Sony Computer Entertainment

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Sony Computer Entertainment logo

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, Japan, and Korea.

Contents
1 Consoles

1.1 PlayStation
1.2 PlayStation 2
1.3 PSX
1.4 PlayStation 3

2 Handhelds

2.1 PlayStation Portable

3 Games Franchises
4 Structure
5 External links

Consoles

PlayStation

Main article: PlayStation

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The PlayStation video game console

Sony's first foray into the video game market, the PlayStation (formerly PSX, currently called PSOne), 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 #1 selling video game console worldwide.

PlayStation 2

Main article: PlayStation 2

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The PlayStation 2 video game console

Sony's second generation 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 is the first video game console to have DVD playback functionality. Another feature of the PS2 was its ability to be stood up vertically in addition to sitting horizontally like previous systems. Given the design of the hardware, game developers complained that the PlayStation 2 was too hard to develop for. Nevertheless, the PlayStation 2 sold more systems and more video games than its rivals, the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox.

PSX

Main article: PSX

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PSX, a luxury PS2 console only released in Japan.

In December 2003 Sony upgraded the PlayStation 2 adding DVD burning and a hard drive with PVR functionality. The upgraded system was renamed the PSX (the former name of the PlayStation). This system was released only in Japan with high price (~ U$ 700).

PlayStation 3

Main article: PlayStation 3

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The PlayStation 3 video game console

The PlayStation 3 is Sony's next-generation video game console with a release date set in the spring season of 2006. The system was unveiled on May 16, 2005 at a press conference prior to the 2005 Eł event. The PS3 is powered by a CPU developed by IBM, Toshiba, and Sony themselves, called the Cell. The PlayStation 3 is backward compatabile with both the PlayStation 2 and the original PlayStation.

Handhelds

PlayStation Portable

Main article: PlayStation Portable

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The PlayStation Portable, UMD disc, and memory stick

After a successful run in the console market with both the PlayStation and the PlayStation 2, Sony moved into the handheld market. On May 11, 2004 Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation Portable or PSP during a press conference at Eł. The PlayStation Portable is intended as an entertainment platform and is currently positioned to play videogames, video content, and digital audio, as well as displaying digital photos. Instead of using traditional cartridges, the PSP uses a proprietary disc medium called the Universal Media Disc or UMD. The system also uses Sony's memory stick for game saves and for the transfer of content to and from the PSP. The PlayStation Portable was released in Japan on December 14, 2004 and was released in the United States on March 24, 2005.

Games Franchises

Structure

External links

See also: Sony Computer Entertainment, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, Ape Escape