The PlayStation 3 (プレイステーション3, Pureisutēshon Surī?, officially abbreviated as "PS3") is the third home video gameconsole 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. Its big, heavy and low capacity first model was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, with international markets following shortly thereafter. A newer and more refined slim model with higher capacity was released in 2009.
Major features of the console include its free unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network, its multimedia capabilities, connectivity with the PlayStation Portable, and its use of the Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium.
