Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces Hardware Specification of PLAYSTATION(R)3 for Europe (1)

LONDON, February 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) to be launched in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia on 23rd March 2007 would utilise a new hardware specification.

The European PS3 will feature the Cell Broadband Engine(TM), 60 GB hard disc drive, Blu-ray Disc player, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, SIXAXIS(TM) wireless controller. It also embodies a new combination of hardware and software emulation which will enable PS3 to be compatible with a broad range of original PlayStation(R) (PS) titles and a limited range of PlayStation(R)2 (PS2) titles.

"PS3 is first and foremost a system that excels in playing games specifically designed to exploit the power and potential of the PS3 system," said David Reeves, President of SCEE. "Games designed for PS3 offer incredible graphics quality, stunning gameplay and massively improved audio and video fidelity that is simply not achievable with PS and PS2 games. Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology."

Some additional PS2 titles will become compatible on the PS3 system through regular downloadable firmware updates, which will be made available through the PLAYSTATION(R)Network, from www.playstation.com or via PS3 game discs, with the first update planned for the launch date of the 23rd March 2007.

Users will be able to check whether their titles are compatible with PS3 at http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc. This site will be available on 23rd March to meet launch day.

European PLAYSTATION 3 Product Specification

    
    Product Name                PLAYSTATION(R)3 Computer Entertainment System
    Product Codes               Europe, Middle East and Africa: CECHC04

                                UK and Ireland: CECHC03

                                Australia/New Zealand: CECHC02

                                Russia/India: CECHC08

    CPU                         Cell Broadband Engine(TM)
    GPU                         RSX(TM)
    Audio                       Dolby Digital 5.1 ch, DTS 5.1 ch, LPCM 7.1
                                ch, AAC, others(1,2)

                                AAC Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base
                                processing)
    Memory                      256 MB XDR Main RAM, 256 MB GDDR3 VRAM
    Hard Disk         HDD       2.5" Serial ATA - 60GB
    Inputs/Outputs(3) USB       4 x Hi-speed USB2.0
                      Memory    Supports standard/Duo size, MagicGate(TM),
                      Stick(TM) Memory Stick PRO(TM) and high speed data
                      slot      transmission
                      SD Memory Copyright-protection function is not
                      Card slot supported
                      CF slot   (Type I, II), Microdrive
    Networking        Ethernet  (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 1

                      Wi-Fi     IEEE 802.11 b/g
                      Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
    Wireless Controller         SIXAXIS(TM) Wireless Controller
    (Bluetooth)
                                Built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery

                                Voltage - DC 3.7V

                                Battery capacity - 610 m/Ah

                                Weight - Approx 136g
    AV Output                   Resolution              576i, 576p, 720p,
                                                        1080i, 1080p
                      HDMI      HDMI (supports Deeep
                                Color / Ver 1.3a) x1
                      Analog    AV MULTI Out connector
                                x 1
                      Digital   Digital out (optical)
                      audio     connector x 1
    Disc media        CD        PlayStation(R)          CD-ROM

    (i) read only
                                PlayStation(R)2         CD-ROM(4)
                                CD-DA (audio CD)        CD-DA (ROM), CD-R,
                                                        CD-RW
                                Super Audio CD
                      DVD       PlayStation(R)2         DVD-ROM(4)

                                DVD-Video               DVD-ROM, DVD-R,
                                                        DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
                                                        AVCHD
                      Blu-ray   PLAYSTATION(R)3         BD-ROM
                      Disc
                                BD-Video                BD-ROM, BD-R,
                                                        BD-RE(i)
                                                        (i)BD-RE version 1.0
                                                        is not supported

    BD/DVD/CD drive maximum     BD x 2 (BD-ROM), DVD x 8 (DVD-ROM), CD x 24
    read rates                  (CD-ROM)
    Dimensions                  Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm
                                (D)
    (excluding maximum
    projecting part)
    Weight                      Approximately 5Kg

1. A device compatible with Linear PCM 7.1 Ch is required to output 7.1 ch audio, supported by Dolby TrueHD or a similar format, from the HDMI OUT connector.

2. This system does not support output from the DTS-HD 7.1 Ch. DTS-HD 7.1 Ch audio is output from a 5.1 or lower channel.

3. Usability of all storage media types is not guaranteed.

4. Certain PlayStation 2 format software titles may not perform properly on this system. Visit faq.eu.playstation.com/bc for the latest information regarding compatible titles

Legal Notes:

-- Storage media ("Memory Stick", SD memory card, and CompactFlash(R)) are sold separately.

-- "Dolby" is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.

-- "DTS" is a trademark of DTS, Inc.

-- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an authorized licensee of the CompactFlash(R) trademark.

-- HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.

-- "Blu-ray Disc" is a trademark.

-- The Bluetooth word mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is under license.

-- "Memory Stick" is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

-- "Super Audio CD" is a trademark.

-- "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also, "Cell Broadband Engine" and "RSX" are trademarks of the same company.

Notes to Editors:

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PLAYSTATION(R)3, PlayStation(R)2 and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) software and hardware in 102 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Between its European debut on 24th November 2000 and the end of December 2006, over 44 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped across the SCEE territories, over 115 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history. Between its European debut on 1st September 2005 and the end of December 2006, over 8 million PSP systems have been shipped across the SCEE territories, with over 24 million shipped worldwide since its Japanese launch in December 2004.

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