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Playstation 3 Released

People have been waiting in line for over a week now for Sony's new console, and this morning, they were greeted with the opportunity to finally purchase the console. Today, November 17th, 2006, marks the day in which Sony's new game console, the Playstation 3, was officially released in the United States, days after it's landmark release in Japan. A meager 200,000 have been released to US retailers instead of the 400,000 speculated due to last minute supply problems regarding the diode used in the Blu-Ray DVD reader.

The Sony Playstation 3 console is the most technologically advanced gaming systems on the market. Using the powerful CELL processor, a join project by Sony, IBM, and Toshiba, the system can process over 2.18 teraFLOPS of processing power, utilizing the powerful NVidia G70 video processor to deliver top of the line graphics on the new system. The system can play all Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games using included backwards processors, as well as playing newer "Blu-Ray" DVD games and movies, which hold an astonishing 50 gigabytes each.

As well, the system is radically different from it's predecessor in that it uses the new "Six Axis" wireless controller for maximum gaming experience. Able to monitor six degrees of tilt in the wireless Playstation controller, up to 7 players can play together on the console on a variety of multiplayer games, both offline and on.

The Playstation 3 system is available in two versions- the "Standard" $500 version containing a 20 gigabyte hard drive disc and a "Premium" version ($600) containing a 60 gigabyte hard drive, chromed console, and on board WiFi internet access.

Sony has already opened their much championed Playstation 3 online store, which allows gamers to purchase demos, movies, music, and game upgrades, all from their console at home. The online store has recently been announced to replace the long time "Official Playstation Magazine", which will be subsequently ending by the end of the year.

Already gamers are home playing their new systems with newfound fervor. The system has been released with 16 launch titles spanning a variety of game genres and renditions:
* Call of Duty 3
* Fight Night: Round 3
* flOw
* Genji: Days of the Blade
* Madden NFL 07
* Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
* Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
* NBA 07
* NBA 2K7
* NHL 2K7
* Need for Speed: Carbon
* Resistance: Fall of Man
* Ridge Racer 7
* Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007
* Tony Hawk's Project 8
* Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

Many gamers are already thrilled with the system all over the world, the system not yet manifesting any issues as many post-release consoles do (Most notably the XBOX 360). Coverage of the launch has been vast, from parties all around the United States to news networks on every major channel on TV.

Keep tuned to Gametrash as we continue to investigate the new Playstation 3, with a hands-on look later this year.
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