Sony Interactive Entertainment
| File:Sce.jpg | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game consoles, Video games |
| Founded | Sony |
| Headquarters |  Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan |
Key people | Ken Kutaragi, President and CEO |
| Products | Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable |
| Parent | Sony Corporation |
| Website | www.playstation.com |
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation that was established on November 16, 1993 in Tokyo, Japan. SCEI handles the research and development, production, and sales of hardware and software for their high-selling PlayStation line of handheld and video game consoles. SCEI is also a developer and publisher of video games for their systems.
The president and CEO of SCEI is Ken Kutaragi, who is widely acknowledged as the creator of the PlayStation. SCEI is comprised of several subsidiaries covering the company's biggest markets: America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. The original soundtracks of its game franchises are produced and distributed by Sony's Japanese distributive unit Aniplex.
Consoles
PlayStation
Sony's first foray into the video game market, the PlayStation (formerly PSX, currently called PS one), was initially set to be an add-on for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Famicom video game consoles as an answer to Sega's Sega CD. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony transformed it into the PlayStation video game console. The PlayStation was released in Japan on December 3, 1994 and later in North America on September 9, 1995. The system was widely popular and quickly became the best selling home console to date, only to be passed by its succesor the PlayStation 2.
PlayStation 2
Sony's follow-up console, the PlayStation 2 or PS2 was released in Japan on March 4, 2000 and later in North America on October 26, 2000. The PS2 is powered by a proprietary CPU, called the Emotion Engine and was the first video game console to have DVD playback functionality. Some game developers complained that the PlayStation 2 was too hard to develop for, and others also claimed that the PS2 was not as powerful as its competitors. Despite these complaints, the PlayStation 2 had widespread support from third party developers and was very successful in the marketplace. It placed first in number of units sold in its generation, with Microsoft's Xbox placing second and Nintendo's GameCube third.
PSX
In December 2003 Sony upgraded the PlayStation 2 adding DVD burning and a hard drive with video recording functionality. The upgraded system was renamed the PSX (an acronym formerly used to represent the original PlayStation). The PSX has extensive media connectivity with the PSP. It is an expensive luxury device (approximately US$700). Due to its lack of popularity, it was never released outside of Japan [1].
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 is Sony's next-generation video game console. The system was unveiled on May 16, 2005 at a press conference prior to the 2005 E³ event. The PS3 is powered by a CPU called the Cell developed by IBM, Toshiba, and Sony themselves. The console has many innovative features such as Blu-ray disc technology, a tilt sensing controller, and high-end multimedia interfaces such as HDMI which is fully capable of 1080p resolution. The PlayStation 3 is backward compatible with both the PlayStation 2 and the original PlayStation. Sony defines the machine as "The Super Computer Entertainment Device". It is due to launch November 11th in Japan and six days later, on November 17th, in North America. Europe and Australia are to follow in March 2007 (though it was originally scheduled for the same time as North America, it was delayed).
Portable
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable is the first handheld gaming system made by Sony. First revealed in 2004, the PSP was released in Japan in 2004 and in North America in 2005. With the ablility to play music, watch videos, view pictures, and use the internet, the PSP has become a major rival to Nintendo and their Game Boy and Nintendo DS.
With over 20 million units shipped to date, the PSP is the most successful competitor in the handheld market against Nintendo, who had been dominant since the 1989 release of the Game Boy.
Linux
In 2002, Sony released the first useful operating system for a video game console, after the Net Yaroze experience. The kit turned the PlayStation 2 into a full fledged computer system running Linux. The mix of hardware and software cost approximately US$149 at launch.
According to recent speeches by CEO Ken Kutaragi, the PlayStation 3 will receive another Linux distribution pre-installed on hard drives to better control online and multimedia capabilities.
In November 2005 Sony formed the Linux Alliance with IBM and Philips.
Game franchises
External links
- Official SCEI website
- North America - SCEA - Sony Computer Entertainment America
- Europe - SCEE - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
- South Korea - SCEK - Sony Computer Entertainment Korea
- Global website
- GT Center EU - Gran Turismo Europe - European Gran Turismo Supersite and Community.