveals its buttons. It also does not support UMDs, but instead uses 16GB of internal flash, as well as Memory Stick Micro, for digital distribution of games and other media. This redesign, however, is not to replace the co-current PSP-3000 model.
Media Centers
The PSX was all-in-one digital video recorder with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 integrated. It was released in Japan only.
References
- ^ a b "PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html. Retrieved 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" (PDF). Press release. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/051130e.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ PS2 on fool.com
- ^ The Jakarta Post - The Journal of Indonesia Today
- ^ a b Chris Nuttall (2008-07-20). "Sony sets 150m sales target for PS3". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1c46ad2e-5678-11dd-8686-000077b07658.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ a b "PlayStation 3 Worldwide Hardware Unit Sales". Sony Computer Entertainment. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps3_sale_e.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Business Development/Japan". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatajpn_e.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Business Development/North America". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatausa_e.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Business Development/Europe". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataeu_e.html. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Chapman, Matt (May 19, 2006). "Sony PlayStation 3 will cost £425 in the UK". Business Green. http://www.businessgreen.com/vnunet/news/2156455/uk-playstation-cost-425. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ a b Stuart, Keith (August 20, 2008). "Sony announces 160GB PS3" (in English). The Guardian. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2008/08/20/sony_announces_160gb_ps3.html. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ "SCEE 1995—Key Facts and Figures". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. http://www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=93&NewsAreaID=22. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Sony: 120 million PS2s sold - News at GameSpot
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. http://asia.playstation.com/eng_hk/index.php?q=node/1517. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ ""Gran Turismo" Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. April 2008. http://www.polyphony.co.jp/english/list.html. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. http://asia.playstation.com/eng_hk/index.php?q=node/1517. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ Edge Staff (2007-12-30). "The Games of 2008: PlayStation 3". Edge. http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-games-of-2008-playstation-3?page=0,4. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ "PS3 Backwards Compatibility Issues - New system has some problems with past titles". http://ps3.ign.com/articles/745/745439p1.html.
- ^ "PlayStation 3 in Europe will play fewer old games". February 23, 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL2267625820070223?pageNumber=1.
- ^ "Kazuo Hirai – President and Group CEO". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 2008-06-26. pp. 3. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/info/Strategy/pdf/presen_03.pdf#page=3. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
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