【PlayStation 3】 Released on November 11, 2006! More multifunctional than 2, and evolved to high quality, let's unravel the history of PlayStation 3, a home hardware machine leaving its name in an era outstanding in visual beauty and processing speed!

On November 11, 2006, what engraved new history in the game industry was “PlayStation 3 (PS3).” This home game console sent out by Sony Computer Entertainment (currently: Sony Interactive Entertainment) appeared as the successor to PlayStation 2, which recorded a massive hit. Do you remember the scene on the release day? Prospective purchasers swarmed home appliance mass retailers in Tokyo from early morning, to the extent that the congestion became a hot topic on the internet. That many people were waiting eagerly for a new gaming experience. Not a mere new-model hardware, it was a machine gathering attention as an existence symbolizing next-generation entertainment.

In the beginning when PS3 was released, what was prepared was 2 models with HDD capacities of 60GB and 20GB. You might think, “Wouldn't that be less capacity than smartphones now?” However, because games played using discs were the center back then, high-capacity storage areas as much as the present were not needed. Of course, as digital download sales of games spread, demands for storage capacity also changed, and later models equipped with 250GB or 320GB appeared too. In the way choices increased along with the flow of the times as well, one feels the history unique to a game console familiarized for a long time.

Speaking of PS3's charm, support for Blu-ray cannot be missed. Even in households where DVDs were familiar up to then, people who came to enjoy high-definition video works triggered by PS3 would not be few. Furthermore, equipped with an HDMI terminal, beautiful digital video could be fully appreciated by connecting with compatible TVs. As of 2006, it was truly an advanced specification. The versatility of playing an active role in movie appreciation as well, not only playing games, pushed PS3 into the center of living rooms.

Wanting to enjoy old game software as well. What answered such a wish was the initial model PS3. Initial models released in Japan also supported software of the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Being able to continuously play favorite works on the new main unit as well is a major charm for game fans, isn't it? However, in models appearing domestically after November 2007, backwards compatibility with PS2 was abolished. Therefore, currently there are collectors finding value in functions unique to the initial models. When purchasing, checking model numbers and supported software is a point to keep in mind.

PS3 contributed greatly to the development of online functions too. In addition to the standardly installed web browser, unique services appeared, such as “PlayStation Home,” where you could interact with other users in a virtual space, and “Adhoc Party,” where PSP communication play could be enjoyed via the internet. Game consoles transforming from tools to play alone into platforms connecting people to people. Being able to experience that transition period physically would also be a memory unique to the PS3 generation, wouldn't it?

The trophy feature added in the 2008 system update is also an element representing PS3. A mechanism where records remain when achieving specific conditions in games, stimulating players' desire for challenges. Not ending with merely clearing the story, the fun of searching for hidden elements or tackling difficult challenges expanded. The playstyle called “Trophy Completion” (Tro-con) aiming to acquire all trophies became established as well, inherited into the current PlayStation series.

What cannot be forgotten as a way of utilization other than games is the peripheral device “torne.” If connecting to a compatible PS3, viewing and recording of terrestrial digital broadcasting became possible. People being surprised saying “Can you manage even TV programs with a game console?” must have been there. Outstanding also in operability, its practicality can be inferred from the fact that there were users who continued using it for a long period. PS3 not only expanded the range of entertainment, but was an existence naturally blending into daily life.

High-image-quality games, Blu-ray playback, online interactions, trophy collecting, TV recording. Looking back like this, one understands how diverse possibilities PS3 harbored. Currently, some online services have ended, but that does not mean the value of innovative ideas or unique game works of those days has been lost. For people wanting to enjoy nostalgic masterpieces once more, and for people wanting to know the evolution of game consoles, PlayStation 3 is still an interesting existence.