The Playstation 3, also abbreviated as the PS3, is the seventh-generation video game entertainment system developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The PS3 plays video games, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Movie Discs. It is also at a competition between Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. The PS3’s production cost per unit was over $800, but was sold up to $600. Initially, the system was not selling at a rate Sony was expecting, therefore, losing profit of nearly $2 Billion. Eventually, Sony cut out some hardware to cut out cost, and Blu-Ray were getting cheaper to manufacture, decreasing the production cost between $250 and $400.
The PS3, as any computer, has an operating system (Referred as System Software) that is updated time-to-time. The updates can me installed in three ways: 1) By having a live internet connection and downloading it, 2) By downloading it on an external computer from the Playstation website and transferring it onto the PS3 for installation, or 3) Certain video games come with updates on the CD, in order to play the game to meet the games criteria. Also, the PS3 is capable of running Linux-based operating systems on the console.
The PS3 uses an IBM-designed cell microprocessor as a CPU, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz Power Processing Element (PPE) and eight Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs). The system can output resolutions from 480i/480p SD to 1080i/1080p HD. It also has Blue-tooth, gigabit Ethernet, USB, HDMI, and Wi-Fi for network connection.
The PS3 also has something known as PlayStation Home. It is a virtual community-based service for the PlayStation Network. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be made to suit the user’s liking. Users can decorate their avatar’s personal apartment, known as HomeSpace, with default, bought, or won items. Home acts as a meeting place for users, whom want to play multiplayer games with others.
