When the word PlayStation 3 is uttered, it brings back memories from many gamers past. The console was a major leap from the PlayStation 2 and players could finally play games at a 720p resolution. Along with the new resolution, the console also boasted a catalog of 15,152 games. While everything about the PS3 looks good so far, it lies as one of the least-sold consoles by Sony.

Although Sony faced issues with the sales of this console, the PlayStation 3 was a huge leap in technological advancement. The PS3 brought to the table many features that fans had not seen being done on a console before. On the occasion of the 17th anniversary, we have listed all the features of the PlayStation 3 that still stand to amaze us.

PlayStation 3 hardware specifications

On November 11, 2006, Sony launched its console in Japan and by the 17th, it was available in the USA. The PlayStation 3 features a custom design Cell Broadband Engine. This multi-core processor included a PowerPC core and 8 Synergistic Processing Elements. The GPU in the PS3 was the RSX Reality Synthesizer, which was designed by NVIDIA. This GPU pushed the PS3 to be able to support up to 1080p, despite many games being unable to run at this resolution.

The PlayStation 3 was equipped with 256 MB of XDR DRAM and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory. Early models of the PS3 had varying hard drive capacities, including 20 GB and 60 GB. Later iterations featured larger hard drives, going up to 500 GB. The PS3 was the first gaming console to feature a built-in Blu-ray Disc drive. This allowed for larger game storage capacity, up to 50 GB per dual-layered disc, and facilitated the use of the console as a Blu-ray player.

With the PlayStation 3, Sony announced a new controller called the DualShock 3. This controller was almost identical to the one with the PS2 but came with wireless connectivity and motion sensors. The PS3 had built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity for online gaming and internet access. It also featured Bluetooth for connecting wireless controllers and other accessories.

Other features of the PlayStation 3

The Cell OS, a custom operating system based on FreeBSD, powered the PS3. The PlayStation Network (PSN) offered online gaming, digital downloads, and other online services. Early models of the PS3 featured backward compatibility with PlayStation 2 games, but subsequent hardware revisions eliminated this feature. Despite Sony removing this capability from the PlayStation 3, they reintroduced it in both the PlayStation 4 and 5.

Read More: Where Xbox and Switch Hesitate, PlayStation Leaps With A Game Too Bold for Others game

One of the reasons the PlayStation 3 fell back when it came to sales was due to marketing setbacks from the Sony team. Another factor that led to the PlayStation not making more sales than the Xbox was its high launch price. During the PlayStation 3 era, competition was stiff with other players like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii taking over the gaming market.

Despite facing setbacks, PlayStation eventually accelerated its progress and transformed into the iconic console cherished by players. Introducing features such as Blu-ray compatibility and wireless controllers, the PlayStation 3 revolutionized how fans engaged with video game consoles. Now 17 years old, would you contemplate acquiring the console and experiencing some classic games from that era? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Top-Selling PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Consoles of All Time