Playstation 3 Console

The Playstation 3 console is so much more than a video games system in that it goes way beyond what you should expect from a Video Games Console.  Its a Blu-ray Player, its a music storage and playback device, its a PC, its a communications device, its all those things and more.  Available in a range of Hard Disk sizes including 40, 60, and 80Gb the description below relates to the 60Gb model.  The Playstation 3 console has an amazing array of games available for it that show off the amazing graphics it can produce, probably the single most advanced feature of this beautifully put together Video Games Console.

The Sony Playstation 3 console is known the world over and has sold millions of units all over the globe. Its combination of great graphics, familiar controllers and an amazing array of games make this video game system a consistent bestseller since its release. Compared to the Wii its not as interactive but is aimed more at the game play market with literally thousands of great Playstation 3 Games widely available to buy, one word of caution, not all PS3's offer backward compatibility for Playstation 2 games, find out more on our Playstation 3 pages

As DVD playback made the PlayStation 2 more than just a game machine, hefty multi-media features make the PlayStation 3 an even more versatile home entertainment machine. Features such as video chat, internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video will likely make it the central component of your media set-up. Still, it is first and foremost a powerful gaming console.

Playstation 3 Console

Manufacturer's Description
The PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system unleashes a brilliant, high-definition entertainment experience with its Cell Broadband Engine that delivers a gaming experience that is beyond what you know today. Its built-in Blu-ray Disc drive delivers a whole new generation in high-definition gaming and unmatched digital media storage. Whether it’s gaming, Blu-ray movies, music or online services, PlayStation 3 will change your digital life.

* High-definition capabilities: Enjoy high-definition entertainment, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) means you can use your PlayStation 3 with high-definition televisions as well as conventional TVs.
* Hard Disk Drive (HDD): The PlayStation 3 comes with a  removable hard disk drive (HDD) allowing you to store your music, images and video files as well as content downloaded from Sony’s online service.
* System interoperability: The PlayStation 3 and PSP are designed to work together so you can easily exchange media like photos, videos and music from your PlayStation 3 system to your PSP. Game developers are also working on innovative and exciting ways of integrating the PSP system into PlayStation 3 games.
* Backwards compatibility: The PlayStation 3 is compatible with over 1000, but not all, PSone and PlayStation 2 games as well as audio CDs and DVDs.
* Always on: PlayStation 3 delivers an "always-on" online experience; offering a world of online possibilities including multiplayer gaming, text and video messaging, voice chatting, downloading content and browsing the internet.
* Blu-Ray: The built-in Blu-ray disc player means you can enjoy next-generation high-definition entertainment, including games and movies.

The PlayStation 3 is powered by the Cell Broadband Engine, a revolutionary microprocessor that leapfrogs the performance of existing processors, giving the PlayStation 3 system supercomputer-like power and performance that until now, game developers have only dreamt about. For example, the Cell Broadband Engine is 40 times faster than the chip that is found inside the PlayStation 2 console.

The PlayStation 3 system’s Cell Broadband Engine is the very thing that game developers have always dreamt about. Its unique multi-processing unit design represents a tour de force in parallel processing. The ability to do more of everything at the same time means more enemies, more AI, more explosions, and more realistic gameplay. Amazing gameplay elements such as ragdoll physics and keyframe animation, enemy AI behaving unpredictably, glass cracking based on the size of the object that impacted it, and individual flecks of dust in a beam of sunlight are all possible with the PlayStation 3. The Cell Broadband Engine has the muscle and horsepower to move beyond artificial intelligence.

The built-in Blu-ray disc player means you can enjoy next-generation high-definition entertainment, including games and movies. Just as the DVD offered a technological leap from CDs, Blu-ray is the next leap forward in the advancement of data storage technology and digital entertainment. With Blu-ray, the PlayStation 3 offers game developers unprecedented power to express their creativity and a larger canvas to produce a level of interaction, sophistication and reality that has never existed in gaming. More than an evolution, Blu-ray is a revolution that frees developers from the constraints of storage space and allows them to dream in Blu-ray.

* High-definition: Blu-ray’s vast storage capacity (50 GB BD vs. 5 GB DVD) supports the large data requirements of high-definition games and movies.
* Pristine picture quality: Blu-Ray delivers pristine picture quality at 1080p - the highest-definition resolution available today.
* Theatre-quality audio: The PlayStation 3 has audio that redefines "life-like" with its 7.1 channel surround sound and true lossless audio. This theatre-quality "uncompressed" audio supports 8 channels of Liner PCM and up to 32 audio streams.
* Quality movies in high-definition: Seven of the eight major movie studios have already announced titles for Blu-ray, including Warner, Paramount, Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM and Lionsgate.
* Recordable media: Blu-ray offers a recordable format with unsurpassed storage capacity to store your digital world: photographs, home videos, music libraries and data, as well as games and movies.
* Maximum bit rate: With the overwhelming computational power of its Cell Broadband Engine processor, the PlayStation 3 is capable of playing back content from Blu-Ray at a bit rate of multiplex 48Mbps, the maximum bit rate defined in Blu-Ray standards.
* Industry support: Blu-Ray has the broadest industry support for any disc format ever launched and is supported by more than 170 of the world’s leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, Hewlett-Packard, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson.

Utilising sensors designed to read when a player angles, tilts, thrusts, or pulls, the SIXAXIS controller was designed to become a natural extension of the player’s body. And with the heritage of the PlayStation system’s basic controller design still intact, gamers are now able to harness the intuitive movements of a multi-axis controller in a design that they are familiar and comfortable with.

* Motion sensing system: Thanks to breakthrough technology and a highly sensitive motion sensing system, the controller is a natural extension of the user’s body.
* Bluetooth: The PlayStation 3 can support up to seven wireless controllers using Bluetooth technology.
* Wireless or wired: The SIXAXIS controller can be easily switched from wireless to wired.
* Analogue joysticks: The tilting angle of the analogue joysticks has been slightly broadened to enable more delicate and dynamic manipulation.
* L2/R2 buttons: The shape of the L2/R2 buttons has been altered, enabling increased travel and precision for more subtle control in games.
* USB charging: Plug into a USB cable and automatically charge the controller through the system at any time.

Multimedia support:
The PlayStation 3 provides an endless array of multimedia activities, all without even inserting a game. It gives you unprecedented control, access and enjoyment of a full range of digital media including music, photos, video and internet content.