SolveYourProblem Article Series: Sony Playstation, TV's & Other Products
What's So Cool About Sony?

Power to the Playstation – The 3rd Gaming System

Not since the introduction of the Sony Walkman radio, cassette player, and CD player in the 1970s has another Sony product so captured the public’s rapt attention. From the introduction of the first Playstation to the planned November 2006 release of Sony’s 3rd gaming system, power to the Playstation has redefined the video game industry. Amazingly, the Sony Playstation became the first home video game console to sell more than 100 million devices. Power to the Playstation!

First, a little about the company that has helped to define how people, particularly the world’s youth, think about and play with video gaming systems. The Tokyo-based Sony Corporation initially made its start by inventing the first successful transistor radio. Just as today’s video gaming systems have helped bring up a generation, the transistor radio brought rock and roll to the youth of the sixties. Sony continued its innovative thinking by giving the world the highest quality television picture for over thirty decades. Next, it paved the way for the iPods of today by creating the Walkman and Discman, which further allowed people to bring their entertainment with them. The company is also a world leader in the information and semiconductor technology industries.

The first Playstation was introduced by Sony’s Computer Entertainment division in the mid 1990s. The first Playstation prototypes were developed in 1986 and brought the interest of Nintendo. The two computer entertainment giants worked together to create a Nintendo-compatible home entertainment system that would be branded by Sony and would play the new Sony-designed CD gaming format. This partnership provided Sony with an entrance into the video gaming market dominated by Nintendo. Unfortunately, this partnership fell to shambles when Nintendo instead teamed up with Phillips.

Always a fighter, Sony continued with on its mission that eventually produces a 3rd gaming system that is the season’s hottest commodity. The first Playstation reached Japanese gamers on December 3, 1994. The consoles sold for $299 in the United States and a novel set of advertising campaigns piqued the interest of many gamers. Along with the consoles, Sony also began its long-term run of releasing more than 8,000 Playstation software titles.

Over the years, Sony upgraded and improved its Playstation consoles dramatically in response to consumer complaints and feedback. Improved cooling methods and laser assemblies, along with the removal of ports to reduce production costs were the first modifications. A dual shock controller that had two thumbsticks and a force-feedback feature was also added to the console.

The upcoming release of Sony’s 3rd Playstation on November 17, 2006, system has released a new furor among gamers. Pre-orders of the console are nearly impossible to get, and the $499 price tag (or $599 price tag for the advanced system), nearly double that of the original Playstation, has not seemed to slow the rush. Sony’s 3rd Playstation will include Blu-ray Disc, the latest in high-definition video, Bluetooth, four USB ports, and an advanced microprocessor, called the Cell Broadband Engine. Blu-ray Disc is an innovative media format that delivers the ultimate in high-definition video. Blu-ray Disc will provide video game developers with a new level of interaction. Likewise, consumers will experience a whole new level of gaming. The Cell Broadband Engine, according to Sony, is the “digital soul behind the Playstation 3 system.” Collaboration between Sony and other electronics powerhouses created this processor that has been hailed as being both more powerful and more efficient than current processors.

While it’s no doubt that Sony believes it created a new level of power in its 3rd Playstation, the gaming experts, youth of the world, and purchasing public will be the ultimate reviewers.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2008

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