First, the good news for the legions of Playstation 2 fiends is that the Playstation 3 will be compatible with the games of the two previous generations of the console. Playstation 3 specific games, announced during E3, will use disks based on the Blu-Ray standard and will be compatible with existing CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R and DVD+R media standards.

Look And Style

As the photo shows, the console's design is sleek while its joysticks represent a radical departure from current designs. The joysticks will also be wireless, with Bluetooth connectivity, and up to seven can be used at once. The joysticks have also reportedly been used for a record 24 hours without recharging.

In addition to Bluetooth, the console also offers Wi-Fi connections and an Ethernet Gigabit adaptor. USB 2.0 outputs total six, with four in the front and two in the back. It also has two HDMI outputs (for a "full digital" restore on large screens), a more classic AV output and an S/PDIF optical output (for direct connection to an audio-video amplifier).

Besides a fixed 2.5 inch drive bay (the capacity of which remains undisclosed), the Playstation 3 will be completed by memory card readers for the memory stick duo format and an SD reader coupled with a compact flash reader.