In 1994, when Sony released the original PlayStation
It revolutionized the gaming industry and kicked off a legacy that is still going strong, more than 25 years later
As fans eagerly anticipate its latest generation of console, the PlayStation 5
I figured it’s time to take a look how the iconic brand came to be
This is the evolution of PlayStation
Originally, Sony intended to team up with the powerhouse and market-leader at the time, Nintendo
Rather than introducing their own console, Sony planned to create a CD-based add-on for the hugely popular SNES
But since Nintendo wanted full licensing rights, Sony backed out
Fun fact, a prototype of the console that was created by the partnership of Nintendo and Sony
Also known as the Nintendo Play Station was sold for $360,000!
Just imagine if Nintendo and Sony still worked together and there would be the Nintendo PlayStation Switch
We could play God of War, Mario and Zelda games all on the same console!
The original PlayStation from 1994, or ‘PS One’ as it came to be known, was a massive hit
It became the first game console in history to sell more than 100 million units
Its main advantage over the competition was that it used CD for all of its games
as opposed to the heavy use of cartridges at the time
Whereas a cartridge could store maybe 12 to 15 megabytes of data, developers using CD could store up to 650 megabytes
A memory card was required to save your game progress
The console’s specifications meant better graphics and an overall improved gameplay experience
And yes… This were actually good graphics at the time
As a result, successful franchises like Final Fantasy actually switched from Nintendo to PlayStation
Classic games like Castlevania
Crash Bandicoot
Metal Gear Solid also attracted a wide audience and showcased the superior performance of the console
The PS1 was pretty impressive as a standalone audio CD player too
It played discs with great clarity and as such it served multiple uses, appealing to families and older generations
This tradition of dual purpose would be seen in later versions of PlayStation
With the PS2 catering to DVDs and the PS3 serving as one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players upon its release
Fun fact, did you know that the PlayStation controller was made much thicker than the flat controllers used by other consoles in order to feel more 3D?
And that the symbols actually have a deeper meaning?
The triangle refers to a viewpoint and the direction a player is headed
The square button indicates a piece of paper which references the game’s menu
While the circle and ‘X’ buttons mean ‘Yes and ‘No’
Oh and by the way, even though almost everybody calls it the ‘X’ button, including me, its official name is the ‘cross’
Despite the video game industry being practically blown away by the PS1
The PlayStation 2 was arguably the jewel in Sony’s crown
Released in the year 2000, it remains the highest selling home video game console ever, with over 155 million units sold!
It seamlessly made the transition from CD to DVD, meaning it could be used to watch movies as well as play games
And allowed for online play with high definition 3D visuals
Meanwhile, the PS2 memory card upped its capacity to 8 megabytes of storage
The controller was also improved with two analogue sticks allowing for greater degrees of movement
Much-loved franchises like Ratchet & Clank
God of War
And Jak & Daxter found their feet with the PS2
While already popular series, such as Grand Theft Auto, saw a huge boost with the console’s heightened power
For example, GTA 3 offered gamers a fully immersive, sandbox-style game in three dimensions for the first time
Multiple accessories were released for the PS2, with limited success
They included the Eyetoy camera, Singstar microphones and Buzzers
All of which increased the levels of interaction players experienced, for a short while anyway
With the introduction of the PlayStation 3 in 2006 came Sony’s first real signs of trouble
Having made yet another transition
This time from DVD to Blu-Ray
It became difficult for Sony to turn a profit thanks to its use of cutting-edge technology
They were already competing with Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 at this point, but lost out on many initial sales
Mainly due to the PS3 high price point at launch
Which was a whopping $499 for a 20 gigabyte model and $599 for a 60 gigabyte console
Regardless, 87.4 million PS3s were sold and it eventually ended up outselling the Xbox 360
Upgrades over the previous models included:
Wi-Fi connectivity, wireless DualShock 3 controllers and the use of PlayStation Network and an online PlayStation Store
Gamers no longer had to use a memory card either, as game data could be stored on the system’s internal hard drive
Motion controls remained popular for a short while
With the PlayStation’s Move controller and upgraded Eye camera trying to keep up with Microsoft’s Kinect system
Some of the most ground-breaking and hugely technical games on the PS3 include The Last of Us
Skyrim
Uncharted 2
Red Dead Redemption
And Grand Theft Auto 5
Online gaming also became much more popular with games like:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
And Ultimate team in FIFA games
When it came time for the next iteration of game consoles in 2013, Sony had learnt their lesson
And gained high praise and support after announcing that the PlayStation 4 would be $100 cheaper than the new Xbox One
The PS4 sold one million units within its first day, setting the record for the fastest selling console in a 24-hour period
Owners of the PS4 benefitted from stunning graphics
With vibrant visuals and innovative software that allowed for streaming and sharing gameplay instantly on social media
PlayStation also released their on-demand system called ‘PlayStation Now’ in 2014
Allowing subscribers to access hundreds of mainstream and indie games from the past and present
In addition to epic action adventure games like Bloodborne
The Witcher 3
Red Dead Redemption 2
Uncharted 4
And Horizon Zero Dawn
The rise of PlayStation VR in 2016 allowed gamers to experience some titles in a convincing virtual reality setting
Plus, gamers were also given the option to experience their favorite games in even more detail
With the arrival of the PS4 Pro and its 4K graphics with High Dynamic Range
PlayStation has always released upgraded or slimmer versions of its consoles
in a trend that is often mirrored by its competitors
And finally, scheduled to launch in late 2020 is the PlayStation 5
Designs for the futuristic model have recently been released
But at the time of writing, no price point has yet been confirmed
Buyers can expect at least 825 gigabytes of storage, and will be happy to know that the system is backwards compatible
Meaning they can run their PS4 games on it if they wish
The graphics are also expected to be incredible and there are some very exciting titles coming for the PlayStation 5
Including Horizon Forbidden West
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Assassins Creed Valhalla
And of course Cyberpunk 2077
Unlike failed video game companies of the past, like Atari
It appears as though PlayStation will continue to dominate the scene for a long time to come
And that’s fine by me
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