Sony Computer Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony
. The company was established on November 16, 1993, in Tokyo
, Japan
, prior to the launch of the original PlayStation video game system.
Sony Computer Entertainment handles the research & development
, production, and sales of both hardware
and software for the PlayStation
line of handheld
and home console
video game systems. It is also a developer
and publisher
of video game titles and is composed of several subsidiaries covering the company's biggest markets: North America
, Europe
and Asia
.
was folded into SCEA in July 1995, with most affected employees transferred from Santa Monica to Foster City. On August 7, 1995, Steve Race unexpectedly resigned and was named CEO of Spectrum HoloByte
three days later. He was replaced by Sony Electronics veteran Martin Homlish.
As part of a worldwide restructuring at the beginning of 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (currently Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC), headquartered in Foster City was reestablished as a wholly owned subsidiary of SCEI.
On July 1, 2002 Chairman of SCE, Shigeo Maruyama
, was replaced by Tamotsu Iba as Chairman. Jack Tretton
and Phil Harrison
were also promoted to Senior Vice President of SCE.
On September 14, 2005, SCE formed Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios
(SCE WWS), a single internal entity overseeing all wholly owned development studios within SCE. It is responsible for the creative and strategic direction of development and production of all computer entertainment software by all SCE-owned studios, all of which is produced exclusively for the PlayStation family of consoles. Shuhei Yoshida
was named as President of SCE WWS on May 16, 2008, replacing Kazuo Hirai
, who was serving interim after inaugural SCE WWS President Phil Harrison
left the company in early 2008.
On November 30, 2006 President of SCE Ken Kutaragi
was appointed as Chairman of SCE while Kazuo Hirai
, President of SCEA was promoted to President of SCE. On April 26, 2007 Ken Kutaragi resigned from his position as Chairman of SCE and Group CEO passing on his duties to President of SCE, Kazuo Hirai.
On April 15, 2009 David Reeves President and CEO of SCE Europe announced that he would be resigning from his post. He had joined the company in 1995 and was appointed as Chairman of SCEE in 2003 and President in 2005. His role of President and CEO of SCEE would be taken over by Andrew House who joined Sony Corporation in 1990.
On December 8, 2005, video game developer Guerrilla Games
, developers of the Killzone series
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS. On January 24, 2006 video game developer Zipper Interactive
, developers of the SOCOM series
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS. On September 20, 2007 video game developers Evolution Studios
and Bigbig Studios
, developers of the MotorStorm series
, were acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.
On April 1, 2010 Sony Computer Entertainment was restructured to bring together Sony's mobile electronics and personal computers divisions. The main Japanese division of SCE was temporarily renamed to "SNE Platform Inc." (SNEP) on April 1, 2010 and split into two division focusing on different aspects namely "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc." consisting of a 1,300 employees which focus on the console business, and the network service business consisting of 60 to 70 employees. The network service business of SCE was absorbed into Sony Corp's Network Products & Service Group (NPSG) which has already been headed by Kaz Hirai since April 2009. The original Sony Computer Entertainment was then dissolved after the restructure. The North American and European branches of Sony Computer Entertainment was affected by the restructure and will remain as SCEA and SCEE. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO and Sony Corporation EVP, Kaz Hirai, is leading both departments.
On March 2, 2010 video game developer Media Molecule
, developers of the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.
As of August 23, 2010, the headquarters of the company moved from Minami-Aoyama
to the Sony City (Sony Corporation's headquarters) in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo
.
On April 20, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment was the victim of an attack
on its PlayStation Network system, which also affected its online division, Sony Online Entertainment
.
Sony Computer Entertainment produces the PlayStation
family of video game hardware consisting of consoles and handhelds. Sony's first wide home console release, the PlayStation (codenamed PSX during development, currently PSOne), was initially designed to be a CD-ROM
drive add-on for Nintendo
's Super Nintendo Entertainment System
(a.k.a. Super Famicom in Japan) video game console, in response to Sega
's Sega CD. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony redesigned the machine into a stand alone unit. The PlayStation was released in Japan on December 3, 1994 and later in North America on September 9, 1995.
Currently the highest selling home console of all time, SCE's second home console, the PlayStation 2 (PS2 or PSX2) was released in Japan on March 4, 2000, and later in North America and Europe in October and November 2000, respectively. The PS2 is powered by a proprietary central processing unit
, the Emotion Engine
, and was the first video game console to have DVD
playback functionality included out of the box. Initially, the system was criticized for its complex development environment, due mainly to the proprietary hardware included, however despite these complaints the PlayStation 2 received widespread support from third party developers throughout its lifespan on the market. Today it has sold up to 150 million units world wide.
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is SCE's first foray into the small handheld console market, which was and to this date still is dominated by Nintendo. Its development was first announced during SCE's E3 conference in 2003, and it was officially unveiled during their E3 conference on May 11, 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. The console has since seen two major redesigns, with new features including a smaller size, more internal memory, a better quality LCD screen and a lighter weight. A new design, the PSP Go
, was released on October 1, 2009 for North America and Europe and on November 1, 2009 for Japan. It has a 3.8" LCD which slides up to reveal the main controls. The PSP Go is 45% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP and does not support UMD. The device does support Bluetooth
and will be completely digital meaning all media must be downloaded or transferred to the device which has 16 GB of internal flash memory
.
The newest home console in the PlayStation family, as well as Sony's entry in the seventh-generation of consoles, the PlayStation 3 (PS3) was launched in November 2006. It utilizes a unique processing architecture, the Cell microprocessor
, a proprietary technology developed by Sony in conjunction with Toshiba
and IBM
. The graphics processing unit, the RSX 'Reality Synthesizer'
, was co-developed by Nvidia
and Sony. Several variations of the PS3 have been released, each with slight hardware and software differences, each denoted by the varying size of the included hard disk drive.
The newest handheld console in the Playstation family is the PlayStation Vita.
(SCE WWS) is a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, it is a group of video game developers which are fully owned by Sony Computer Entertainment.
Moreover Sony Computer Entertainment has a lot of companies which are under contract, they form Second Party developers and develop only for Playstation hardwares.
Since its inception in 1993, SCE has also built up a large stable of third party developers that it often collaborates with in a variety of manners, from publishing to funding to co-development. These companies are however not owned or under contract by SCE, and some, unlike the studios within SCE WWS, also release and develop products in cooperation with competing video game developers and publishers, and for competing handheld and/or home consoles as well.
, and Group CEO
of SCE is currently Andrew House
, replacing Kaz Hirai, who himself had replaced longtime CEO Ken Kutaragi
, also known as "The Father of the PlayStation". Kuturagi officially retired from his executive position at SCE on June 19, 2007, and now holds the title of Honorary Chairman at the company. Jack Tretton
and Andrew House currently serve as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, respectively. In June 2011, it was announced that Kaz Hirai was to become Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment and Andrew House to become President and Group CEO as of September 1, 2011.
, Minato, Tokyo
, Japan (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan & Sony Computer Entertainment Asia) which control operations in Asia; Foster City, California
, USA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) which controls operations in North America; and London, United Kingdom (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) which controls operations in Europe and Oceania
. SCE also has smaller offices and distribution centres in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
, USA; Toronto, Ontario
, Canada; Melbourne
, Australia; and Seocho-gu
, Seoul
, South Korea.
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. The company was established on November 16, 1993, in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, prior to the launch of the original PlayStation video game system.
Sony Computer Entertainment handles the research & development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
, production, and sales of both hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and software for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
line of handheld
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
and home console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
video game systems. It is also a developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
of video game titles and is composed of several subsidiaries covering the company's biggest markets: North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
History
The North American operations, Sony Computer Entertainment of America, were established in May 1994 as a division of Sony Electronic Publishing. They were located in Foster City and headed by Steve Race. In the months prior to the release of PlayStation in Western markets, the operations were restructured: All videogame marketing from Sony ImagesoftSony Imagesoft
Sony Imagesoft was a video game publisher that operated from 1989 to 1995 and was located in California. It was established in January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, as a subsidiary of the Japan-based CBS/Sony Group and initially named CSG Imagesoft Inc. Focus at the beginning was on marketing...
was folded into SCEA in July 1995, with most affected employees transferred from Santa Monica to Foster City. On August 7, 1995, Steve Race unexpectedly resigned and was named CEO of Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher originally based in Alameda, California.The company was founded in 1983 and was most famous for its simulation games, notably the Falcon series of flight simulators and Vette!, a driving simulator from 1989...
three days later. He was replaced by Sony Electronics veteran Martin Homlish.
As part of a worldwide restructuring at the beginning of 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (currently Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC), headquartered in Foster City was reestablished as a wholly owned subsidiary of SCEI.
On July 1, 2002 Chairman of SCE, Shigeo Maruyama
Shigeo Maruyama
is the founder of Epic/Sony Records, former chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment and former CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He is known for discovering artists such as Motoharu Sano and Tetsuya Komuro.- External links :*...
, was replaced by Tamotsu Iba as Chairman. Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton is the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America , a division of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation...
and Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison is the former British corporate executive and a representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . At E3 in 2005 he showcased the first public realtime demonstrations of PlayStation 3 development hardware...
were also promoted to Senior Vice President of SCE.
On September 14, 2005, SCE formed Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios
SCE Worldwide Studios
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, officially abbreviated SCE Worldwide Studios, is a group of video game developers owned by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is a single internal entity overseeing all wholly owned development studios within SCE...
(SCE WWS), a single internal entity overseeing all wholly owned development studios within SCE. It is responsible for the creative and strategic direction of development and production of all computer entertainment software by all SCE-owned studios, all of which is produced exclusively for the PlayStation family of consoles. Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida is appointed senior vice president, product development, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is responsible for all software development activities . Yoshida is among those responsible for the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s 170-person internal product development team...
was named as President of SCE WWS on May 16, 2008, replacing Kazuo Hirai
Kazuo Hirai
is the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
, who was serving interim after inaugural SCE WWS President Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison is the former British corporate executive and a representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . At E3 in 2005 he showcased the first public realtime demonstrations of PlayStation 3 development hardware...
left the company in early 2008.
On November 30, 2006 President of SCE Ken Kutaragi
Ken Kutaragi
is the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment , the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.Before this...
was appointed as Chairman of SCE while Kazuo Hirai
Kazuo Hirai
is the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
, President of SCEA was promoted to President of SCE. On April 26, 2007 Ken Kutaragi resigned from his position as Chairman of SCE and Group CEO passing on his duties to President of SCE, Kazuo Hirai.
On April 15, 2009 David Reeves President and CEO of SCE Europe announced that he would be resigning from his post. He had joined the company in 1995 and was appointed as Chairman of SCEE in 2003 and President in 2005. His role of President and CEO of SCEE would be taken over by Andrew House who joined Sony Corporation in 1990.
On December 8, 2005, video game developer Guerrilla Games
Guerrilla Games
Guerrilla Games is a first party video game developer and wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment. The company is based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, currently employs approximately 150 individuals, and is headed by managing director Hermen Hulst and development director Arjan...
, developers of the Killzone series
Killzone (series)
Killzone is a series of shooter games exclusively for Sony Computer Entertainment's video game consoles. The series is developed by Guerilla Games, a subsidiary of SCE. Killlzone consists of four games for the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable, Playstation Vita and the PlayStation 3...
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS. On January 24, 2006 video game developer Zipper Interactive
Zipper Interactive
Zipper Interactive is an American video game developer part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and is located in Redmond, Washington. It was founded in 1995 by Jim Bosler and Brian Soderberg. It has created many different games, including the popular SOCOM series of games...
, developers of the SOCOM series
SOCOM (series)
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is a series of third-person tactical shooter/real-time tactics video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and one for the Cell Phone created by Zipper Interactive, with the PlayStation 3 game being created by Slant 6...
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS. On September 20, 2007 video game developers Evolution Studios
Evolution Studios
Evolution Studios Ltd. is a British video game developer. The company was founded in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington , following the purchase of DID's publisher Ocean Software by Infogrames...
and Bigbig Studios
Bigbig Studios
The company was founded in 2001 by a core team of four former Codemasters employees. The company was set up with the help of parent company Evolution Studios. Located in Leamington Spa in the UK. It gained popularity due to its first game Pursuit Force which became a bestseller.Bigbig Studios and...
, developers of the MotorStorm series
MotorStorm (series)
MotorStorm is a racing game series published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is developed by Evolution Studios, and Bigbig Studios. The titles are "off-road racing" games featuring different types of vehicles with their own strengths and weaknesses and tracks with different terrains which may...
, were acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.
On April 1, 2010 Sony Computer Entertainment was restructured to bring together Sony's mobile electronics and personal computers divisions. The main Japanese division of SCE was temporarily renamed to "SNE Platform Inc." (SNEP) on April 1, 2010 and split into two division focusing on different aspects namely "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc." consisting of a 1,300 employees which focus on the console business, and the network service business consisting of 60 to 70 employees. The network service business of SCE was absorbed into Sony Corp's Network Products & Service Group (NPSG) which has already been headed by Kaz Hirai since April 2009. The original Sony Computer Entertainment was then dissolved after the restructure. The North American and European branches of Sony Computer Entertainment was affected by the restructure and will remain as SCEA and SCEE. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO and Sony Corporation EVP, Kaz Hirai, is leading both departments.
On March 2, 2010 video game developer Media Molecule
Media Molecule
Media Molecule is a British video game developer based in Guildford in Surrey. The studio was founded in January 2006 by former Lionhead Studios employees Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith, and Kareem Ettouney...
, developers of the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.
As of August 23, 2010, the headquarters of the company moved from Minami-Aoyama
Aoyama, Tokyo
is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area...
to the Sony City (Sony Corporation's headquarters) in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
.
On April 20, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment was the victim of an attack
PlayStation Network outage
The PlayStation Network outage was the result of an "external intrusion" on Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, in which personal details from approximately 77 million accounts were stolen and prevented users of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles from playing online...
on its PlayStation Network system, which also affected its online division, Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe...
.
Hardware
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
family of video game hardware consisting of consoles and handhelds. Sony's first wide home console release, the PlayStation (codenamed PSX during development, currently PSOne), was initially designed to be a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
drive add-on for Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(a.k.a. Super Famicom in Japan) video game console, in response to Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Sega CD. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony redesigned the machine into a stand alone unit. The PlayStation was released in Japan on December 3, 1994 and later in North America on September 9, 1995.
Currently the highest selling home console of all time, SCE's second home console, the PlayStation 2 (PS2 or PSX2) was released in Japan on March 4, 2000, and later in North America and Europe in October and November 2000, respectively. The PS2 is powered by a proprietary central processing unit
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, the Emotion Engine
Emotion Engine
The Emotion Engine is a CPU developed and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment and Toshiba for use in the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, as well as early PlayStation 3 models sold in Japan and North America...
, and was the first video game console to have DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
playback functionality included out of the box. Initially, the system was criticized for its complex development environment, due mainly to the proprietary hardware included, however despite these complaints the PlayStation 2 received widespread support from third party developers throughout its lifespan on the market. Today it has sold up to 150 million units world wide.
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is SCE's first foray into the small handheld console market, which was and to this date still is dominated by Nintendo. Its development was first announced during SCE's E3 conference in 2003, and it was officially unveiled during their E3 conference on May 11, 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. The console has since seen two major redesigns, with new features including a smaller size, more internal memory, a better quality LCD screen and a lighter weight. A new design, the PSP Go
PSP Go
The PSP Go is a version of the PlayStation Portable handheld game console manufactured by Sony. It was released on October 1, 2009 in American and European territories, and on November 1 in Japan. It was revealed prior to E3 2009 through Sony's Qore VOD service...
, was released on October 1, 2009 for North America and Europe and on November 1, 2009 for Japan. It has a 3.8" LCD which slides up to reveal the main controls. The PSP Go is 45% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP and does not support UMD. The device does support Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
and will be completely digital meaning all media must be downloaded or transferred to the device which has 16 GB of internal flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
.
The newest home console in the PlayStation family, as well as Sony's entry in the seventh-generation of consoles, the PlayStation 3 (PS3) was launched in November 2006. It utilizes a unique processing architecture, the Cell microprocessor
Cell microprocessor
Cell is a microprocessor architecture jointly developed by Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM, an alliance known as "STI". The architectural design and first implementation were carried out at the STI Design Center in Austin, Texas over a four-year period beginning March 2001 on a...
, a proprietary technology developed by Sony in conjunction with Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. The graphics processing unit, the RSX 'Reality Synthesizer'
RSX 'Reality Synthesizer'
The RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' is a proprietary graphics processing unit codeveloped by Nvidia and Sony for the PlayStation 3 game console....
, was co-developed by Nvidia
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
and Sony. Several variations of the PS3 have been released, each with slight hardware and software differences, each denoted by the varying size of the included hard disk drive.
The newest handheld console in the Playstation family is the PlayStation Vita.
Software development studios
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide StudiosSCE Worldwide Studios
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, officially abbreviated SCE Worldwide Studios, is a group of video game developers owned by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is a single internal entity overseeing all wholly owned development studios within SCE...
(SCE WWS) is a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, it is a group of video game developers which are fully owned by Sony Computer Entertainment.
| Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Internally Owned Studios |
|---|
Asia
North America
Europe
|
Moreover Sony Computer Entertainment has a lot of companies which are under contract, they form Second Party developers and develop only for Playstation hardwares.
| Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Second Party Studio Partners |
|---|
Asia
North America
Europe
|
Since its inception in 1993, SCE has also built up a large stable of third party developers that it often collaborates with in a variety of manners, from publishing to funding to co-development. These companies are however not owned or under contract by SCE, and some, unlike the studios within SCE WWS, also release and develop products in cooperation with competing video game developers and publishers, and for competing handheld and/or home consoles as well.
| Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Third Party Studio Partners |
|---|
Asia
North America
Europe
|
Owned franchises and properties
|
Ico is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took... Intelligent Qube is a puzzle game for the PlayStation. It is known as Kurushi in Europe and Australia. In the game, the player controls a character who must run around a platform made of cubes, clearing certain cubes as they approach... Invizimals Invizimals is a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game, and is bundled with the PSP's camera attachment on launch.... Jak and Daxter Jak and Daxter is a critically acclaimed video game franchise created by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2.The series consists of four main games and two spin-offs,though they are also considered to be part of the main series... Jeanne d'Arc (video game) is a tactical role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable . The game was first released in Japan on November 22, 2006 and was then localized in North America on August 21, 2007. It was never released in PAL regions... Jet Moto Jet Moto is a series of futuristic racing games for the PlayStation video game console. Jet Moto and Jet Moto 2 were developed by SingleTrac, known for Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2. SingleTrac then left Sony, the publisher of the series, and Jet Moto 3 was developed by Pacific Coast Power &... Jumping Flash! is a video game released in 1995 for the Sony PlayStation. It was developed by Exact Co., Ltd. and Ultra Co., Ltd. and published by Sony Computer Entertainment... Killzone (series) Killzone is a series of shooter games exclusively for Sony Computer Entertainment's video game consoles. The series is developed by Guerilla Games, a subsidiary of SCE. Killlzone consists of four games for the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable, Playstation Vita and the PlayStation 3... Kinetica Kinetica is a futuristic racing game for the PlayStation 2. It was the first game to use the Kinetica game engine which would be used for Sony's runaway hit franchises, most notably Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and God of War.... Kung Fu Rider Kung Fu Rider , previously known as Slider, is an action video game for the PlayStation 3. The game is developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for use with the new PlayStation Move controller. It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San... Lair (video game) Lair is a 2007 video game developed by Factor 5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America.-Gameplay:The player assumes the role of a dragon-riding knight named Rohn Partridge. Rohn is given the tasks of defending a certain area, destroying certain objects, eliminating enemies or... The Last Guardian The Last Guardian, known in Japan as and previously referred to by the working title Project Trico, is an upcoming video game developed by Team Ico, to be published exclusively for the PlayStation 3 video game console by Sony Computer Entertainment... The Legend of Dragoon The Legend of Dragoon is a console role-playing game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan on December 2, 1999, in North America on June 11, 2000, and on January 19, 2001 in Europe... Legend of Legaia is a 1998 Sony PlayStation role-playing video game created by Contrail. The game was followed by a 2001 video game called Legaia 2: Duel Saga on the PlayStation 2... LittleBigPlanet LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California... LocoRoco is a platform video game released worldwide in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable handheld game console, and developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game was developed by Tsutomu Kouno, striving to create a game that was different than other titles being released for the PSP at... The Mark of Kri The Mark of Kri is an action-adventure game developed by SCE San Diego Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 on July 19, 2002 in North America, March 14, 2003 in Europe and October 23, 2003 in Japan.... MediEvil MediEvil is a platform game released in October 1, 1998 for the PlayStation in Europe and North America, and in June 1999 in Japan. The game was followed by MediEvil 2 in 2000. Then, in 2005, the original game was remade as MediEvil: Resurrection for the PlayStation Portable... Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest is a 2011 action adventure video game developed by San Diego Studio and Zindagi Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment on November 15, 2011 in North America and November 18, 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3, which utilizes PlayStation Move. It was... ModNation Racers ModNation Racers is a kart racing game developed by United Front Games for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. User generated content will be a central aspect of the game, such that it uses the same "Play, Create, Share." adage as LittleBigPlanet to convey its basis in online user-generated... Motor Toon Grand Prix Motor Toon Grand Prix was a racing game released at the Japanese launch of the PS1. It is notable among other things for its art design which was created by Japanese artist, Susumu Matsushita. The game is commonly confused with Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 which was released under this title in the west... MotorStorm (series) MotorStorm is a racing game series published by Sony Computer Entertainment and is developed by Evolution Studios, and Bigbig Studios. The titles are "off-road racing" games featuring different types of vehicles with their own strengths and weaknesses and tracks with different terrains which may... Okage: Shadow King Okage: Shadow King, known in Japan as is a console role-playing game released by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in October 2001 exclusively for the PlayStation 2.... PaRappa the Rapper is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company.... Patapon is a video game published for the PlayStation Portable handheld game console combining gameplay features of a rhythm game and a god game. The game is presented in a cartoonish, silhouetted two-dimensional environment, and features the player acting as a deity who commands an army of caricatured... PoPoLoCrois PoPoLoCrois is a manga series by Tamori Yousuke, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper . It was later adapted into two anime series and five console role-playing games... Primal (video game) Primal is an action-adventure video game released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe aka SCE Studio Cambridge. It tells the story of Jennifer Tate, a 21-year-old woman searching for her boyfriend through a series of demonic realms... |
Pursuit Force Pursuit Force is a video game for the PlayStation Portable. It puts the player in the role of a police agent who joins up to a law enforcement agency known as the Pursuit Force, to restore order to a city overrun with crime. This elite unit specialises in direct armed encounters with adversaries,... Rally Cross Rally Cross is a 1997 racing game for the Sony PlayStation. A sequel was released in 1998. The cover picture does not accurately portray the vehicles featured in the game as it does not show a rallycross car, but rather a rally raid racer in action.... Ratchet & Clank Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series.... Rise of the Kasai Rise of the Kasai is an action game developed by BottleRocket Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the PlayStation 2 video game console. Released in 2005, the game serves as a followup to the 2002 game The Mark of Kri... Resistance (series) Resistance is a science fiction horror series of first-person shooter and third-person shooter video games developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita video game consoles.The series takes place in an... Rogue Galaxy is a science fiction role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was first released in Japan on December 8, 2005, and later in North America on January 30, 2007... Shadow of the Colossus Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006... SingStar SingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. 23 English-language instalments of the series have been released for the PlayStation 2, and six versions for the PlayStation 3 have been released... Siren (video game) , known as Forbidden Siren in Europe and Australasia, is a survival horror video game developed by SCE Japan Studio for the PlayStation 2 in 2003.-Plot:... Sly Cooper Sly Cooper is a series of platform stealth video games for the Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. The series was developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the first three games, and then it was passed on to Sanzaru Games while Sucker Punch continued work on the Infamous series... Sports Champions Sports Champions is a 2010 sports video game developed by San Diego Studio and Zindagi Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3, which utilizes PlayStation Move. It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco... SOCOM (series) SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is a series of third-person tactical shooter/real-time tactics video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and one for the Cell Phone created by Zipper Interactive, with the PlayStation 3 game being created by Slant 6... Sorcery (video game) Sorcery is an upcoming 2011 video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 utilizing the PlayStation Move and will be one of the first of the Second generation Move titles. The game was first announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 but the... The Fight: Lights Out The Fight received generally negative professional reviews. On Metacritic, it holds an average of 46 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, with a user score of 7.8 out of 10, based on 55 reviews... The Shoot Kotaku praised the game's quick and easy take on the shooter genre along with the game's visuals and clever enemy design. Its only criticism was that sometimes controls can feel sluggish. Ars Technica also queried an initial controller lag, but stated that the player soon gets used to it... Tourist Trophy (video game) is a motorcycle racing game. It was designed by Polyphony Digital, the same team that makes the popular Gran Turismo auto racing series. It was largely created off of Gran Turismo 4's game engine...
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Corporate affairs
The PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, and Group CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of SCE is currently Andrew House
Andrew House
Andrew House is the current president and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, replacing Kaz Hirai who became chairman of the company....
, replacing Kaz Hirai, who himself had replaced longtime CEO Ken Kutaragi
Ken Kutaragi
is the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment , the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.Before this...
, also known as "The Father of the PlayStation". Kuturagi officially retired from his executive position at SCE on June 19, 2007, and now holds the title of Honorary Chairman at the company. Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton
Jack Tretton is the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America , a division of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation...
and Andrew House currently serve as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, respectively. In June 2011, it was announced that Kaz Hirai was to become Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment and Andrew House to become President and Group CEO as of September 1, 2011.
Headquarters
SCE currently has three main headquarters around the world: Minami-AoyamaAoyama, Tokyo
is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area...
, Minato, Tokyo
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
, Japan (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan & Sony Computer Entertainment Asia) which control operations in Asia; Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
, USA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) which controls operations in North America; and London, United Kingdom (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) which controls operations in Europe and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. SCE also has smaller offices and distribution centres in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, USA; Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada; Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia; and Seocho-gu
Seocho-gu
Seocho-gu is a gu of Seoul, South Korea. It is a popular residential area for the mid- or upper-class residents in Seoul and home to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Seocho Samsung Town in Seocho-dong, near Gangnam Station, is the headquarter of the several corporations of the...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea.
President
- 1994-2006 - Ken KutaragiKen Kutaragiis the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment , the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.Before this...
- 2006-2011 - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
- 2011-present - Andrew HouseAndrew HouseAndrew House is the current president and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, replacing Kaz Hirai who became chairman of the company....
Chairman
- 1994-2002 - Shigeo MaruyamaShigeo Maruyamais the founder of Epic/Sony Records, former chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment and former CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He is known for discovering artists such as Motoharu Sano and Tetsuya Komuro.- External links :*...
- 2002-2006 - Tamotsu Iba
- 2006-2007 - Ken KutaragiKen Kutaragiis the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment , the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.Before this...
- 2009-2011 - Akira Sato
- 2011-present - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
Group CEO
- 1993-2007 - Ken KutaragiKen Kutaragiis the former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment , the video game division of Sony Corporation. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3.Before this...
- 2007-2011 - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
- 2011-present - Andrew HouseAndrew HouseAndrew House is the current president and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, replacing Kaz Hirai who became chairman of the company....
Deputy President
- 2002-Present - Jack TrettonJack TrettonJack Tretton is the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America , a division of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation...
- 1994-Present - Masaru Kato
- 1994-Present - Kazuo Hirai
- 2002-Present - Shigeru Nishimura
- 2002-Present - Jim Ryan
- 1994-2005 - Akira Sato
- 2002-2008 - Phil Harrison
- 2002-2008 - David Reeves
Board of Directors
As of September 1, 2011- Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
- Chairman - Andrew House - President and Group CEO
- Masaru Kato
- Sir Howard StringerHoward StringerSir Howard Stringer is a Welsh-born American businessman and the chairman, president and CEO of Sony Corporation.-Personal life:...
- Kunimasa Suzuki - Deputy President
SCE Worldwide Studios President
- 2005-2008 - Phil HarrisonPhil HarrisonPhil Harrison is the former British corporate executive and a representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . At E3 in 2005 he showcased the first public realtime demonstrations of PlayStation 3 development hardware...
- 2008 - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
- 2008–Present - Shuhei YoshidaShuhei YoshidaShuhei Yoshida is appointed senior vice president, product development, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is responsible for all software development activities . Yoshida is among those responsible for the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s 170-person internal product development team...
Sony Computer Entertainment America
- Jack TrettonJack TrettonJack Tretton is the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America , a division of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation...
- President and CEO - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
- Chairman - Jim Bass - Senior VP and CFO
- Timothy Bender - Senior VP of Sales
- Sally Buchanan - VP of Human resourcesHuman resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
- Peter Dille - Senior VP of Marketing and PlayStation Network
- Robert DyerRobert DyerRobert Dyer left the village of Heytesbury, in the county of Wiltshire, England to voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to serve as a Newfoundland School Society teacher in the fishing community of Greenspond, Newfoundland...
- Senior VP of PublisherVideo game publisherA video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
Relations - Glenn Nash - VP of Operations
- Philip RosenbergPhilip RosenbergPhilip Rosenberg is an American production designer and art director. He has won an Academy Award and was nominated for another in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
- Senior VP of Business Development - Riley R. Russell - Chief Legal Officer and Senior VP of Corporate Development
- Shuhei YoshidaShuhei YoshidaShuhei Yoshida is appointed senior vice president, product development, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is responsible for all software development activities . Yoshida is among those responsible for the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s 170-person internal product development team...
- Senior VP of Product Development
See also
- List of video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment
- Microsoft Studios
- NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
- SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...