onSale | Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 320GB Gaming Console

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 320GB Gaming Console

As DVD playback made the PlayStation 2 more than just a game machine, hefty multi-media features make the Sony PlayStation 3 an even more versatile home entertainment machine. Features such as video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video will likely make it the central component of your media set-up. Still, it is first and foremost a game console--a powerful one at that.

Blu-Ray is the New Way
Sony's PlayStation 3 games are encoded onto the Blu-Ray disc media format, which can hold six times as much data as traditional DVDs. This increase in capacity--combined with the awesome power of its processor and graphics card--promises mind-blowing games once developers have learned how to fully harness the new console's power. The PS3 will also support CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats. In addition, PlayStation 3 system software update version 2.20 and up includes BD Live support. With this you can now play discs that support Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (BD-LIVE) and you can also connect to the Internet while playing discs that support this format so that you can obtain additional features. Features that are available vary depending on the software in use.

Sensational Controller
New gamers intuitively move the controller while playing, even though that movement has traditionally had no relation to what's going on in the game. Sony has picked up on this tendency and is using it to bring a new level of control into the PS3. Inside the controller is a high-precision six-axis sensing system that accurately detects fine movements in pitch, roll, and yaw, as well as three dimensions of movement, to control games. This means that future PS3 games will be controlled by the movements of your hands rather than just your thumbs. For example, you might be able to steer a car by holding the controller like a steering wheel. While the PS3 controller looks much like its Dual Shock predecessors, it will lack the force-feedback vibration since that would only interfere with the sensing system. It uses Bluetooth 2.0 wireless technology and can support up to seven wireless controllers at a time. It's a hot-swappable system, so if your controller is running low on power, just pause your game and connect a USB 2.0 cable. You can continue playing while your controller recharges automatically.

Plays All PlayStation Games
The PlayStation 3 will be backward compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, which means you'll be able to play all your favorite games without keeping all the old systems. The console will have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot and a Compact Flash memory slot. It comes with a pre-installed hard disc drive, which allows you to save games as well as download content from the Internet.

A Slew of New Games
A whole host of game publishers are already backing the PS3 and several have even confirmed games for the console. At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), more than 30 titles were displayed for the system, including Gran Turismo HD, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Final Fantasy XIII. Previously announced titles include Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4 and Tekken 6.

Online
Sony has stated that the PS3 will have similar online connectivity and services as the next generation of Xbox Live. Calling it "an always on, always connected device," SCEI's chief technical officer Masa Chatani said the PS3 would be constantly in touch with a "PlayStation World" network "fundamentally based on community, communication commerce, and content." Technically, the infrastructure is there to make that connection. The PS3 supports 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T Ethernet, as well as IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless networking protocols.

General

Console dimensions (approx.) (W/H/D): Approx 290 X 65 X 290 mm
Console mass (approx.): Approx 3.2 kg
CPU: Cell Broadband Engine
GPU: RSX
Sound: LPCM 7.1 ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC
Memory: 256 MB XDR Main RAM, 256 MB GDDR3 VRAM
Wireless Controller (Bluetooth): YES
BD/DVD/CD Driver (Read Only): BD X 2 (BD-ROM) DVD X 8 (DVD-ROM) CD X 24 (CD-ROM)

HDD

2.5 Serial ATA: 320 GB

Inputs / Outputs

USB 2.0: 2
Communication
Ethernet: Yes x1 (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11b/g: YES
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR): YES

AV Output

Resolution: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p/576p, 480i/576i
HDMI Output: Yes x1
AV Multi Output: Yes x1
Digital Output: Yes x1

General
Type	Game console
Internal Memory	320 GB HDD
Media Type	Blu-ray
CPU	IBM Cell Broadband Engine ( 8-core )
Graphics Controller	NVIDIA RSX
Video Memory	GDDR3 SDRAM
Network	802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, Gigabit Ethernet
Width	11.4 in
Depth	11.4 in
Height	2.6 in
Weight	7.1 lbs
Color	Charcoal black
Game Controller
Type	DualShock 3 - wireless
Controls	Right trigger, Left trigger, dual analog sticks, Start button, Triangle key, Circle key, Cross key, Square key, Select button, directional buttons
Media Player
Supported Video Formats	MPEG-4
Supported Audio Formats	MP3, AAC, ATRAC3
Video Output
TV Connection	HDMI, component video, composite video
Supported Video Modes	1080p (FullHD), 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i
Connections
Connector Type	2 x USB ( 4 pin USB Type A ) ¦ 1 x Ethernet ( RJ-45 ) ¦ 1 x HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) ¦ 1 x PlayStation 3 AV output ¦ 1 x SPDIF output ( TOSLINK )
Power
Power Consumption Operational	250 Watt
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories	Composite AV cable, USB cable

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 320GB Gaming Console - Charcoal Black (98424)

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