Sony's first-generation PlayStation game console has won an Emmy award for pioneering three-dimensional gaming technology.

The popular entertainment system, marking its 10th anniversary in the North American market this year, was awarded the prominent TV industry award in the Outstanding Achievement in Technology and Advanced New Media category.

"When the concept for PlayStation was in its infancy in the early 1990s, we had a dream to elevate the quality of computer graphics from a two-dimension-based environment to a rich, realistic 3-D experience," said SCE's president, Ken Kutaragi, in a statement.

Global shipments of the successor model, PlayStation2, exceeded 90 million units after its launch in Japan in March 2000.

The console's third incarnation, PlayStation3, is set for release in spring 2006. It will feature even more realistic high-definition graphics, said SCE, a subsidiary of consumer electronics giant Sony Corp.