*All models can decode Dolby TrueHD and as of firmware 2.30 DTS-HD Master Audio, to be output as LPCM. Output of the raw undecoded stream is limited to slim models.[15]
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 technology as its primary storage medium.[20] The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services, including the PlayStation Network, as well as the first to be controllable from a handheld console, through its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita.[21][22][23] In September 2009, the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released. It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games. It was lighter and thinner than the original version, and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design, as well as a minor start-up change in software. A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012, further refining and redesigning the console.
During its early years, the system received a mixed reception, due to its high price ($599 for a 60-gigabyte model, $499 for a 20 GB model), a complex processor architecture, and lack of quality games but was praised for its Blu-ray capabilities and "untapped potential". The reception improved over time. The system had a slow start in the market[24] but managed to recover, particularly after the introduction of the Slim model, and managed to sell 87.4 million units to outsell the competing Xbox 360 and become the eighth-bestselling video game console in history. Its successor, the PlayStation 4, was released in November 2013; Sony started discontinuing the PlayStation 3 within two years' time,[a] with shipments of new units ending in most of the world by 2016,[b] and the final units produced until May 29, 2017 in the Japanese market.[c]
^a PAL region PlayStation 3 20GB version was announced at €499 but on September 6, 2006, Sony announced that launch would be delayed until March 2007, because of a shortage of materials used in the Blu-ray drive. "PlayStation 3 Euro launch delayed". BBC. September 6, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).