PlayStation 3
On the 9th of March 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi stood before a press conference and announced a partnership with IBM and Toshiba to develop a new microprocessor that would become the heart of their next console. This was not merely a chip for playing games; it was an ambitious attempt to turn the living room into a supercomputer. The resulting architecture, known as the Cell Broadband Engine, featured a 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based Power Processing Element alongside seven Synergistic Processing Elements designed to handle parallel tasks simultaneously. To ensure manufacturing yield, engineers initially fabricated each chip with eight SPEs, then used laser trimming to disable any defective units or intentionally disabled one even in perfect chips to maintain consistency across all production runs. Six of these operational elements were available to game developers, while the seventh remained reserved for the system's operating software.
The decision to build such a complex processor came at a steep price. By late 2006, estimates placed the manufacturing cost of the 20 GB model at US$805.85 and the 60 GB model at US$840.35, figures that far exceeded their retail prices of $499 and $599 respectively. This meant Sony sold every unit at launch at a significant loss, contributing to an operating loss of ¥232 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2007. The complexity also made development difficult for third-party studios. Gabe Newell of Valve famously declared the PS3 a total disaster on so many levels, arguing that Sony had lost track of what customers and developers wanted. Despite the initial criticism, the architecture eventually allowed for capabilities like stereoscopic 3D support introduced via firmware updates beginning in 2010, and enabled unique applications ranging from protein folding research to high-resolution satellite imagery analysis by military researchers.
When the PlayStation 3 finally hit shelves in Japan on the 11th of November 2006, it sold over 81,000 units within just 24 hours, creating a frenzy that would soon spread globally. The North American release followed six days later on November 17, where demand was so intense that incidents of violence were reported at retail locations. However, the European and Australasian markets faced a different reality; the PAL region launch was delayed until the 23rd of March 2007, due to a shortage of Blu-ray drive components. This delay created a gap that allowed competitors to gain ground while consumers waited.
The pricing strategy proved to be a double-edged sword. While the console offered cutting-edge technology including the first HDMI port and Blu-ray disc support as its primary storage medium, the high cost alienated many potential buyers. Sony sold the console at a significant loss for several years, with cumulative hardware losses reaching approximately US$3.3 billion through mid-2008. The initial reception was mixed, largely because the complex system architecture made programming difficult and the library of launch titles was limited. Resistance: Fall of Man emerged as the top seller in North America, receiving critical acclaim and being named PS3 Game of the Year by both GameSpot and IGN, but other anticipated titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion missed the launch window entirely. Despite these early struggles, the console's technological ambition eventually won over critics, helping Sony establish Blu-ray as the dominant standard over HD DVD.
On the 18th of August 2009, during the Gamescom press conference, Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 Slim model, designated CECH-2000, marking a radical shift in the console's physical identity. This new chassis was significantly slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, featuring reduced power consumption and a quieter cooling system. These improvements were achieved by transitioning to smaller fabrication processes for the system's CPU and GPU, which reportedly reduced production costs by about 70 percent. Although the price was simultaneously lowered to US$299, Sony still estimated losing around US$37 per unit at launch, though losses per unit dropped to approximately US$18 by early 2010.
The evolution continued into late 2012 with the announcement of the Super Slim revision, model CECH-4000. Compared to the previous Slim model, this iteration was approximately 20 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter, replacing the slot-loading disc drive with a top-loading mechanism that further lowered manufacturing costs. While reviewers criticized the new design for feeling cheap and described it as ultimately a step back due to the manual closing required for the tray, the changes did help cut costs and save space. The Super Slim offered larger hard drives up to 500 GB and included a low-cost model featuring 16 GB of eMMC flash storage. By the 29th of May 2017, final production in the Japanese market ceased, ending an era that had seen three distinct hardware revisions designed to balance performance, cost, and consumer appeal.
On the 1st of April 2010, Sony released firmware update version 3.21, which removed the ability to install alternative operating systems like Linux from all existing PlayStation 3 consoles except those that refused to update beyond version 3.15 or installed unofficial modified firmware. This decision sparked controversy and led to several class action lawsuits aimed at making Sony return the feature or provide compensation, though U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg dismissed the last remaining count on the 8th of December 2011, stating plaintiffs failed to allege facts on which Sony could be held liable. Prior to this change, the original PS3 allowed users to run other OSes alongside the main system software, utilizing six of the seven Synergistic Processing Elements of the Cell microprocessor.
The removal of OtherOS functionality coincided with the launch of PlayStation Plus, a premium subscription service unveiled at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton. Launched alongside firmware 3.40 on the 29th of June 2010, this paid-for service provided enhanced features including automatic downloads for demos and game updates, early access to betas, and exclusive downloadable content. The infrastructure also supported the PlayStation Network, a unified online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service announced during the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing meeting in Tokyo. Despite these advancements, the network suffered a major security breach on the 20th of April 2011, when an external intrusion shut down the service for a prolonged interval, potentially exposing personal information of 77 million users including names, addresses, email addresses, and birthdates.
By the end of its lifecycle, the PlayStation 3 had sold approximately 87.4 million units worldwide, narrowly surpassing the Xbox 360 to become the eighth best-selling console of all time. In the United States alone, sales reached 22.9 million units, while Europe accounted for 30 million and Japan saw 9.3 million units sold. These figures represented a dramatic turnaround from the initial years where Sony lost money on every unit sold. The turning point came after the introduction of the Slim model and subsequent price reductions, which helped the platform recover commercially.
The commercial success was bolstered by a library of critically acclaimed games that included Grand Theft Auto V, Gran Turismo 5, The Last of Us, and the Uncharted franchise. Nearly 1 billion PS3 games were sold worldwide, demonstrating the platform's enduring popularity despite early struggles. By January 2009, Sony announced their gaming division was profitable in Q3 2008, marking a shift from the operating losses reported in the fiscal year ending March 2007. Although the Wii became the generation's most successful console in terms of units sold due to its unique gameplay and affordability, the PS3 managed to close the gap with the Xbox 360 over time, eventually achieving parity or surpassing it in many third-party titles.
In 2007, Dr. Frank Mueller of North Carolina State University clustered eight PlayStation 3 consoles using Fedora Linux and open-source toolsets to create a cost-effective entry point into parallel computing. This repurposing extended beyond academic research; the U.S. military recognized the console's potential when the Air Force Research Laboratory built the Condor Cluster in 2010 using 1,760 PS3 consoles. This cluster achieved 500 trillion floating-point operations per second, ranking as the 33rd most powerful supercomputer in the world at that time and used for analyzing high-resolution satellite imagery. The architecture also found use in cybersecurity research, where a group utilized a 200-console cluster to crack SSL encryption in 2008.
These unconventional applications were eventually curtailed by later hardware revisions that removed support for third-party operating systems, yet the legacy of the Cell Broadband Engine endured. Sony and Stanford University launched the Folding@home client, allowing owners to contribute processing power to study protein folding for disease research. Although the PS4 was released in November 2013 as the successor and shipments ended in most regions by 2016, the original console's impact on home entertainment technology remained profound. It established Blu-ray as the dominant standard, introduced HDMI connectivity to gaming consoles, and demonstrated how consumer electronics could be leveraged for scientific discovery.
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Common questions
When was the PlayStation 3 first announced and by whom?
Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi announced the partnership with IBM and Toshiba to develop the new microprocessor on the 9th of March 2001. This announcement marked the beginning of development for what would become the Cell Broadband Engine architecture.
What were the manufacturing costs versus retail prices at launch in 2006?
By late 2006, estimates placed the manufacturing cost of the 20 GB model at US$805.85 and the 60 GB model at US$840.35. These figures far exceeded their retail prices of $499 and $599 respectively, meaning Sony sold every unit at launch at a significant loss.
On which dates did the PlayStation 3 release in Japan, North America, and Europe?
The console hit shelves in Japan on the 11th of November 2006 and followed six days later in North America on November 17. The European and Australasian markets faced a different reality as the PAL region launch was delayed until the 23rd of March 2007 due to component shortages.
When did Sony officially unveil the PlayStation 3 Slim model and what changes did it bring?
Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 Slim model designated CECH-2000 on the 18th of August 2009 during the Gamescom press conference. This new chassis featured reduced power consumption and a quieter cooling system achieved by transitioning to smaller fabrication processes for the CPU and GPU.
What happened to the OtherOS functionality on the PlayStation 3 in 2010?
On the 1st of April 2010, Sony released firmware update version 3.21 which removed the ability to install alternative operating systems like Linux from all existing consoles except those that refused to update beyond version 3.15. This decision sparked controversy and led to several class action lawsuits aimed at making Sony return the feature or provide compensation.
How many units of the PlayStation 3 were sold worldwide before production ceased?
By the end of its lifecycle, the PlayStation 3 had sold approximately 87.4 million units worldwide before final production in the Japanese market ceased on the 29th of May 2017. These figures represented a dramatic turnaround from the initial years where Sony lost money on every unit sold.