The PlayStation 3 (officially abbreviated as PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. A major feature that distinguishes the PlayStation 3 from its predecessors is its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network, which contrasts with Sony's former policy of relying on video game developers for online play. Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities, connectivity with the PlayStation Portable, and its use of a high-definition optical disc format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium. The PS3 was also the first Blu-ray 2.0-compliant Blu-ray player on the market.

PlayStation 3 Slim This refers to the "slim" version of the PS3. This model had 2 USB Ports, no PS2 emulation support and 802.11b/g wireless.

PlayStation 3 Super Slim In September 2012, Sony announced that a new slimmer PS3 redesign (CECH-4000) was due to be released in late 2012 and that it would be available with either a 250 GB or 500 GB hard drive.

Notes:

• Region Locking: Games for the PlayStation 3 console are not required to be region locked, and currently are not. However, a publisher may choose to do so, using the same region designations used for Bluray movies. PS1 and PS2 games still require a PS3 from the appropriate region as the original consoles. Playstation Network games are not region coded, but users are generally limited to what is available in their local PSN store (some users have created PSN accounts for other regions to access software not published in their locale). Game add-ons distributed via the PSN store are generally tied to the game distributed in that region (ie, add ons for a US copy of a game must be acquired via the US PSN).

DVD and Bluray movie playback is locked according to geographic region.

Common problems/faults with the console:

• C-Bomb: When the cmos battery dies (average lifespan 10 years, ERROR CE 34878-0 or 30392-7) or is replaced, the system will need to check in with the PSN to confirm the correct time. The PS3 runs the check for digital games only.
  • When the PSN servers go down in the future it will render digital games unplayable.
  • Sony could prevent this by changing how PS3 handles validating trophies in a firmware update, and failing that, a jailbroken console may avoid the problem.