Sony PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 (abbreviated to PS3) is a home video game consoledeveloped by Sony Interactive Entertainment, formerly Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to PlayStation 2, and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It competed with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan,[8] November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 27, 2007 in Europe and Australia.[9][10][11]

The console was first officially announced at E3 2005, and was released at the end of 2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium.[12] The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services, included it being the first to introduce Sony's social gaming service, PlayStation Network,[13] and its[14] remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita,[15] being able to remote control the console from the devices. In September 2009, the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released, being lighter and thinner than the original version, which notably featured a redesigned logo and marketing design, as well as a minor start-up change in software. A Super Slimvariation was then released in late 2012, further refining and redesigning the console. As of March 2016, PlayStation 3 has sold 85 million units worldwide.[16] Its successor, the PlayStation 4, was released later in November 2013.

PlayStation 3 games are not directly compatible with PlayStation 4. However, Sony's PlayStation Now rental gaming service can be used to stream a selection of compatible PlayStation 3 games on its successor, including the PlayStation Vita and even the PlayStation 3 itself.

On September 29, 2015, Sony confirmed that sales of the PlayStation 3 were to be discontinued in New Zealand.[17]