post #1450803

The PlayStation 1 (abbreviated as PS1 or PSX) is Sony's first video game console, and their first in the PlayStation line of consoles, releasing in 1994 in Japan, and 1995 in most other major regions. The PlayStation was initially planned to be a CD addon to the Super Nintendo, with it being a partnership between Sony and Nintendo. However, after being announced, the deal fell through due to numerous factors, mainly the revenue that would be split, leading to the cancellation of the addon, and Nintendo announcing they would be working with Philips instead the very next day (which led to the Nintendo CD-i games). So after the partnership fell through, Sony would use their knowledge gained from it to release their very own game console to compete with both Nintendo and Sega. With the help of Ken Kutaragi, Sony would work on development of the system, with Sony gaining multiple third-party developers to release games on the system such as Namco and Midway, and in 1994, Sony would announce the PlayStation at a press conference, with the system releasing in Japan later that year. The PlayStation is a 32-bit system that uses CD-ROM as its main media, which allowed the console to double as a CD player for standard music CDs, along with giving games the ability to have extra storage space, CD quality audio, and full motion video. The console had a heavy emphasis on 3D gaming, as it was seen as being a major leap up from 2D gaming which had been the standard for years, although the console did have a healthy library of 2D focused games as well. In the United States, following the Sega Saturn's surprise launch, Sony used that to quickly get ahead, releasing the console at a more affordable price and having more worthwhile games once it released, mainly Ridge Racer, Battle Arena Toshinden, and Rayman. They also marketed the console to an older demographic, making it seem like a better alternative to the child-focused Nintendo consoles, with plenty of mature games such as Mortal Kombat 3 and Resident Evil. As a result, the PlayStation instantly became a hit, selling millions and posing a serious threat to Nintendo and especially Sega, helped by both companies struggling to compete, as the Super Nintendo looked primitive and the Nintendo 64 having numerous delays, and the Saturn already having struggled with its surprise launch, high price, and lack of worthwhile games at the time. This was due to its relatively low price (which got reduced later on to boot), its ability as a CD player, and having many worthwhile games, such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Metal Gear Solid, the Resident Evil Trilogy, the Crash Bandicoot trilogy, Gran Turismo, Tomb Raider, the Final Fantasy series (especially Final Fantasy 7), the Tekken games, and many many more.
In the year 2000, Sony would release a slimmer and cheaper model called the PS One, featuring a slimmer design, and an LCD screen addon allowing the console to be played anywhere it was hooked up. The console as a whole would be discontinued in 2006 (the same year the PlayStation 3 released), having sold over 100 million units. The system is considered to be one of the greatest of all time and continuing to have a very strong cult following. Its successor would be the PlayStation 2, releasing in 2000.

PlayStation tags

• playstation_console
• playstation_controller
• dualshock
• playstation_move

• playstation_1
• playstation_2
• playstation_3
• playstation_4
• playstation_5

Handheld consoles

• playstation_portable
• playstation_vita