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Playstation and Playstation X
The Sony Playstation 3 came a long way dating from 1991 when the first Playstation system was created. Not too many people know this, but “The original Playstation was designed as a multi-media and multi-purpose entertainment unit. Besides being able to play Super Nintendo games, the Playstation could play audio CDs and could read CDs with computer and video information as well”(Bellis, 2003). There were only two hundred of these systems released and then, in 1994, Sony created a new version of its Sony Playstation called the Playstation X that only played CD-Rom based games. This is the system that most Americans, if not all, owned at that time because the other version was so rare.
The Success of Sony's Playstation 2
The Sony Playstation's success showed when Sony launched the next generation of its gaming system, the Playstation 2. A lot of people doubted it and thought that it would never work. Developers complained about how hard it was to code for and that the games that were being launched with it did not impress, much like the launch of the Playstation 3. Also, the Playstation 2 had competition with a system that was already released, the Sega Dreamcast, which had been released a year before the announcement of the Sony Playstation 2. That is also the story with the Sony Playstation 3's release, as Microsoft's Xbox 360 was released a year before it too, and had also proved as much success as the Sega Dreamcast had in 1999. Sony's Playstation 2 proved its critics wrong as it prospered and had a played a big part in the demise of the Sega Dreamcast as Sega Discontinued its Dreamcast system and declared bankruptcy. A year or two after the Sony Playstation 2's launch, Ken Kutaragi stated, “Last year some of the developers complained about PS2, but this year no one is complaining"(McCarthy, 2006).
At the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony's Playstation 2 had some of the most highly anticipated titles, even though it was almost six years old. Also, Sony finally unveiled more details about its next-generation gaming console, the Sony Playstation 3. A review of the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo stated, “the system's unsubstantiated "gameplay" footage was largely overlooked in favor of the Xbox 360's playable wares, Sony should be more forthcoming in providing information and demos of the PS3 in action at E3 2006”(Rudden, 2006). The Sony Playstation 3 showed off its Cell processor, that was made with IBM and Toshiba, and its built-in Blu-ray player. Also, Sony's Playstation 3 announced that it would bebackwards compatible with the Sony's Playstation 2 and its Playstation X(1), it would also play CDs and DVDs.
The Birth of Sony's Playstation 3
On November 17, 2006, the Sony Playstation 3 was released. It sported a glossy black in black case(prototypes showed silver and white), and, like Microsoft's Xbox 360, it released with two versions, one with a 20GB hardrive and the other with a 60GB hardrive, priced at $499 and $599 respectively. Also, unlike the Xbox 360, it had a built in HDMI video output that puts out a 1080p High Definition video for televisions and monitors that were capable of that display. CNET editor David Carnoy had this to say about the Sony Playstation 3's release, “The big question, of course, is whether the PS3 is $100 to $200 better than the Xbox 360. From a pure gaming perspective, the short answer is: no, not today”(Carnoy, 2006). Although the review had mostly good things to say and he also gave Sony's Playstation 3 a 8.8 out of 10 rating. The release was still a hit and a lot of people wanted one, that being showed when in Maine, someone was shot waiting in line to get one of Sony's Playstation 3 showing how crazy fans were about the system. Also, with the Playstation 3's short supply, it sold out as soon as it released and no one was safe until they secured it in their homes.