SonyGeneration 7
PlayStation 3
2006
AU Release
23 March 2007
AU Launch Price
$999 AUD
~$1580 today
Units Sold
87M
Technical Specifications
Processor
Cell Broadband Engine (3.2 GHz)
Memory
256 MB XDR + 256 MB GDDR3
Storage
60 GB HDD (launch)
Media
Blu-ray / DVD
Best-Selling PlayStation 3 Games
Global lifetime sales
Cultural Impact
The PlayStation 3 launched at a famously high price — AU$999 for the premium model — and Sony infamously said consumers would 'want to work extra hours to buy it'. Despite a rocky start losing significant ground to the Wii and Xbox 360, the PS3 recovered thanks to its Cell processor muscle and Blu-ray support, which helped Blu-ray win the format war against HD-DVD. By 2008 it had momentum, and titles like Uncharted 2, The Last of Us, and Metal Gear Solid 4 made it a formidable platform.
Did You Know?
The PS3 was cheaper than a standalone Blu-ray player at launch, making it popular as a movie device
Sony lost approximately US$200–300 on every PS3 sold at launch due to the Cell processor cost
The PS3's Folding@home client harnessed idle PS3 processing power for medical research — at peak it was the world's most powerful distributed computing network
From the Same Generation (Gen 7)
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