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Lipitor, which helps reduce cholesterol and associated symptoms, was introduced to the prescription drug market in 1996, and has long been the bestselling drug of all time. It is owned by New York-based Pfizer. The drug had its peak year in 2006, when it made $14bn in sales.  According to Forbes, Lipitor has accrued $140.7bn in sales over its lifetime.

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The Best Selling Drugs Since 1996 - Why AbbVie’s Humira Is Set To Eclipse Pfizer’s Lipitor

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Since 1996, the pharmaceutical industry has launched 18 products that have subsequently generated peak annual sales of $5 billion or above. Based on historical company reported sales data, through to 2012, these 18 drugs have generated combined lifetime revenues worth a staggering $942 billion. Asse…

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Marlboro is the bestselling brand of cigarettes in the world. Founded in 1924, Marlboro made an average of $58.5bn in sales each year from 2006-2016, and a total of $643.85bn over that 10-year period.
Projecting the average over its entire existence, Marlboro would have generated well over $5 trillion.

This impressive figure does not eclipse Coca-Cola, which sold half that figure in just five years, but it does send the message that addictive, cancer-causing cigarettes are still a booming business.

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Marlboro was founded as a women's cigarette before switching its focus to men with rugged characters like the Marlboro Man in its advertising. Marlboro

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Tide has even been exchanged for drugs. 

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Tide has even been exchanged for drugs. 

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Even though it can't quite compete with the world's favorite soda pop, Tide has had an unprecedented influence on the suds market. Below, an in-depth feature from The New York Times on the topic.

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Stuart Green, author, “Thirteen Ways to Steal a Bicycle”

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Why Would Drug Dealers Use Tide as a Currency? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

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Why has Tide become a popular product among shoplifters and drug dealers?

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The first 747-100 from Boeing was put into service in 1970, and those first planes sold at a list price of $24 million. Adjusting for inflation, that same 747 would sell today for $146.6 million.

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Tide is far and away the most successful laundry detergent product ever made, sometimes controlling up to 40% of the market. It is produced by Proctor and Gamble and was first introduced in 1946.

2014 sales were $1,195,000,000, so putting a conservative estimate at $1.1bn per year, then total sales would be around $77bn.

Sorry, but this won't cut it.

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This graph shows the sales of the leading liquid laundry detergent brands in the United States in 2022. Arm & Hammer was the third-ranked liquid laundry detergent in the United States with over 872 million U.S. dollars worth of sales that year.

Liquid laundry detergent and cleaning supplies in the United States

In some ways, cleaning products never change. Buckets, sponges, mops, water detergent and a little elbow grease are the tools of the trade for anyone looking to maintain a clean home, just as they have been for centuries. Yet, in other ways, the category never stays the same. Manufacturers are always coming up with new formulas, new packages, new display ideas, new fragrances, new colors, new anything and everything that will make their product distinct, if not superior.

Innovations in the detergent category have led to declines in liquid laundry detergent sales. Despite the Tide brand controlling almost a fifth of total U.S. liquid laundry detergent sales in 2022, which amounted to revenue of over two billion U.S. dollars. Sales of the liquid laundry detergent category in general increased in the considered time frame, while unit sales went down when compared to the previous year.

Procter & Gamble is the leading liquid laundry detergent vendor in the United States, controlling great part of the total market. Procter & Gamble, also known as P&G, is the biggest consumer goods company in the world. It mainly manufactures laundry and cleaning supply products as well as products in the cosmetics and personal care sector. The company's roots date back to the year 1837 when it was founded by William Procter and James Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the company's headquarters still remains.

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U.S.: leading laundry detergent brands 2022 | Statista

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As of 2022, several brands by personal care giant Procter & Gamble were among the top-selling laundry detergent brands in the United States.

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For good fun, we wanted to see how the best-selling books of all time stack up against the soda, software, and smokable behemoths.

J.K. Rowling's 7 Harry Potter books have sold 450 million copies at an average price of $10/book. That turns out to be around $4.5bn in revenue.

Besides not being a strong competitor, the books break our rules. The series is a franchise, not a single product.

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To mark the birthday of J.K. Rowling- and her beloved literary creation - we present some interesting HP-related statistics

Ben Pruchnie / Getty Images (l) and Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images (r)

Happy birthday, J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter! The author of the beloved fantasy novel series turns 48 on July 31; the exact age of her most famous creation (who not so coincidentally shares her birthdate) is unknown.

To mark this special day, we've put together this list of Harry Potter-themed numbers:

910 million

Amount, in dollars, of J.K. Rowling's net worth

Estimated value, in dollars, of the Harry Potter brand

Number of years J.K. Rowling spent writing the manuscript that would become Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Number of publishers to which J.K. Rowling's agency sent her 200-page partial manuscript of the book

Number of publishers that expressed interest in purchasing the rights to the book

Number of publishers that made an offer

Amount, in dollars, of the advance paid to J.K. Rowling by London-based publisher Bloomsbury one year later

Age, in years, of the girl whose father, the chairman of Bloomsbury, made her read the first chapter of the manuscript. (She loved it and demanded more. )

Number of copies in the initial Bloomsbury print run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Number of copies from that initial print run distributed to libraries

Value, in dollars, of a Bloomsbury first-edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Number of copies the final installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold on its first day of release in the U.S. and U.K.

450 million

Number of Harry Potter books in print, worldwide

Number of foreign-language translations of Harry Potter books

1.15 billion

Amount, in dollars, of the total budget of all eight Harry Potter movies

Amount, in dollars, of combined worldwide grosses of the Harry Potter movies

Number, respectively, of producers (1), screenwriters (2), editors (5), composers (4), cinematographers (6), and directors (4) who worked on the eight Harry Potter movies

Total running time, in hours, of all eight Harry Potter movies

Number of prop eyeglasses worn by Daniel Radcliffe throughout the eight films - most of which had no lenses in them, to avoid unwanted reflections

Number of prop eyeglasses Daniel Radcliffe kept from the movies - from the first and last installments

Number of prop wands used by Daniel Radcliffe throughout the eight films

Number of ice-cream trucks purchased by the members of the Harry Potter cast - bought by Rupert Grint to fulfill a childhood dream

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harry potter and the philosopher's stone

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Because It's His Birthday: Harry Potter, By the Numbers | TIME.com

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Happy birthday, J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter! The author of the beloved fantasy novel series turns 48 on July 31; the exact age of her most famous creation (who not so coincidentally shares her birthdate) is unknown.

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Microsoft Windows is the most successful software of all time. First introduced in 1982, Windows has made $306bn in revenue, adjusted for inflation.

In 2013, Windows made $19bn and was only the second most successful product at the company. That distinction goes to Microsoft Office.

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Developer
Microsoft

Source model

Initial release

November 20, 1985; 38 years ago

Latest release

23H2 (10.0.22631.2715) (November 14, 2023; 16 days ago [1]) [±]

Latest preview

Release Preview Channel

23H2 (10.0.22631.2787) (November 16, 2023; 14 days ago [2][3]) [±]

Beta Channel

23H2 (10.0.22635.2776) (November 28, 2023; 2 days ago [4]) [±]

Dev Channel

10.0.23595.1001 (November 29, 2023; 1 day ago [5]) [±]

Canary Channel

10.0.26002.1000 (November 29, 2023; 1 day ago[6]) [±]

Marketing target

Personal computing

Available in

110 languages

Update method

Package manager

Windows Installer (.msi, .msp),[7] App Installer (.msix,[8] .msixbundle[9][10]), Microsoft Store (.appx, .appxbundle),[11] Windows Package Manager

Platforms

IA-32, x86-64, ARM, ARM64
Previously: 16-bit x86, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, Itanium

Kernel type

Default
user interface
Windows shell

License

Proprietary commercial software

Official website

www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows

Microsoft Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For instance, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for servers, and Windows IoT for embedded systems. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone.

The first version of Windows was released on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Windows is the most popular desktop operating system in the world, with a 70% market share as of March 2023, according to StatCounter. However, Windows is not the most used operating system when including both mobile and desktop OSes, due to Android's massive growth.

As of September 2022, the most recent version of Windows is Windows 11 for consumer PCs and tablets, Windows 11 Enterprise for corporations, and Windows Server 2022 for servers.

By marketing role

Microsoft, the developer of Windows, has registered several trademarks, each of which denotes a family of Windows operating systems that target a specific sector of the computing industry. As of 2014, the following Windows families were being actively developed:

These Windows families are no longer being developed:

Version history

The term Windows collectively describes any or all of several generations of Microsoft operating system products. These products are generally categorized as follows:

Early versions

The history of Windows dates back to 1981 when Microsoft started work on a program called "Interface Manager". It was announced in November 1983 (after the Apple Lisa, but before the Macintosh) under the name "Windows", but Windows 1.0 was not released until November 1985. Windows 1.0 was to compete with Apple's operating system, but achieved little popularity. Windows 1.0 is not a complete operating system; rather, it extends MS-DOS. The shell of Windows 1.0 is a program known as the MS-DOS Executive. Components included Calculator, Calendar, Cardfile, Clipboard Viewer, Clock, Control Panel, Notepad, Paint, Reversi, Terminal and Write. Windows 1.0 does not allow overlapping windows. Instead, all windows are tiled. Only modal dialog boxes may appear over other windows. Microsoft sold as included Windows Development libraries with the C development environment, which included numerous windows samples.

Windows 2.0 was released in December 1987, and was more popular than its predecessor. It features several improvements to the user interface and memory management. Windows 2.03 changed the OS from tiled windows to overlapping windows. The result of this change led to Apple Computer filing a suit against Microsoft alleging infringement on Apple's copyrights (eventually settled in court in Microsoft's favor in 1993). Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated keyboard shortcuts and could make use of expanded memory.

Windows 2.1 was released in two different versions: Windows/286 and Windows/386. Windows/386 uses the virtual 8086 mode of the Intel 80386 to multitask several DOS programs and the paged memory model to emulate expanded memory using available extended memory. Windows/286, in spite of its name, runs on both Intel 8086 and Intel 80286 processors. It runs in real mode but can make use of the high memory area.

In addition to full Windows packages, there were runtime-only versions that shipped with early Windows software from third parties and made it possible to run their Windows software on MS-DOS and without the full Windows feature set.

The early versions of Windows are often thought of as graphical shells, mostly because they ran on top of MS-DOS and used it for file system services. However, even the earliest Windows versions already assumed many typical operating system functions; notably, having their own executable file format and providing their own device drivers (timer, graphics, printer, mouse, keyboard and sound). Unlike MS-DOS, Windows allowed users to execute multiple graphical applications at the same time, through cooperative multitasking. Windows implemented an elaborate, segment-based, software virtual memory scheme, which allows it to run applications larger than available memory: code segments and resources are swapped in and thrown away when memory became scarce; data segments moved in memory when a given application had relinquished processor control.

Windows 3.0, released in 1990

Windows 3.0, released in 1990, improved the design, mostly because of virtual memory and loadable virtual device drivers ( VxDs) that allow Windows to share arbitrary devices between multi-tasked DOS applications. Windows 3.0 applications can run in protected mode, which gives them access to several megabytes of memory without the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme. They run inside the same address space, where the segmented memory provides a degree of protection. Windows 3.0 also featured improvements to the user interface. Microsoft rewrote critical operations from C into assembly. Windows 3.0 was the first version of Windows to achieve broad commercial success, selling 2 million copies in the first six months.

Versions before Windows 95 had to be installed from floppy disks by end users (or in professional environments with a network installation); here Windows for Workgroups with nine 3.5-inch-disks to be inserted sequentially.

Windows 3.1, made generally available on March 1, 1992, featured a facelift. In August 1993, Windows for Workgroups, a special version with integrated peer-to-peer networking features and a version number of 3.11, was released. It was sold along with Windows 3.1. Support for Windows 3.1 ended on December 31, 2001.

Windows 3.2, released in 1994, is an updated version of the Chinese version of Windows 3.1. The update was limited to this language version, as it fixed only issues related to the complex writing system of the Chinese language. Windows 3.2 was generally sold by computer manufacturers with a ten-disk version of MS-DOS that also had Simplified Chinese characters in basic output and some translated utilities.

The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows, Windows 95, was released on August 24, 1995. While still remaining MS-DOS-based, Windows 95 introduced support for native 32-bit applications, plug and play hardware, preemptive multitasking, long file names of up to 255 characters, and provided increased stability over its predecessors. Windows 95 also introduced a redesigned, object oriented user interface, replacing the previous Program Manager with the Start menu, taskbar, and Windows Explorer shell. Windows 95 was a major commercial success for Microsoft; Ina Fried of CNET remarked that "by the time Windows 95 was finally ushered off the market in 2001, it had become a fixture on computer desktops around the world." Microsoft published four OEM Service Releases (OSR) of Windows 95, each of which was roughly equivalent to a service pack. The first OSR of Windows 95 was also the first version of Windows to be bundled with Microsoft's web browser, Internet Explorer. Mainstream support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2000, and extended support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.

Windows 95 was followed up with the release of Windows 98 on June 25, 1998, which introduced the Windows Driver Model, support for USB composite devices, support for ACPI, hibernation, and support for multi-monitor configurations. Windows 98 also included integration with Internet Explorer 4 through Active Desktop and other aspects of the Windows Desktop Update (a series of enhancements to the Explorer shell which was also made available for Windows 95). In May 1999, Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, an updated version of Windows 98. Windows 98 SE added Internet Explorer 5.0 and Windows Media Player 6.2 amongst other upgrades. Mainstream support for Windows 98 ended on June 30, 2002, and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, 2006.

On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released Windows Me (Millennium Edition), the last DOS-based version of Windows. Windows Me incorporated visual interface enhancements from its Windows NT-based counterpart Windows 2000, had faster boot times than previous versions (which however, required the removal of the ability to access a real mode DOS environment, removing compatibility with some older programs), expanded multimedia functionality (including Windows Media Player 7, Windows Movie Maker, and the Windows Image Acquisition framework for retrieving images from scanners and digital cameras), additional system utilities such as System File Protection and System Restore, and updated home networking tools. However, Windows Me was faced with criticism for its speed and instability, along with hardware compatibility issues and its removal of real mode DOS support. considered Windows Me to be one of the worst operating systems Microsoft had ever released, and the fourth worst tech product of all time.

Version history

Early versions (Windows NT 3.1/3.5/3.51/4.0/2000)

Windows logo, 1995

In November 1988, a new development team within Microsoft (which included former Digital Equipment Corporation developers Dave Cutler and Mark Lucovsky) began work on a revamped version of IBM and Microsoft's OS/2 operating system known as "NT OS/2". NT OS/2 was intended to be a secure, multi-user operating system with POSIX compatibility and a modular, portable kernel with preemptive multitasking and support for multiple processor architectures. However, following the successful release of Windows 3.0, the NT development team decided to rework the project to use an extended 32-bit port of the Windows API known as Win32 instead of those of OS/2. Win32 maintained a similar structure to the Windows APIs (allowing existing Windows applications to easily be ported to the platform), but also supported the capabilities of the existing NT kernel. Following its approval by Microsoft's staff, development continued on what was now Windows NT, the first 32-bit version of Windows. However, IBM objected to the changes, and ultimately continued OS/2 development on its own.

Windows NT was the first Windows operating system based on a hybrid kernel. The hybrid kernel was designed as a modified microkernel, influenced by the Mach microkernel developed by Richard Rashid at Carnegie Mellon University, but without meeting all of the criteria of a pure microkernel.

The first release of the resulting operating system, Windows NT 3.1 (named to associate it with Windows 3.1) was released in July 1993, with versions for desktop workstations and servers. Windows NT 3.5 was released in September 1994, focusing on performance improvements and support for Novell's NetWare, and was followed up by Windows NT 3.51 in May 1995, which included additional improvements and support for the PowerPC architecture. Windows NT 4.0 was released in June 1996, introducing the redesigned interface of Windows 95 to the NT series. On February 17, 2000, Microsoft released Windows 2000, a successor to NT 4.0. The Windows NT name was dropped at this point in order to put a greater focus on the Windows brand.

The next major version of Windows NT, Windows XP, was released to manufacturing (RTM) on August 24, 2001 and to the general public on October 25, 2001. The introduction of Windows XP aimed to unify the consumer-oriented Windows 9x series with the architecture introduced by Windows NT, a change which Microsoft promised would provide better performance over its DOS-based predecessors. Windows XP would also introduce a redesigned user interface (including an updated Start menu and a "task-oriented" Windows Explorer), streamlined multimedia and networking features, Internet Explorer 6, integration with Microsoft's .NET Passport services, a " compatibility mode" to help provide backwards compatibility with software designed for previous versions of Windows, and Remote Assistance functionality.

At retail, Windows XP was marketed in two main editions: the "Home" edition was targeted towards consumers, while the "Professional" edition was targeted towards business environments and power users, and included additional security and networking features. Home and Professional were later accompanied by the "Media Center" edition (designed for home theater PCs, with an emphasis on support for DVD playback, TV tuner cards, DVR functionality, and remote controls), and the "Tablet PC" edition (designed for mobile devices meeting its specifications for a tablet computer, with support for stylus pen input and additional pen-enabled applications). Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009. Extended support ended on April 8, 2014.

After Windows 2000, Microsoft also changed its release schedules for server operating systems; the server counterpart of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, was released in April 2003. It was followed in December 2005, by Windows Server 2003 R2.

Windows Vista

After a lengthy development process, Windows Vista was released on November 30, 2006, for volume licensing and January 30, 2007, for consumers. It contained a number of new features, from a redesigned shell and user interface to significant technical changes, with a particular focus on security features. It was available in a number of different editions, and has been subject to some criticism, such as drop of performance, longer boot time, criticism of new UAC, and stricter license agreement. Vista's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 was released in early 2008.

On July 22, 2009, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were released to manufacturing (RTM) and released to the public 3 months later on October 22, 2009. Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista was already compatible. Windows 7 has multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows shell with an updated taskbar with revealable jump lists that contain shortcuts to files frequently used with specific applications and shortcuts to tasks within the application, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements.

Windows 8 and 8.1

Windows logo (2012-2021)

Windows 8, the successor to Windows 7, was released generally on October 26, 2012. A number of significant changes were made on Windows 8, including the introduction of a user interface based around Microsoft's Metro design language with optimizations for touch-based devices such as tablets and all-in-one PCs. These changes include the Start screen, which uses large tiles that are more convenient for touch interactions and allow for the display of continually updated information, and a new class of apps which are designed primarily for use on touch-based devices. The new Windows version required a minimum resolution of 1024×768 pixels, effectively making it unfit for netbooks with 800×600-pixel screens.

Other changes include increased integration with cloud services and other online platforms (such as social networks and Microsoft's own OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) and Xbox Live services), the Windows Store service for software distribution, and a new variant known as Windows RT for use on devices that utilize the ARM architecture, and a new keyboard shortcut for screenshots. An update to Windows 8, called Windows 8.1, was released on October 17, 2013, and includes features such as new live tile sizes, deeper OneDrive integration, and many other revisions. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 have been subject to some criticism, such as the removal of the Start menu.

On September 30, 2014, Microsoft announced Windows 10 as the successor to Windows 8.1. It was released on July 29, 2015, and addresses shortcomings in the user interface first introduced with Windows 8. Changes on PC include the return of the Start Menu, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop rather than in full-screen mode. Windows 10 is said to be available to update from qualified Windows 7 with SP1, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices from the Get Windows 10 Application (for Windows 7, Windows 8.1) or Windows Update ( Windows 7).

In June 2021, shortly before Microsoft's announcement of Windows 11, Microsoft updated their lifecycle policy pages for Windows 10, revealing that support for their last release of Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. On April 27, 2023, Microsoft announced that version 22H2 would be the last of Windows 10.

On June 24, 2021, Windows 11 was announced as the successor to Windows 10 during a livestream. The new operating system was designed to be more user-friendly and understandable. It was released on October 5, 2021. As of May 2022, Windows 11 is a free upgrade to Windows 10 users who meet the system requirements.

Windows 365

In July 2021, Microsoft announced it will start selling subscriptions to virtualized Windows desktops as part of a new Windows 365 service in the following month. The new service will allow for cross-platform usage, aiming to make the operating system available for both Apple and Android users. It is a separate service and offers several variations including Windows 365 Frontline, Windows 365 Boot, and the Windows 365 app. The subscription service will be accessible through any operating system with a web browser. The new service is an attempt at capitalizing on the growing trend, fostered during the COVID-19 pandemic, for businesses to adopt a hybrid remote work environment, in which "employees split their time between the office and home". As the service will be accessible through web browsers, Microsoft will be able to bypass the need to publish the service through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Microsoft announced Windows 365 availability to business and enterprise customers on August 2, 2021.

Multilingual support

Multilingual support has been built into Windows since Windows 3.0. The language for both the keyboard and the interface can be changed through the Region and Language Control Panel. Components for all supported input languages, such as Input Method Editors, are automatically installed during Windows installation (in Windows XP and earlier, files for East Asian languages, such as Chinese, and files for right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, may need to be installed separately, also from the said Control Panel). Third-party IMEs may also be installed if a user feels that the provided one is insufficient for their needs. Since Windows 2000, English editions of Windows NT have East Asian IMEs (such as Microsoft Pinyin IME and Microsoft Japanese IME) bundled, but files for East Asian languages may be manually installed on Control Panel.

Interface languages for the operating system are free for download, but some languages are limited to certain editions of Windows. Language Interface Packs (LIPs) are redistributable and may be downloaded from Microsoft's Download Center and installed for any edition of Windows (XP or later) - they translate most, but not all, of the Windows interface, and require a certain base language (the language which Windows originally shipped with). This is used for most languages in emerging markets. Full Language Packs, which translate the complete operating system, are only available for specific editions of Windows (Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista and 7, and all editions of Windows 8, 8.1 and RT except Single Language). They do not require a specific base language and are commonly used for more popular languages such as French or Chinese. These languages cannot be downloaded through the Download Center, but are available as optional updates through the Windows Update service (except Windows 8).

The interface language of installed applications is not affected by changes in the Windows interface language. The availability of languages depends on the application developers themselves.

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 introduce a new Language Control Panel where both the interface and input languages can be simultaneously changed, and language packs, regardless of type, can be downloaded from a central location. The PC Settings app in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 also includes a counterpart settings page for this. Changing the interface language also changes the language of preinstalled Windows Store apps (such as Mail, Maps and News) and certain other Microsoft-developed apps (such as Remote Desktop). The above limitations for language packs are however still in effect, except that full language packs can be installed for any edition except Single Language, which caters to emerging markets.

Platform support

Windows NT included support for several platforms before the x86-based personal computer became dominant in the professional world. Windows NT 4.0 and its predecessors supported PowerPC, DEC Alpha and MIPS R4000 (although some of the platforms implement 64-bit computing, the OS treated them as 32-bit). Windows 2000 dropped support for all platforms, except the third generation x86 (known as IA-32) or newer in 32-bit mode. The client line of the Windows NT family still runs on IA-32 but the Windows Server line ceased supporting this platform with the release of Windows Server 2008 R2.

With the introduction of the Intel Itanium architecture ( IA-64), Microsoft released new versions of Windows to support it. Itanium versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 were released at the same time as their mainstream x86 counterparts. Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, released in 2003, is the last Windows client operating system to support Itanium. Windows Server line continues to support this platform until Windows Server 2012; Windows Server 2008 R2 is the last Windows operating system to support Itanium architecture.

On April 25, 2005, Microsoft released Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions to support x86-64 (or simply x64), the 64-bit version of x86 architecture. Windows Vista was the first client version of Windows NT to be released simultaneously in IA-32 and x64 editions. x64 is still supported.

An edition of Windows 8 known as Windows RT was specifically created for computers with ARM architecture, and while ARM is still used for Windows smartphones with Windows 10, tablets with Windows RT will not be updated. Starting from Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) and later includes support for ARM-based PCs.

Windows 11 is the first version to drop support for 32-bit hardware.

Windows CE (officially known as Windows Embedded Compact), is an edition of Windows that runs on minimalistic computers, like satellite navigation systems and some mobile phones. Windows Embedded Compact is based on its own dedicated kernel, dubbed Windows CE kernel. Microsoft licenses Windows CE to OEMs and device makers. The OEMs and device makers can modify and create their own user interfaces and experiences, while Windows CE provides the technical foundation to do so.

Windows CE was used in the Dreamcast along with Sega's own proprietary OS for the console. Windows CE was the core from which Windows Mobile was derived. Its successor, Windows Phone 7, was based on components from both Windows CE 6.0 R3 and Windows CE 7.0. Windows Phone 8 however, is based on the same NT-kernel as Windows 8.

Windows Embedded Compact is not to be confused with Windows XP Embedded or Windows NT 4.0 Embedded, modular editions of Windows based on Windows NT kernel.

Xbox OS is an unofficial name given to the version of Windows that runs on Xbox consoles. From Xbox One onwards it is an implementation with an emphasis on virtualization (using Hyper-V) as it is three operating systems running at once, consisting of the core operating system, a second implemented for games and a more Windows-like environment for applications. Microsoft updates Xbox One's OS every month, and these updates can be downloaded from the Xbox Live service to the Xbox and subsequently installed, or by using offline recovery images downloaded via a PC. It was originally based on NT 6.2 (Windows 8) kernel, and the latest version runs on an NT 10.0 base. This system is sometimes referred to as "Windows 10 on Xbox One". Xbox One and Xbox Series operating systems also allow limited (due to licensing restrictions and testing resources) backward compatibility with previous generation hardware, and the Xbox 360's system is backwards compatible with the original Xbox.

Version control system

Up to and including every version before Windows 2000, Microsoft used an in-house version control system named Source Library Manager (SLM). Shortly after Windows 2000 was released, Microsoft switched to a fork of Perforce named Source Depot. This system was used up until 2017 once the system could not keep up with the size of Windows. Microsoft had begun to integrate Git into Team Foundation Server in 2013, but Windows (and Office) continued to rely on Source Depot. The Windows code was divided among 65 different repositories with a kind of virtualization layer to produce unified view of all of the code.

In 2017 Microsoft announced that it would start using Git, an open source version control system created by Linus Torvalds and in May 2017 they reported that the migration into a new Git repository was complete.

Because of its large, decades-long history, however, the Windows codebase is not especially well suited to the decentralized nature of Linux development that Git was originally created to manage. Each Git repository contains a complete history of all the files, which proved unworkable for Windows developers because cloning the whole repository takes several hours. Microsoft has been working on a new project called the Virtual File System for Git (VFSForGit) to address these challenges.

In 2021 the VFS for Git has been superseded by Scalar.

Timeline of releases

Usage share and device sales

Use of Windows 10 has exceeded Windows 7 globally since early 2018.

Those statistics do not include servers (including so-called cloud computing, where Microsoft is known not to be a leader, with Linux used more than Windows) as Net Applications and StatCounter use web browsing as a proxy for all use.

Early versions of Windows were designed at a time where malware and networking were less common, and had few built-in security features; they did not provide access privileges to allow a user to prevent other users from accessing their files, and they did not provide memory protection to prevent one process from reading or writing another process's address space or to prevent a process from code or data used by privileged-mode code.

While the Windows 9x series offered the option of having profiles for multiple users with separate profiles and home folders, it had no concept of access privileges, allowing any user to edit others' files. In addition, while it ran separate 32-bit applications in separate address spaces, protecting an application's code and data from being read or written by another application, it did not protect the first megabyte of memory from userland applications for compatibility reasons. This area of memory contains code critical to the functioning of the operating system, and by writing into this area of memory an application can crash or freeze the operating system. This was a source of instability as faulty applications could accidentally write into this region, potentially corrupting important operating system memory, which usually resulted in some form of system error and halt.

Windows NT was far more secure, implementing access privileges and full memory protection, and, while 32-bit programs meeting the DoD's C2 security rating, yet these advantages were nullified by the fact that, prior to Windows Vista, the default user account created during the setup process was an administrator account; the user, and any program the user launched, had full access to the machine. Though Windows XP did offer an option of turning administrator accounts into limited accounts, the majority of home users did not do so, partially due to the number of programs which required administrator rights to function properly. As a result, most home users still ran as administrator all the time. These architectural flaws, combined with Windows's very high popularity, made Windows a frequent target of computer worm and virus writers.

Furthermore, although Windows NT and its successors are designed for security (including on a network) and multi-user PCs, they were not initially designed with Internet security in mind as much, since, when it was first developed in the early 1990s, Internet use was less prevalent.

In a 2002 strategy memo entitled "Trustworthy computing" sent to every Microsoft employee, Bill Gates declared that security should become Microsoft's highest priority.

Windows Vista introduced a privilege elevation system called User Account Control. When logging in as a standard user, a logon session is created and a token containing only the most basic privileges is assigned. In this way, the new logon session is incapable of making changes that would affect the entire system. When logging in as a user in the Administrators group, two separate tokens are assigned. The first token contains all privileges typically awarded to an administrator, and the second is a restricted token similar to what a standard user would receive. User applications, including the Windows shell, are then started with the restricted token, resulting in a reduced privilege environment even under an Administrator account. When an application requests higher privileges or "Run as administrator" is clicked, UAC will prompt for confirmation and, if consent is given (including administrator credentials if the account requesting the elevation is not a member of the administrators group), start the process using the unrestricted token.

In August 2019, computer experts reported that the BlueKeep security vulnerability, CVE- 2019-0708, that potentially affects older unpatched Windows versions via the program's Remote Desktop Protocol, allowing for the possibility of remote code execution, may include related flaws, collectively named , affecting newer Windows versions (i.e., Windows 7 and all recent versions) as well. In addition, experts reported a Microsoft security vulnerability, CVE- 2019-1162, based on legacy code involving Microsoft CTF and ctfmon (ctfmon.exe), that affects all Windows versions from Windows XP to the then most recent Windows 10 versions; a patch to correct the flaw is available.

Windows integrates the Windows Defender antivirus, which is seen as one of the best available. Windows also implements Secure Boot, Control Flow Guard, ransomware protection, BitLocker disk encryption, a firewall, and Windows SmartScreen.

File permissions

All Windows versions from Windows NT 3 have been based on a file system permission system referred to as AGDLP (Accounts, Global, Domain Local, Permissions) in which file permissions are applied to the file/folder in the form of a 'local group' which then has other 'global groups' as members. These global groups then hold other groups or users depending on different Windows versions used. This system varies from other vendor products such as Linux and NetWare due to the 'static' allocation of permission being applied directly to the file or folder. However using this process of AGLP/AGDLP/AGUDLP allows a small number of static permissions to be applied and allows for easy changes to the account groups without reapplying the file permissions on the files and folders.

Alternative implementations

Owing to the operating system's popularity, a number of applications have been released that aim to provide compatibility with Windows applications, either as a compatibility layer for another operating system, or as a standalone system that can run software written for Windows out of the box. These include:

Wine - a free and open-source implementation of the Windows API, allowing one to run many Windows applications on x86-based platforms, including UNIX, Linux and macOS. Wine developers refer to it as a "compatibility layer" and use Windows-style APIs to emulate Windows environment.

CrossOver - a Wine package with licensed fonts. Its developers are regular contributors to Wine.

Proton - A fork of Wine by Steam to run Windows games on Linux and other Unix-like OS.

ReactOS - an open-source OS intended to run the same software as Windows, originally designed to simulate Windows NT 4.0, later aiming at Windows 7 compatibility. It has been in the development stage since 1996.

References

External links

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A 747 jet costs $357 million, making it the most expensive product on our list. Only 1500 have been sold since the jet was introduced in 1969. Using that figure, total sales would come out to $535bn. The big jet is impressive, but not a top contender.

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The 747 Jumbo Jet is an iconic aircraft. For years, it was the only double-deck commercial airliner and for many it is a favorite. From its first flight in 1969, the 747 has changed quite a bit. The newest iteration, the 747-8, might sport a similar shape to the original 747 or the 747-400, but it is quite a different beast (more than just LED lighting). This past weekend, the 1,500th 747 was delivered to Lufthansa Airlines. About a week earlier, Boeing took the opportunity to talk about their largest commercial airliner and its future relevance.

I was invited to Boeing's factory in Everett to sit down with Eric Lindblad, vice president and general manager of the 747 program, and we had a down-to-earth conversation about where the 747 has been, where it is today, and where Boeing is hoping it is going.

The big message that Lindblad wanted to get across is, "this is not your mother's 747." Not only is the 747-8I a very different aircraft than the 747-400, but the 70th 747-8 is much more efficient than the first one, and they plan to keep making it more efficient.

The aircraft has been doing very well while in service with eight different operators. The 747-8 has flown over 385,000 flight hours and have served 150 different airports. The 747-8 has a dispatch reliability rate of 98.9%, which is exactly where Boeing was hoping it would be.

BONUS: Inside the Factory: Photo Tour of Where Boeing 747s are Born

Boeing has improved the operating costs of the 747-8 3.5% since the introduction of the first aircraft. The number might seem small, but it adds up to big money. A 3.5% improvement is a savings of about $1.94 million dollars per year per aircraft. The 747-8 is 16% more fuel efficient than the 747-400 - that's $8.8 million per aircraft per year savings.

They have done this by implementing the Performance Improvement Package (PIP) engine upgrade, aerodynamic improvements, activating the additional tail fuel tank, and reducing the weight by 7,200 pounds.

Many ( including even us) have questioned the continuing viability of the 747. Without many orders in the books, can the 747 line survive the long-term? Boeing needs to get additional customers to ensure the survivability of the aircraft.

Although Boeing would not directly state they have some customers on the line, it was strongly hinted that we might be hearing about a potential new customer or two in the upcoming months.

One example of future operations they gave was wanting the 747-8I to be able to take off, fully loaded, any time of the year (even in a hot environment) and fly 8,200 miles. Lindblad stated that this could make the aircraft fly routes like Hong Kong to New York and Los Angeles to Dubai. It was interesting to me that he used Dubai as an example.

There are three viable candidates in the Dubai area who could possibly take on the 747-8 Intercontinental: Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad.

Although I've had the CEO of Emirates, Tim Clark, tell me directly that they have absolutely no interest in the aircraft, the airline is growing like gangbusters and wants large aircraft quickly. They have 92 Airbus A380s and 150 777Xs on order, and it will take a long while to get all those in service. The Boeing 747-8I is sitting without a long backlog and could enter service much quicker. Do the adamant "no's" really mean no - or a negotiation strategy?

Qatar and Etihad are also two airlines that are growing very quickly and are looking to expand their fleet with large aircraft; both have 10 Airbus A380s on order. As with Emirates, they are looking to provide a high-end product to a high number of passengers.

BONUS: Does the Boeing 747 Have a Future?

All three middle east carriers have been competing for the biggest and best products. Etihad recently unveiled an apartment-style first class product, and those sorts of large first class products are only viable in large aircraft like the A380 and 747-8. The Boeing 747-8 allows airlines to provide more premium product (first, business) options than the smaller 777 or A340/A330.

Farnborough is coming up next month, and when I asked Lindblad if we should expect a 747 announcement, he was not able to say. I would hope either during the airshow or shortly thereafter, Boeing is able to announce at least one additional customer for the plane. At the very least, hopefully the 747-8 will be the basis for the next-generation Air Force One, allowing the signature airframe to represent the U.S. to the world.

Boeing is confident that the 747 will be built for quite a bit longer, and they are optimistic that they have campaigns that will result in additional sales of the aircraft - I surely hope that is true. As an AvGeek, I love the majestic look of the 747, and who wouldn't enjoy riding in the upper deck or the nose of the jumbo jet? But warm and fuzzy feelings don't sell aircraft - the numbers do. And as Boeing is able to improve the numbers of the 747-8, it might open up the door to potential customers.

More Photos of the 1,500th Boeing 747

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & FOUNDER - SEATTLE, WA. David has written, consulted, and presented on multiple topics relating to airlines and travel since 2008. He has been quoted and written for a number of news organizations, including BBC, CNN, NBC News, Bloomberg, and others. He is passionate about sharing the complexities, the benefits, and the fun stuff of the airline business. Email me: david@airlinereporter.com

https://www.airlinereporter.com

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Boeing Celebrates the 1,500th 747 - Is the Jumbo Jet Still Viable?

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A Place to Share Your Passion for Airlines. Home of the AvGeek!

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Top 10 Best-Selling Cars in the World for 2015

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The numbers are in and we now know the top 10 best-selling cars in the world for 2015. See the full list of best-selling cars worldwide at AutoGuide.com.

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Coca-Cola is dominant in terms of raw sales, but that's not the most interesting thing we learned from this informal study. It wasn't even the most interesting thing we learned about Coke. For instance, did you know that 94% of the world population recognizes the Coke logo? If there was ever a case for defending a robust marketing department, Coke is it.

The most important thing we learned was that when a consumer pays a dollar for a product, that dollar is split is vastly different ways based on distribution strategy, taxaction, etc. For example, Coca Cola's 2015 annual report claims $44bn operating revenue and $7bn net income for the entirety of Coca Cola Enterprises.

On the other hand, Apple controls all production and distribution of iPhones, thereby keeping nearly 100% of its revenues.

Which is why the total amount paid by consumers for purchasing a product is a meaningless metric for many companies, making this number hard to find.

Of course, we are well aware that there is a pretty big selection bias in our candidate list. All companies on our list are based in either the U.S. or Japan. Granted, companies from the two countries have done well in establishing global brands, but our research was based on educated guesses, and our guesses are rooted in the products we're most familiar with. We work in software, so of course certain tech products came to the top of our minds. We work in an office live in America, so of course we drink a lot of Coke.

We did try finding local brands for consumer products, e.g. - Marlboro's equivalent in extremely populous countries like India and China. But data eluded us.

Do you think we've left out any obvious contenders? Out of the box ideas welcome.

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Basically, there's no need to buy the world a Coke; they're already doing it themselves.

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Basically, there's no need to buy the world a Coke; they're already doing it themselves.

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Coca-Cola, 1971 - 'Hilltop' | "I'd like to buy the world a Coke"

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The 737 is not quite as expensive as the 747, but base on a hunch, we did some digging.

Over 13,000 737 jets have been sold since being introduced in 1968. It is the most successful commercial airliner ever made. At a listed price of $72 million, that translates to $936 billion in raw sales over the last 48 years. That tops the Corolla, and the iPhone, although the iPhone is just 9 years old.

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Sony has made consumer product history over and over, from the transistor radio, to the Walkman, camcorder, VCR, and CD.  The Playstation was introduced in 1995, and is still going strong in its fourth iteration. How strong?

Wonder, via a site called StatisticBrain, reports that 320 million units of Playstation 1 to 4 have been sold as of 2014. The entire Playstation line has generated revenues of $111.68 billion over its 21 years in existence.

So even though it's an impressive number, that's less than Coca Cola and the iPhone generate in one year each. Sorry Playstation, you're out.

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( PlayStation Japanese: プレイステーション, Hepburn: Pureisutēshon, officially abbreviated as PS) is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.

The first PlayStation console was released in Japan in December 1994, and worldwide the following year. The original console in the series was the first console of any type to ship over 100 million units, doing so in under a decade. Its successor, the PlayStation 2, was released in 2000; it is the best-selling home console to date, having reached over 155 million units sold by the end of 2012. Sony's next console, the PlayStation 3, was released in 2006, selling over 87.4 million units by March 2017. Sony's next console, the PlayStation 4, was released in 2013, selling a million units within a day, becoming the fastest selling console in history. The latest console in the series, the PlayStation 5, was released in 2020 and sold 10 million units in its first 249 days, unseating its predecessor as the fastest-selling PlayStation console to-date. The main series of controllers utilized by the PlayStation series is the DualShock, a line of vibration-feedback gamepads that sold 28 million units by June 2008.

The first handheld console in the series, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), sold a total of 80 million units worldwide by November 2013. Its successor, the PlayStation Vita (PSVita), which launched in Japan in December 2011 and in most other major territories in February 2012, sold over four million units by January 2013. PlayStation TV is a microconsole and a non-portable variant of the PlayStation Vita handheld game console. Other hardware released as part of the PlayStation series includes the PSX, a digital video recorder which was integrated with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, though it was short-lived due to its high price and was never released outside Japan, as well as a Bravia television set which has an integrated PlayStation 2.

The PlayStation Network is an online service with about 110 million registered users (as of June 2013) and over 103 million active users monthly. (as of December 2019) It comprises an online virtual market, the PlayStation Store, which allows the purchase and download of games and various forms of multimedia, a subscription-based online service known as PlayStation Plus and a social gaming networking service called PlayStation Home, which had over 41 million users worldwide at the time of its closure in March 2015. PlayStation Mobile (formerly PlayStation Suite) is a software framework that provides PlayStation content on mobile devices. Version 1.xx supports both PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV and certain devices that run the Android operating system, whereas version 2.00 released in 2014 only targeted PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV. Content set to be released under the framework consist of only original PlayStation games currently.

Seventh generation PlayStation products also use the XrossMediaBar, which is an Technology & Engineering Emmy Award-winning graphical user interface. A touch screen-based user interface called LiveArea was launched for the PlayStation Vita, which integrates social networking elements into the interface. Additionally, the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles also featured support for Linux-based operating systems; Linux for PlayStation 2 and OtherOS respectively, though this has since been discontinued. The series has also been known for its numerous marketing campaigns, the latest of which being the "Greatness Awaits" and eventually, "Play Has No Limits" commercials in the United States.

The series also has a strong line-up of first-party games due to PlayStation Studios, a group of many studios owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment that exclusively developed them for PlayStation consoles. In addition, the series features various budget re-releases of games by Sony with different names for each region; these include the Greatest Hits, Platinum, Essentials, and The Best selection of games. It is also known for the four iconic PlayStation face buttons ( , , , ).

Original PlayStation logo (1994)

PlayStation was the brainchild of Ken Kutaragi, a Sony executive who managed one of the company's hardware engineering divisions and was later dubbed "The Father of the PlayStation".

Until 1991, Sony had little direct involvement with the video game industry. The company supplied components for other consoles, such as the sound chip for the Super Famicom from Nintendo, and operated a video game studio, Sony Imagesoft. As part of a joint project between Nintendo and Sony that began as early as 1988, the two companies worked to create a CD-ROM version of the Super Famicom, though Nintendo denied the existence of the Sony deal as late as March 1991. At the Consumer Electronics Show in June 1991, Sony revealed a Super Famicom with a built-in CD-ROM drive that incorporated Green Book technology or CD-i, called "Play Station" (also known as SNES-CD). However, a day after the announcement at CES, Nintendo announced that it would be breaking its partnership with Sony, opting to go with Philips instead but using the same technology. The deal was broken by Nintendo after they were unable to come to an agreement on how revenue would be split between the two companies. The breaking of the partnership infuriated Sony President Norio Ohga, who responded by appointing Kutaragi with the responsibility of developing the PlayStation project to rival Nintendo.

The sole remaining prototype of Sony's original "PlayStation", a Super NES with a built-in CD-ROM drive

At that time, negotiations were still on-going between Nintendo and Sony, with Nintendo offering Sony a "non-gaming role" regarding their new partnership with Philips. This proposal was swiftly rejected by Kutaragi who was facing increasing criticism over his work with regard to entering the video game industry from within Sony. Negotiations officially ended in May 1992 and in order to decide the fate of the PlayStation project, a meeting was held in June 1992, consisting of Sony President Ohga, PlayStation Head Kutaragi and several senior members of Sony's board. At the meeting, Kutaragi unveiled a proprietary CD-ROM-based system he had been working on which involved playing video games with 3D graphics to the board. Eventually, Sony President Ohga decided to retain the project after being reminded by Kutaragi of the humiliation he suffered from Nintendo. Nevertheless, due to strong opposition from a majority present at the meeting as well as widespread internal opposition to the project by the older generation of Sony executives, Kutaragi and his team had to be shifted from Sony's headquarters to Sony Music, a completely separate financial entity owned by Sony, so as to retain the project and maintain relationships with Philips for the MMCD development project (which helped lead to the creation of the DVD).

According to SCE's producer Ryoji Akagawa and chairman Shigeo Maruyama, there was uncertainty over whether the console should primarily focus on 2D sprite graphics or 3D polygon graphics. Eventually, after witnessing the success of Sega's Virtua Fighter in Japanese arcades, that Sony realized "the direction of the PlayStation became instantly clear" and 3D polygon graphics became the console's primary focus.

The PlayStation logo was designed by Manabu Sakamoto. He wanted the logo to capture the 3D support of the console, but instead of just adding apparent depth to the letters "P" and "S", he created an optical illusion that suggested the letters in depth of space. Sakamoto also stuck with four bright principal colors, red, yellow, green, and blue, only having to tune the green color for better harmony across the logo. Sakamoto also designed the black and white logo based on the same design, reserved for times where colors could not be used.

Formation of Sony Computer Entertainment

At Sony Music Entertainment, Kutaragi worked closely with Shigeo Maruyama, the CEO of Sony Music, and with Akira Sato to form Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) on November 16, 1993. A building block of SCEI was its initial partnership with Sony Music which helped SCEI attract creative talent to the company as well as assist SCEI in manufacturing, marketing and producing discs, something that Sony Music had been doing with Music Discs. The final two key members of SCEI were Terry Tokunaka, the President of SCEI from Sony's headquarters, and Olaf Olafsson. Olafsson was CEO and president of New York-based Sony Interactive Entertainment which was the parent company for the 1994-founded Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA).

The PlayStation project, SCEI's first official project, was finally given the green light by Sony executives in 1993 after a few years of development. Also in 1993, Phil Harrison, who later became President of SCE Worldwide Studios, was recruited into SCEI to attract developers and publishers to produce games for their new PlayStation platform.

Computer Gaming World in March 1994 reported a rumor that the " Sony PS-X" would be released in Japan "before the end of this year and will retail for less than $400". After a demonstration of Sony's distribution plan as well as tech demos of its new console to game publishers and developers in a hotel in Tokyo in 1994, numerous developers began to approach PlayStation. Two of whom later became major partners were Electronic Arts in the West and Namco in Japan. One of the factors which attracted developers to the platform was the use of a 3D-capable, CD-ROM-based console which was much cheaper and easier to manufacture for in comparison to Nintendo's rival console, which used cartridge systems. The project eventually hit Japanese stores in December 1994 and gained massive sales due to its lower price point than its competitor, the Sega Saturn. The popularity of the console spread after its release worldwide in North America and Europe.

Home consoles

PlayStation

The original PlayStation, released in Japan on December 3, 1994, was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices. It has included successor consoles and upgrades including the Net Yaroze (a special black PlayStation with tools and instructions to program PlayStation games and applications), "PS one" (a smaller version of the original) and the PocketStation (a handheld which enhances PlayStation games and also acts as a memory card). It was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64. By December 2003, the PlayStation and PS one had shipped a combined total of 102.49 million units, eventually becoming the first video game console to sell 120 million units.

Released on July 7, 2000, concurrently with its successor the PlayStation 2, the PS One (stylized as PS one) was a considerably smaller, redesigned version of the original PlayStation video game console. The PS one went on to outsell all other consoles, including its successor, throughout the remainder of the year. It featured two main changes from its predecessor, the first being a cosmetic change to the console and the second being the home menu's Graphical User Interface; a variation of the GUI previously used only on PAL consoles up to that point.

PlayStation 2

Released in 2000, 15 months after the Dreamcast and a year before its other competitors, the Xbox and the GameCube, the PlayStation 2 is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles, and is backwards-compatible with most original PlayStation games. Like its predecessor, it has received a slimmer redesign. It is the most successful console in the world, having sold over 155 million units as of December 28, 2012. On November 29, 2005, the PS2 became the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its launch. This achievement occurred faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation, which took "9 years and 6 months since launch" to reach the same figure. PlayStation 2 shipments in Japan ended on December 28, 2012. The Guardian reported on January 4, 2013, that PS2 production had ended worldwide, but studies showed that many people all around the world still own one even if it is no longer in use. PlayStation 2 has been ranked as the best selling console of all time as of 2015.

Slimline model

Released in 2004, four years after the launch of the original PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 2 Slimline was the first major redesign of the PlayStation 2. Compared to its predecessor, the Slimline was smaller, thinner, quieter and also included a built-in Ethernet port (in some markets it also has an integrated modem). In 2007, Sony began shipping a revision of the Slimline which was lighter than the original Slimline together with a lighter AC adapter. In 2008, Sony released yet another revision of the Slimline which had an overhauled internal design incorporating the power supply into the console itself like the original PlayStation 2 resulting in a further reduced total weight of the console.

PlayStation 3

Released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, the PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a seventh generation game console from Sony. It competes with the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. The PS3 is the first console in the series to introduce the use of motion-sensing technology through its Sixaxis wireless controller. The console also incorporates a Blu-ray Disc player and features high-definition resolution. The PS3 was originally offered with either a 20 GB or 60 GB hard drive, but over the years its capacity increased in increments available up to 500 GB. The PlayStation 3 has sold over 80 million consoles worldwide as of November 2013.

Like its predecessors, the PlayStation 3 was re-released in 2009 as a "slim" model. The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than previous models. In addition, it features a redesigned cooling system and a smaller Cell processor which was moved to a 45nm manufacturing process. It sold in excess of a million units within its first 3 weeks on sale. The redesign also features support for CEC (more commonly referred to by its manufacturer brandings of BraviaSync, VIERA Link, EasyLink and others) which allows control of the console over HDMI by using the remote control as the controller. The PS3 slim also runs quieter and is cooler than previous models due to its 45 nm Cell. The PS3 Slim no longer has the "main power" switch (similar to PlayStation 2 slim), like the previous PS3 models, which was located at the back of the console. It was officially released on September 1, 2009, in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009, in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Super Slim model

In 2012, Sony revealed a new "Super Slim" PlayStation 3. The new console, with a completely redesigned case that has a sliding door covering the disc drive (which has been moved to the top of the console), is 4.3 pounds, almost three pounds lighter than the previous "slim" model. The console comes with either 12GB flash memory or a 250GB, 500GB hard drive. Several bundles which include a Super Slim PS3 and a selection of games are available.

PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) was announced by Sony Computer Entertainment at a press conference on February 20, 2013. In the meeting, Sony revealed some hardware specifications of the new console. It introduced the x86 architecture to the PlayStation series. According to lead system architect, Mark Cerny, development on the PlayStation 4 began as early as 2008. PlayStation Europe CEO Jim Ryan emphasized in 2011 that Sony wanted to avoid launching the next-generation console behind the competition.

Among the new applications and services, Sony introduced the PlayStation App, allowing PS4 owners to turn smartphones and tablets into a second screen to enhance gameplay. The company also planned to debut PlayStation Now game streaming service, powered by technology from Gaikai. By incorporating a share button on the new controller and making it possible to view in-game content being streamed live from friends, Sony planned to place more focus on social gameplay as well. The PlayStation 4 was first released in North America on November 15, 2013. As part of the eighth generation of video game consoles, it competes with Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch.

PlayStation 4 Slim (officially marketed simply as PlayStation 4 or PS4) was unveiled on September 7, 2016. It is a revision of the original PS4 hardware with a streamlined form factor. The new casing is 40% smaller and carries a rounded body with a matte finish on the top of the console rather than a two-tone finish. The two USB ports on the front have a larger gap between them, and the optical audio port was also removed. It ships with a minor update to the DualShock 4 controller, with the light bar visible through the top of the touchpad and dark matte grey coloured exterior instead of a partially shiny black. The PS4 Slim was released on September 15, 2016, with a 500 GB model at the same price point as the original PS4 model. Its model number is CUH-2000.

PlayStation 4 Pro or PS4 Pro for short (originally announced under the codename Neo) was unveiled on September 7, 2016. Its model number is CUH-7000. It is an updated version of the PlayStation 4 with improved hardware, including an upgraded GPU with 4.2 teraflops of processing power, and higher CPU clock. It is designed primarily to enable selected games to be playable at 4K resolution, and improved quality for PlayStation VR. All games are backwards and forward compatible between PS4 and PS4 Pro, but games with optimizations will have improved graphics performance on PS4 Pro. Although capable of streaming 4K video from online sources, PS4 Pro does not support Ultra HD Blu-ray. Additionally the PS4 Pro is the only PS4 model which can remote play at 1080p. The other models are limited to 720p.

PlayStation 5

Original PlayStation 5 with a 4K Blu-ray disc drive and a DualSense controller

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) was released worldwide on November 12, 2020, and, alongside the Xbox Series X and Series S released the same month, is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles. The first news of the PS5 came from Mark Cerny in an interview with in April 2019. Sony intends for the PlayStation 5 to be its next-generation console and to ship worldwide by the end of 2020. In early 2019, Sony's financial report for the quarter ending March 31, 2019, affirmed that new next-generation hardware was in development but would ship no earlier than April 2020.

The current specifications were released in October 2019. The console uses an 8-core, 16-thread CPU based on AMD's Zen 2 microarchitecture, manufactured on the 7 nanometer process node. The graphics processor is a custom variant of AMD's Navi family using the RDNA microarchitecture, which includes support for hardware acceleration of ray-tracing rendering, enabling real-time ray-traced graphics. The new console ships with a custom SSD storage, as Cerny emphasized the need for fast loading times and larger bandwidth to make games more immersive, as well as to support the required content streaming from disc for 8K resolution. In a second interview with Wired in October 2019, further details of the new hardware were revealed: the console's integrated Blu-ray drive would support 100GB Blu-ray discs and Ultra HD Blu-ray; while a game installation from a disc is mandatory as to take advantage of the SSD, the user will have some fine-grain control of how much they want to have installed, such as only installing the multiplayer components of a game. Sony is developing an improved suspended gameplay state for the PlayStation 5 to consume less energy than the PlayStation 4.

The system's new controller, the DualSense has adaptive triggers that can change the resistance to the player as necessary, such as changing the resistance during the action of pulling an arrow back in a bow in-game. The controller also has strong haptic feedback through voice coil actuators, which together with an improved controller speaker is intended to give better in-game feedback. USB-C connectivity, together with a higher rated battery are other improvements to the new controller.

The PlayStation 5 features a completely revamped user interface. The PlayStation 5 is backwards-compatible with most PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games, with Cerny stating that the transition to the new console is meant to be a soft one. In a later interview, Jim Ryan talked of the PlayStation 5 being able to play "99%" of PlayStation 4 games, an estimate derived from a sample size of "thousands". At CES 2020, Sony unveiled the official logo for the platform.

Comparison

Console

PlayStation (PS)

PlayStation 2 (PS2)

PlayStation 3 (PS3)

PlayStation 4 (PS4)

PlayStation 5 (PS5)

Image

Top: PS

Bottom: PS One

Top: PS2

Middle: PS2 Slimline (2004)

Bottom: PS2 Slimline (2007)

Top: PS3

Middle: PS3 Slim

Bottom: PS3 Super Slim

Top: PS4

Middle: PS4 Slim

Bottom: PS4 Pro

Top: PS5

Bottom: PS5 Digital Edition

Launch price

PS

¥39,800[1]
US$299[60]
£299[61]

PS One

¥15,000 [62]
US$99
£ 79

PS2

¥39,800[1]
US$299[60]
£299[61]

PS2 Slimline

US$149
€ 149

PS3

¥49,980 (20 GB)[1]
US$ 499 (20 GB)

US$599 (60 GB)[60]
£425 (60 GB)[63]
€599 (60 GB)[61]

PS3 Slim

¥29,980 (tax included) (120 GB)
US$299 (120 GB)
€ 299 (120 GB)

PS3 Super Slim

¥24,980 (tax included) (250 GB)
US$269 (250 GB)
€ 299 (500 GB)

PS4

PS4 Slim

US$299 (500 GB)

US$349 (1 TB)

€299 (500 GB)

€349 (1 TB)

PS4 Pro

US$399 (1 TB)

€399 (1 TB)

PS5

PS5 Digital Edition

PS5 Slim

(detachable disc drive included) ¥66,980 (1 TB)[64]
US$499.99 (1 TB)
€550 (1 TB)
£480 (1 TB)
AU$679.95 (1 TB)[65]

Release date

PS One

PS2 Slimline

PS3 Slim

PS3 Super Slim

PS4 Slim
PS4 Pro

PS5 Slim

Units shipped

102.49 million shipped, including 28.15 million PS one units (as of March 31, 2007)[29]

>155 million (as of December 28, 2012)[3]

>87.4 million (as of March 31, 2017)[4]

>117.2 million (as of March 31, 2022)[74]

46.6 million (as of September 30, 2023)[75]

Best-selling game

Gran Turismo; 10.85 million shipped (as of April 30, 2008)[76][77]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; 17.33 million shipped (as of March 26, 2008)[76]

Grand Theft Auto V; over 15 million shipped (as of December 7, 2013)

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End; over 15 million shipped (as of March 31, 2019)[78]

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Media

CD-ROM

DVD-ROM/CD-ROM

BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, SACD (1st and 2nd Gen Only)[79]

Blu-ray, DVD
Blu-ray 6x CAV, DVD 8x CAV

PS5: Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD

PS5 Digital Edition: Digital Content Only

PS5 Slim: Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD via detachable disc drive[80]

Included accessories and extras

Internal hard drive (20, 40, 60, 80, 120, 160, 250, 320 or 500 GB, depending on model)

Wireless DualShock 3 / Sixaxis Controller

Composite AV cable

Ethernet cable

USB cable

Internal hard drive (500 GB/1 TB) (PS4 and PS4 Slim),[81][82] Internal hard drive (1 TB) (PS4 Pro)

Wireless DualShock 4 Controller

Mono Headset

Power Cable

HDMI Cable

USB Cable

Internal solid-state drive (825 GB)

Wireless DualSense controller

Base

Power Cable

HDMI Cable

USB Cable

Accessories (retail)

CPU

R3000A 32bit RISC chip @ 33.7 MHz - Manufactured by LSI Corporation

300 MHz MIPS " Emotion Engine"

Cell Broadband Engine (3.2 GHz Power ISA 2.03-based PPE with eight 3.2 GHz SPE)

8-Core 1.6 GHz AMD "Jaguar" (PS4 and PS4 Slim)

8-Core 2.1 GHz AMD "Enhanced Jaguar" (PS4 Pro)

8-Core variable frequency (3.5 GHz capped) AMD Zen 2[83]

GPU

16.47 million colors

Resolution: 256x224 - 640x480 Sprite/BG drawing Adjustable frame buffer No line restriction Unlimited CLUTs (Color Look-Up Tables) 4,000 8x8 pixel sprites with individual scaling and rotation Simultaneous backgrounds (Parallax scrolling) 620,000 polygons/sec

147 MHz "Graphics Synthesizer"; fill rate 2.352 gigapixel/sec; 1.1 gigapixel w. 1 texture(diffuse); 588 megapixel/sec w. 2 textures (2 diffuse maps or 1 diffuse map and 1 other(0 around 74 mill, 1 around 40 mill, 2 around 20 mill); 2 textures per pass

Capable of multi-pass rendering;

Connected to VU1 on CPU (a vector only for visual style coding things with 3.2 GFLOPS) to deliver enhanced shader graphics and other enhanced graphics

550 MHz RSX "Reality Synthesizer" (based on Nvidia G70 architecture) 192 - 251.2 GFLOPS

PS4 and PS4 Slim: Custom AMD Radeon 18 out of 20 Compute Units enabled (1152 out of 1280 shaders enabled) @ 800 MHz[84] 1.84 TFLOPS

PS4 Pro: Custom AMD Radeon, 36 out of 40 Compute Units enabled (2304 out of 2560 shaders enabled) @ 911 MHz[85] 4.19 TFLOPS

Custom AMD RDNA 2 36 out of 40 Compute Units enabled (2304 out of 2560 shaders enabled), variable frequency (2.23 GHz capped), up to 10.28 TFLOPS[83]

Online service

-

Non-unified service

PlayStation Network
PlayStation Store
Internet browser
A/V chat via PlayStation Eye or PS2 EyeToy, voice chat via headset

PlayStation Network
PlayStation Store
Internet browser

Backward compatibility

-

PlayStation

20GB & 60GB: All PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles Original 80GB: All PS1 titles, most PS2 titles.[86] All other models (model code CECHGxx and later): Support for PS1 titles only.

No native backwards compatibility. Cloud based backwards compatibility via PlayStation Now.[87] Emulated PlayStation 2 titles available from the PlayStation Store.

Most PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games

System software

Proprietary OS

Proprietary OS, Linux
DVD Playback Kit

XrossMediaBar (XMB)

Orbis OS[88]

TBA

System software
features

Audio CD playback

Audio CD playback

DVD Playback

Operating Systems can be installed and run via a hypervisor (feature unavailable with Slim Model[89])
Audio CD playback

Audio file playback (ATRAC3, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA)
Video file playback (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264-AVC, DivX)

Blu-ray playback DVD playback
Image editing and slideshows (JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP)
Mouse and keyboard support
Folding@Home client with visualizations from the RSX

Blu-ray playback

DVD playback
Audio playback from inserted USB flash drive

Blu-ray playback

Ultra HD Blu-ray playback
DVD playback

Consumer programmability

Requires the Net Yaroze kit

Yabasic software, Linux for PlayStation 2

Development on console via free Linux platform or PC.

-

-

Handheld systems

PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was Sony's first handheld console to compete with Nintendo's DS console. The original model (PSP-1000) was released in December 2004 and March 2005,[90] The console is the first to utilize a new proprietary optical storage medium known as Universal Media Disc (UMD), which can store both games and movies.[91][92] It contains 32 MB of internal flash memory storage, expandable via Memory Stick PRO Duo cards.[93] It has a similar control layout to the PS3 with its PlayStation logo button and its ('Triangle'), ('Circle/O'), ('Cross/X') and ('Square') buttons in their white-colored forms.

PSP-2000 and PSP-3000 models

The PSP-2000 (also known as the Slim & Lite in PAL territories) was the first major hardware revision of the PlayStation Portable, released in September 2007. The 2000 series was 33% lighter and 19% slimmer than the original PlayStation Portable. The capacity of the battery was also reduced by ⅓ but the run time remained the same as the previous model due to lower power consumption. Older model batteries will still work and they extend the amount of playing time. The PSP Slim & Lite has a new gloss finish. Its serial port was also modified in order to accommodate a new video-out feature (while rendering older PSP remote controls incompatible). On a PSP-2000, PSP games will only output to external monitors or TVs in progressive scan mode, so that televisions incapable of supporting progressive scan will not display PSP games; non-game video will output in either progressive or interlaced mode. USB charging was also made possible. Buttons are also reportedly more responsive on the PSP-2000. In 2008, Sony released a second hardware revision called the PSP-3000 which included several features that were not present in the PSP-2000, such as a built-in microphone and upgraded screen, as well as the ability to output PSP games in interlaced mode.

PSP Go model

Released in October 2009, the PSP Go is the biggest redesign of the PlayStation Portable to date. Unlike previous PSP models, the PSP Go does not feature a UMD drive but instead has 16 GB of internal flash memory to store games, videos and other media. This can be extended by up to 32GB with the use of a Memory Stick Micro (M2) flash card. Also unlike previous PSP models, the PSP Go's rechargeable battery is not removable or replaceable by the user. The unit is 43% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP-1000, and 16% lighter and 35% smaller than the PSP-3000. It has a 3.8" 480 × 272 LCD (compared to the larger 4.3" 480 × 272 pixel LCD on previous PSP models). The screen slides up to reveal the main controls. The overall shape and sliding mechanism are similar to that of Sony's mylo COM-2 internet device. The PSP Go was produced and sold concurrently with its predecessor the PSP-3000 although it did not replace it. All games on the PSP Go must be purchased and downloaded from the PlayStation Store as the handheld is not compatible with the original PSP's physical media, the Universal Media Disc. The handheld also features connectivity with the PlayStation 3's controllers the Sixaxis and DualShock 3 via Bluetooth connection.

PSP-E1000 model

The PSP-E1000 is a budget-focused PSP model which, unlike previous PSP models, does not feature Wi-Fi or stereo speakers (replaced by a single mono speaker) and has a matte "charcoal black" finish similar to the slim PlayStation 3. The E1000 was announced at Gamescom 2011 and available across the PAL region for an RRP of € 99.99.

PlayStation Vita

Released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and North America on February 22, 2012, the PlayStation Vita was previously codenamed Next Generation Portable ( NGP). It was officially unveiled by Sony on January 27, 2011, at the PlayStation Meeting 2011. The original model of the handheld, the PCH-1000 series features a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, two analog sticks, a rear touchpad, Sixaxis motion sensing and a 4 core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor.

The new PCH-2000 series system is a lighter redesign of the device that was announced at the SCEJA Press Conference in September 2013 prior to the Tokyo Game Show. This model is 20% thinner and 15% lighter compared to the original model, has an additional hour of battery life, an LCD instead of OLED, includes a micro USB Type B port, 1GB of internal storage memory. It was released in Japan on October 10, 2013, in six colors: white, black, pink, yellow, blue, and olive green, and in North America on May 6, 2014.

The Vita was discontinued in March 2019. SIE president Jim Ryan said that while the Vita was a great device, they have moved away from portable consoles, "clearly it's a business that we're no longer in now".

PlayStation Portal

In early 2023, Sony announced the development of a new portable system (originally announced under the codename Project Q) that can stream PS5 games from a home console, and on August 23, 2023, it was officially unveiled as PlayStation Portal. It released on November 15, 2023 for $199.99.

Controllers

Early PlayStation controllers

Released in 1994, the PlayStation control pad was the first controller made for the original PlayStation. It featured a basic design of a D-pad, 4 main select buttons ( ('Green Triangle'), ('Red Circle/Red O')), ('Blue Cross/Blue X') and ('Pink Square'), and start and select buttons on the face. 'Shoulder buttons' are also featured on the top [L1, L2, R1, R2] (named by the side [L=Left, R=Right] and 1 and 2 [top and bottom]). In 1996, Sony released the PlayStation Analog Joystick for use with flight simulation games.[114] The original digital controller was then replaced by the Dual Analog in 1997, which added two analog sticks based on the same potentiometer technology as the Analog Joystick.[115] This controller was then also succeeded by the DualShock controller.

DualShock, Sixaxis and DualSense

Released in 1998, the DualShock controller for the PlayStation succeeded its predecessor, the Dual Analog, and became the longest running series of controllers for the PlayStation brand. In addition to the inputs of the original, digital, controller ( , , , , L1, L2, R1, R2, Start, Select and a D-pad), the DualShock featured two analog sticks in a similar fashion to the previous Dual Analog controller, which can also be depressed to activate the L3 and R3 buttons.[116]

The DualShock series consists of four controllers: the DualShock which was the fourth controller released for the PlayStation; the DualShock 2, the only standard controller released for the PlayStation 2, and the DualShock 3, the second and current controller released for the PlayStation 3, and the DualShock 4, which went through a massive redesign and is the default input of the PlayStation 4, and upon release was compatible with the PS3 originally only via USB and eventually with a firmware update, Bluetooth connectivity was enabled. The Sixaxis was the first official controller for the PlayStation 3, and is based on the same design as the DualShock series (but lacking the vibration motors of the DualShock series of controllers).

Like the Dual Analog, the DualShock and DualShock 2 feature an "Analog" button between the analog sticks that toggles the analog sticks on and off (for use with games which support only the digital input of the original controller). On the PlayStation 3 Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers, the analog sticks are always enabled. Beginning with the Sixaxis, a 'PlayStation button' (which featured the incorporated PS logo and is similar in function to the Xbox 360 "Guide" button) was included on controllers. The PlayStation button replaces the "Analog" button of the DualShock and DualShock 2 controllers. Pressing the PS button on the PS3 brings up the XMB, while holding it down brings up system options, known as "Quick Menu" on the PS4, (such as quit the game, change controller settings, turn off the system, and turn off the controller).

PlayStation Move

PlayStation Move is a motion-sensing game controller platform for the PlayStation 3 video game console by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). Based on the handheld motion controller wand, PlayStation Move uses the PlayStation Eye webcam to track the wand's position and the inertial sensors in the wand to detect its motion. First revealed on June 2, 2009, PlayStation Move was launched in Q3/Q4 2010. Hardware available at launch included the main PlayStation Move motion controller and an optional PlayStation Move sub-controller. Although PlayStation Move is implemented on the existing PlayStation 3 console, Sony states that it is treating Move's debut as its own major "platform launch", planning an aggressive marketing campaign to support it. In addition to selling the controllers individually, Sony also plans to provide several different bundle options for PlayStation Move hardware; including a starter kit with a PS Eye, a Move motion controller, and a demo/sampler disc, priced under US$100; a full console pack with a PS3 console, DualShock 3 gamepad, PS Eye, and Move motion controller; and bundles of a Move motion controller with select games.

Other hardware

PocketStation

The PocketStation was a Memory Card peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the original PlayStation. Categorized by Sony as a combination of a Memory Card and a miniature personal digital assistant. Released exclusively in Japan on January 23, 1999, it featured a monochrome LCD, a speaker, a real-time clock and infrared communication capability. It could also be used as a standard PlayStation memory card by connecting it to a PlayStation memory card slot. It was extremely popular in Japan and Sony originally had plans to release it in the United States but the plan was ultimately scrapped due to various manufacturing and supply-and-demand problems.

LCD Screen for PSone

The optional 5-inch LCD screen (SCPH-131) that was released alongside or packed in with PSone console.

Released solely in Japan in 2003, the Sony PSX was a fully integrated DVR and PlayStation 2 video game console. It was the first Sony product to utilize the XrossMediaBar (XMB) and can be linked with a PlayStation Portable to transfer videos and music via USB. It also features software for video, photo and audio editing. PSX supports online game compatibility using an internal broadband adapter. Games that utilize the PS2 HDD (for example, Final Fantasy XI) are supported as well. It was the first product released by Sony under the PlayStation brand that did not include a controller with the device itself.

Television sets

Released in 2010, the Sony BRAVIA KDL22PX300 is a 22-inch (56 cm) 720p television which incorporates a PlayStation 2 console, along with 4 HDMI ports.

A 24-inch 1080p PlayStation branded 3D television, officially called the PlayStation 3D Display, was released in late 2011. A feature of this 3D television is SimulView. During multiplayer games, each player will only see their respective screen (in full HD) appear on the television through their respective 3D glasses, instead of seeing a split screen (e.g. player 1 will only see player 1's screen displayed through their 3D glasses).

PlayTV is an add-on unit for the PlayStation 3 that allows the PS3 to act as an HDTV or DTV receiver, as well as a digital video recorder (DVR).

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

The Xperia Play is an Android-powered smartphone with a slide-up gamepad resembling the PSP Go developed by Sony Ericsson aimed at gamers and is the first to be PlayStation Certified.

Sony Tablets

Sony Tablets are PlayStation Certified Android tablets, released in 2011, 2012, and 2013. They offer connectivity with PlayStation 3 controllers and integrate with the PlayStation network using a proprietary application. The following models were released between 2011 and 2013: S, Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P, Xperia Tablet S and Xperia Tablet Z.

PlayStation TV

PlayStation TV, known in Asia as PlayStation Vita TV, is a microconsole and a non-portable variant of the PlayStation Vita handheld. It was announced on September 9, 2013, at a Sony Computer Entertainment Japan presentation. Instead of featuring a display screen, the console connects to a television via HDMI. Users can play using a DualShock 3 controller, although due to the difference in features between the controller and the handheld, certain games are not compatible with PS TV, such as those that are dependent on the system's touch-screen, rear touchpad, microphone or camera. The device is said to be compatible with over 100 Vita games, as well as various digital PlayStation Portable, PlayStation and PC Engine titles. The system supports Remote Play compatibility with the PlayStation 4, allowing players to stream games from the PS4 to a separate TV connected to PS TV, and also allows users to stream content from video services such as Hulu and Niconico, as well as access the PlayStation Store. The system was released in Japan on November 14, 2013, in North America on October 14, 2014, and in Europe and Australasia on November 14, 2014.

PlayStation VR

PlayStation VR is a virtual reality device that is produced by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features a 5.7 inch 1920x1080 resolution OLED display, and operates at 120 Hz which can eliminate blur and produce a smooth image; the device also has a low latency of less than 18ms. Additionally, it produces two sets of images, one being visible on a TV and one for the headset, and includes 3D audio technology so the player can hear from all angles. The PlayStation VR was released in October 2016.

PlayStation Classic

The PlayStation Classic is a miniature version of the original 1994 Model SCPH-1001 PlayStation console, that comes preloaded with 20 games, and two original style controllers. It was launched on the 24th anniversary of the original console on December 3, 2018.

Image gallery

PlayStation games in Japanese store

Each console has a variety of games. The PlayStation 2, PSX and PlayStation 3 exhibit backwards compatibility and can play most of the games released on the original PlayStation. Some of these games can also be played on the PlayStation Portable but they must be purchased and downloaded from a list of PS one Classics from the PlayStation Store. Games released on the PlayStation 2 can currently only be played on the original console as well as the PSX and the early models of the PlayStation 3 which are backwards compatible. The PlayStation 3 has two types of games, those released on Blu-ray Discs and downloadable games from the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation Portable consists of numerous games available on both its physical media, the Universal Media Disc and the Digital Download from the PlayStation Store. However, some games are only available on the UMD while others are only available on the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation Vita consists of games available on both its physical media, the PlayStation Vita card and digital download from the PlayStation Store.

First party games

PlayStation Studios is a group of video game developers owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is dedicated to developing video games exclusively for the PlayStation series of consoles. The series has produced several best-selling franchises such as the Gran Turismo series of racing video games as well as critically acclaimed titles such as the series. Other notable franchises include , Ratchet & Clank, Twisted Metal and more recently, LittleBigPlanet,, The Last of Us and .

Re-releases

Greatest Hits (North America), Platinum Range (PAL territories) and The Best (Japan and Asia) are video games for the Sony PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable consoles that have been officially re-released at a lower price by Sony. Each region has its own qualifications to enter the re-release program. Initially, during the PlayStation era, a game had to sell at least 150,000 copies (later 250,000) and be on the market for at least a year to enter the Greatest Hits range. During the PlayStation 2 era, the requirements increased with the minimum number of copies sold increasing to 400,000 and the game had to be on the market for at least 9 months. For the PlayStation Portable, games had to be on the market for at least 9 months with 250,000 copies or more sold. Currently, a PlayStation 3 game must be on the market for 10 months and sell at least 500,000 copies to meet the Greatest Hits criteria. PS one Classics were games that were released originally on the PlayStation and have been re-released on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Classics HD are compilations of PlayStation 2 games that have been remastered for the PlayStation 3 on a single disc with additional features such as upscaled graphics, PlayStation Move support, 3D support and PlayStation Network trophies. PlayStation Mobile (formerly PlayStation Suite) is a cross-platform, cross-device software framework aimed at providing PlayStation content, currently original PlayStation games, across several devices including PlayStation Certified Android devices as well as the PlayStation Vita.

PlayStation Indies

Sony has generally supported indie game development since incorporating the digital distribution storefront in the PlayStation 3, though initially required developers to complete multiple steps to get an indie game certified on the platform. Sony improved and simplified the process in transitioning to the PlayStation 4.

As Sony prepared to transition from the PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, they introduced a new PlayStation Indies program led by Shuhei Yoshida in July 2020. The program's goals are to spotlight new and upcoming indie titles for the PlayStation 4 and 5, focusing on those that are more innovative and novel, akin to past titles such as PaRappa the Rapper, Katamari Damacy, LittleBigPlanet, and . Sony also anticipates bringing more indie titles to the PlayStation Now series as part of this program.

Online services

PlayStation 2 online service

Online gaming on PlayStation consoles first started in July 2001 with the release of PlayStation 2's unnamed online service in Japan. Later in August 2002 saw its release in North America, followed by the European release in June 2003. This service was shut down on March 31, 2016.

PlayStation Network

Released in 2006, the PlayStation Network is an online service focusing on online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery. The service is provided and run by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the PlayStation 3, and was later implemented on the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 video game consoles. The service has over 103 million active users monthly (as of December 2019). The Sony Entertainment Network provides other features for users like PlayStation Home, PlayStation Store, and Trophies.

PlayStation Store

The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store uses both physical currency and PlayStation Network Cards. The PlayStation Store's gaming content is updated every Tuesday and offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes and game and movie trailers. The service is accessible through an icon on the XMB on the PS3 and PSP. The PS3 store can also be accessed on the PSP via a Remote Play connection to the PS3. The PSP store is also available via the PC application, Media Go. As of September 24, 2009, there have been more than 600 million downloads from the PlayStation Store worldwide.

Video content such as films and television shows are also available from the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 3 and PSP and will be made available on some new Sony BRAVIA televisions, VAIO laptop computers and Sony Blu-ray Disc players from February 2010.

Life with PlayStation

Life with PlayStation was a Folding@home application available for PlayStation 3 which connected to Stanford University's Folding@home distributed computer network and allowed the user to donate their console's spare processing cycles to the project. Folding@home is supported by Stanford University and volunteers make a contribution to society by donating computing power to this project. Research made by the project may eventually contribute to the creation of vital cures. The Folding@home client was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment in collaboration with Stanford University. Life with PlayStation also consisted of a 3D virtual view of the Earth and contained current weather and news information of various cities and countries from around the world, as well as a World Heritage channel which offered information about historical sites, and the United Village channel which is a project designed to share information about communities and cultures worldwide. As of PlayStation 3 system software update version 4.30 on October 24, 2012, the Life With PlayStation project has ended.

PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus, a subscription-based service on the PlayStation Network, complements the standard PSN services. It enables an auto-download feature for game patches and system software updates. Subscribers gain early or exclusive access to some betas, game demos, premium downloadable content (such as full game trials of retail games like Infamous, and LittleBigPlanet) and other PlayStation Store items, as well as a free subscription to Qore. Other downloadable items include PlayStation Store discounts and free PlayStation Network games, PS one Classics, PlayStation Minis, themes and avatars. It offers a 14-day free trial.

PlayStation Blog

PlayStation Blog (stylized as PlayStation.Blog) is an online PlayStation-focused gaming blog, part of the PlayStation Network. It was launched on June 11, 2007 and has featured in numerous interviews with third-party companies such as Square Enix. It also has posts from high-ranking Sony Computer Entertainment executives such as Jack Tretton, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Shawn Layden, current President, SIEA, and Chairman, SIE Worldwide Studios. A sub-site of the blog called PlayStation Blog Share was launched on March 17, 2010, and allowed readers of the blog as well as users of the PlayStation Blog to submit ideas to the PlayStation team about anything PlayStation-related and vote on the ideas of other submissions. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe launched a European sub-outlet, PlayStation Blog Europe, on May 28, 2009, to replace the "semi-official" site Three Speech that shut down on April 17. This branch was merged into the main outlet on 1 June 2020.

PlayStation App

The PlayStation App is an application that was released on January 11, 2011, in several European countries for iOS (version 4 and above) and for Android (version 1.6 and above), and has been installed more than 3.6 million times as of March 2, 2014. It allows users to view their trophies, see which of their PSN friends are online and read up to date information about PlayStation. It does not feature any gaming functionality.

PlayStation Mobile

The PlayStation Mobile (formerly PlayStation Suite) is a software framework that will be used to provide downloadable PlayStation content to devices running Android 2.3 and above as well as the PlayStation Vita. The framework will be cross-platform and cross-device, which is what Sony calls "hardware-neutral". It was set to release before the end of calendar year 2011. In addition, Android devices that have been certified to be able to playback PlayStation Suite content smoothly will be certified with the PlayStation Certified certification.

PlayStation Now

PlayStation Now (PS Now) was a Gaikai-based video game streaming service used to provide PlayStation gaming content to PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV and BRAVIA televisions. The service allowed users to pay for access to a selection of original PlayStation 3 titles on either a per-game basis or via a subscription. PlayStation Now was announced on January 7, 2014, at the 2014 Consumer Electronic Show. At CES, Sony presented demos of The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Puppeteer and Beyond: Two Souls, playable through PS Now on Bravia TVs and PlayStation Vitas. PlayStation Now was launched in Open Beta in the United States and Canada on PS4 on July 31, 2014, on PS3 on September 18, 2014, on PS Vita and PS TV on October 14, 2014, with support for select 2014 Bravia TVs coming later in the year. It was merged into PlayStation Plus in May and June 2022, and is no longer available as a standalone subscription.

Online social networking services

PlayStation Home

PlayStation Home is a community-based social gaming networking service for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN account. Home has been in development since early 2005 and started an open public beta test on December 11, 2008. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be made to suit the user's preference. Users can decorate their avatar's personal apartment ("HomeSpace") with default, bought, or won items. They can travel throughout the Home world (except cross region), which is constantly updated by Sony and partners. Each part of the world is known as a space. Public spaces can just be for display, fun, or for meeting people. Home features many mini-games which can be single player or multiplayer. Users can shop for new items to express themselves more through their avatars or HomeSpace. Home features video screens in many places for advertising, but the main video content is shown at the theatre for entertainment. Home plays host to a variety of special events which range from prize-giving events to entertaining events. Users can also use Home to connect with friends and customize content. , a once notable feature of Home, is the world's first console based Alternate Reality Game that took place in secret areas in Home and was created by nDreams.

Room for PlayStation Portable

"Room" (officially spelled as R∞M with capital letters and the infinity symbol in place of the "oo") was being beta tested in Japan from October 2009 to April 2010. Development of Room has been halted on April 15, 2010, due to negative feedback from the community. Announced at TGS 2009, it was supposed to be a similar service to the PlayStation Home and was being developed for the PSP. Launching directly from the PlayStation Network section of the XMB was also to be enabled. Just like in Home, PSP owners would have been able to invite other PSP owners into their rooms to "enjoy real time communication." A closed beta test had begun in Q4 2009 in Japan.

In 2015, Sony launched PlayStation Gear, an online merchandise and apparel store. Jason Schreier of Bloomberg News reported in December 2021 that Sony was working to create a new subscription service, code-named Spartacus, intended as a competitor to the Xbox Game Pass service by Microsoft, with plans to release in the second quarter of 2022. The multi-tiered service would incorporate PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now, and additional features, such as the most-expensive tier that would give players access to PlayStation 1, 2, and 3 games.

XrossMediaBar

The XrossMediaBar, originally used on the PSX, is a graphical user interface used for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, as well as a variety of other Sony devices. The interface features icons that are spread horizontally across the screen. Navigation moves the icons instead of a cursor. These icons are used as categories to organize the options available to the user. When an icon is selected on the horizontal bar, several more appear vertically, above and below it (selectable by the up and down directions on a directional pad). The XMB can also be accessed in-game albeit with restrictions, it allows players to access certain areas of the XMB menu from within the game and is only available for the PlayStation 3. Although the capacity to play users' own music in-game was added with this update, the feature is dependent on game developers who must either enable the feature in their games or update existing games.

LiveArea, designed to be used on the PlayStation Vita, is a graphical user interface set to incorporate various social networking features via the PlayStation Network. It has been designed specifically as a touchscreen user interface for users.

Linux operating systems

Linux for PlayStation 2

In 2002, Sony released the first useful and fully functioning operating system for a video game console, after the Net Yaroze experiment for the original PlayStation. The kit, which included an internal hard disk drive and the necessary software tools, turned the PlayStation 2 into a full-fledged computer system running Linux. Users can utilize a network adapter to connect the PlayStation 2 to the internet, a monitor cable adaptor to connect the PlayStation 2 to computer monitors as well as a USB Keyboard and Mouse which can be used to control Linux on the PlayStation 2.

Linux for PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 (excluding PlayStation 3 Slim) also supports running Linux OS on firmware versions prior to 3.21 without the need for buying additional hardware purchase. Yellow Dog Linux provides an official distribution that can be downloaded, and other distributions such as Fedora, Gentoo and Ubuntu have been successfully installed and operated on the console. The use of Linux on the PlayStation 3 allowed users to access 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements; Sony implemented a hypervisor restricting access to the RSX. The feature to install a second operating system on a PlayStation 3 was removed in a firmware update released in 2010.

The PlayStation brand has a wide series of magazines, from across different continents, covering PlayStation related articles and stories. Many of these magazines work closely with Sony and thus often come with demo discs for PlayStation games. Currently there are three magazines still in circulation namely PlayStation: The Official Magazine, PlayStation Official Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia). However, over the years, many PlayStation magazines have spawned while a few have also become defunct, these include the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, Official UK PlayStation Magazine, Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine.

PlayStation Underground

PlayStation Underground was a non-traditional magazine that Sony Computer Entertainment America produced and published between Spring 1997 to Spring 2001. Subscribers received two PlayStation CDs, along with a booklet and colorful packaging every quarter. The CDs contained interviews, cheats, programmers moves, game demos and one-of-a-kind Memory Card saves. Several issues showed how a game was created from basic design to final product. Since the CDs could only be run on a PlayStation, it proved a useful marketing tool which spawned a line of PlayStation Underground JamPacks Demo CDs and which contained highlights from recent issues of PlayStation Underground, along with seemingly as many game demos that could be packed on a single CD. Unlike PlayStation Underground these were available in most stores for $4.95, were published twice a year in Summer and Winter and usually spotlighted newly released or coming soon games. By 2001, Sony had decided to phase out Underground to focus on the JamPacks with the release of the PlayStation 2. PlayStation Underground CDs are mainly in the hands of collectors these days.

Advertising slogans used for each PlayStation console iteration:

PlayStation

"eNoS Lives" (The first letter 'E' was printed in red to denote the word, ready. Enos stood for Ready, Ninth of September)[23] (US Commercials)

"U R Not e" (The letter 'E' was printed in red to denote the word, ready, as in You Are Not Ready)[23]

"Do Not Underestimate The Power of PlayStation." (From the S.A.P.S. - Society Against PlayStation - series of adverts)[190]

PS one

"Wherever, Whenever, Forever."[191]

PlayStation 2

"The Beginning."[192]

"Live In Y ur W rld, Pl y In urs." (The PlayStation face button icons were used to denote certain letters: Live In Your World, Play In Ours)[192]

"(Welcome to the) Third Place."[192]

"Fun, Anyone?"[192]

"The ultimate just got better - PlayStation 9 - teleport yours today."[192]

PlayStation Portable

"PSP Hellz Yeah" (PSP-1000 Series)

"Dude, Get Your Own..." (PSP-2000 Series)[193]

"Everywhere Just Got Better" (PSP-3000 Series and PSPgo)[194]

"It's GO Time" (PSPgo)[195]

"Your Whole World In Your Hands" (UK & Europe Territories)[196]

"Step Your Game Up" (US Territory, PSP-3000 Series and PSPgo)[197]

PlayStation 3

"The Wait Is Over"

"Welcome Chang3" (the number three is used to denote an 'e' and was printed in red)[198]

"This is Living."[199]

"Play B3yond" (the number three is used to denote an 'e' and was printed in red)[192]

"It Only Does Everything" (US Commercials) (PS3 Slim)[200]

"The Game Is Just The Start. Start PS3." (EU countries)[201]

"Long Live Play" (PS3 Slim)

"Never Stop Playing" (PS3 Slim)

"Greatness Awaits" (PS3 SuperSlim)

PlayStation Move

"This Changes Everything"[202]

"Move Into The Action"[203]

PlayStation Network

"Download, Play, Connect."

PlayStation Vita

"Never Stop Playing."

"The World is in Play." (EU only)

PlayStation 4

"See the Future"

"Push the boundaries of Play"[204]

"Greatness Awaits"[205]

"This is 4 the Players"

"Where the Greatest Play"[206]

PlayStation 5

"Play Has No Limits"[207]

Notable advertising campaigns

It Only Does Everything

The most notable of recent PlayStation commercials is the series of "It Only Does Everything" commercials featuring a fictional character called Kevin Butler who is a Vice President at PlayStation. These commercials usually advertise the PlayStation 3 and its games through a series of comedic answers to "Dear PlayStation" queries. These commercials garnered popularity among gamers, though its debut commercial received criticism from the Nigerian government due to a reference to the common 419 scams originating in Nigeria. Sony issued an apology and a new version of the advert with the offending line changed was produced.

A spin-off of the campaign has been created for the PlayStation Portable which features similar campaign commercials called the "Step Your Game Up" campaign featuring a fictional teenage character named Marcus Rivers acting in a similar fashion to Kevin Butler but answering the "Dear PlayStation" queries about the PSP.

Netherlands Ceramic White PSP Commercials

In July 2006, an advertising campaign in the Netherlands was released in which a white model dressed entirely in white and a black model dressed entirely in black was used to compare Sony's new Ceramic White PSP and the original Piano Black PSP. This series of ads depicted both models fighting with each other and drew criticism from the media for being racist, though Sony maintains that the ad did not feature any racist message.

All I want for Xmas is a PSP

In November 2006, a marketing company employed by Sony's American division created a website entitled " All I want for Xmas is a PSP", designed to promote the PSP virally. The site contained a blog which was purportedly written by "Charlie", a teenage boy attempting to get his friend Jeremy's parents to buy him a PSP, and providing a "music video" of either Charlie or Jeremy "rapping" about the PSP. Visitors to the website quickly recognized that the domain name was registered to a marketing company, exposing the campaign on sites such as YouTube and digg. Sony was forced to admit that the site was in fact a marketing campaign and in an interview with next-gen.biz, Sony admitted that the idea was " poorly executed".

Between 1999 and 2007, PlayStation was the main kit sponsor of French Ligue 1 club AJ Auxerre.

Between 2009 and 2010, PlayStation was the main kit sponsor of French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais.

In 2005, Australian newspaper The Age wrote an article about the PlayStation brand. Among the numerous interviews conducted with various people in the industry was an interview with Jeffrey Brand, associate professor in communication and media at Bond University who said, "PlayStation re-ignited our imagination with video games". Game designers Yoshiki Okamoto called the brand "revolutionary - PlayStation has changed gaming, distribution, sales, image and more", while Evan Wells of Naughty Dog said "PlayStation is responsible for making playing games cool."

In 2009, ViTrue, Inc. listed the PlayStation brand as number 13 on their "The Vitrue 100: Top Social Brands of 2009". The ranking was based on various aspects mainly dealing with popular social media sites in aspects such as Social Networking, Video Sharing, Photo Sharing and Blogs.

In 2010, Gizmodo stated that the PlayStation brand was one of the last Sony products to completely stand apart from its competitors, stating that "If you ask the average person on the street what their favorite Sony product is, more often than not you'll hear PlayStation". As of April 2012, the PlayStation brand is the "most followed" brand on social networking site, Facebook, with over 22 million fans and followers in total which is more than any other brand in the entertainment industry. A study by Greenlight's Entertainment Retail has also shown that the PlayStation brand is the most interactive making 634 posts and tweets on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

In July 2014, Sony boasted in a company release video that the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita sold a combined total of 100 million units. It was announced at Tokyo Game Show on September 1, 2014, that PlayStation home game consoles claim 78% market share of all home consoles in Japan.

As of 2015, PlayStation is the strongest selling console brand worldwide.

References

^ "SIE Press Release | Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc". SIE.COM. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.

^ "Sony USA - Electronics, PlayStation, Movies, Music, Product Support". Archived from the original on January 22, 2014.

^ Unity for PSM and PSM SDK 2.0 are now ready for submission! Archived January 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. PSM DevPortal. Retrieved on July 15, 2014.

^ Magrino, Tom (November 11, 2009). "'Father of the PlayStation' adopts new start up". IGN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2010.

^ DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne. p. 376. ISBN 0-07-223172-6.

^ ""Gran Turismo" Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. April 2008. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007.

^ "PS5 Slim disc drive easily swaps between consoles, video shows". Eurogamer.net. November 13, 2023.

^ Sony Computer Entertainment America Staff. "Open Platform for PlayStation 3". PlayStation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020.

^ PlayStation Portable Safety and Support Manual

^ Sony Computer Entertainment America Staff. "PSP systems". PlayStation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.

^ "PlayStation's first Remote Play dedicated device, PlayStation Portal remote player, to launch later this year at $199.99". PlayStation.Blog. August 23, 2023.

^ "Dual Shock 2 Review". IGN. September 27, 2001. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. The biggest difference between the Dual Shock 2 and the original ... is the fact that ... all of the buttons and even the digital pad offer analog support. This means that the d-pad, the four face buttons and the four shift buttons are all pressure sensitive and have 255 degrees of sensitivity. ... It's also worth noting that the Dual Shock 2 is a bit lighter than the original Dual Shock.

^ "PlayStation Move motion controller delivers a whole new entertainment experience to PlayStation 3". Sony Computer Entertainment. March 10, 2010. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation Move motion controller for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, launches worldwide this fall [...] In fiscal year 2010 [ending March 31, 2011], SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform.

^ Bramwell, Tom (March 11, 2010). "PlayStation Move unveiled". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network. Archived from the original on March 12, 2010. Exact pricing and bundling information will follow soon, but in the meantime we've been told that the Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera and a starter disc with game demos will be bundled for under $100 this autumn.

プレイステーションの楽しみをさらに広げる (PDF) (in Japanese). Sony Computer Entertainment. October 8, 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2009.

^ "PocketStation delayed in Japan". Computer and Video Games. Future Publishing. December 9, 1998. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Sony has delayed the Japanese release of its PocketStation PDA from December 23 to January 23, 1999.

^ "ハードディスク搭載DVDレコーダー"PSX" "PSP"" (in Japanese). Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010.

^ "ハードディスク搭載DVDレコーダー"PSX"" (in Japanese). Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010.

^ "PS2 News: New Sony TV features in-built PS2 - ComputerAndVideoGames.com". Archived from the original on December 6, 2010.

2014-08-12, ^ Gamescom 2014: PlayStation TV Launches in October, Bringing PS4 Remote Play to Your TV Archived August 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, GameSpot

Sony Computer Entertainment America Staff (September 11, 2003). "Sony Computer Entertainment America Expands Extensive "Greatest Hits" Software Library By Adding Three New Titles". PlayStation.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011.

^ Sony Computer Entertainment America Staff (March 3, 1997). "PlayStation Leads Videogame Industry with Aggressive New Price Structure; PlayStation Game Console to Retail for $149 and PlayStation Software to be Targeted at a MSRP of $49.99 or Less". Business Wire. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original on March 10, 2006.

^ Hirohiko Niizumi, Tor Thorsen (March 15, 2006). "PlayStation Network Platform detailed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010.

^ Large, Charlotte (May 28, 2009). "Welcome - You've Been Waiting". PlayStation Blog Europe. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009.

^ Yoon, Andrew (September 24, 2009). "TGS 2009: Make room for 'PlayStation Room'". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009.

^ Makuch, Eddie (June 6, 2014). "Sony: PS4 Is "Where the Greatest Play"". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014.

^ Staff (December 13, 2006). "Sony: PSP Viral Campaign 'Poorly Executed'". . Archived from the original on November 19, 2011.

External links

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( PlayStation Japanese: プレイステーション, Hepburn: Pureisutēshon, officially abbreviated as PS) is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.

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The Apple iPhone has only been around 9 years, but it is one of the most impressive products on this already impressive list.

As of March 2015, Apple has sold 700 million iPhones. Multiple sources report the iPhone's 2015 average selling price (ASP) to be between $660-$690. Calculating based on a price of $675, that would lead to a total revenue of $472.5 billion over its 9-year existence.

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Apple has sold 700 million iPhones, 25 million Apple TVs

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The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.

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Auto outlets point to fuel efficiency (average of 36mpg) and affordability (2016 models start at $17,300) as the top selling points of the Toyota Corolla. In May 2013, Toyota sold the 40 millionth Corolla.

The Corolla was introduced in 1966, and over the last 50 years, it has generated around $840 billion. It's less than Coke, but more than the iPhone, although it's been around four times as long as the iPhone.

Most dealers take a cut of the sales of Corollas, so that cuts into the ultimate revenue for Toyota.

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Several sources estimate that 1.8b units (8 oz "servings") of Coca-Cola classic are sold per day. Using this figure, and estimating the price of a serving at $.75,  Wonder researchers calculated that Coke generates $492.75 billion in revenue per year, and has generated $2.5 trillion in the last five years.

Coca- Cola was introduced in 1886. Even though it only sold 25 units in its first year, the company has seen steady growth ever since 1891. No other product really comes close to this.

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How do we define 'success'?

We decided on the following requirements for our research:

Success is to be measured in total lifetime revenue, no matter how many units were moved

The product has to be a single brand. No spin-offs, series, or franchises. For example, the iPhone is a product; a smartphone is not. iPhone 6s and 6 are the same product but different versions, which is OK. The iPod is a different product from the iPhone.

We first took our question to Wonder, a helpful service where trained researchers help you with any inquiry you might have. Armed with their initial findings, we were able to kick off our "contest."

A Google search of our question turned up varying results. This USA Today Article on "The 10 best-selling products of all time" showed us exactly what we don't want to do. Sales were variously reported in units and ambiguous dollar amounts that could have been sales, revenues, or profits for one year or several.

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Creating the most popular product of the year will make consumers and investors happy. But making an all-time bestseller can transform an industry and define a business for decades.

Many of the best-selling products were first in a new category. Apple (AAPL), which has sold more than 500 million iPhones, was the first to introduce a touchscreen smartphone that could seamlessly handle music, Web browsing and phone calls.

Other bestsellers took a niche market and made it mainstream. Before Star Wars, film was either comedy, romance or drama. The Harry Potter book series was so successful that The New York Times Book Review created a separate children's bestseller list in 2000 to account for the series' popularity.

In some cases, top-selling products were simply better than their competitors. Before Sony (SNE) PlayStation, video game consoles were largely cartridge-based. With the advent of the PlayStation, which relied on the new CD-rom format, game files could be large enough to support 3D gameplay and full-motion video. Lipitor, which has become the world's best-selling drug with $141 billion in sales, was far more effective than previously-released drugs at lowering bad cholesterol.

A number of these products continue to dominate their markets. The iPad remains the world's best-selling tablet, with a 32.5% market share last quarter, despite challenges from Amazon.com's (AMZN) Kindle Fire and Samsung's Galaxy tablet lines. The PlayStation 4 has sold over 7 million units since it launched last year, well above the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox One.

Despite their success, some of these products face challenges. Sales of Pfizer's (PFE) Lipitor dropped each year after its maker, Pfizer, lost patent protection on the drug in 2011 and cheaper generic drugs came on the market. The ongoing Star Wars saga may lose its status as the all-time best-selling movie franchise to Walt Disney's (DIS) Marvel franchise. The Avengers broke box office records, grossing $203.4 million on its opening weekend.

To determine the best-selling products of all-time, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed categories of products widely purchased by consumers and identified individual products that had the highest sales in their category. In some cases, we gathered figures from multiple sources and estimated the final sales figure. In other instances, where one company had a clear market lead, figures reflect data from previous years.

These are the best-selling products of all time.

When Sony released the PlayStation in the United States in 1995, its 32-bit processor was the most powerful available on the console market at the time. Sony sold more than 70 million PlayStations worldwide by the time the PlayStation 2 was released in 2000. The PlayStation 2 also sold very well in the U.S. and abroad. Sony released the PlayStation 3 in 2006, and it sold 80 million units to retailers by November 2013. The latest generation, the PlayStation 4, has been wildly successful thus-far, already selling 7 million units as of April.

Pfizer's Lipitor is prescribed to lower LDL (or bad) cholesterol - high levels of bad cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease. Lipitor is classified as a statin, a class of drug used to reduce the risk of heart-related ailments. However, Lipitor sales have plummeted in recent years after its U.S. patent expired in 2011. Lipitor has lost patent protection in other major markets since. In 2013, Lipitor sales totaled $2.3 billion, down from $9.6 billion in 2011 according to Pfizer's 2013 annual report. Still, since its introduction in 1997, no other drug came close to Lipitor's commercial success. The closest competitor for all time sales is Plavix, which had slightly more than half of Lipitor's lifetime revenue, according to Forbes.

Toyota announced last month it sold 1.2 million Corollas in 2013, a 5% year-over-year increase. Since its introduction in Japan in 1966 - the car became available in the U.S. in 1968 - Toyota has sold more than 40.7 million Corollas, more than any other car model. The Corolla's success on the market is likely due to its reliability, relatively low gas mileage and affordability. The newly redesigned 2014 Corolla is the model's 11th generation, and it claims to have better gas mileage and a slightly larger interior. Brand new, the Corolla's starting MSRP is $16,800.

* Category: Movies
* Total sales: $4.6 billion
* Parent company: 20th Century Fox

Only Gone with the Wind brought in more money than the original Star Wars movie. Combined, however, the original trilogy grossed $2.4 billion, accounting for inflation. When Star Wars: Episode I was released more than 20 years later, it grossed $675 million, considerably more than the later installments - Episodes 2 and 3 - which each still grossed more than $400 million. In total, the Star Wars movies, including special editions and re-releases, grossed $4.6 billion adjusted for inflation in the U.S. While 20th Century Fox still owns the rights to the original Star Wars, Disney purchased the Star Wars universe - Lucasfilms - for $4 billion in 2012. Disney will release the final three movies under J.J. Abrams' direction. The first of the three is scheduled to hit the box office in 2015.

Despite losing market share in the first quarter, Apple's iPad is still the best-selling tablet. The iPad held 40% of the tablet market in the first quarter of 2013, but only 32.5% in the first quarter of this year, according to market research firm IDC. Close rival Samsung picked up much of that market share. IDC analyst reported that iPad lost some of its market share because consumers are holding onto their tablets for longer rather than immediately purchasing the newest version. Apple sold 16.4 million units in the second quarter alone, and more than 211 million since the iPad was first introduced in 2010.

Since debuting in 1981 in the popular Donkey Kong arcade game, the Italian plumbers have appeared in 115 titles and in their own cartoon series. According to the company, as of 2011 more than 262 million units of "core" Mario Bros. games have been sold worldwide. Mario originally was known as Jumpman in a Japanese arcade game before being converted into a plumber in the U.S. In 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records named the original Mario the top video game character of all time as voted-on by more than 13,000 readers.

7. Michael Jackson's Thriller
* Category: Album
* Total sales: 70 million units
* Parent company: Epic records

Michael Jackson's Thriller is not only the best-selling album of all time, but is also credited with ushering in the MTV generation, bringing the moonwalk into mainstream culture, and giving Jackson the moniker "The King of Pop." According to michaeljackson.com, a website run by Sony Music and owned by the Michael Jackson record label, 70 million copies of the album have been sold since its release in 1982, although various sources have estimated that as many as 110 million copies have been sold. The album featured hits: "Beat It" and "Billie Jean," and "Thriller." Perhaps what made the album most famous was the 14-minute long Thriller movie/music video. The Thriller album also sold 101,000 copies the week after Jackson's death in 2009, and downloads of Jackson's songs totaled 2.3 million.

8. Harry Potter
* Category: Book
* Total sales: 450 million units
* Parent company: Scholastic (U.S. publisher)

Roughly 450 million Harry Potter books had been sold in 73 different languages as of mid-2013, making it the best-selling book series of all time. The books has also made author J.K. Rowling the highest-paid author in the world. In 2007, Harry Potter's U.S. publisher Scholastic sold 8.3 million copies of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in the first 24 hours. The book series inspired eight movies between 2001 and 2011 that, combined, grossed $7.7 billion worldwide. In 2012, Rowling launched Pottermore.com, a site that offers new Harry Potter content and interactive experiences. The site reportedly had 1 billion viewers in the first two weeks it went live.

Apple took the smartphone market by a storm when it launched the iPhone in 2007. Despite suggestions from some analysts that the iPhone's market share has peaked, unit sales remain massive. In its fiscal first and second quarter, the company sold nearly 95 million iPhones, and sales this year are poised to exceed the 150 million mark set in 2013. With the exception of a brief period in 2012, Apple's iPhone has been the best-selling smartphone since its inception. According to Counterpoint Technology Research, the iPhone 5S and 5C were the two top-selling smartphones in February, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 was a distant third.

The Rubik's Cube remains the top-selling single toy of all time with 350 million sold since 1980. The Rubik's Cube remains so popular that in the decades since its creation, it has spawned entire speed-cubing competitions. The toy still has a large fan base, among young and old. One developer even created an iPhone application that instructs users how to solve a Rubik's Cube in 20 moves. Unlike other best-selling toys, such as Monopoly and the Gumby Doll, the cube was not originally intended to be a toy. Its inventor, Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik, created it in 1974 as a way to teach his students three-dimensional geometry. The combined collections of Mattel's Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels have both outsold the Rubik's Cube, but none of them have as a single toy.

24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Making an all-time bestseller can transform and industry and define a business for decades.

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We started by thinking about products often seen in the news, such as Apple's iPhone. We thought of products that are extremely expensive, such as Boeing jets. Then we thought about ubiquitous products, like Coca-Cola, certain cars, and hygiene products.

We were not too sure about including pharmaceuticals, (which would most likely be some of the most successful products in the world) because governments often control the production and distribution of drugs, which would make sales figures impossible to quantify in a free market. We decided we'd look into the best selling drugs and see what we could find. In the end, we decided to include drugs because they are produced by private companies in a competitive market.

We decided that we'd exclude commodities like oil, and agricultural products like milk. We wanted to focus on inventions - not things that already existed and people simply decided to package and sell.

This isn't a top ten list, so we excluded products that were similar to our top contenders, but not quite as successful. That's why you'll see Coca-Cola on this list, but Pepsi is nowhere in sight.

And Crystal Pepsi is definitely not included, although according to some, it is poised for a comeback. Source: Vox

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It was the kind of question that you ask your friends on a lazy afternoon, sitting on a couch eating cheesy snacks. The kind of question you ask yourself in the shower. The kind of question your annoying little sister asks from the backseat on a road trip. The kind of question that seems painfully obvious yet isn't. I don't remember the exact moment my colleague asked it, but as soon as he did, it consumed us:

What is the most successful product in history?

Friends can stare deep into bags of Cheetos looking for the answer,  the shower might gurgle something back eventually, and your dad might make something up to placate your sister, but the best place to ask this question is, of course, that beacon of insightful information and profound garbage: The Internet.

And that's where we went.