In the field of video game consoles, the terms PS 2 and PS 3 hold huge importance and standing. Officially known as the Sony PlayStation 2 and Sony PlayStation 3, these are the premier video game consoles put forward by the famed company Sony. Known as a trend setter and benchmark provider in this business, video game consoles by Sony from back in the day have been identified by video game enthusiasts as must haves.

PlayStation 2

A highly successful video game console, the Sony PlayStation 2 is the successor to Sony's original installment PlayStation. The PS 2 is a sixth generation video game console sharing the market with competitor consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox. Furthermore, with sales achievements of over 140 million units sold worldwide by mid 2008, this console is the one to beat in the video game console industry.

With respect to features and capabilities of this console, the PS2 is known to be compatible in reading both CDs and DVDs apart from tailor made PS2 software. In addition it is also backward compatible with PlayStation games. This additional capabilities such as being able to play DVDs was regarded as an added bonus by the consumers for the justification of purchasing this console when it was first introduced in October 2000 priced at $300.

PlayStation 3

Famously abbreviated as PS3, this video game console is the much awaited successor to the hugely successful PlayStation 2. Produced by Sony Computer Entertainment division, the PS3 is a major competitor with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Just like the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 belongs to the seventh generation of video game consoles.

The PS 3 has a lot of features that makes it stand out from the rest of its predecessors. Of them, the main feature is the presence of an online gaming service called the PlayStation Network which wasn't present in the earlier versions of the PlayStations.

Other additional features of this great console include, enhanced and fast paced multimedia capabilities, connectivity compatibility capabilities with handheld consoles like PlayStation Portable, and last but least, the ability to use the trend setting high definition (HD) optical disc format called the Blu-ray Disc. This medium is also used in the PS 3 as the primary storage medium. Stemming from this, PS 3 was also known as the first Blu-ray 2.0 compatible player in the market.

Released first to the public on November 11th 2006 in Japan, the PS 3 is now available worldwide and it comes in several versions. These versions are referred to identification by their HDD capacity and at the moment, the PS 3 is available in 20, 40, 60, 80 and 160 GB models.

All of these versions come inclusive of some accessories. These are, one or two Sixaxis controllers and/or DualShock 3 controllers, one miniUSB to USB cable, one composite audio video cable, one Ethernet cable and one power cable.

Summary: This article deals with the well renowned video games consoles put forward by Sony, the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. It goes on to describe is various features and capabilities and also it achievements in the video game console market.