The Modern Console Era · 2000â2013
Sony PlayStation 3
PS3
Sought After?
Rising, particularly the original 60GB "backward compatible" launch model, which can play PS1 and PS2 discs and is now sought after specifically for that feature Sony later removed from cheaper models.
Downsides
Launched at $499â599, a historically high price that badly hurt early sales against the Xbox 360 and Wii.
Why It Faded
A natural, healthy retirement as the generation ended, though it took years to overcome its rocky, overpriced launch.
Trivia
The Cell processor at the PS3's core was so unusual and difficult to program for that it was co-developed with IBM and Toshiba for supercomputing use â the same architecture ended up powering some of the world's fastest supercomputers of the mid-2000s.