PlayStation

The PlayStation logo

The PlayStation series is a line of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, occupying the fifth, sixth and seventh generations.

Distinguishing features

Unlike its competitors, which largely use face buttons on their controllers denoted by letters (generally A, B, C, X and Y), the PlayStation series utilises shapes; namely ('Triangle'), ('Circle'), ('X' or sometimes 'Cross') and (Square). The Select button is a raised rectangular button while Start is a raised right-pointing triangle. Starting with the PlayStation 3, a 'PlayStation button' was incorporated into the controller, in place of the 'Analog' button.

Consoles

PlayStation

Main article: PlayStation

PlayStation

The original PlayStation, released in December 1994, was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices, which has included successor consoles and upgrades including the Net Yaroze (a special black PlayStation with tools and instructions to program PS games and applications), 'PSone' (a smaller version of the original) and the PocketStation (a handheld which enhances PS games and also acts as a memory card). It sold 102.49 million units, the first ever console to pass the 100 million mark for sales.

PlayStation 2

Main article: PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

Released little more than a year after the Sega Dreamcast and a year before its main competitors Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, the PS2 is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles, and is backwards-compatible with most, if not all, original PlayStation games. As of March 2007, 117.89 million PS2 units have been shipped worldwide. It has also been released as a media center configuration and, like its predecessor, a slimmer redesign.

PlayStation 3

Main article: PlayStation 3

PlayStation 3

Announced at E3 2005 and delayed twice, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the series. It was finally released on November 17, 2006, and was released two days prior to the Wii (which was released on November 19th, 2006). It competes with the Xbox 360 and the Wii and is in third place in both sales and market share.

Handheld systems

PocketStation

Main article: PocketStation

PocketStation

Created as a peripheral for the PlayStation entertainment system, the PocketStation can also function as a clock and PlayStation format Memory Card. Multiplayer gaming is achieved through infrared data link.

PlayStation Portable

Main article: PlayStation Portable

PlayStation Portable

First unveiled by SCEI in 2004, the PlayStation Portable was released in March of 2005. It utilizes an all-new proprietary optical storage medium known as UMD. The first major hardware revision, PSP-2000 was released in September of 2007.