Released in 2006, the PlayStation 3 was at the forefront of gaming for seven years. It introduced an entirely new era of gaming, incorporating the PlayStation network and ushering in a social style of gaming that millions of people across the world are familiar with today. As rival company Microsoft made steps with their Xbox consoles, and assumed heavy-hitter Sega halted their console production in 2001, PlayStation knew they had to solidify their place as unrivaled in the gaming world.