The PlayStation
3 (PS3) is a home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment.
It is the successor to PlayStation 2,
as part of the PlayStation
series. It competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of theseventh
generation of video
game consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan,] with international markets following
shortly thereafter.
The console was first officially announced
at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2005, and was released at the end of
2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium.[9] Major features of the console include
its unified online gaming service, PlayStation Network,[10] and its[11] connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita,] In September 2009 the updated
PlayStation 3 Slim, was
released. This Slim is lighter and thinner than the
original version, which notably featured a re-designed logo and marketing
design. A further refined Super
Slim design was released in
late 2012. As of November 2, 2013, PlayStation 3 has sold 80 million units
worldwide. Its successor,PlayStation 4, was released on November 15,
2013, in North America and in Europe on
November 29, 2013. Following the release of PlayStation 4, Sony has stated that
they will continue to support PlayStation 3 until 2015
History
Sony officially unveiled PlayStation 3
(then marketed as PLAYSTATION
3])
to the public on May 16, 2005, at the E3 2005
conference,[15]along
with a 'boomerang'
shaped prototype design of the Sixaxis
controller.] A functional version of the system was
not present there,] nor at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005,] although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the
Patriots])
were held at both events on software development kits and comparable personal computer hardware. Video footage based on the predicted
PlayStation 3 specifications was also shown (notably a Final Fantasy
VII tech demo).]
The initial prototype shown in May 2005
featured two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports;] however, when the system was shown
again a year later at E3 2006,
these were reduced to one HDMI port, one Ethernet port and four USB ports,
presumably to cut costs. Two
hardware configurations were also announced for the console: a 20 GB model
and a 60 GB model, priced at US$499 (€499) and US$599 (€599), respectively The 60 GB model was to be the
only configuration to feature an HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, flash card readers and a
chrome trim with the logo in silver. Both
models were announced for a simultaneous worldwide release: November 11, 2006,
for Japan and November 17,
2006, for North America and Europe .]
On September 6, 2006, Sony announced that PAL region PlayStation 3 launch would be
delayed until March 2007, because of a shortage of materials used in the
Blu-ray drive.[] At the Tokyo Game Show on September
22, 2006, Sony announced that it would include an HDMI port on the 20 GB
system, but a chrome trim, flash card readers, silver logo and Wi-Fi would not
be included.[] Also, the launch price of the Japanese
20 GB model was reduced by over 20%,[] and the 60 GB model was announced
for an open pricing scheme in Japan
Launch
PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan Japan Japan , PS3 was released in North
America on November 17, 2006.] Reports of violence surrounded the release of
PS3. A customer was shot,] campers were robbed at gunpoint,] customers were shot in a drive-by shooting with BB guns,] and 60 campers fought over 10 systems.]
The console was originally planned for a global release
through November, but at the start of September the release in Europe and the rest of the world was delayed until March. With it being a somewhat
last-minute delay, some companies had taken deposits for pre-orders, at which
Sony informed customers that they were eligible for full refunds or could
continue the pre-order.] On January 24, 2007, Sony announced that
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, as a single version equipped with an 80 GB hard drive and IPTV
PS3 Slim and console rebranding
Following speculation that Sony was working
on a 'slim' model, Sony officially announced the PS3 CECH-2000 model on August
18, 2009, at the Sony Gamescom press
conference.]]Among its features are a
slimmer form factor and quieter noise when powered on. It was released in major
territories by September 2009. As part of the release for the slim model, the
logo was changed from the "Spider-Man font"[clarification
needed] and
capitalized PLAYSTATION 3 to a more traditional PlayStation- and PlayStation
2-like 'PlayStation 3' logo with "PS3"
imprinted on the console. Along with the redesigning of the console and logo,
the boot screen of all consoles changed from "Sony Computer
Entertainment" to "PS3 PlayStation 3", with a new chime and the
game start splash screen being dropped. The cover art and packaging of games
has also been changed
Games
PlayStation 3 launched in North America
with 14 titles, with another three being released before the end of 2006.] After the first week of sales it was confirmed
that Resistance: Fall of Man fromInsomniac Games was the top-selling launch game in North America . The game was heavily
praised by numerous video game websites, including GameSpot and IGN,
both of whom awarded it their PlayStation 3 Game of the Year award for 2006. Some titles missed the launch window and were delayed until early 2007, such as The Elder Scrolls IV:
Oblivion, F.E.A.R.and Sonic the Hedgehog. During the Japanese
launch, Ridge Racer 7 was the top-selling game,
while Mobile Suit Gundam:
Crossfire also fared well in sales,] both of which were offerings fromNamco Bandai Games.
PlayStation 3 launched in Europe with 24 titles, including ones that were not
offered in North American and Japanese launches, such as Formula One
Championship Edition, MotorStorm and Virtua Fighter 5. Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm were the most successful titles of 2007, and both games
subsequently received sequels in the form ofResistance 2 and MotorStorm: Pacific
Rift.
At E3 2007, Sony was able to
show a number of their upcoming video games for PlayStation 3, including Heavenly Sword, Lair, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Warhawk andUncharted: Drake's
Fortune; all of which were released in the third and fourth
quarters of 2007. They also showed off a number of titles that were set for
release in 2008 and 2009; most notablyKillzone 2, Infamous, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, LittleBigPlanet and SOCOM: U.S. Navy
SEALs Confrontation. A number of third-party exclusives were also
shown, including the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid
4: Guns of the Patriots,[51] alongside other high-profile third-party titles
such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Call of Duty 4: Modern
Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Devil May Cry 4 and Resident Evil 5. Two other important titles for PlayStation 3, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus
XIII, were shown at TGS 2007 in order to appease the Japanese market.
Sony have since launched their budget range of PlayStation 3 titles, known as the Greatest Hits range in North America, the Platinum range in Europe and Australia[55] and The Best range in Japan. Among the titles
available in the budget range include Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm, Uncharted: Drakes
Fortune, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Call Of Duty 3, Assassin's Creed andNinja Gaiden Sigma. As
of October 2009 Metal Gear Solid
4: Guns of the Patriots, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Devil May Cry 4, Army of Two, Battlefield: Bad
Company andMidnight Club: Los
Angeles have also joined the list.
As of March 31, 2012, there have been 595 million games sold
for PlayStation 3
Stereoscopic 3D
In December 2008, the CTO of Blitz Games announced that it would bring stereoscopic 3D gaming and movie viewing to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with its own technology. This technology was first
demonstrated publicly on PS3 in January 2009 at the Consumer Electronics
Show. Journalists were shown Wipeout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in 3D as a demonstration
of how the technology might work if it is implemented in the future. System software update
3.30 has prepared PS3 for stereoscopic 3D gaming, while 3.50 prepared it for 3D
films. Firmware update 3.30 officially allows PS3 titles to be played in
3D, requiring a compatible display for use. While the game itself
must be programmed to take advantage of the 3D technology, titles may be
patched to add in the functionality retroactively. Titles with such patches
include Wipeout HD, Pain, and Super Stardust HD.
Hardware
PlayStation 3 is convex on its left side,
with the PlayStation logo upright, when vertical (the top side is convex when
horizontal) and has a glossy black finish. PlayStation designer Teiyu Goto
stated that the Spider-Man-font-inspired logo "was one of the first elements SCEI president Ken Kutaragi decided on and the logo may have been
the motivating force behind the shape of PS3".
On March 22, 2007, SCE and Stanford University released the Folding@home software for PlayStation 3. This program allows PS3 owners to lend
the computing power of their consoles to help study the process of protein folding for disease research.
Use in supercomputing
PS3's hardware has also been used to build supercomputers for high-performance
computing.[65] Fixstars Solutions sell a version of Yellow Dog Linux for PlayStation 3
(originally sold by Terra Soft Solutions). RapidMind produced a stream programming package for PS3,] but were acquired by Intel in 2009. Also, on
January 3, 2007, Dr. Frank Mueller, Associate Professor ofComputer science at NCSU,
clustered 8 PS3s. Mueller commented that the 256 MB of system RAM is a
limitation for this particular application and is considering attempting to
retrofit more RAM. Software includes: Fedora Core 5 Linux ppc64,
MPICH2, OpenMP v 2.5, GNU Compiler Collection and CellSDK 1.1. As a more cost-effective
alternative to conventional supercomputers, the U.S. military has purchased
clusters of PS3 units for research purposes Retail PS3 Slim units
cannot be used for supercomputing, because PS3 Slim lacks the ability to boot
into a third-party OS.
In November 2010 the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL) created a powerful supercomputer by connecting together 1,760 Sony PS3s which
include 168 separate graphical processing units and 84 coordinating servers in
a parallel array capable of performing 500 trillion floating-point
operations per second (500 TFLOPS).] As built the Condor Cluster was the 33rd largest
supercomputer in the world and would be used to analyze high definition
satellite imagery.
In December 2008, a group of hackers used a cluster of 200 PlayStation
3 computers to crack SSL authentication
Technical specifications
PlayStation 3 features a slot-loading 2x speed Blu-ray Disc
drive for games, Blu-ray movies, DVDs, CDs and other optical media. It was originally
available with hard drives of 20 and 60 GB (20 GB model was not
available in PAL regions) but various sizes up to 500 GB have been made available
since then (see: model comparison). All PS3 models have user-upgradeable
2.5" SATA hard drives.
PlayStation 3 uses the Cell microprocessor,
designed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM,
as its CPU, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based
"Power Processing Element" (PPE) and eight Synergistic Processing
Elements (SPEs). The eighth SPE is disabled to improve chip
yields. Only six of the seven SPEs are accessible to
developers as the seventh SPE is reserved by the console's operating system.] Graphics processing is handled by the NVIDIA RSX 'Reality
Synthesizer', which can produce resolutions from 480i/576i SD up to 1080p HD. PlayStation 3 has
256 MB of XDR DRAM main memory and
256 MB of GDDR3 video memory for the RSX.
The system has Bluetooth 2.0 (with support for up to 7 bluetooth devices), gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and HDMI 1.4[note 1] built in on all currently shipping models. Wi-Fi networking is also
built-in on all but the 20 GB models, while a flash card reader
(compatible with Memory Stick, SD/MMC and CompactFlash/Microdrive media) is built-in on
60 GB and CECHExx 80 GB models
Models
PlayStation 3 has been produced in various models: the
original, the Slim, and the Super Slim. Successive models have added or removed
various features.
Controllers and accessories
Numerous accessories for the console have been developed.
These accessories include the wireless Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers, the Logitech Driving Force
GT, the Logitech Cordless
Precision Controller, the BD Remote,
the PlayStation Eye camera, and the PlayTV DVB-T tuner/digital video recorder accessory
At Sony's E3 press conference in 2006, the
then standard wireless Sixaxis controller was announced. The
controller was based on the same basic design as the PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller but was wireless, lacked
vibration capabilities, had a built-in accelerometer (that could detect motion
in three directional and three rotational axes; six in total, hence the name
Sixaxis) and had a few cosmetic tweaks.
At its press conference at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show,
Sony announced DualShock 3 (trademarked DUALSHOCK 3), a
PlayStation 3 controller with the same function and design as Sixaxis, but with
vibration capability included.] Hands-on accounts describe the
controller as being noticeably heavier than the standard Sixaxis controller and
capable of vibration forces comparable to DualShock 2.] It was released in Japan on November
11, 2007; in North America on
April 5, 2008; in Australia on
April 24, 2008; in New Zealand on May 9, 2008; in mainland Europe on July 2,
2008, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 4, 2008.
During E3 2009, Sony
unveiled plans to release a motion controller later to be named PlayStation Move at GDC 2010. It was released on
September 15, 2010, in Europe; September 19, 2010, in North America and October
21, 2010, in Japan
On October 13, 2010, Sony announced an
official surround sound system for PS3 through the official PlayStation YouTube channel
Reliability
According to Ars Technica,
the number of PlayStation 3 consoles that have experienced failure is well
within the normal failure rates in the consumer electronics industry; a 2009 study by SquareTrade,
a warranty provider, found a two-year failure rate of 10% for PlayStation 3s.
Approximately half a percent of all
consoles are subject to a failure that is indicated by the console failing to
start up, and displaying a yellow light. In
September 2009, BBC's Watchdog television
programme aired a report investigating the issue, calling it the "yellow
light of death" (YLOD). Among the consoles that experienced the failure,
they found that it usually occurred 18–24 months after purchase, while the
standard Sony warranty covers one year after purchase. After this time,
PlayStation 3 owners can pay Sony a set fee for a refurbished console.
Sony claimed that, according to its
statistics of returned consoles approximately only 0.5% of consoles were
reported as showing the YLOD.] In response to the program Sony issued
a document criticizing the program's accuracy and conclusions; specifically
that the faults were evidence of a manufacturing defect. The document also
complained that the report had been inappropriate in tone, and might do damage
to Sony's brand
Software
System software
Sony has included the ability for the operating system,
referred to as System Software, to be updated. The updates can be
acquired in several ways:
·
If PlayStation 3 has an active Internet connection, updates may be downloaded directly from
the PlayStation Network to PlayStation 3 and subsequently installed. Systems
with active Internet will automatically check online for software updates each
time the console is started.
·
Using an external PC, a user may download the
update from the official PlayStation website, transfer it to portable storage media and install it on the system.
·
Some game discs come with system software updates on the disc. This may be due to the game
requiring the update in order to run. If so, the software may be installed from
the disc.
The original PlayStation 3 also included the ability to
install other operating systems,] such as Linux. This was not included in
the newer slim models and was removed from all older PlayStation 3 consoles
with the release of firmware update 3.21 in April 2010. The functionality is
now only available to users of original consoles who choose not to update their
system software beyond version 3.15] or who have installed third-party, modified and
unofficial versions of the firmware instead
Graphical user interface
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The PlayStation 3's XMB GUI
The standard PlayStation 3 version of the XrossMediaBar
(pronounced Cross Media Bar, or abbreviated XMB) includes nine categories
of options. These are: Users, Settings, Photo, Music, Video, Game, Network, PlayStation Network and Friends (similar to the PlayStation Portable media bar). A tenthTV category is displayed
between Music and Video if PlayTV or torne is installed or
if the console meets certain criteria to access select catch-up television services. By default, the What's New section of PlayStation Network is displayed when the
system starts up. PS3 includes the ability to store various master and
secondary user profiles, manage and explore photos with or without a musical slide show, play music and copy audio CD tracks to an attached data storage device, play
movies and video files from the hard disk drive, an optical disc (Blu-ray Disc
or DVD-Video) or an optional USBmass storage or Flash card, compatibility for a USB keyboard
and mouse and a web browser supporting in/compatible file download function.
Additionally, UPnP media will appear in the
respective audio/video/photo categories if a compatible media server or DLNA server is detected on the
local network. The Friends menu allows mail with emoticon and attached picture
features and video chat which requires an optional PlayStation Eye orEyeToy webcam.] The Network menu allows online shopping through the PlayStation Store and connectivity to
PlayStation Portable via Remote Play.
Digital rights management
PlayStation 3 console protects certain
types of data and uses digital rights management to limit the data's use.
Purchased games and content from the PlayStation Network store are governed by
PlayStation's Network Digital Rights Management (NDRM). The NDRM allows users
to access the data from up to 2 different PlayStation 3's that have been
activated using a user's PlayStation Network ID.] PlayStation
3 also limits the transfer of copy protected videos downloaded from its store
to other machines and states that copy protected video "may not restore
correctly" following certain actions after making a backup such as
downloading a new copy protected movie
Photo management
Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery is an optional application to view, create and
group photos from PS3, which is installed separately from the system software
at 105 MB. It was introduced in system software version 2.60 and provides
a range of tools for sorting through and displaying the system's pictures. The
key feature of this application is that it can organize photos into groups
according to various criteria. Notable categorizations are colors, ages, or facial expressions of the people in the
photos. Slideshows can be viewed with the application, along with music and
playlists. The software was updated with the release of system software version
3.40 allowing users to upload and browse photos on Facebook and Picasa.
PlayMemories Studio
PlayMemories is an optional stereoscopic 3D (and also
standard) photo viewing application, which is installed from
the PlayStation Store at 956 MB. The application is dedicated specifically
to 3D photos and features the ability to zoom into 3D environments and change
the angle and perspective of panoramas. It requires system
software 3.40 or higher; 3D photos; a 3D HDTV, and an HDMI cable for the 3D
images to be viewed properly.
Video services
Video editor and uploader
A new application was released as part of
system software version 3.40 which allows users to edit videos on PlayStation 3
and upload them to the Internet. The software features basic video editing
tools including the ability to cut videos and add music and captions. Videos
can then be rendered and uploaded to video sharing websites such as Facebook
and YouTube
Video on demand
In addition to the video service provided by the Sony Entertainment
Network the PlayStation 3 console has access to a
variety of third party video services, dependent on region:
Since June 2009 VidZone has offered a free music video streaming service
in Europe, Australia and New Zealand United States
In April 2010, support for MLB.tv was added, allowing
MLB.tv subscribers to watch regular season games live in HD and access new
interactive features designed exclusively for PSN.
In November 2010 access to the video and social networking
site MUBI was enabled for European,
New Zealand
In August 2011, Sony in partnership with DirecTV added NFL Sunday Ticket. Then in October 2011, Best Buy launched an app for its CinemaNow service.
In
April 2012, Amazon.comlaunched an Amazon Instant Video app, accessible to Amazon Prime subscribers (in the US
Upon reviewing the PlayStation and Netflix collaboration
Pocket-Lint said "We've used the Netflix app on Xbox too and, as good as
it is, we think the PS3 version might have the edge here." and stated that
having Netflix and LoveFilm on PlayStation is "mind-blowingly good."
In July 2013, YuppTV OTT player launched its
branded application on the PS3 computer entertainment system in the United States
OtherOS support
PlayStation 3 initially shipped with the ability to install
an alternative operating system alongside the main system software; Linux and other Unix based operating systems
were available. The hardware allowed access to six of the seven Synergistic Processing
Elements of the Cell microprocessor, but
not the RSX 'Reality
Synthesizer' graphics chip.
The 'OtherOS' functionality was not present in the updated
PS Slim models, and the feature was subsequently removed from previous versions
of the PS3 as part of the machine's firmware update version 3.21 which was released on April
1, 2010; Sony cited security concerns as the rationale.
The firmware update 3.21 was mandatory for access to the PlayStation Network. The removal caused some
controversy; as the update removed officially advertised features from already
sold products, and gave rise to several class action lawsuits aimed at making
Sony return the feature or provide compensation.
On December 8, 2011, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg
dismissed the last remaining count of the class action lawsuit (other claims in
the suit had previously been dismissed), stating: "As a legal matter, [..]
plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may
be held liable."]
As of January 2014 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit partially reversed the dismissal and have sent the case back to the
district court
Leap year bug
On March 1, 2010 (UTC), many of the
original (non-Slim) PlayStation 3 models worldwide were experiencing errors
related to their internal system clock. The error had a multitude of symptoms.
Initially, the main problem seemed to be the inability to connect to the PlayStation Network.
However, the root cause of the problem was unrelated to the PlayStation
Network, since even users who had never been online also had problems playing
installed offline games (which queried the system timer as part of startup) and
using system themes. At the same time many users noted that the console's clock
had gone back to December 31, 1999. The event was nicknamed the ApocalyPS3, a play on the word apocalypse.]
The error code displayed
was typically 8001050F and affected users were unable to sign in, play games,
use dynamic themes and view/sync trophies. The
problem only resided within the 1st through to the 3rd generation original PS3
units while the newer "Slim" models were unaffected because of
different internal hardware for the clock.
Sony confirmed that there was an error and
stated that they were narrowing down the issue and were continuing to work to
restore service. By March 2
(UTC), 2010, owners of original PS3 models could connect to PSN successfully
and the clock no longer showed December 31, 1999.[ Sony
stated that the affected models incorrectly identified 2010 as a leap year, because of a bug in the BCD method of storing the date. However, for some users, the
hardware's operating system clock (mainly updated from the internet and not
associated with the internal clock) needed to be updated manually or by
re-syncing it via the internet.
On June 29, 2010, Sony released PS3 system software update 3.40, which improved the
functionality of the internal clock to properly account for leap years
PlayStation Portable connectivity
PlayStation Portable can connect with PlayStation 3 in many
ways, including in-game connectivity. For example, Formula One Championship Edition, a
racing game, was shown at E3 2006 using a PSP as a real-time rear-view mirror. In addition, users are able to
download original PlayStation format games from the PlayStation Store, transfer
and play them on PSP as well as PS3 itself. It
is also possible to use the Remote Play feature to play these and some PlayStation
Network games, remotely on PSP over a network or internet connection.
Sony has also demonstrated PSP playing
back video content from PlayStation 3 hard disk across an ad hoc wireless
network. This feature is referred to as Remote Play located under the browser
icon on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Remote play has since
expanded to allow remote access to PS3 via PSP from any wireless access point in the world
PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network is the unified online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service
provided by Sony Computer
Entertainment for
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, announced during the 2006 PlayStation
Business Briefing meeting in Tokyo
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus (commonly abbreviated PS+ and occasionally referred to as PSN Plus) is a premium
PlayStation Network subscription service that was officially unveiled at E3 2010 by
Jack Tretton, President and CEO of SCEA. Rumors of such service had been in
speculation since Kaz Hirai's announcement at TGS 2009 of a possible paid
service for PSN but with the current PSN service still available. Launched
alongside PS3 firmware 3.40 and PSP firmware 6.30 on June 29, 2010, the
paid-for subscription service provides users with enhanced services on the
PlayStation Network, on top of the current PSN service which is still available
with all of its features. These enhancements include the ability to have demos,
game and system software updates download automatically to PlayStation 3.
Subscribers also get early or exclusive access to some betas,
game demos, premium downloadable content and other PlayStation Store items.
North American users also get a free subscription to Qore.
Users may choose to purchase either a one-year or a three-month subscription to
PlayStation Plus.
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation
Store is an online virtual
market available to users of Sony's
PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP) game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free
of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes and
game and movie trailers. The service is accessible through an
icon on the XMB on
PS3 and PSP. The PS3 store can also be accessed on PSP via a Remote Play connection
to PS3. The PSP store is also available via the PC application, Media Go. As of September 24, 2009, there have
been over 600 million downloads from the PlayStation Store worldwide.]
The PlayStation Store is updated with new
content each Tuesday in North America , and
each Wednesday in PAL regions. In May 2010 this was changed from
Thursdays to allow PSP games to be released digitally, closer to the time they
are released on UMD
What's New
What's New was announced at Gamescom 2009
and was released on September 1, 2009, with PlayStation 3 system software 3.0 The feature was to replace the existing
[Information Board], which displayed news from the PlayStation website
associated with the user's region. The concept was developed further into a
major PlayStation Network feature, which interacts with the [Status Indicator]
to display a ticker of all content, excluding recently played content
(currently in North America and Japan
The system displays the What's New screen
by default instead of the [Games] menu (or [Video] menu, if a movie was
inserted) when starting up. What's New has four sections: "Our Pick",
"Recently Played", latest information and new content available in
PlayStation Store. There are four kinds of content the What's New screen
displays and links to, on the sections. "Recently Played" displays the
user's recently played games and online services only, whereas, the other
sections can contain website links, links to play videos and access to selected
sections of the PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation Store icons in the [Game]
and [Video] section act similarly to the What's New screen, except that they
only display and link to games and videos in the PlayStation Store,
respectively.
PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social networking service for the PlayStation Network. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically. Users can edit and decorate their
personal apartments, avatars or club houses with free, premium or won content. Users can shop for new items or win
prizes from PS3 games, or Home activities. Users interact and connect with
friends and customise content in a virtual world.
Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer
games with others.]
A closed beta began in Europe
from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after.] Home was delayed and expanded several times before initially
releasing. The OpenBeta test was started on December 11, 2008. Home
is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free and requires a PSN account.
Home features places to meet and interact,
dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces and events. The service
undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. As of August 2011, Home
has been downloaded by over 23 million users
Life with PlayStation
Life with PlayStation, released on
September 18, 2008 to succeed Folding@home. Life with PlayStation uses virtual globe data to
display news and information by city. Along with Folding@home functionality,
the application also provides the user with access to three other information
"channels", the first of which being the Live Channel which offers news headlines and
weather. Information is provided by Google
News, The Weather Channel,
theUniversity of
Wisconsin–Madison Space
Science and Engineering
Center United Village USA
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