Information/Internet Literacy

Information/Internet Literacy

Robinson Marcia

Developed in 2005, the Sony PlayStation 3™ (PS3) is one of the most popular gaming console technologies on the market. It was the first product in mass market to use the Cell processor which is a multi-core processor with speeds of 4 GHz. Its memory ranges from 40GB and higher. The game console has a Dual Shock3™ wireless controller that has a motion sensor function and vibrator function that can be used simultaneously. It also has a wireless key pad that can be attached but can function independently through Bluetooth technology. The PS3 also comes with several HDMI, Ethernet, and USB ports which had to be modified from the internal prototype to save cost. Its Xross Media Bar allows you to access multi-media functions such as Netflix™ video renting and downloading, VUDU video streaming, and the PlayStation store which is a virtual market that allows users to purchase and download media.

According to , on April 20, 2011 the PS3 network was taken down due to a criminal cyber attack on the system and Sony notified its 10 million users that their personal information may have been compromised. The intrusion was discovered around April 17, 2011. This intrusion was a terrible inconvenience for its users. Sony could not confirm whether credit card information was compromised so the users will need to cancel their accounts. This is time consuming and inconvenient because many users will have to update auto bill-pay accounts as well. The intrusion was very costly to Sony and affiliated vendors because of lost revenue from the system being shutdown such as access to the PlayStation store, Netflix, and VUDU. Further, Sony has thrown in some incentives to reclaim the user’s trust that will be costly such as 30 days free membership to its Plus Premium service as well as reimbursement to users’ incurred costs associated with their respective identity theft programs. More information can be found at or you may access via and click on tech.

On May 9, 2011, the website posted an update on the status of the PS3 outage. The PS3 network may not be fully recovered until May 31, 2011. This outage is costing Sony an estimated $1.25 billion in addition to losing the trust of its customers. As of today, there is no definitive date as to when the PS3 will have full functionality. This article can be located at

Released in 2005, the Microsoft Xbox 360™ competes with the PS3 gaming console with total sales reaching as much as $52 million worldwide. Xbox also has multi-media capability through Microsoft Windows Media Player. It uses an IBM Xenon processor, a slightly modified version of PS3’s Cell processor architecture. It has a wireless controller and contains a Valhalla motherboard. The Xbox 360 also comes with several HDMI and USB ports which allows users to connect it very popular Kinect ™ sensor. The Kinect sensor is a Wi-Fi capable optic audio connector that allows for wireless networking without the need for external adapters. Released on November 4, 2010, Kinect enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without a controller and is compatible with all Xbox 360 models.

According the , Microsoft profit soared 31% partly due to Kinect sales. Since Kinect’s release 2.7 million Xboxes and 2.4 million Kinect adapters were sold. Xbox has a strategic advantage over PS3 with the ability to interact wirelessly with the games. Users want to get off the couch and move with the game and Xbox 360 gave users what they want. This technology also was a good financial strategy per increase in sales shown above. Being mobile, exercising, spending time with family are just a few benefits of Kinect that benefit everyone in the long run economically and financially. More information can be found at .

PlayStation and Xbox 360 have both made mistakes in the past. Most recently, PlayStation had a security breach which cost them the trust of their users. Furthermore, the downtime period may have caused users to switch to another gaming system costing them financially. PlayStation took serious measures to improve security and keep lines of communication open with users. I believe Sony learned a costly, yet valuable lesson and will take the necessary measures to prevent security breaches going forward. Xbox 360 had difficulties in the past with the ring of death. They offered a resolution and continued to work on their product. In the interim, they went back to the strategic drawing board and created the Kinect. This allowed them to compete with the very popular interactive gaming concept which helped them surpass expected sales and gain the trust of their users as well as gain new ones.

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