Ah, to be back in 2006. A simpler time, full of flip-phones, Zunes, and Myspace. Twitter had only just begun its expansion; Lindsay Lohan, her descent. It was into this landscape Sony pushed out its third home console, the ambitious PlayStation 3. That was ten years ago today (at least, in the North American market).
During the previous generation with the PS2, Sony had enjoyed dominance the likes of which hadn’t been seen before. That system would go on to sell a massive 155 million worldwide, a number that no other system has come close to before or since (the original PlayStation and the Wii are the only other systems to cross the 9-digit threshold).
The PS3 was a much different beast. Launching almost a year after Microsoft’s Xbox 360 kicked off the seventh generation of home video game consoles, it was as complicated as it was powerful. The Cell microprocessor — codeveloped with Toshiba and IBM — was the heart of the system, offering vast amounts of power to patient developers.
It also came with a hefty price tag. In the US, the baseline 20 GB model launched at $499; the comparatively huge 60 GB for $599. Even at that price the system could still be seen as a deal, thanks to it being one of the first commercially-available Blu-Ray players.
With Microsoft backing the HD DVD format, this move could have resulted in another Betamax situation for Sony. Warner Brothers dropping support for the former ensured Blu-Ray would remain the hi-def media option of choice, becoming the format used for both Sony and Microsoft in the following generation.
In 2008, Sony followed the tradition it had set with its earlier consoles, and introduced a smaller, “Slim” version of the PS3. This saw an uptick in hard drive sizes (up to 500 GB) and a more streamlined design, abandoning the “Spider-Man” font used on the original model. 2012 saw a further evolution, dubbed the “Super Slim”.
Seeing the success of Nintendo’s Wii — which would handily win the sales war by the end of the generation — Sony introduced the Move controller around the world in 2010. Many games would end up featuring motion control, and the accessory enjoyed reasonable sales success, racking up 15 million sales versus the 80+ million of the PS3 itself.
Of course, for many of us, what really mattered about the system was the game library. And that, naturally, means Gran Turismo. While audiences around the world had to make do with only two titles per generation with PS1 and PS2 (the Concept titles and GT4 Prologue never made it to all markets), the PS3 saw that number double. Technically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4I9gszuC2g
Shortly after the PS3’s release, Gran Turismo HD launched for free via the PlayStation Store (and a small number of discs in Japan, which go for a pretty penny on eBay these days). Featuring a handful of cars — including the first Ferrari in the series — and a look at an early version of the Eiger circuit, this was players’ first look at a high-def GT.
Seriously, look at that video up there (the first one ever uploaded to our Youtube channel). Those are 10-year-old graphics. Impressive, no?
A year later, in winter 2007, GT5 Prologue launched in Japan. It represented numerous firsts for the franchise: interior views, online gameplay, Gran Turismo TV, 16-car fields, and even a fully-licensed F1 car (Ferrari’s F2007). Through numerous free updates, the GT5 taster would end up featuring 76 car models, and six tracks (with 12 variations).
Three years after Prologue’s release — and nearly six years since GT4 — the full Gran Turismo 5 launched. Bringing with it over 1000 cars (largely composed of the controversial Standard models), and a huge number of tracks, GT5 offered the massive level of content players had come to expect of the franchise.
Night racing had been a staple of the series since GT1, but GT5 brought dynamic time to the equation, forcing players to adapt to changing lighting conditions. After dabbling with wet tracks in the PS2 era, Polyphony also brought dynamic weather to a selection of tracks.
Sales figures have long been a strong point for the series, and GT5 was no exception: it’s sold a fraction under 12 million copies since releasing almost six years ago, and remains second on the PS3 (behind only Grand Theft Auto V).
Lastly, there’s Gran Turismo 6. An evolution of the basic formula laid out by GT5, it ratcheted up the car and track counts while introducing the (still-ongoing) Vision Gran Turismo project. The track creator found in its predecessor was dropped, to be replaced — 21 months after release — by a much more powerful system.
The new “Track Path Editor” wasn’t without its own controversy, of course. Bizarrely, it arrived as a standalone app for tablets, with no creative tools available to players in game. Compounding some fans’ frustration, the app was limited to certain devices (though we found some work-arounds). With no easy method available in-game to browse others’ creations, we launched the GTPlanet Track Database, which currently sits at a hair under 2500 creations.
For all its improvements over its predecessor, GT6 did not set the sales charts on fire the way other entries in the series had. While 5 million is a figure very few games attain, it represents the lowest sales of a full-sized entry in franchise history (GT2 being the second-lowest at 9.37 million). Even GT5 Prologue out-sold its younger brother, if only slightly.
There were other games too, of course. The PS3 may have been slow out of the gate, but the software lineup is what helped it make up lost ground. Hideo Kojima gave gamers the final chapter in his Metal Gear Solid franchise (until he decided that wasn’t, in fact, the end). Uncharted burst onto the scene, introducing the world to Nathan Drake, treasure hunter. LittleBigPlanet reimagined the platform genre as one that could be infinitely reinvented via user-created content. There were countless Call of Duty titles, as the gaming industry and fans began to favour first-person shooters.
While Sony didn’t win the sales crown during the seventh generation, the PS3 remains a popular gaming platform to this day. For racing fans, it still holds the most recent Gran Turismo title (GT6), as well as numerous multi-platform titles (and free online). Happy birthday, PS3!
See more articles on PlayStation 3 and Polyphony Digital.
Too bad the PS3 had a disastrous launch.
PS3 one of worst consoles I owned. The loading times slow, the games have many rendering problems and frame problems and constant annoying system and game updates prevent me from getting best experience.
Ahh yes I remember it well. GT was supposed to be out soon after launch. I bought the 80GB Motorstorm bundle. Only to wait until 2010 for GT5’s release. Sadly, I didn’t go with a PS4 this time. I do however miss the backwards compatible model. I also miss a game more than GT. And that’s Modnation racing. I pick up another PS3, just to have this game again.
I have the 80GB CECHE01 model from 2008, the last one with 4 USB ports and PS2 backwards compatibility. It’s such an amazing piece of hardware that works great to this day. I’ll never forget the great times I’ve had with it. The racing games I’ve played (and still am playing from time to time) on it, especially Burnout Paradise and GT6, will always have a special place in my heart.
Would be real nice if Sony decide to end the ps3 life cycle with a back to it’s roots firmware update to re include the PS2 play ability, Yeah Yeah I know some of us should get over it and buy a 2nd hand ps2 if we want it that bad but I still feel it was a bad move to remove it. But I still have a ps3 and use it a little more than my Ps4 – So happy 10th PS3! – Awesome console and still is
What PS3 model do you have? You see, PS2 emulation was only available on models that had PS2 hardware components in them. On newer models that don’t have PS2 components, Sony can’t just add backwards compatibility with a software update. You can’t fix a hardware problem by software.
That would of been great. PS2s aren’t really that reliable and emulation would require a strong PC. Bummer that Sony took out BC .
Just a small correction: The original ‘Slim’ model was available with a maximum capacity of 320GB, the ‘Super Slim’ was the model with a maximum capacity of 500GB.
While I’ve bought & sold other consoles…my 60 gig backward compatible “fatty” from Xmas 2006 is the permanent centerpiece.(can’t imagine not having the ability to play PS2’s amazing library)
10 years!!! lol I’m old.
How I miss the 6th and 7th generation, both of this generation give a freaking beating to the current gen.
“The PlayStation 3 Launched 10 Years Ago Today”
10 years ago is today? wat
#mindblown
^ #GrammerNaziFail
On this date (Nov. 17th), 10 years ago, smart guy. “# years ago, today/on this day/this week/etc.” is a commonly used phraseology. Often used in speeches and opening statements.
10 years later and my 60gb PS3 (1st one ever to arrive to Peru. 1 1/2 years before the official local release) is still working ♥
2nd favorite PS console after the PS2, Love this console so much that recently i bought two extra back ups just in case….
Wow, that time already? Dang. I can remember when the PS3 was new and how shiny the original thick models were, still one of the best looking consoles I have seen. Despite the consoles age, the graphics still look pretty good on most games. While the library of games that interest me is smaller than what the PS2 had to offer, it’s still had some good ones that could keep me busy for a while. Despite having a PS4, I still play the 3 pretty often regardless. Happy birthday PS3!
Who can forget the PS3’s best racing game with Burnout Paradise? That game was the peak of the PS3 generation for me.
Can’t believe 10 years have just flown by that fast.
It really has flown by. Remember how some folks were incredulous when Sony announced a 10-year plan for the PS3? Here we are!
I’ve gotta say, it’s done pretty well IMO. Sure, it helps that I got it pretty late in the life-cycle (summer ’10), but I sure wouldn’t say the PS1 or PS2 still impressed as much as it does 10 years after their respective launches. PS1 games looked ancient the moment the PS2 arrived: imagine playing one in ’05!
Grew up with an Atari 2600 in the 80s. First console I bought was a Sega Genesis in 1995. Then after getting a PS1 in ’99 and then a PS2 in ’02, I got my first PS3 (Super Slim) really late into the game…2013! Now I have two of them. PS4 will come soon enough for me, maybe in a year or so…
I didn’t get mine until Christmas of 2010, so I was also pretty late to the party.
Got mine 2008, the golden age of demos for the PS3, and it was easier to navigate back then.
Wow, it feels forever since the PS3 released. I remember all the Gran Turismo 5: Prolouge ads in 2007 – 2009. I still have Gran Turismo: HD Concept V1.20 on my PS3 account still, and we can’t forget about the hacking problem in 2011.