PlayStation 3

• Type: Muggle Entertainment System
• Owners: Dudley Dursley
• Maker: Not mentioned in the novels.

The novels do not provide a physical description of the device, referring to it simply as a “PlayStation” and a “computer game machine.” It is presented as a new and prized possession of Dudley Dursley. It is a piece of consumer electronics that requires electricity and a television to function.

The PlayStation 3 is a non-magical, electronic device used by Muggles for entertainment, specifically for playing video games. Its usage in the wizarding world is nonexistent, as it relies on electricity, a technology largely eschewed by wizards in favor of magic. Its primary function in the narrative is as a possession of Dudley Dursley. He attempted to bring the console with him when the Dursley family was being evacuated from Number Four, Privet Drive, showing a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of being on the run from dark wizards. He intended to power it with a portable generator, a plan Harry Potter pointed out was impractical for life in hiding.

The PlayStation 3 was purchased by or for Dudley Dursley shortly before the summer of 1997. In late July of that year, as the Dursley family prepared to go into hiding under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix, Dudley tried to pack the console along with his television and other electronics. The ultimate fate of the device is unknown, but it was likely left behind at Number Four, Privet Drive.

The PlayStation 3's appearance is brief but significant. It serves several narrative purposes:

• Characterization: It highlights Dudley Dursley's materialism and his naive, self-absorbed nature. His primary concern during a moment of extreme danger is for his new toy, emphasizing his deep immersion in the mundane Muggle world and his ignorance of the threat posed by Lord Voldemort.
• World Contrast: The conversation about needing an electrical plug and a generator underscores the stark contrast between the practicalities of the Muggle world and the magical world Harry Potter inhabits. It provides a moment of comic relief while reinforcing the Dursleys' inability to grasp the severity of their situation.
• Symbolism: The object symbolizes the consumerist lifestyle the Dursleys represent, a world that Harry is permanently leaving behind as he fully commits to the fight in the Second Wizarding War.

• The PlayStation 3 is a real-world home video game console created by the Japanese company Sony. Its inclusion in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a notable anachronism. The chapter “The Dursleys Departing” takes place in July 1997, but the real-world PlayStation 3 console was not released until late 2006. This is a rare continuity error within the original novels. It is possible the author used the contemporary term “PlayStation” as a generic synonym for a modern games console familiar to readers at the time of publication (2007).