Playstation 3

The PlayStation 3 (officially marketed PLAYSTATION 3, commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.

Launch
Main article: PlayStation 3 launch

The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006 at 07:00. According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan.

Soon after its release in Japan, the PS3 was released in North America on November 17, 2006. Reports of violence surrounding the release of the PS3 include a customer shot, campers robbed at gunpoint, customers shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns, and 60 campers fighting over 10 systems.

On January 24, 2007, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would go on sale on March 23, 2007 in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand. The system sold about 600,000 units in its first two days. On March 7, 2007, the 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in Singapore with a price of S$799. The console was launched in South Korea on June 16, 2007 in a single version equipped with an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV.

Models
For more details on this topic, see Timeline of PlayStation 3 SKUs.

There are five PlayStation 3 hardware models that are commonly referred to by the size of their included hard disk drive: "20", "40", "60", "80" and "160" GB models.

All retail packages include one or two Sixaxis controllers and/or a DualShock? 3 controller (beginning June 12, 2008), one miniUSB to USB cable (for connecting the controller to the system), one composite video/stereo audio output cable, one ethernet cable (20, 60, and CECHExx 80 GB only) and one power cable.

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Model	Model number(s)	Available colors	USB 2.0 ports	802.11 b/g Wi-Fi	Flash card readers	SACD support	PS2 compatibility	First available	In production
20 GB (NTSC)	CECHBxx	Piano Black	4	No	No	Yes	Yes Hardware (Emotion Engine)	2006-11-01November 2006	No
40 GB (PAL, NTSC)	CECHGxx CECHHxx	Piano Black, Ceramic White, Satin Silver, Gun-Metal? Gray	2	Yes	No	No	No	2007-10-01 October 2007 November 2007	No
60 GB (NTSC)	CECHAxx	Piano Black	4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes Hardware (Emotion Engine)	2006-11-01November 2006	No
60 GB (PAL)	CECHCxx	Piano Black	4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes Software (emulation)	2007-03-01 March 2007	No
80 GB (NTSC)	CECHExx	Piano Black	4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes Software (emulation)	2007-08-01 August 2007	No

80 GB
(PAL, NTSC)459ac50bcfe03b81b95cf0d478976555b31c58a8879677ebf44eff50d59e9aac50bcfe03b81b95cf0d478976555b31 CECHKxx
CECHLxx Piano Black
Ceramic White
Satin Silverc 2 Yes No No No 2008-08-01Flag of the United StatesFlag? of EuropeFlag? of Australia August 2008
Flag of Japan October 2008 Yes
160 GB
(PAL, NTSC)5051 CECHPxx Piano Black 2 Yes No No No 2008-10-01Flag of Europe October 2008
Flag of the United States November 2008 Yes
Limited edition


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