Key Takeaways
- PS3 was Sony’s Icarus moment, teaching valuable lessons.
- Learning curves included managing costs and focusing on gaming.
- Surviving challenges helped PlayStation prioritize gaming above all.
It’s a time for celebration for Sony and PlayStation, as the company’s first foray into the console market turns 30 this week.
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But while PlayStation continues to be a force to be reckoned with, things weren’t so simple in 2006 when the PlayStation 3 launched, with former Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Shawn Layden admitting the company “flew too close to the sun” with the console.
The PS3 Was A Huge Learning Experience For PlayStation
Speaking to Eurogamer about PlayStation’s history, Layden recalls Sony’s struggles when making the PS3.
“PS3 was Sony’s Icarus moment. We had PS1, PS2… and now we’re building a supercomputer! And we’re going to put Linux on it! And we’re going to do all these sorts of things! We flew too close to the sun, and we were lucky and happy to have survived the experience,” he said.
The PlayStation 3 faced notoriously difficult spells. Its launch price was balked at, and in 2011, its online services went down for 23 days due to a data breach, but this was all a learning curve for the team.
We flew too close to the sun, and we were lucky and happy to have survived the experience.
“It taught us a lot,” Layden said. “We learned things like: buy it, don’t build it, if you can. You can manage the cost better. You can argue with vendors, get better deals instead of building your own thing.
“We also learned that the center of the machine has to be gaming. It’s not about whether I can stream movies or play music. Can I order a pizza while I’m watching TV and play? No, just make it a game machine. Just make it the best game machine of all time. I think that’s what really made the difference.”
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 launched in 2006 with some serious hardware under the hood. Powered by the Cell processor, it went on to ship more than 87 million units, bringing Sony into the online age with games such as GTA V, The Last of Us, and Uncharted.
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499, ¥49,980 (20 GB model) / $599.99, ¥60,000, £425, €599 (60 GB model)