Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others. As of January 2011, the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales, and in December 2009 broke the record for best-selling console in a single month in the United States.

A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.

The Wii is Nintendo's fifth home console and the direct successor of the Nintendo GameCube, being fully backwardly compatible with all Gamecube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in four key markets.

History:

The console was conceived in 2001, as the Nintendo GameCube was first seeing release. According to an interview with Nintendo's game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the concept involved focusing on a new form of player interaction. "The consensus was that power isn't everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can't coexist. It's like having only ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction."

Two years later, engineers and designers were brought together to develop the concept further. By 2005, the controller interface had taken form, but a public showing at that year'sElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was withdrawn. Miyamoto stated that, "[W]e had some troubleshooting to do. So we decided not to reveal the controller and instead we displayed just the console." Nintendo president Satoru Iwata later unveiled and demonstrated the Wii Remote at the September Tokyo Game Show.

The Nintendo DS is said to have influenced the Wii design. Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida noted, "We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype." The idea was eventually rejected, with the notion that the two gaming systems would be identical. Miyamoto also expressed that, "[...] if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board."

Name:

The console was known by the code name of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3. The Nintendo Style Guide refers to the console as "simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii", making it the first home console Nintendo has marketed outside of Japan without the company name featured in its trademark. While "Wiis" is a commonly used pluralization of the console, Nintendo has stated that the official plural form is "Wii systems" or "Wii consoles." Nintendo's spelling of "Wii" with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The company has given many reasons for this choice of name since the announcement; however, the best known is:

“

Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.

”

Despite Nintendo's justification for the name, some video game developers and members of the press reacted negatively towards the change. They preferred "Revolution" over "Wii" and Forbes expressed fear "that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness' [sic] to the console." The BBC reported the day after the name was announced that "a long list of puerile jokes, based on the name," had appeared on the Internet. Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the initial reaction and further explained the change:

“

Revolution as a name is not ideal; it's long, and in some cultures, it's hard to pronounce. So we wanted something that was short, to the point, easy to pronounce, and distinctive. That's how 'Wii,' as a console name, was created.

”

Nintendo of America's then-Vice President of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan defended its choice of "Wii" over "Revolution" and responded to critics of the name by stating, "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."

Launch:

Wii retail display boxes

On September 14, 2006, Nintendo announced release information for Japan, North and South America, Australasia (Oceania), Asia and Europe, including dates, prices, and projected unit distribution numbers. It was announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas, and that 33 titles would be available in the 2006 launch window. The Wii was launched in the United States on November 19, 2006 at $249.99. It was later launched in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2006 at £179. The UK suffered a widespread shortage of console units as many high-street and online stores were unable to fulfill all pre-orders when it was released. The Wii was launched in South Korea on April 26, 2008 and in Taiwan on July 12, 2008.

Wii Remote:

Wii Menu:The Wii Remote is the primary controller for the console. It uses a combination of built-inaccelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D space when pointed at the LEDs within the Sensor Bar. This design allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. The Wii Remote can connect to expansion devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. The device bundled with the Wii retail package is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons. In addition, an attachable wrist strap can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the Wii Remote. Nintendo has also since offered a stronger strap and the Wii Remote Jacket to provide extra grip and protection. The Wii MotionPlus was announced as a device that connects to the Wii Remote to supplement the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities and enable actions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time. Nintendo also revealed the Wii Vitality Sensor, a fingertip pulse oximeter sensor that connects through the Wii Remote.

The Wii Menu interface is designed around the concept of television channels. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. Except for the Disc Channel, it is possible to change the arrangement by holding down the A and B buttons to grab channels and move them around. There are six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, and News Channel. The latter two were initially unavailable at launch, but activated through updates. The Wii + Internet Video Channel was installed with consoles manufactured in October 2008 or later.Additional channels are available for download from the Wii Shop Channel through WiiWare and also appear with each Virtual Console title. These include the Everybody Votes Channel, Internet Channel, Check Mii Out Channel, and the Nintendo Channel. As of October 18, 2010 Wii owners can download the Netflix Channel from the Wii shop Channel.

Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and released between 2008 and 2009 in Japan, Australasia, Europe, North America, China and other regions through various distributors. It is a seventh-generation console and the third iteration of the Nintendo DS; its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable. A larger model, entitled Nintendo DSi XL, was released between 2009 and 2010 in Japan, Europe, North America and other regions through various distributors.
Development of the DSi began in late 2006, and it was unveiled during an October 2008 Nintendo conference in Tokyo. While the DSi's design is similar to that of the DS Lite, it features two digital cameras, supports internal and external content storage, and connects to an online store called the Nintendo DSi Shop. This new functionality was intended to facilitate personalization, so as to encourage each member of a household to purchase an individual DSi.
Reviewers were generally positive in their reception of the Nintendo DSi; although they decried the console's lack of exclusive software, its added functionality caused many to recommend it to non-owners of prior DS models. CNET.com and PC World considered the DSi Shop to be the largest buying incentive for current DS owners.

History:

Conception of the Nintendo DSi began at the end of 2006, around the time of the Wii's release. Following instructions from his supervisor, Masato Kuwahara of Nintendo's Engineering Department started development of the project. Kuwahara reported that his team had difficulty marketing the handheld during production; he said of their goal, "We have to be able to sell the console on its own. It also has to be able to meld into the already-existing DS market". The console's digital cameras were considered early in development: Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata described the touchscreen as the Nintendo DS's sense of touch, and the microphone as its "ears"; a co-worker suggested that it should have "eyes". Yui Ehara, designer of the Nintendo DS Lite and DSi's casing, advocated a change to the six speaker apertures, as their circular perforations were redundant with the rest of the handheld's interface. He believed that this alteration also signaled a clearer distinction between the DSi and its predecessors while keeping the unit "neat" and "simple", in that Ehara desired little intrusion from the DSi's added features that would interfere with the iconic image he wishes the Nintendo DS product line to be—two rectangles, one on top of the other, with each half containing another rectangle inside.
The DSi's original design included two DS game card slots, due to demand from both fan communities and Nintendo employees. However, speaking about the console's in-company unveiling in October 2007, Kuwahara said that "the response wasn’t that great, and, ... we’d sort of been expecting that". The second game card slot was removed, which slimmed the handheld approximately 3 millimetres (0.12 in); this model was publicly revealed at the October 2008 Nintendo Conference in Tokyo, along with its Japanese price and release date. While the DS product line's worldwide yearly sales figures had consistently surpassed those of Sony's PlayStation Portable, demand for it in Japan was decreasing; Nintendo's launch of the DSi was meant to stimulate sales. The company was less concerned with releasing the DSi in other territories, where market demand for the DS Lite remained high.
In 2007, Nintendo had designed a large DS Lite model with 3.8-inch screens, compared to the standard 3-inch screens; development of this new handheld advanced far enough that it could have begun mass production. However, consumer demand for the DS Lite and Wii stalled its release. Iwata pitched the idea of simultaneously releasing large and small versions of the DSi, but Nintendo's hardware team was incapable of developing two models concurrently. After finishing work on the DSi, Kuwahara jump-started the DSi XL project and became project leader.The DSi XL, a larger version of the DSi, has an improved viewing angle over its predecessor, which allows onlookers to see the screen's contents more easily. This feature was absent from the larger-screened DS Lite due to cost issues. At the time, cost also limited LCD screen size to approximately 3.8 inches. Various names for the DSi XL were considered, including "DSi Comfort," "DSi Executive," "DSi Premium", "DSi Living", and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto heavily vouched for "DSi Deka" (Japanese for "large").

Launch:

Universal's CityWalk hosted the midnight Gamestop launch event on April 4—5, 2009.

On November 1, 2008, the DSi was released in Japan, in matte black and matte white; its April 2, 2009 release in Australia and New Zealand, and its April 3 release in Europe, featured these same colors. It launched in the United States and Canada on April 5, alongside the game Rhythm Heaven; it was the first DS console to launch with multiple colors in North America—matte black and matte blue. Its European and United States list prices were £149.99 and US$169.99, respectively. Nintendo had shipped 200,000 units for the DSi's Japanese launch and during its first two days on sale, 170,779 units were sold according to sales tracking service Enterbrain; or 171,925 units according to Media Create.—the remaining units were either unclaimed pre-orders or preserved for Culture Day. By the end of the month, it sold 535,379 units, in comparison to 550,000 DS Lites sold in its launch month. In the two-day launch period, Europe and North American sales totaled 600,000 units combined. North American first week sales almost doubled the DS Lite's 226,300 units by selling 435,000. In the United Kingdom, the console totaled 92,000 sales within two days of release, which GfK/Chart-Track data showed to be the fourth-best opening weekend ever in the region—higher than previous records set by other DS iterations.
DSi midnight launch events were held on the western and eastern coast of the United States. Nintendo sponsored an official launch event at the Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles and the Nintendo World Store in New York City. The LA launch party featured several events including merchandise handouts, signings and art galleries from i am 8-bit, parkour demonstrations, and performances by Gym Class Heroes.Hundreds attended and over 150 fans waited until midnight before heading into GameSpot to get a DSi unit.
iQue released a Chinese DSi model in black and white, with a pre-installed version of Nintendogs, in December 2009; the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported that this model features improved security, in order to combat piracy.On April 15, 2010, the DSi was launched in South Korea in white, black, blue and pink, alongside the game MapleStory DS. MapleStory DS will also be bundled with a red limited edition DSi, which will have characters from the game printed around its external camera. Other countries the DSi was released in include Brazil, Russia and Turkey.
The Nintendo DSi XL (Nintendo DSi LL in Japan) was released in Japan on November 21, 2009 with three available colors: dark brown (bronze), wine red (burgundy), and natural white. The former two colors were available for its European launch on March 5, 2010, and its North American launch on March 28. In Japan and North America, it is more expensive than the original DSi—it carries a list price of $189.99 in the latter region. In Europe, Nintendo sells the console to retailers for a higher price than the original DSi, but lets them decide on the consumer sale price.The console launched in Australia on April 15, 2010 in bronze and burgundy. It adopted the former price of its predecessor, which dropped in price a day beforehand. Other countries the DSi XL was released in include Brazil, South Africa and Turkey. The Nintendo 3DS, the successor to the Nintendo DS series of handhelds, was announced on March 23, 2010. According to industry analysts, the timing of this announcement, which had drawn attention away from the launch of the company's still-new Nintendo DSi XL handheld, was likely intended to preempt impending news leaks about the product by the Japanese press.

Demographic and sales:

Nintendo DSi sales figures (as of December 31, 2010)

Region	Units shipped	First available
Japan	5.70 million	November 1, 2008
Americas	9.48 million	April 5, 2009
Other regions	8.36 million	April 2, 2009
Total	23.54 million
Nintendo DSi XL sales figures (as of December 31, 2010)
Japan	2.16 million	November 21, 2009
Americas	3.75 million	March 28, 2010
Other regions	3.52 million	March 5, 2010
Total	9.43 million

Nintendo targeted a wider demographic with the first Nintendo DS (2004) than it had with the Game Boy line. Comparing 2008 life-to-date DS and DS Lite sales to the best selling game console, Sony's PlayStation 2, showed potential in further expanding the Nintendo DS gaming population. To further promote the product line while expanding its gaming population, Nintendo modified its market expansion approach. Satoru Iwata has said that families often share DS and DS Lite consoles, so to encourage each family member to buy an individual handheld, Nintendo added personalization features to the DSi. The lower-case "i" in "DSi" symbolizes both an individual person ("I") and the handheld's cameras ("eyes"); the former meaning contrasts with the lower-case "i"'s in "Wii", which represent players gathering together.
Iwata has said that the DSi is meant to be a first camera for children, and a social networking device for adults.A Nintendo representative said that the company "hope[s] that the Nintendo DSi becomes more than a game system and more of a personal tool to enrich our daily lives". In response to media commentary following the DSi's announcement, Iwata insisted that its new capabilities are not meant to compete with mobile phones, the iPod or the PSP.
The DSi helped maintain strong sales for Nintendo's handheld product line. The DSi accounted for 40% of its product line's 2009 sales in the UK and it frequently topped weekly sales charts in Japan during its first year of availability. In the United States, the console's initial three-month sales surpassed those of the DS, DS Lite and Wii. The average weekly sales rate of the Wii and Nintendo DS declined slightly in March; Nintendo DS hardware sales stabilized to over 200,000 units for seven months after the DSi's launch, while Wii sales continued to diminish. Gamasutra estimated that, during October 2009 and February 2010, 50% of Nintendo DS unit sales were DSi consoles. In an October 2009 interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced that the DSi had sold 2.2 million units in the United States. He said, "If you give the consumer great value in terms of what they pay, they're willing to spend, and we say [that] based on the experience of launching the DSi".
In an United States hardware sales estimate for July 2010 by Gamasutra, the DSi and DSi XL each outsold the DS Lite. The website also reported the DSi sold approximately 300,000 units in July 2009 and February 2010, which remains consistent for July 2010 if combined with DSi XL sales. As a result, the average price consumers were spending on the Nintendo DS hardware family rose to over $165, which is $15 more than the November 2004 launch price of the original Nintendo DS. Nintendo made its first price cuts for the DSi in Europe on June 18, 2010, for DSi and DSi XL consoles in Japan on June 19 and in North America on September 12. Nintendo shipped 7.35 million DSi XL units worldwide compared to 5.72 million DSi units for the period of April 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

Features:
The DSi has more extensive multimedia features than previous DS models; pictures taken with its camera, downloadable software from Nintendo and AAC audio files from other devices can be stored to SD cards for future use. Before taking a photograph with the "Nintendo DSi Camera" software, users may modify the viewfinder's live image with ten "lens" options. Images captured with the DSi can be uploaded, via SD Cards, to the Wii's Photo Channel, and—for consoles with the 1.4 firmware update or greater—to the social networking website Facebook.
The built-in "Nintendo DSi Sound" player has voice recording and music playback functionality. Voice recordings can be edited with audio filters, and manipulated through pitch and playback. Users may save and modify up to 18 ten-second sound clips recorded with the console's microphone^. These clips are saved on the unit itself and cannot be saved to SD card for export. Users can also play music from SD cards with visualizations displayed on the upper screen. AAC audio with .mp4, .m4a or .3GP filename extensions are supported, but not non-AAC formats including MP3. Sounds like drum beats and the classic Mario jumping noises can be added with button presses. Playing music also has its own set of manipulation options similar to those used for voice recordings, as well as a group of audio filters. If headphones are in use, compatible music files from SD cards may be played even when the DSi is closed.

Internet connectivity:

The Nintendo DSi connects to the Internet via either its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector; both methods grant access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Due to regional differences in Internet services and parental controls, DSi-specific software is region locked. Cartridge software compatible with previous models, Internet browsing, and photo sharing are region-free.The DSi supports WEP, WPA (AES/TKIP) and WPA2 (AES/TKIP) wireless encryption; only software with built-in support may use the latter two encryption types, as they were not supported by the DS and DS Lite. Up to six wireless Internet connection profiles can be saved; using the traditional setup method, the first three profiles support WEP encryption, while the remaining are selectable under a more advanced option, which support WPA encryption. Under this advanced option, users may access the Wi-Fi Protected Setup method and configure proxy settings.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. As of January 2011, there are over 50 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide.

The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely upon release in all regions except in Japan.

Some major features of the Xbox 360 are its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online, download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and movies and its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities. The Xbox 360 also offers region specific access to third-party media streaming services such as Netflix and ESPN in the US or Sky Player in the UK.

At their E3 presentation on June 14, 2010, Microsoft announced a redesigned Xbox 360 that would ship on the same day. The redesigned console is slimmer than the previous Xbox 360 model and features integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio output, 5 USB 2.0 ports (compared to the 3 from older versions) and a special AUX port.Older models of the Xbox 360 have since been discontinued.The first new console to be released features a 250 GB hard drive, while a later, less expensive SKU features 4 GB internal storage.

With the announcement of the Xbox 360 S, Microsoft have said that they believe that the console is only mid-way through its life-cycle and will continue through 2015. In 2009, IGN named the Xbox 360 the sixth greatest video game console of all time, out of a field of 25.

Development:

Known during development as Xbox Next, Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox FS or NextBox , the Xbox 360 was conceived in early 2003. In February 2003, planning for the Xenon software platform began, and was headed by Microsoft's Vice President J Allard. That month, Microsoft held an event for 400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system. Also that month, Peter Moore, former president of Sega of America, joined Microsoft. On August 12, 2003, ATI signed on to produce the graphic processing unit for the new console, a deal which was publicly announced two days later. Before the launch of the Xbox 360, several Alpha development kits were spotted using Apple's Power Mac G5 hardware. This was due to the system's PowerPC 970 processor running the same PowerPC architecture that the Xbox 360 would eventually run under IBM's Xenon processor. The cores of the Xenon processor were developed using a slightly modified version of the PlayStation 3's Cell Processor PPE architecture. According to David Shippy and Mickie Phipps, the IBM employees were "hiding" their work from Sony and Toshiba.". Jeff Minter created the music visualization program Neon which is included with the Xbox 360.

Launch:

The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States and Canada; December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Russia. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year.

Retail Configurations:

At launch, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package (unofficially known as the 20 GB Pro or Premium), priced at US$ 399 or GB£ 279.99, and the "Xbox 360 Core," priced at US$299 and GB£209.99. The original shipment of the Xbox 360 version included a cut-down version of the Media Remote as a promotion. The Elite package was launched later at US$479. The "Xbox 360 Core" was replaced by the "Xbox 360 Arcade" in October 2007 and a 60 GB version of the Xbox 360 Pro was released on August 1, 2008. The Pro package was discontinued and marked down to US$249 on August 28, 2009 to be sold until stock ran out, while the Elite was also marked down in price to US$299. In June 2010, Microsoft announced a new, redesigned, model and the discontinuation of the Elite and Arcade models.

Current models (Xbox 360 S):

It was speculated that a complete redesign of the Xbox 360 hardware was being produced after pictures of a possible new motherboard design surfaced on March 17, 2010. Ads later surfaced on June 13, 2010 showing a slimmer Xbox 360 design, which was expected to include a 250 GB hard drive and integrated Wi-Fi functionality.Technically designated the Xbox 360 S and marketed simply as the Xbox 360; current Xbox 360 consoles are based around a redesign of the Xbox 360 hardware which was officially announced on June 14, 2010 during a press briefing prior to that year's E3.

Xbox 360 S consoles feature redesigned internal architecture with the Valhalla motherboard, which allows for around 30% more space than previous motherboards, and the XCGPU, an integrated CPU/GPU/eDRAM chip using a 45 nm fabrication process. This allows them to be both smaller and quieter than the previous versions of the Xbox 360. They also feature 5 standard USB 2.0 ports (2 more than previous models) and an additional custom USB port for use with peripherals such as the Kinect sensor. Unlike older models, 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and a TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio connector are also built-in, allowing for digital audio and wireless networking without the need for external adapters. The Memory Unit slots found on previous consoles have been removed in favor of the USB flash drive solution added in a previous system software update (released on April 6, 2010) and the power and DVD drive eject 'buttons' are touch sensitive rather than the physical buttons found on previous models. The external hard disk drive connector has also been swapped for an internal bay for use with a proprietary hard drive; this is neither a standard drive nor compatible with older models. Other notable hardware changes include the use of one larger fan compared to the previous Xbox 360 models (which used two smaller ones) and the design of the vents, which are similar to those used on the original Xbox. Unlike previous generations of the console which had names to distinguish different SKUs, the new models are to be marketed solely by the amount of included storage, in a similar fashion to current models of its main competitor the PlayStation 3. When the first new models began to ship, remaining stock of the Elite package dropped in price to US$249.99 or AU$349 and the Arcade dropped to US$149.99.

Xbox 360 250 GB:

The first Xbox 360 S SKU to be revealed includes a 250 GB hard drive and its casing features a glossy black finish. It was shipped to US retailers the same day it was announced (June 14, 2010) and went on sale later that week. It was released in Australia on July 1, 2010, in New Zealand on July 8, 2010 and in Europe on July 16, 2010. It retails at US$ 299.99^, £ 199.99,^] AU$449.00, NZ$ 499.00 or€ 249.00, replacing the Xbox 360 Elite at that price point.

Xbox 360 4 GB:

A second SKU which includes 4 GB of internal flash storage and has matte black casing (much like the Xbox 360 Elite) was released on August 3, 2010 in the US and August 20, 2010 in the Europe. It replaced the Xbox 360 Arcade and is priced at US$ 199.99, £ 149.99 or€ 199.99. Although this model has on-board storage, Xbox Product Director Aaron Greenberg confirmed that it does have a drive bay which Microsoft has "the opportunity to use in the future". On August 20, 2010, Microsoft announced a 250 GB stand-alone hard drive for use with Xbox 360 S models priced at US$129.99.

Discontinued models:

The Xbox 360 Core was an entry level Xbox 360 which was later replaced with the "Arcade". Although available at launch in other regions, it was not available in Japan until November 2, 2006. The Coresystem came bundled with composite video cables, capable of only SDTV resolutions. It was however capable of the same HDTV resolutions (up to 1080i) as the other models when connected to a separately sold Component cable. In October 2006, 1080p support was added for all models in a system update, including the "Core" using either the component cable, or the new VGA cable (although 1080p via component was not widely supported by televisions). It may also utilize a separately sold Xbox 360 hard drive. Unlike all other SKUs, it shipped with a wired version of the Xbox 360 controller, instead of the wireless version found in other SKUs.Xbox 360 Core:

Xbox 360 Pro / Xbox 360 Premium:

The Xbox 360 Pro (sometimes referred to as Premium and packaged as simply Xbox 360 with the subheading "Go Pro") included all the features of the Xbox 360 Arcade and included a hybrid composite and component cable with optional optical out instead of a composite cable. This model also included a detachable Hard Disk Drive (initially 20 GB, while later models had 60 GB) to store downloaded content, provide compatibility with original Xbox games, and store game data. The included hard drive came with game demos, video clips and a free Live Arcade game, Hexic HD. In July 2007, this version of the Xbox 360 began appearing with the Zephyr motherboard (the motherboard used in the Elite) which features HDMI 1.2 output and an improved GPU heatsink. Although this package did include an HDMI output, it did not come with an HDMI cable. Starting at the end of September 2007, the newest systems were shipped with the new "Falcon" motherboard. This motherboard includes the new 65-nm CPUs, making them quieter and cooler than the older systems. On August 1, 2008, the 20 GB version was discontinued and was replaced by a 60 GB HDD model at the same price. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda. Price cuts that took effect on September 4, 2008 reduced the price from $349 to $299^. The Xbox 360 Pro, following its discontinuation, retailed for $249.99 until stocks were exhausted.

Xbox 360 Elite:

The Xbox 360 Elite included a 120 GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail package also included a controller and headset that match the system's black finish. The initial release price was $479.99 USD, C$549.99, £299.99, and AU$729.95. The Elite was released in North America on April 29, 2007, Europe on August 24, 2007, and Australia on August 30, 2007. These Elites (and other Xbox 360 models using the Falcon) can be identified from earlier versions by a re-designed power connector and a power supply rated to 175 W. In 2009, Elite models using the Jasper chipset became available. These can also be identified by their power supply, which is rated at 150W and has a 12.1A 12v rail. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda. The Elite's price tag was cut from $449 to $399 on September 4, 2008. With the announcement of the new Xbox 360 250 GB model, the Elite dropped in price to US$249.99 for remaining units until stocks are exhausted.

Xbox 360 Arcade:

The Xbox 360 Arcade replaced the "Xbox 360 Core" as the entry level Xbox 360 on October 23, 2007, while retaining the Core's price of US$279.99. It was publicly revealed by Microsoft's president of Entertainment Devices division Robbie Bach to the Financial Times on October 18, 2007, and officially announced on October 22, 2007, although it was available in stores far earlier. It included a wireless controller, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.2 output, a 256 MB memory unit and 5 Xbox Live Arcade titles: Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Uno on a single disk, which also included a "Welcome Video" and several game trailers/demos. Like its predecessor the "Core", it did not include a hard disk drive, which is required for Xbox software backwards compatibility. In Autumn (Fall) 2008, with the introduction of the Jasper motherboard revision, the memory unit was removed from the package and replaced with an 256 MB internal memory chip. This was later upgraded to a 512 MB chip in Summer 2009. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis.With the price cuts on September 4, 2008, the Arcade fell from US$279 to US$199 in the US. In the UK, with the 2009 Elite price drop and discontinuation of the "Premium" Pro SKU, the Arcade price rose from GB£129.99 to GB£159.99. With the unveiling of the Xbox 360 S redesign, the Arcade dropped in price to US$149.99 for remaining units until stocks are exhausted. The Arcade was replaced at the US$200 price tier by the 4 GB Xbox 360 S.

Xbox 360 Super Elite

The Xbox 360 Elite has also been configured with a 250 GB hard disk drive and 2 wireless controllers on special limited editions of the console. Also referred to as the Xbox 360 Super Elite the console retailed at US$399.99, GB£249.99 and AU$599.00 as of November 10, 2009. A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 bundle included a special limited edition black console featuring Modern Warfare 2 branding. Other bundles included a standard Elite finish and either the game Forza Motorsport 3 or both Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. On March 9, 2010, alongside the release of Final Fantasy XIII, Microsoft released another 250 GB bundle with the same extras as the Modern Warfare bundle except bundled with the Final Fantasy XIII game. Unlike other Super Elites, this console and its accessories featured a the same white color scheme as "Pro" models. This bundle also included exclusive downloadable items for use with Xbox 360 avatars and a specially branded 250 GB hard drive. In April 2010, a Splinter Cell: Conviction Super Elite bundle featuring special print on the console and the same extras as the other bundles was released along side the Splinter Cell: Conviction game.

Comparison of features

Information is based on current specifications for standard packages. Older or holiday packages may differ from current configurations.

Model	Storage	HDMI	Appearance	Accessories/Bundled items		Suggested retail price	First available	In prod.
S	250 GB HDD	Yes	Gloss black Gloss black disc drive	Wireless controller Wired Headset Composite video cable[b]		$299.99  $299.99  £199.99  €249.99   $449.00  $499.00	NA June 18, 2010  AU July 1, 2010 NZ July 8, 2010 EU July 16, 2010	Yes
	4 GB onboard	Yes	Matte black Matte black disc drive	Wireless controller Composite video cable[b]		$199.99  £149.99	NA August 3, 2010 EU August 20, 2010	Yes
Elite	250 GB HDD[a]	Yes	Matte black Chrome disc drive	Ethernet cable Wired Headset Composite video cable[b][g]	2 wireless controllers	$399.99  $399.99  £249.99  €329.99  $599.00	October 23, 2009	No
	120 GB HDD				1 wireless controller	$299.99  $299.99  £199.99  €299.99  ¥29,800  $549.00	April 29, 2007	No
Arcade	512 MB onboard	Yes	Matte white Matte white disc drive	Wireless controller Composite video cable[b] Xbox Live Arcade compilation disc[e] (not included with all units)		$199.99  $149.99  £159.99  €179.99  ¥19,800  $299.00	June 2009	No
	256 MB onboard						December 2008	No
	256 MB memory unit						October 23, 2007
Pro	60 GB HDD	Yes	Matte white Chrome disc drive	Wireless controller Ethernet cable Wired Headset[f] Hybrid video cable[c]		$249.99  $299.99  £169.99  €239.99  ¥29,800  $399.00	September 1, 2008	No
	20 GB HDD	After 2007					November 22, 2005	No
Core	None	No	Matte white Matte white disc drive	Wired controller Composite video cable[b]		$279.99  £199.99  ¥27,800	November 22, 2005	No

Some informations about PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 (officially abbreviated asPS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainmentand 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 the 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.

The PlayStation 3 was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, March 16, 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and March 23, 2007 in mainland Europe and Oceania. Two stock-keeping units were available at launch: a basic model with a 20 GB hard disk drive 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, several revisions have been made to the console's available models, most notably with the release of a new slim model in September 2009 to coincide with rebranding of the console and its logo.

History:

Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 3 (then marketed as PLAYSTATION 3) to the public along with its original boomerang style controller on May 16, 2005, during the E3 2005 conference. A functional version of the system was not present there, nor at theTokyo Game Show in September 2005, although demonstrations (such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) were held at both events on software development kits and comparable personal computer hardware. Video footage based on the predicted PlayStation 3 specifications was also shown (notably a Final Fantasy VII tech demo). The initial prototype shown in May 2005 featured two HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports and six USB ports; however, when the system was shown again a year later at E3 2006, these were reduced to one HDMI port, one Ethernet port and four USB ports, presumably to cut costs. Two hardware configurations were also announced for the console: a 20 GB model and a 60 GB model, priced at US$499 (€499) and US$599 (€599), respectively. The 60 GB model was to be the only configuration to feature an HDMI port, Wi-Fi internet, flash card readers and a chrome trim with the logo in silver. Both models were announced for a simultaneous worldwide release: November 11 for Japan and November 17 for North America and Europe.

On September 6, 2006, Sony announced that the PAL region PlayStation 3 launch would be delayed until March 2007, due to a shortage of materials used in the Blu-ray drive.

At the Tokyo Game Show on September 22, 2006, Sony announced that it would include an HDMI port on the 20 GB system, but a chrome trim, flash card readers, silver logo and Wi-Fi would not be included. Also, the launch price of the Japanese 20 GB model was reduced by over 20%, and the 60 GB model was announced for an open pricing scheme in Japan. During the event, Sony showed 27 playable PS3 games running on final hardware.

PS3 Slim and console rebranding:

Following speculation that a 'slim' model was in the pipeline Sony officially announced the PS3 CECH-2000 model on August 18, 2009 at the Sony Gamescom press conference. Among its features are a slimmer form factor and quieter noise when powered on. It was released in major territories by September 2009. As part of the release for the slim model, the logo was changed from the "Spider-Man font" and capitalized PLAYSTATION 3 to a more traditional PlayStation and PlayStation 2 like 'PlayStation 3' logo with "PS3" imprinted on the console. Along with the console and logo redesign, the boot screen of all consoles changed from "Sony Computer Entertainment" to "PS3 PlayStation 3", with a new chime and the game start splashscreen being dropped. The cover art and packaging of games has also been changed to reflect the redesign.

Original model:

Like the South Korean and European models, the North American 80 GB (2007) model also excludes the PlayStation 2 "Emotion Engine" CPU chip. However, it retains the "Graphics Synthesizer" GPU. Due to the elimination of the "Emotion Engine", the level of compatibility was reduced. The 40 GB, 80 GB (2008) and 160 GB models have two USB ports instead of the four USB ports on other models and do not include multiple flash card readers, SACD support, or any backward compatibility with PlayStation 2 games. This was due to the removal of "Graphics Synthesizer" GPU, which stripped the units of all PlayStation 2 based hardware.There are several original PlayStation 3 hardware models, which are commonly referred to by the size of their included hard disk drive: 20, 40, 60, 80 or 160 GB. Although referred to by their HDD size, the capabilities of the consoles vary by region and release date. The only difference in the appearance of the first five models was the color of the trim, number of USB ports, the presence or absence of a door (which covers the flash card readers on equipped models) and some minor changes to the air vents. All retail packages include one or two Sixaxis controllers and/or a DualShock 3 controller (beginning June 12, 2008), one miniUSB to USB cable (for connecting the controller and PlayStation Portable to the system), one composite video/stereo audio output cable, one Ethernet cable (20, 60 and CECHExx 80 GB only) and one power cable. All models support software emulation of the original PlayStation, but support for PlayStation 2 backward compatibility has continually diminished with later models and the last model to advertise integrated backward compatibility was the 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4 Bundle. Compatibility issues with games for both systems are detailed in a public database hosted by the manufacturer. All models, excluding the 20 GB model, include 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. In addition to all of the features of the 20 GB model, the 60 GB model has internal IEEE 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, multiple flash card readers (SD/MultiMedia Card, CompactFlash Type I/Type II, Microdrive, Memory Stick/PRO/Duo) and a chrome colored trim. In terms of hardware, the 80 GB model released in South Korea is identical to the 60 GB model released in the PAL regions, except for the difference in hard drive size.

No official Wi-Fi or flash memory card readers were ever released by Sony for the 20 GB system, although Sony had plans to do so. As of September 2009 Sony have placed no further emphasis on these proposed add-ons. Nevertheless, as the model features four USB 2.0 ports, wireless networking and flash memory card support can already be obtained through the use of widely available external USB adapters and third-party PS3-specific media hubs.

It was rumored that the Cell processors in the third-generation PS3s (40 GB, 2008 80 GB and 160 GB) would move from a 90 nm process to the newer 65 nm process, which SCEI CEO Kaz Hirai later confirmed, and later to 45 nm. This change lowers the power consumptionof the console and makes it less expensive to produce.

Slim model

The PS3 slim was officially released on September 1, 2009 in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009 in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. However, some retailers such as Amazon.com, Best Buy and GameStop started to sell the PS3 slim on August 25, 2009. The PS3 Slim sold in excess of a million units in its first 3 weeks on sale. A 250 GB Final Fantasy XIII-themed PS3 Slim, which was white in color with pink designs, was officially announced on September 24, 2009 at the Tokyo Game Show as part of a bundle in Japan for Final Fantasy XIII, it was initially revealed in U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings as the PS3 CECH-2000B. Sony Computer Entertainment Australia also announced later that day that it would be bringing the 250 GB PS3 slim to Australia which would be bundled with other games and will not feature the Final Fantasy XIII theme. Although no North American bundles have been announced for the 250 GB PS3 slim, it is sold as a stand-alone console in North America.The redesigned, slimmer version of the PlayStation 3 (commonly referred to as the "PS3 Slim" and officially branded "PS3") is currently the only model in production. It features an upgradeable 120 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB or 320 GB hard drive and is 33% smaller, 36% lighter and consumes 34% (CECH-20xx) or 45% (CECH-21xx) less power than the previous model, or one third of the original PS3 model. The Cell microprocessor has moved to a 45 nm manufacturing process, which lets it run cooler and quieter than previous models, and the cooling system has been redesigned. The RSX moved to a 40 nm process in the latest revision. The PS3 slim also includes support for CEC (more commonly referred to by its manufacturer brandings of BraviaSync, VIERA Link, EasyLink etc.) which allows control of the console over HDMI by using the TV's remote control. The PS3 Slim no longer has the "main power" switch like the previous PS3 models, similar to redesigned PlayStation 2 slim. Support for emulation to play PS2 titles is not present in the Slim version.

In July 2010, Sony announced two new sizes of Slim PS3, 160 GB and 320 GB, with the 120 GB model being discontinued in Japan.These were launched on July 29, 2010 in Japan, with the 160 GB version available in "Classic White" as well as the standard "Charcoal Black". The black 160 GB version was also made available as a bundle with the Japan-only DVR accessory torne. It was later announced that the new sizes were to be launched in other regions, with the 160 GB model available from August 2010 in North Americaand October 2010 in Europe. The 320 GB model is to be available in North America only as part of a bundle with PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and a copy of Sports Champions, and in Europe with PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and a demo disc. The bundles were released on September 19, 2010 and September 15, 2010 respectively, to coincide with the launch of PlayStation Move.

Model comparison:

For more details on this topic, see Timeline of PlayStation 3 SKUs.

Model	Features		Available Colors	First Available	In production	Available bundles
20 GB CECHBxx NTSC	4 USB 2.0ports Hardware-based PS2 emulation SACDplayback Linuxsupport[a] Sixaxiscontroller	N/A	Piano Black, Black trim	JP NA November 2006	No	N/A
60 GB CECHAxx NTSC		Flash memory cardreaders 802.11b/g Wi-Fi	Piano Black, Chrome trim		No
60 GB CECHCxx PAL	802.11b/g Wi-Fi Flash memory card readers 4 USB 2.0 ports Partially software-based PS2emulation SACD playback Linux support[a] Sixaxis controller (MGS4 bundles sold with DualShock 3controller)			UK ROI March 16, 2007 EU AUS March 23, 2007		MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and an extra Sixaxis gamepad (UK)
80 GB CECHExx NTSC				NA August 2007		MGS4 MotorStorm
40 GB CECHGxx CECHHxx CECHJxx PAL, NTSC	802.11b/gWi-Fi 2 USB 2.0 ports Linux support[a]	Sixaxiscontroller	Piano Black Ceramic White[b] Satin Silver[c] (All with Satin Silver trim) Gun-Metal Grey, Gun-Metal Grey trim[d]	EU AUS October 2007 NA JP November 2007	No	MGS4 (Gun-Metal Grey console)[d] GTA IV (Europe)
80 GB CECHKxx CECHLxx CECHMxx PAL, NTSC		DualShock 3 controller	Piano Black Ceramic White Satin Silver[c] (All with Satin Silver trim)	NA EU AUSAugust 2008 JP October 2008	No	80 GB bundles
160 GB CECHPxx CECHQxx PAL, NTSC			Piano Black Cloud Black[f]	NA November 2008 EU October 2008		Uncharted (NTSC region) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Blu-ray ("Cloud Black" console with custom design)[f] (Japan)
120 GBslim CECH-20xxA CECH-21xxA PAL, NTSC	802.11b/g Wi-Fi 2 USB 2.0 ports BRAVIA Sync XMB control (CEC) Slimmer form factor Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreaming DualShock 3 controller		Charcoal Black	NA EUSeptember 1, 2009 AUS JPSeptember 3, 2009		LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (NTSC region) This Is It Blu-ray
250 GBslim CECH-20xxB CECH-21xxB PAL,NTSC			Charcoal Black White and Pink[g]	JP December 17, 2009 NA November 3, 2009 EU October 2009 AUS October 15, 2009		250 GB slim bundles
160 GBslim CECH-25xxA PAL, NTSC			Charcoal Black Classic White Titanium Blue	JP July 29, 2010 NA August 2010 EU October 2010	Yes	160 GB slim bundles
320 GBslim CECH-25xxB PAL,NTSC			Charcoal Black Classic White	JP July 29, 2010 NA September 19, 2010 EU September 15, 2010		PlayStation Move, PlayStation Eye and Sports Champions bundle (North-America) PlayStation Move, PlayStation Eye and demo disc bundle (Europe) Gran Turismo 5 (Europe)