The seventh race of domestic video game consoles began on November 22, 2005, with a release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 home console. This was followed by the release of Sony computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3 on November 17, 2006 together with Nintendo's Wii on November 19, 2006, the coming after or as a written of. year. regarded and identified separately. new console proposed new technologies. The Xbox 360 produced games rendered natively at high-definition video HD resolutions, the PlayStation 3 offered HD movie playback via a built-in 3DBlu-ray Disc player, in addition to the Wii focused on integrating controllers with movement sensors as alive as joysticks. Some Wii controllers could be moved about to rule in-game actions, which enabled players to simulate real-world actions through movement during gameplay. By this generation, video game consoles had become an important component of the global IT infrastructure; it is for estimated that video game consoles represented 25% of the world's general-purpose computational power to direct or build in 2007.
Joining Nintendo in releasing motion devices and software, Sony Computer Entertainment released the PlayStation Move in September 2010, which featured motion-sensing gaming similar to that of the Wii. In November 2010, Microsoft released Kinect for use with the Xbox 360. Kinect did not usage controllers, instead using cameras to capture the player's body motion and using that to direct gameplay, effectively devloping the players act as the "controllers". Having sold eight million units in its number one 60 days on the market, Kinect claimed the Guinness World Record of being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device".
Among handheld consoles, the seventh vintage began somewhat earlier than the home consoles. November 2004 saw the intro of the Nintendo DS, and the PlayStation Portable PSP came out in December. The DS attribute a touch screen and built-in microphone, and maintains wireless standards. The PSP became the first handheld video game console to use an optical disc configuration as its primary storage media. Sony also gave the PSP multimedia capability; connectivity with the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, other PSPs; as well as Internet connectivity. Despite high sales numbers for both consoles, PSP sales pull in consistently lagged behind those of the DS.
The seventh generation slowly began to wind down when Nintendo began cutting back on Wii production in the early 2010s. In 2014, Sony announced they were discontinuing the production of the PSP worldwide, and the release of new games for the DS eventually ceased by 2016. Microsoft announced in that same year that they would discontinue the Xbox 360. The coming after or as a result of. year, Sony announced that it would soon discontinue the PlayStation 3. Around that time, the remaining Wii consoles were discontinued, ending the generation as all hardware was discontinued. ThePlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 physical games were released in 2018, as FIFA 19 for the former and Just Dance 2019 for the latter. Despite this, several more Wii games were released, including a few more annual Just Dance sequels, as well as a limited 3,000-copy print run of a physical release of Retro City Rampage DX and a port of its 2019 sequel Shakedown Hawaii that were both released on July 9, 2020, exclusively in Europe. A PS3 explanation of Shakedown was also released as a digital-only title. The eighth generation had already begun in early 2011, with the release of the Nintendo 3DS.
Home video game consoles
The Xbox 360 gained an early lead in terms of market share, largely due to its introducing Xbox Live online gaming system, and its early launch date, which was one year ago its rivals. Sales in North America and Europe continued to be strong, even after the release of the Wii and PlayStation 3. Like its predecessor, the Xbox 360 received a muted reception in Japan, attributed to the lack of content aimed at Japanese gamers.
This early launch did come with some trouble, as technical problems appeared in a ingredient of Xbox 360 units sold. The almost well-known problem is the "red ring of death" and Error E74, which received a great deal of attention due to some users having to replace their consoles companies times. Microsoft attempted to acknowledgment this by offering a three-yearon all affected consoles and repairing them free of charge. It also retroactively reimbursed owners of affected systems who paid for repairs, and ultimately made several adjustments to the console's design to refresh reliability, consulting with "an established ASIC vendor".
As they share many cross-platform games and competed for the same audience as their predecessors, frequent comparisons are made between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PS3 uses the Blu-ray format, while the Xbox 360 uses a specifics DVD9. The Xbox 360 was less expensive to throw and broke even on manufacturing costs earlier than the PS3, while industry consensus was that the Xbox 360's conventional architecture is easier to develop for.
At the end of the first half of 2007, the console stabilized at 11.6 million units shipped as sales dropped 60% while its rival, Wii, gained momentum and Sony announced a competitive price drop on the PlayStation 3. Microsoft's strategy to boost sales with the release of the highly anticipated Halo 3 in September 2007 paid off, outselling the Wii that month in North America. Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division experienced a huge add in revenue, largely driven by the release of Halo 3, and posted a quarterly profit for the first time in two years.
The Xbox 360 focused on the release of high-profile games, such(a) as additions to the Halo franchise. The 2007 , and L.A. Noire.
In November Microsoft released Kinect. Kinect did not use controllers, instead creating the players act as the "controllers". Having sold eight million units in its first 60 days on the market, Kinect claimed the Guinness World Record of being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device". At E3 2010, Microsoft revealed a new Xbox 360 SKU known officially as the Xbox 360 S and quoted to as the "Slim" by various media outlets. At E3 2013 Microsoft revealed the Xbox 360 E, theiteration of the Xbox 360 series, to be succeeded by Xbox One. The 360 E featured a new square design with a simplified exterior akin to the Xbox One.
Sony's PlayStation 3 was released on November 11, 2006 in Japan and November 17, 2006 in the US and Canada. The system's reliance on new technologies such as the Cell microprocessor and Blu-ray format caused difficulties in manufacturing, especially the Blu-ray diode, main to shortages at launch and the delay of the PAL region launches; however, by early December 2006, Sony announced that all production issues had been resolved. Market analysts and Sony executives noted that the success of the PlayStation 3 and the Blu-ray format were dependent on regarded and identified separately. other; Rich Marty, VP of New corporation coding at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment stated that the "PS3 is critical to the success of Blu-ray," while Phil Harrison stated that the PlayStation 3's success would be ensured by "the growth of the Blu-ray Disc movie market."
Sony would provide support for its console with new titles from first-party franchises such as , , and Fatal Inertia, were ultimately released on Xbox 360 as well, with the latter making its appearance on Xbox 360 before the PlayStation 3 version. Sony blamed lower-than-expected sales of the PS3 on the waste of exclusive titles in its software library, its higher price, and stock shortages.
The high launch price of the PlayStation 3 was considered a major drag on its popularity. In July 2007, Sony announced a drop in the price of the already-discontinued 60 GB models of the console by $100 in the United States and Canada. On October 18, 2007, Sony announced a US$100 price drop for the 80 GB framework and a new US$399 40 GB model to launch on November 2, 2007 with reduced qualities such as the removal of backward compatibility with PS2 games. Within weeks, Sony announced that sales of the 40 GB and 80 GB models by major retailers had increased 192%. In November 2008, Sony launched a 160 GB model, and on August 18, 2009, Sony announced the PS3 Slim. The PS3 slim sold 1 million in under a month. It was then announced that a 250 GB slim model was to be released. It was released on September 1 or 3 depending on country.
In September 2012, Sony announced a new slimmer PS3 become different CECH-4000, commonly referred to as the "Super Slim" PS3. It was released in slow 2012, usable with either a 250 GB or 500 GB tough drive. The "Super Slim" model was the last model to be produced by Sony before the system was slowly discontinued around the world. Shipments of new units to the United States were terminated in October 2016 and Sony officially discontinued the system in Japan on May 29, 2017, the last territory where it was selling new units up until then.
Nintendo entered the generation with a new approach embodied by its Wii. The company planned to attract current hardcore and casual gamers, non-gamers, and lapsed gamers by focusing on new gameplay experiences and new forms of interaction with games rather than cutting edge graphics and expensive technology. This approach was previously implemented in the portable market with the Nintendo DS. Nintendo expressed hope that the new domination schemes it had implemented would supply conventionally controlled consoles obsolete, main to Nintendo capturing a large portion of the existing market as well. This strategy paid off, with demand for the Wii outstripping supply throughout 2007. Since Nintendo profited on each console adjusting from the start unlike its competitors, it achieved very positive returns. With only a few exceptions, monthly worldwide sales for the Wii were higher than those of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, eroding Microsoft's early lead and widening the gap between its market share and Sony's. In 2007, it was reported by the British newspaper Financial Times that the Wii's sales surpassed those of the Xbox 360, which had been released one year previously, and became the market leader in worldwide home console sales for the generation.
As in previous generations, Nintendo provided assistance for its new console with first-party franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Pokémon. To appeal to casual and non-gamers, Nintendo developed a group of core Wii games, consisting of Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, and Wii Music, where players make use of the motion-sensing abilities of the console and its peripherals to simulate real world activities.
Publishers such as Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Capcom, and Majesco Entertainment continued to release exclusive titles for the console, but the Wii's strongest titles remained within its first-party line-up. Analysts speculated that this would conform in time as the Wii's growing popularity persuaded third-party publishers to focus on it; however, some third party developers expressed frustration at low software sales. Goichi Suda, developer of No More Heroes for the Wii, noted that "only Nintendo titles are doing well" and that he "expected more games for hardcore gamers." Conversely, the PAL publisher of No More Heroes Rising Star Games were greatly impressed with the game's sales. Goichi Suda later retracted his comment, saying his "point was that No More Heroes, unlike a lot of Nintendo Wii titles currently available is the kind of product that will attract a different kind of consumer to the hardware."
In early 2008, the NPD Group revealed sales data showing that, while the Wii's life-to-date attach rate was low, in December 2007, it reached 8.11—higher than the attach rates for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in that month. The Wii's low overall attach rate could be explained by reference to its rapidly increasing installed base, as financial analysts have pointed to the Xbox 360's high attach rates as indicative of an unhealthy lack of installed base growth, and warned that what actually benefits third-party developers is "quicker adoption of hardware and a rapidly growing installed base on which to sell progressively more game units," which tends to lower the attach rate of a product.
Wii Sportspack-in, apart from in Japan, 82.87 million As of March 31, 2019Best selling non-bundled game: Mario Kart Wii 37.20 million As of March 31, 2019
Original: 310 × 80 × 260 mm 12.2 × 3.2 × 10.2 in
Xbox 360S: 270 × 75 × 264 mm 10.6 × 3.0 × 10.4 in
Original: 325 × 98 × 274 mm 12.8 × 3.9 × 10.8 in
Slim: 290 × 65 × 290 mm 11.4 × 2.6 × 11.4 in
Wii / Wii Family Edition: 4.4 × 16 × 21.5 cm 1,513.6 cm3 / 1.7 × 6.3 × 8.5 in 92.4 in3[]Wii mini: 19.3 × 16 × 4.6 cm 1,420.5 cm3 / 7.6 × 6.3 × 1.81 in 86.7 in3[]
Original: 3.5 kg 7.7 lb
Xbox 360S: 2.9 kg 6.4 lb
Original: 5 kg 11 lb
Slim 2009: 3.2 kg 7.1 lb
Slim 2011: 2.6 kg 5.7 lb Super Slim 2012: 2.08 kg 4.6 lb
Wii / Wii Family Edition: 1.2 kg 2.6 lbWii mini: 0.7 kg 1.5 lb
250 GB "Super Elite" consoles come with 2 Wireless controllers. 320 GB Xbox 360 S consoles come with a "transforming d-pad" controller.
replaced with the D-Terminal HD AV CableD 端子 HD AV ケーブル in Japan
Thegeneration model makes less backward compatibility for PS2 titles. Owing to only featuring the Graphics Synthesizer, and having to emulate the CPU.
Third and later generation models dropped help for all PS2 titles via disc, but some games in digital format, marketed as "PS2 Classics" via the PlayStation Store are still compatible via software emulation.
All PS3 models will play most PS1 discs regardless of PS2 compatibility.
The "Family Edition" and "Mini" models drops guide for GameCube games.