About Playstation 3 (PS3)

Playstation 3 or PS3 is the working title for what is expected to be Sony's next installment of their popular series of Playstation video game consoles. The exact specifications and capabilities of the PS3 have not yet been released to the public, but Ken Kutaragi, of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, told the Japanese newspaper Asahi that the PS3 will feature backwards compatibility, enabling PS3 owners to play all games from the vast Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games library.

Playstation 3 release date

Sony, the manufacturer of the Playstation, have not yet announced a release date for the PS3. Playstation 3 or PS3 may not even be the final name for the new console. Take a look at PS3focus.com, for the latest PS3 news. In Japan, Sony have recently released a multimedia device called PSX, which is a term that the public widely used for the original Playstation. Rumors indicated that both Sony and Microsoft considered creating convergence devices that would combine home multimedia devices with their video game counterparts. The PSX may well have been an attempt to test the waters to evaluate consumer acceptance of such a device. Industry observers call the experiment a failure. This may well cause Sony to change their plans, rather creating a device that focuses on video gaming only, much like Microsoft's original Xbox console. However, this move caused a wide spread trend amongst Xbox owners to modify video game consoles to extend or unlock their capabilities using hardware modifications called mod chips.

Microsoft has already announced the release date for the Xbox 360.

In a joint press release between Sony and chip maker Nvidia on Dec 7, 2004, it was announced that Nvidia will provide the graphics chips for the new video game console and possibly other Sony multimedia devices based on the same graphics technology. Nvidia used to provide the graphics chip for the original Microsoft Xbox.

PS3 - Worth the wait?

Sources that claim insider knowledge report early 2006 as a potential release date. The recent increased interest in Playstation 2, thanks to the release of a slimmer, lighter PS two console that comes with integrated hardware ready for PS2 online gaming, could possibly ease the pressure that Sony may feel to release their next console.

The latest games released in 2005 demonstrate that the potential of the Sony Playstation 2 hardware hasn't been exhausted yet by a long shot. The quality of the available Playstation 2 games has increased dramatically as a consequence of developers becoming familiar with the hardware and the realization of game publishers that respond to the demand of gamers to produce video game experiences that equal and often surpass their Hollywood counter parts.

The reignited interest in the new PS2 console has led to extreme shortages in the retail stores, both online and offline. A very large shipment of PS2 consoles destined to the European market has been delayed because the Panama canal, being the shortest route between Sony's factories in China and Europe, had been blocked by an oil tanker that ran aground. Sony has swiftly chartered a number of Russian Antonov cargo airplanes (the largest commercial cargo airplanes in the world!) in an attempt to satisfy demands.

Need a PS2 now? Better be quick...

Most online stores are currently out of stock. Many customers have changed their minds and are opting for Xbox consoles instead which have been become equally difficult to track down as a consequence. Check out our page that shows which retailers have the PS2 consoles in stock. We automatically check every 5 minutes! There also is a free automatic email notification service. If you need to get a PS2, we recommend to bookmark our Playstation 2 status page and subscribe to our PS2 news to immediatedly get notified when we have located a new source of PS2 consoles.

More Playstation 3 News at PS3Focus.com