SCEA Milestones

2006

  • November 17: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) launches the PLAYSTATION®3
  • May 16: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) reveals the outline of its PLAYSTATION�®3 computer entertainment system, incorporating the world's most advanced Cell Broadband Engine™ processor with super computer like power and backwards compatibility with PS one™ and PlayStation®2 games.
  • May 8: Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced that it will launch PLAYSTATION®3 in "Clear Black": in North America on November 2006, as part of a worldwide simultaneous launch.

2005

  • October 21: Cumulative production shipment of PlayStation®Portable (PSP®) handheld entertainment player had reached 10 million units worldwide.
  • March 24: PSP™ is launched in North America with a PSP™ Value Pack that includes a 32 MB Memory Stick Duo™, headphones with remote control, battery pack, AC Adaptor, soft case and cleaning cloth, movie/music/game video sampler UMD disc including multiple non-interactive game demos. PSP™ also adopts a newly developed proprietary, compact, but high-capacity optical disc, Universal Media Disc (UMD™), as its storage medium.
  • February 11: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) announced the first movie titles ever released on Universal Media Disc (UMD™) including XXX, Hellboy, Resident Evil 2 and Once Upon A Time in Mexico. These four titles were released on April 19 with additional titles afterward.

2004

  • November 1: SCEA launched a new, redesigned PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, reducing the weight by almost half and equipped with an integrated Ethernet port for network gaming.
  • September 21: SCEI announced that it had begun preparations to adopt Blu-ray Disc ROM (BD-ROM) format as a medium for the next generation PlayStation®, the successor system to PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.
  • January 14: SCEI announces more than 70 million PlayStation®2 units shipped worldwide.

2003

  • November 4: SCEA launches EyeToy™, a USB camera that features unique motion-tracking technology to enable gamers to become physically part of the game. EyeToy: Play, developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, London Studio, is the first title to showcase the PlayStation 2 exclusive EyeToy technology.
  • May 14: SCEA announced plans to launch Gran Turismo™4 in 2004, available exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. As one of the most popular game franchises in the world, worldwide unit sales for all three titles combined is nearly 30 million while unit sales for North America are more than 12 million.

2002

  • August 27: SCEA launches SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, the first SCEA software title to take advantage of the Network Adaptor, supporting up to 16-players in a game via a broadband connection.
  • August 27: SCEA launches the Network Adaptor (Ethernet/modem) (for PlayStation®2) in North America, making online console gaming a reality.
  • May 15: Electronic Arts and SCEA announce that Madden NFL™ 2003 and other top sports titles will feature online play exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.
  • April 1: SCEA launches a "Greatest Hits" series on PlayStation®2 - a line-up of game titles proven to be all-time favorites for the platform.

2001

  • September 27: The wireless DVD remote control for the PlayStation®2 was released for the North American market.
  • May: A PlayStation™ console can be found in one out of every three U.S. households.

2000

  • October 26: PlayStation®2 was officially launched in North America.
  • September 19: SCEA announces introduction of newly styled PlayStation™ console for the mobile age, PS one�.

1999

  • September: SCEI announces that PlayStation®2 will bring together movies, music and games to form a new world of computer entertainment. Also announced are specifications including support of both the audio CD and DVD-Video formats, and backwards compatibility with the original PlayStation™, bridging the gap between the two systems while legitimizing consumers' investment in their existing PlayStation™ software libraries.

1998

  • May: Gran Turismo™, best-selling racing game of all time, debuts on PlayStation�.

1997

  • August 25: PlayStation® worldwide shipments reach 20 million consoles and more than 135 million games.

1996

  • December 17: North American hardware and software revenues exceed $1 billion.

1995

  • September 9: PlayStation™ is launched in North America.