PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 (プレイステーション3) is a video game system made by Sony Computer Entertainment, that hosts a handful of Sonic the Hedgehog titles. The console is often referred to as PS3 for short. It is the successor to Sony's highly successful PlayStation 2. Unlike Wii and Xbox 360, the PS3 uses Blu-ray as its game discs, becoming the first gaming console to use Blu-ray. It uses the XrossMediaBar (XMB) as its graphical user interface.

The PlayStation 4 (PS4), the successor of the PlayStation 3, has been announced on February 20, 2013 and it has been released on November 15, 2013 in North America, and was released on November 29, 2013 on PAL Regions, plus all of Latin America, along with many other countries between December 2013 and January 2014 and later on Japan in February 22, 2014. Although Sega is developing a game for the PS4, no Sonic game is under development for the PS3's successor as of now.

Characters introduced

 * Silver the Hedgehog
 * Princess Elise
 * Mephiles the Dark
 * Iblis
 * Solaris
 * Chip
 * Professor Pickle
 * Sonic the Werehog
 * Wentos
 * Brenda Hernandez
 * Zonshen
 * Dark Gaia
 * Orbot
 * Time Eater

PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games, add-on content, playable demos, themes along with games and movie trailers.

Games (Sonic the Hedgehog)

 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
 * Sonic Adventure
 * Sonic Adventure 2
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 2
 * Sonic CD
 * Sonic Generations
 * Sonic Heroes (Europe Only)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal
 * Sonic the Fighters
 * Shadow the Hedgehog (Japan Only)
 * Sonic Unleashed

PlayStation Now
PlayStation Now is a video gaming streaming service similar to Netflix where players can stream video games from a PlayStation 3, PS4, and other Sony consoles, including Smartphones and Tablets. Announced durring Sony's Keynote address in the 2014 Consumer Eletronics Show, it launched as a closed beta on January 2014, and was later started as an open beta on July 31, 2014 on the PlayStation 4. PS Now Open Beta on the PS3 was released in North America on September 18, 2014 and will be released in Europe by 2015, with the United Kingdom to get it first.
 * Sonic CD
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
 * Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus is a paid PlayStation Network subscription service that was officially unveiled at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton, the President and CEO of SCEA at the time of that announcement. Rumors of such service had been in speculation since Kaz Hirai's announcement at TGS 2009 of a possible paid service for PSN but with the current PSN service still available. Launched alongside PS3 firmware 3.40 and PSP firmware 6.30 on 29 June 2010, the paid-for subscription service provides users with enhanced services on the PlayStation Network, on top of the current PSN service which is still available with all of its features. These enhancements include the ability to have demos, game and system software updates download automatically to the PlayStation 3. Subscribers also get early or exclusive access to some betas, game demos, premium downloadable content and other PlayStation Store items as well as a free subscription to Qore. Users may choose to purchase either a one-year or a three-month subscription to PlayStation Plus.

SCEA is offering a limited time offer for the one-year subscription, which is an additional three-months for free, while SCEE is offering one-year subscribers a digital copy of LittleBigPlanet for a limited time. Regular free bonuses are also made available. These include PlayStation Store discounts and free PlayStation Network games and Downloadable Content (DLC), PSone Classics and PlayStation Minis which the user will own for the duration of their subscription as well as themes and avatars which the user can keep after their subscription has lapsed. PlayStation Plus also offers "Full Game Trials" of some PlayStation Network and retail games, allowing the user to download the full game and use it for one hour. Users can later purchase the game and continue their progress. For SCEA, the first Full Game Trial is for inFamous, while European subscribers get to try out Shatter and Savage Moon. In addition, users who are PlayStation Plus subscribers have the PlayStation Plus icon by their PSN ID. Users can only sign up for PlayStation Plus through the PlayStation Store via the PS3.

After a major PSN Outage during April 2011, Sony announced that on May 1, 2011, all PlayStation Network Users will get 30 days of free membership of PlayStation Plus and an extra 30 days for existing PlayStation Plus members, as part of their "Welcome Back" program.

With more information of Sony's PlayStation 4 announced during E3 2013, SCE decides to keep the multiplayer free on the PS3 although they also announced that the PS4 now requires a PlayStation Plus subscription.

PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social networking service for the PlayStation Network. Home allows users to create a custom avatar, which can be groomed realistically. Users can edit and decorate their personal apartments, avatars or club houses with free, premium or won content. Users can shop for new items or win prizes from PS3 games, or Home activities. Users interact and connect with friends and customize content in a virtual world. Home also acts as a meeting place for users that want to play multiplayer games with others.

A closed beta began in Europe from May 2007 and expanded to other territories soon after. Home was delayed and expanded several times before initially releasing. The Open Beta test was started on 11 December 2008. Home is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar. Membership is free and requires a PSN account.

Home features places to meet and interact, dedicated game spaces, developer spaces, company spaces and events. The service undergoes a weekly maintenance and frequent updates. At TGS 2009, Kazuo Hirai announced that Home has been downloaded by 8 million users.

PS Home will soon shut down all of its Servers by March 31, 2015.

Backward Compatibility
All PlayStation 3 Models can play most PS1 games however, depending on the model, some PS3s may not play any PS2 games because the newer models (mostly the Slim and Super Slim models) do not contain the Emotion Engine and a "Graphics Synthesizer" GPU which is used to play the PS2 games. This was because of the high costs to buy a PS3 and it was done to make it a little more cheaper for gamers to buy. However, 20 GB, 60 GB, and some of the 80 GB models (if the model number is CECHExx) can play most PS2 games. That means that most Sonic games (including the PS2 version of Sonic Unleashed despite having the PS3 version available to it) can be played on those models and most of the games will work normally as if it was played on the PS2 though other PS2 games may experience some or many glitches and errors. There has been a few issues on a few Sonic games if used on the 80 GB NTSC version PS3 with Model Numbers CHCHCxx/CHCHExx and the 60 GB PAL version shown below: SEGA Superstars, and SEGA Superstars Tennis (even though there is a PS3 version of the game available) are the only Sonic games that are incompatible with the PS3.
 * In Sonic Heroes, there are bugs at certain points, mostly at gameplay, audio does sutter and also there's extraneous graphics that remain on-screen.
 * In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, on the "Press START" button screen before gameplay, the text does not flash as its supposed to do so.
 * The SEGA Genesis Collection will still work with the 60 GB PAL and 80 GB NTSC PS3 but it's unknown if that will work with other PS3 models that offer backward compatibility with the PS2.

Trivia

 * There are no PS3-exclusive Sonic games; every Sonic game on the PS3 is also on the Xbox 360.
 * Recently, PlayStation as started making a series of live-action commercials in promotion to their new fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (a similar title to the Sega All-Stars and the Super Smash Brothers series.) starting with the very popular commercial "Michael" which was the bases for the previously said game.