Welcome to the Family is a series of three letters that will run this week from the heads of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
We asked each of the companies to write up a welcome letter to new owners of their consoles. They did the rest. We are running them in the order they were received. Stay tuned for Nintendo's welcome letter and check out Microsoft's letter.
And now a word from , Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing and PlayStation Network, SCEA.
Welcome to the Family…
If you're one of the many who just opened your PS3 this holiday, welcome to the PlayStation family! We're thrilled to have you join the millions of people who know that the PS3 will help define their entertainment experiences and deliver the most compelling content for the next decade. Your new PS3 is truly one of the most advanced, reliable and multifaceted gaming systems you'll ever own. And I'd like to take you under the hood to ensure you're enjoying the full breadth and depth of what this machine has to offer.
Sophisticated Hardware
Unlike other electronic devices that provide mostly the same feature-set throughout their lifecycle, the PS3 stays up to date with the latest technologies and features as your entertainment needs evolve. We continue to add new features such as BD-Live, an innovative new Trophy system, and remote access to your PS3 with PSP (PlayStation Portable).
PS3 obviously has a built-in Blu-ray player, the defacto next generation high-definition disc medium. Once you've experienced the difference in picture and sound quality, you'll never want to go back to DVD. Blu-ray isn't just about movies though – it brings an unmatched benefit to gaming that enables the development community to create content and experiences that were only previously imagined, but are now becoming a reality with titles like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Beyond gaming and watching movies, you can share your photos, videos, and music with friends and family on the big screen TV right from your PS3. Store and easily access them from your PS3's hard drive or use the media server feature to stream music, videos and photos from your personal computer to the PS3. Now there's no longer a need for crowding around a small monitor in the den; the PS3 even offers a fully functional Web browser with Flash Player 9 support – so you can enjoy the full use of the Internet on your TV, again something you can only get on PS3.
Games, Games, Games
We know you're looking for exclusive content, and PS3 has the best lineup of any platform, full of award-winning games like LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 and, coming soon, Killzone 2. Games like these truly demonstrate the raw power of the PS3 with their detailed graphics, immense scale, unique online capabilities, and epic gameplay. You can also build your game collection with classics like Assassin's Creed, MotorStorm, Warhawk and Resistance: Fall of Man, which we now offer at "Greatest Hits" pricing for a great value. Layer on top of this our PlayStation Store, which has a vast array of content from hardcore games and add-ons to casual games for everyone, and you immediately realize PS3 is the clear choice for content.
A True Entertainment Network
One of the hidden costs of some other systems on the market is the need to pay a fee for enjoying online gaming. With PlayStation, access to PlayStation Network and online gaming is free. One of the first things you should do when you take your PS3 out of the box is to register for the PlayStation Network - this will be your connection to other PS3 gamers from around the world as well as to access all the downloadable games, add-ons, demos, videos, and content on the PlayStation Network.
Within the PlayStation Network, you can browse the PlayStation Store (either through PS3 or remotely via your PSP) to download exclusive full retail-versions of games like SOCOM: Confrontation and Burnout Paradise as well as unique experiences like echochrome, PAIN and PixelJunk Eden. In addition to the games, the PlayStation Store also offers rental and purchase of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster movies and popular TV shows in SD and stunning HD resolution, from The Dark Knight to Family Guy.
You'll also want to create your avatar and take a tour of PlayStation Home. This revolutionary 3D social gaming community is your gateway to meeting and building your network of fellow gamers. It brings to life the more than 17 million people who make up the PlayStation Network community and offers a new way for gamers to connect, add meaning to their friends list, share, and launch into games together – all in high definition. We continue to add new experiences and partners to Home from spaces dedicated to the industry's top games to uniquely branded spaces like the EA Sports Complex.
From the Living Room to the Plane to the Hotel and Back
You're probably like many of our users, always on the go to school, to work, or on a trip. Now more than ever, being able to take your entertainment content with you is not a nice to have, it's a must have. We've made it extremely easy to do just that with the connectivity between the PS3 and PSP. With PSP's built-in Wi-Fi capabilities and the remote play functionality enables you to remotely access your entertainment and media stored on the PS3 – from playing games to queuing up and starting movies for download, it's really that easy.
I know I've given you a lot of information to absorb, but the best part is that this is just the beginning of what your new PS3 can do. We're just getting warmed up, and we have a lot of great content on the way in 2009. We're dedicated to providing you a truly comprehensive and interactive entertainment solution, and I'm sure you'll agree that the PS3 is a powerful machine that offers the best content available. To stay connected and updated with everything PlayStation, remember to read our official blog.
We want to welcome you again to the PlayStation family, and I'm looking forward to your feedback.
-Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing and PlayStation Network, SCEA