PS3

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The **PlayStation 3** ( **PS3**) is the third home video game console produced by Sony, and the newer version of 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 online gaming service, the PlayStation Network. Other major features of the console include its multimedia capabilities, able to connect with the PlayStation Portable, and its use of a high-definition optical disc (HDOD) format, Blu-ray Disc, as its memory device. The PS3 was also the first Blu-ray player on the market. The PlayStation 3 was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America and South America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania (us). Two differen types of PS3 were available at launch: a basic model with a 20 GB hard drive (HDD), and a premium model with a 60 GB hard drive and several additional features (the 20 GB model was not released in Europe or Oceania). Since then, they have released a new slim model in September 2009.