The PlayStation brand has been around since 1994 and with the launch of Sony's latest console, the PlayStation 5, we thought it would be fun to take a trip back in time and discuss the history of PlayStation. This article will discuss where it all started and tell the story of each Sony platform from the PS1 to the PS5. We'll discuss what some of the best games on the console were, how the console sold well, how it affected the entertainment industry, and compare each system's specs, launch price, and more. So let's start!
Nintendo PlayStation
The original device known as the Super NES CD-ROM System, or Nintendo PlayStation, was a partnership between Nintendo and Sony in 1988 to develop a CD-ROM-based system add-on for the SNES. Originally, Sony had no interest in the video game industry, but thanks to a certain Ken Kutaragi, she took on console development as a passionate project and was able to convince Sony's management to go along with it. About 200 prototypes were developed and the system was built to play SNES cartridges and also in Super Disc format.
Nintendo PlayStation - Super NES CD-ROM
Fortunately, the system was never released, as Nintendo not only backed out of the deal with Sony, but negotiated a side deal with Sony's main competitor, Philips. This betrayal motivated Sony to take the technology they developed for a CD-based video game console and advertise the PlayStation at the 1991 Consumer Electronics Show. The rest is history.
PlayStation (PSOne) History
The first PlayStation console released in December 3, 1994 in Japan and in September 9th, 1995 in the United States. The console was a commercial success, selling over 102 million units worldwide during its useful life. One of the main factors in Sony's success was thanks to third-party developers, who left Nintendo because of feuds over Expensive licensing and limited memory storage on cartridges.
The PS1 disc may contain 660 MB, compared to an SNES cartridge that maxes out at 6MB in games like Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean. Even the N64 had memory limits on its 64MB cartridge, along with high manufacturing costs. These limitations were some of the main reasons for the Square move Final Fantasy VII development from the N64 to the PS1, becoming the second best-selling PS1 game of all time behind Gran Turismo.
In July 2000, Sony released the PSOne, a smaller, more compact version of the PlayStation. He removed the parallel and serial ports on the back of the console and joined the reset button to the power button. Sony also released a PSOne combo pack that included a 5-pole LCD screen built into the console, using a power adapter. The PSOne sold extremely well, selling a total of 28,15 million units during its lifetime.
In late 2022, Sony released the PlayStation Classic, which was marketed as a competitor in the newly formed “mini” console trend. The console was basically a crappy emulator that came with only a handful of good games. You cannot play original PS1 discs on the console as it is built for looks rather than functionality. The PS Classic also uses an original PlayStation-style controller, lacking the DualShock features many of us now take for granted. Overall, it was a huge missed opportunity.
Other popular games released during the PS1 generation include Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 2, Spyro The Dragon, Twisted Metal 2, Parasite Eve, and Siphon Filter.
PlayStation 2 history
The PlayStation 2 was announced in 1999 and released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America in October 26th, 2000. the PS2 sold over 155 million units throughout its lifespan, making Sony a dominant force in the gaming industry, surpassing not only the Nintendo N64 and Gamecube, but also SEGA's Saturn and Dreamcast consoles. Despite Microsoft entering the competition with the launch of the most powerful Xbox, Sony has maintained its dominance of the market.
The PS2 brought the new DVD format to the masses and revolutionized gaming for a new generation. It was by far the cheapest DVD player on the market when the PS2 came out. Not only was it the ultimate gaming console, but you could also watch crystal clear 480p movies on your CRTV with 3-5 channel Dolby sound.
Although the PS2 had online support, it was very limited when compared to the Xbox Online service. You had to buy a PlayStation 2 network adapter and use dial-up or broadband Internet to connect to your game, which ran on third-party servers. Eventually, Sony released the PS2 Slim in 2004, which included network ports on the console. Games like Burnout 3: Takedown, Call of Duty 3, Resident Evil Outbreak, Socom 2 US Navy Seals, and Twisted Metal: Black Online were popular using online resources at the time.
It was also around this time that the rise of rhythm games began to explode, with the likes of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution and SingStar becoming popular on the platform. Not only did people buy the games, they also spent hundreds of dollars on accessories like microphones, dance mats, guitars, and electronic drum kits.
Popular games released on PS2 include Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Gran Turismo 4, Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Kingdom Hearts, God of War, and Ratchet & Clank.
PlayStation 3 history
The PlayStation 3 was released on November 11, 2006 in Japan and November 17th, 2006 in North America. went from far Sony's most expensive console, released at a price of $499 for the 20GB model and $599 for the 60GB model due to the new Blu-ray format. The system was heavily criticized at first for its high price, Sixaxis control, and poorly developed cross-platform games.
The unique architecture of Cell it was a big hurdle for the developers at first, but over time they were able to unlock the full potential of the console. Despite its early difficulties, the PS3 would eventually become one of the best-selling seventh-generation consoles, selling 87,4 million units.
The PS3 was also Sony's first real attempt at having online features. While the PS2 was technically supported online via a network adapter, the PS3 release took it a step further with things like PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and eventual PlayStation Plus subscription service.
PlayStation Network was launched in 2006, for players to connect with friends and play multiplayer games online for free. O Trophy system was introduced in July 2008, adding a major missing feature that its competitors on Xbox had with Achievements years earlier. Originally Sony made trophies an optional feature for game developers, however in January 2009 they made them mandatory. Super Stardust HD was the first title to feature trophies thanks to an update. The first physical game to be released with trophies was PixelJunk Eden, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune became the first to feature a platinum trophy.
O PlayStation Home it was fun while it lasted, allowing players to meet in virtual spaces using their own custom avatar. It was released as an open beta in December 2008 and eventually ended in March 2022. Each user was given a personal studio that users could provide with free, paid or earned items. Users can explore Home's virtual spaces, from The Hub to various districts such as Action District, Sportswalk, Pier Park and Shopping Center.
Each district was frequently updated by Sony and its partners with content, streaming events, mini-games, and more. There was also a game launch feature that allowed players to meet up with friends at home and start a game together. While PlayStation Home hasn't found longevity on the PS3, it would be nice if Sony revived it as a PSVR app.
Jogos populares lançados no PS3 incluem The Last of Us, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Warhawk, MotorStorm, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance: Fall of Man, Killzone 2 , Demon’s Souls e Heavenly Sword .
PlayStation 4 history
The PlayStation 4 was the next evolution in Sony's video game consoles, improving on everything they learned from the PS3. The PS4 was the first of Sony's consoles to launch in North America before Japan, launching in November 15th, 2022. The PlayStation 4 featured better online support and better system architecture which made console development much easier than its predecessor.
The PS4 was Sony's first console to feature virtual reality with the headset PSVR, using the PS4 camera and PS Move controllers (introduced with the PS3). The PSVR headset has a 5,7″ OLED display, allowing gamers to play games at up to 1080p resolution with 120Hz/90Hz refresh rates. The headset also includes a processor unit that outputs Social Screen video, 3D audio, and 4K or HDR Cinematic mode for non-PSVR content on a PS4 Pro. There are over 500 PSVR games and experiences, and the library is endless to grow.
Although the PS4 optical drive does not play 4K UHD discs, it is still an improvement over the PS3. The PS4's Blu-ray drive has a maximum read speed of 27MB/s, which is about three times the speed of the PS3's Blu-ray drive, which was capped at 9MB/s. This allows for faster game installations, as during the PS4 era, it became common for you to need to install your games on your console's hard drive in order to play.
In 2022, Sony launched the PlayStation Now, a cloud-based streaming subscription service that allowed you to play new games as well as classics from previous console generations. In 2022, Sony discontinued the service for PS3, PS Vita and PlayStation TV, making the service available only to PS4 owners. In 2020, there were over 800 games available, with over 300 of them available for download.
Having the ability to download games to your hard drive is good, for those who may not have fast, reliable internet for streaming. PlayStation Now is expected to continue into the PS5 generation, though details on how it will work within the PS5 environment have been sparse.
O For PS4, also known as the codename “Neo”, released in November 2022. It was a half-generation improvement, increasing the CPU clock speed to 2,1 GHz and GPU clock speed to 911 MHz, to boost 4K resolution or boost performance in certain games. The PS4 Pro also has improved connections like an extra USB port, HDMI 2.0a instead of HDMI 1.4, and an optical audio port. In addition to the optimized CPU and GPU, the Pro console has 1GB of DDR3 RAM for non-gaming applications to free up faster GDDR5 RAM for gaming performance.
Popular games that have been released for PS4 include Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 5, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne, Driveclub, Killzone Shadow Fall, and Infamous Second Son. And it's not over for the PS4 yet. Many games are yet to come, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Dying Light 2, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
PlayStation 5 and beyond
The PlayStation 5 was released on November 12, 2020 in North America and Japan and the rest of the world in 19 November. The hype for the PS5 is unparalleled, with every retailer and online store selling out within minutes. In Japan, the PS5 sold 118.000 units in just four days. The only thing that prevents the PS5 from making record sales is the offer, which due to the COVID this year, limited production.
When Mark Cerny revealed the system's architecture earlier this year at GDC, he talked about creating a console that makes it easier for developers to build their worlds without hitting bottlenecks. The addition of a custom SSD and support for Ooodle Kraken compression allows developers to implement faster loading and streaming of game data than ever before seen in games. Sony's Jim Ryan also supported the idea that the PS5 is the best experience developers have ever had on any PlayStation console.
“One thing that I'm particularly optimistic about is, what we're hearing from developers and publishers, is the ease with which they can get code to run on PlayStation 5 is far beyond any experience they've had on any other PlayStation platform,” Ryan these.
The PS5 hardware features an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at 3,5 GHz, along with a custom GPU based on AMD's RDNA 2 architecture with 36 compute units clocked at 2,23 GHz, reaching an impressive 10,28, 5 teraflops. The PS16 includes 6GB of GDDR256/825-bit RAM and a custom 5,5GB SSD that can deliver speeds of 9GB/sec (uncompressed) and XNUMXGB/sec (compressed).
“We're talking two orders of magnitude faster, which means almost 100 times faster. Which means at 5GB/sec on SSD the game boots up in a second. There are no loading screens. The game simply slows down and loads half a dozen gigabytes and scales up again. The same goes for a recharge. You are immediately returned to the game after doing so. And fast travel becomes so fast that in the blink of an eye you are there”, these Cerny.
Additionally, the PS5 has a custom 3D audio chip called the Tempest Engine. This custom chip renders unique 3D audio for you as it is calculated based on your ear and head shape. At the moment, its primary role is to deliver unprecedented audio through its headphone jack, but Sony has future plans to optimize the technology for television speakers, soundbars and surround sound systems.
Perhaps no part of the PlayStation 5's hardware stands out more as truly next-gen than the DualSense wireless controller. Built with cutting-edge haptic feedback and adaptive trigger technologies, when using the DualSense controller, players will be able to feel the grip of a bowstring, the impact of a right hook to the side of the head, and the tension of pulling a cord. of a wall. The PlayStation 5, therefore, is as much about feeling the games as you play them as it is about seeing and hearing them.
In addition to the hardware, Sony has also rolled out several enhancements to the PlayStation Plus, announcing the PS Plus Collection, which encompasses a cream of the crop of PS4 exclusives at no extra cost to PS Plus subscribers. That means if you came from a different platform ecosystem, like Microsoft's Xbox, for example, you could catch up with enhanced versions of PS4 exclusives like Days Gone, God of War, and more.
And finally there's PSVR. While the PS5 can utilize existing PSVR headsets and accessories out of the box with a special free jack, it's really the next iteration of Sony's PlayStation VR technology that has us drooling. With an all-new headset and new Valve Index-style controllers seemingly in sight, plus a host of other cutting-edge innovations, Sony looks set to expand its market dominance of the VR gaming space with PS5 and PSVR 2.
Regardless of the technology hidden in the console, it's clearly the quality of the games that counts more and more than anything else and the PlayStation 5 has that in spades.
And that's not to mention 2022 too. Next year, PS5 owners will get Returnal, the next title from the people who brought us Resogun, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West, and much, much more.
Also, don't be surprised to see more PS4 games being enhanced for PS5 too, like The Last of Us Part 2, Bloodborne, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, and more.
Console Specifications/Launch Games/Price Comparison
Here's a quick rundown of each console's launch price, system specs, and launch games.
| PS1 | PS2 | PS3 | PS4 | PS5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $ 299 | $ 299 | $499 (20GB) & $599 (60GB) | $ 399 | $499 & $399 (Digital Only Version) |
| CPU | R3000 @ 33.8688 MHz | MIPS R5900 Emotion Engine @ 294.912 MHz | 3.2 GHz Cell Broadband Engine with 1 PPE and 8 SPEs | 8-core AMD x86-64 Jaguar 1.6 GHz CPU | 8x Cores @ 3.5GHz Custom Zen 2 |
| But by the full GPU acceleration tech | Geometry Transfer Engine | 150 MHz Graphics Synthesizer | 550 MHz Nvidia/SCEI RSX Reality Synthesizer | Custom AMD GCN Radeon integrated into APU; clocked at 800MHz | Custom AMD RDNA 2, 36 CUs @ variable frequency up to 2.23 GHz |
| Memory | 2 MB RAM, 1 MB VRAM | 32 MB of RDRAM (system RAM) & 4 MB of eDRAM (video RAM) | 256 MB XDR DRAM system and 256 MB GDDR3 video | 8 GB GDDR5 RAM & 256 MB DDR3 RAM | 16GB GDDR6 RAM |
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What are some of your favorite PlayStation games and memories over the years? Let us know in the comments section below.
