Gaming
 

PlayStation 3

From the Metal Gear Wiki

The PlayStation 3 slim.

The PlayStation 3 (officially abbreviated as PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the 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.

A major feature that distinguishes the PS3 from its predecessors is its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network. Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities, connectivity with the PSP, and its use of a high-definition optical disc format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium. It was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America and South America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania.

As of August 5, 2009, over 24 million PS3s have been sold worldwide.

Contents

[edit] Models

Generation Model Available colors First available In production Other features/information
1st
4 USB ports,
hardware-based PS2 emulation,
Super Audio CD playback,
third-party OS install 		20 GB
CECHBxx
NTSC
  • Piano Black with black trim
November 2006 No
  • No 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
60 GB
CECHAxx
NTSC
  • Piano Black with chrome trim
November 2006 No
  • Memory card readers
  • 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
2nd
802.11b/g Wi-Fi,
2 memory card readers,
4 USB ports,
partially software-based PS2 emulation,
Super Audio CD playback,
third-party OS install 		60 GB
CECHCxx
PAL
  • Piano Black with chrome trim
March 2007 No
80 GB
CECHExx
NTSC
  • Piano Black with chrome trim
August 2007 No
3rd
802.11b/g Wi-Fi,
2 USB ports,
no PS2 emulation,
no SACD support,
third-party OS install 		40 GB
CECHGxx, CECHHxx, CECHJxx
PAL, NTSC
  • Piano Black
  • Ceramic White
  • Satin Silver
  • Gun-Metal Gray

(all have satin silver trim)

October 2007 EU AU
November 2007 NA JP 		No
80 GB
CECHKxx, CECHLxx
PAL, NTSC
  • Piano Black
  • Ceramic White
  • Satin Silver

(all have satin silver trim)

August 2008 NA EU AU
October 2008 JP 		No
  • Select retailers bundled later models with Greatest Hits versions of MGS4 and Killzone 2
160 GB
CECHPxx
PAL, NTSC
  • Piano Black with satin silver trim
October 2008 EU
November 2008 NA 		No
  • NTSC models bundled with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
4th
802.11b/g Wi-Fi,
2 USB ports,
no PS2 emulation,
no SACD support,
Bravia Sync XMB control,
slim form factor 		120 GB slim
CECH-20xxA
PAL, NTSC
  • Charcoal Black
September 1, 2009 NA EU
September 3, 2009 AU NZ JP 		Yes
250 GB slim
CECH-20xxB
PAL, NTSC
  • Charcoal Black
  • White and Pink

October 2009EU
October 15, 2009 AU NZ
November 3, 2009 NA
December 17, 2009 JP

Yes
  • Bundled with Final Fantasy XIII in Japan
  • Bundled with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, SingStar Motown, or Eyepet in Australia
  • Bundled with Tekken 6 in North America

[edit] Hardware

The PS3 features a slot-loading 2x speed Blu-ray Disc drive for games, Blu-ray movies, DVDs, CDs, and other optical media. All PS3 models have user-upgradeable 2.5" SATA hard drives. It uses the Sony, Toshiba, IBM-designed Cell microprocessor as its CPU, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based "Power Processing Element" (PPE) and eight Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs).

The system has Bluetooth 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and HDMI 1.3a built in on all currently shipping models. Wi-Fi networking is also built-in on the 40, 60 and 80 GB models while a memory card reader is built-in on 60 GB and CECHExx 80 GB models. The system supports up to 7 controllers that are connected via Bluetooth 2.0 technology.

[edit] Controllers

The Sixaxis Wireless Controller (trademarked "SIXAXIS") was the official wireless controller for the Sony PlayStation 3, later to be succeeded by the DualShock 3. In Japan, individual Sixaxis controllers were available for purchase simultaneously with the console's launch, without a USB to USB mini cable. The controller uses Bluetooth wireless technology and uses motion sensing so that games can tell how the controller is being held and use that information. Originally, the vibration function for the controller was removed due to interference with the motion sensor, but vibration was restored with the release of the DualShock 3 controller.

The DualShock 3 is the now official PlayStation 3 controller, replacing the Sixaxis completely while keeping the functionality of Sixaxis and adding rumble capabilities.

[edit] Backwards compatability

One large criticism of the PS3 is its lack of backwards compatibility. The first generation of PS3s used the Emulation chip found in the slimline PlayStation 2 to provide backwards compatibility. The second generation used software emulation which resulted in many games becoming incompatible, though in April 2007 a firmware update increased the backwards compatibility to apparently include, among other games, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance.

The third and fourth generations do not support backwards compatibility.

[edit] The Metal Gear series on the PS3

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Online are currently the only games in the Metal Gear series available for the PS3. MGS4 had to be compressed to fit on a Blu-ray Disc, despite the disc capable of holding upto 50GB of data. The game also makes use of the Sixaxis and DualShock 3, where Psycho Mantis can make the controller vibrate as he did in Metal Gear Solid.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising is also to be released on the PS3 in the future.

[edit] Metal Gear games on the PlayStation 3

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Official websites

Retrieved from "http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/PlayStation_3"