Over 30 years, PlayStation has evolved from an ambitious experiment to a leading gaming brand that defines the face of the industry. Each generation of this console offered new technologies, solved numerous challenges, and set trends. Let's remember how Sony changed the world of gaming together.
The CD revolution
Exactly 30 years ago, on December 3, 1994, the first PlayStation appeared on store shelves in Japan. A year later, it would travel overseas and take over the world.
The PlayStation was born after an unsuccessful partnership between Sony and Nintendo. Instead of creating a CD add-on for the SNES, Sony decided to release its own console. The idea of using CDs instead of cartridges was revolutionary. Thanks to them, developers got more space to create cinematic plots, complex game mechanics and high-quality sound.
In addition to the aforementioned new opportunities for developers from using CDs, the PlayStation has become one of the most affordable audio CD players, making it the first device for listening to music in many families.
Among the most famous titles were Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, and Tekken. The PlayStation 1 also launched many game series that are still alive and well, such as Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Gran Turismo. There were also popular series that, unfortunately, did not retain their popularity and are now on the deep shelves of publishers. Among them are Twisted Metal, Ridge Racer, Syphon Philter , and many others.
In addition to cult series, many of these games marked the emergence of new genres. Survival Horror, for example, emerged even before the PlayStation, thanks to Alone in the Dark (1992) by Infogrames. However, it was the PlayStation that made the genre popular and massive thanks to its technological capabilities and games like Resident Evil (1996) and Silent Hill (1999). These projects not only developed the mechanics, but also added a cinematic approach and created a survival horror benchmark for all subsequent games. Even modern representatives of the genre use the same basics and basic mechanics, adding a more technological approach to implementation.
The huge success of the PlayStation marked the transition to the era of three-dimensional gaming. Although the hardware of the console was quite powerful, it was still not enough for full 3D graphics in all games. Therefore, developers often resorted to tricks. For example, in Resident Evil or Final Fantasy, there was no real 3D, and the backgrounds in the locations were flat pre-rendered images overlaid with three-dimensional character models.
To convert games to 3D, you need to control the camera in these three dimensions. As you might have guessed, these controls were analog sticks on the controller. Analog joysticks existed long before the PlayStation, and they became popular for home gaming systems with the release of the Nintendo 64 in 1996. However, it was Sony's new Dual Analog that became the prototype of the standard controller for the gaming industry for decades. Later in 1997, the Dual Analog was replaced by the improved Dual Shock, the future king and icon of gamepads for years to come. This controller combined two analog sticks with vibration, which became an integral part of the gameplay. This design remained almost unchanged for future generations of PlayStation, up to the 4th in 2013. And we still use this control scheme: two analog sticks, a d-pad (or thumbstick), four action buttons, and four bumpers/triggers on the front of the gamepad. And all of this is flavored with a vibration response to various events in the game.
The PlayStation 1 went through "slimification" and immediately started a tradition for subsequent Sony consoles. So, in 2000, a smaller, cheaper, but still familiar and popular console appeared - now called the PS One. It was so small that it could fit into a jacket pocket - almost portable. Later, there was even a Combo Pack - a screen that was attached to the console and allowed you to play almost anywhere there was access to an outlet.
The PlayStation was the first console to sell more than 100 million units. And from its first appearance until the end of production in 2006, only 102 million units were sold!
The king of home multimedia
PlayStation 2 was released at a time when the gaming industry was gaining momentum. The second generation of PlayStation found itself in a situation where competition in the market was only growing. It was a short period of time when as many as 4 players were selling their consoles at the same time: in addition to the usual Nintendo and SEGA, a vigorous newcomer, Microsoft's Xbox, entered the market.
The PlayStation 2 supported DVDs, making it not only a gaming platform but also a home media player: The PS2 was almost the cheapest DVD player on the market in the early 2000s. In addition, it was compatible with the PS1 game library, which attracted millions of players. Not only did this allow SEGA to maintain the leadership it had achieved so quickly in previous years, but also to multiply its success. The success of the PlayStation 2 was one of the factors that led to SEGA's exit from the home entertainment console market. The Dreamcast, unable to compete, sold so poorly that it was discontinued in 2001.
PlayStation 2 could be compared to a good sequel - more powerful, better, bigger. The second generation made a leap forward in picture quality thanks to powerful hardware and a central chip designed specifically for the needs of a game console. The PlayStation 2 had an innovative architecture that was ahead of its time. The Emotion Engine processor was optimized for parallel computing, which made it suitable for complex mathematical models and not only improved the lives of game developers, but also attracted NASA. After all, the PS2 was affordable and had a powerful processor that could perform complex calculations.
Online gaming was introduced to the PS2 console in 2001 with the Network Adapter. Many sports games, shooters, racing games, role-playing games, fighting games, puzzle games, and even dance games had online support, and the last official PS2 server for Final Fantasy XI was operational until 2016.
The PlayStation 2 cemented the tradition and received the Slim version, which was several times smaller and lighter than the original console, but had no space for a hard disk. Although it made it possible to save game progress and speed up the loading of some games, it was not popular due to its high price. But the "slim" had a built-in network adapter. The novelty also had a choice of body colors, including a bright pink one.
One console, many ways to play. The EyeToy camera was the forerunner of modern VR systems, offering motion control in games. Guitar controllers, microphones, and drum kits allowed rhythm games like Guitar Hero to become iconic, and a host of other interesting accessories changed and expanded the gaming experience.
The key games were the three-dimensional incarnations of GTA and San Andreas as the culmination, Shadow of the Colossus and ICO - adventure games with an innovative approach to game design, the new God of War series - an action game with mythological motifs that has become a PlayStation icon and remains so to this day.
PlayStation 2 is currently the best-selling game console in history with a record 160 million units sold.
The first step to premium portable gaming
On the heels of the success of the PS2 era, it was time to try something new. The PlayStation Portable brought console-quality gaming from the TV screen to the handheld and combined the full gaming experience with the innovations in online technology and media playback that came to the fore with the PS2. This is how Sony decided to challenge Nintendo in the portable console segment. The PlayStation Portable was released in 2004.
It offered powerful 3D graphics, a large display and multimedia features. The PSP was the first Sony console to have Wi-Fi support, which provided new opportunities for multiplayer: you could play both online and locally with friends via Ad-hoc.
The console supported UMD disks, which contained not only games but also movies. A Universal Media Disc could hold as much as 1.8 gigabytes of information. The new format was both an innovation, allowing for the storage of large games with media content, unlike cartridges. But at the same time, it had a high production cost and a rather fragile design.
The XMB (XrossMediaBar) interface, which was also used in the PlayStation 3, made its first debut in the handheld. It is still considered by many gamers to be perhaps the most convenient console interface.
The PSP was successful, primarily because of its wide and diverse library of games. Ports or spin-offs of popular games from home consoles were released on the console - these were individual projects in the GTA, Final Fantasy, God of War, and other franchises. There were also original exclusive projects, such as Loco Roco and Patapon.
Various revisions of the PSP continued to be released until 2011. During this time, the PSP gained cult status and sold more than 80 million units.
The era of HD and realism in games
The PlayStation 3, released in 2006, was a key milestone in the development of the gaming industry thanks to its powerful technology base, Blu-ray support, and the introduction of online services. However, its launch was accompanied by challenges. The PS3 was technologically advanced, but difficult to develop. The new Cell processor was not easy for developers to master and resulted in lower quality PS3 games at the beginning of the generation. The $599 price tag at launch also affected its initial success, as the Xbox 360 launched too successfully and a year earlier than the PS3.
Sony relied on Blu-ray to offer high-resolution games. And the first revisions of the console included a whole multimedia combine. Like the PS2 before it, the PS3 was literally the cheapest media player of the current format on the market. The success of the PS3 helped Blu-ray defeat HD DVD in the format war. The PlayStation 3 also supported 3D technology, which was a rarity for consoles at the time.
The console hardware supported games from the previous two generations, had a whole set of connectors for peripherals, HDMI, Ethernet ports, and a built-in Wi-Fi module. Even one of its slogans was "It Only Does Everything." Later, to reduce the cost of production and lower the market price, backward compatibility and a bunch of connectors were removed.
The free online service PlayStation Network was an important step in the development of multiplayer games. And the launch of the PlayStation Store along with the console's release was an important step in the transition to the digital distribution era.
The PS3 controller was a similar story. Initially, consoles came with the new wireless Sixaxis, which added six-position motion control-hence the name-and retained the ergonomic layout of its predecessor. However, it did not have a vibration function due to patent disputes. It was only in 2007 that the DualShock 3 was released.
The PlayStation 3 has undergone the traditional new revision with the Slim suffix. This version made the production of the console even cheaper and also solved the technical problems of the first revisions, which led to overheating and sometimes even failure.
And then an even more simplified and smaller version of Super Slim appeared.
Motion control in games has become one of the trends of the seventh generation of consoles. The PlayStation Move motion controller uses inertial sensors to detect motion, and its color-changing ball tracks the player's position using the PlayStation Eye camera. PS Move is also compatible with the upcoming PS4, PlayStation VR, and PS5.
It was this generation and, in fact, the PlayStation 3 that defined the list of game series we play to this day. Unfortunately, or fortunately, we play sequels, remakes, and established genres from this era. It is here that the series that symbolize the modern PlayStation were born. These include the incredible adventures of Drake in Uncharted and the emotional dramatic story of The Last of Us. GTA V appeared on PS3 for the first time, and its sequel has not been released to this day. Call of Duty has also become an annual attraction, selling tens of millions of copies each time.
As a result, the PS3 has more than 87 million consoles sold by the end of its life cycle and is in constant competition with the Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 remains an iconic console that paved the way for modern gaming despite its challenges.
An ambitious but unrecognized successor to the PSP
In 2011, Sony released the PlayStation Vita, which was supposed to be a new chapter in the world of portable gaming. The Vita was impressive with its modern design, power, and innovation, but despite its potential, it failed to achieve the success of its predecessor. It was a portable console that sought to combine the quality of home gaming with mobility.
And for this purpose, in technical terms, it had everything and even, it seems, more than necessary. The PS Vita had a 5-inch OLED display, powerful hardware: a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 and a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ graphics chip, which allowed it to run and display PlayStation 3-level games. Finally, the laptop got two analog sticks, just like home consoles. It was almost the perfect introduction for success. However, its limited game library and expensive proprietary memory cards prevented it from becoming a worthy successor to the PSP. Major publishers took their time making games for the new handheld, releasing one or two spinoffs of their series.
It is now commonly believed that the PS Vita came out too early. Its power would have been enough to run big games from PS2 and even PS3 - but the era of remasters hadn't yet arrived. Therefore, the biggest games were separate from the main series. And the beginning of the smartphone era did not allow the features of social media and media streaming applications to unfold.
PS Vita has had some successful releases: Killzone Mercenary, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a very successful port of the mid-range Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012), the excellent Mortal Kombat 9 and a version of the cult Japanese RPG Persona 4. There were also several original and highly acclaimed games designed for the Vita's capabilities: Gravity Rush and Tearaway, which received ports to PS4 and even sequels. A large scattering of indie and Japanese games. But it wasn't enough to become a global success: The PS Vita quickly disappeared from the information field and ended its life cycle with the release of games mainly for the Japanese market. Even support for PS1 games could not change the fate of the console.
Another missed opportunity was the home version of the Vita, the PlayStation TV. It was a mini-console that ran on the same operating system as the Vita and ran most games from cartridges and downloads from the PlayStation Store on the TV. It was controlled by the bundled Dual Shock 3, and later received support for the Dual Shock 4.
PlayStation Vita also got its own Slim version with a bunch of bright colors, but a simpler LCD screen.
Despite its short lifecycle, the PS Vita gained a loyal following of fans who appreciated its innovation and quality. With more than 16 million units sold, it has left a lasting mark on gaming history as a console with great potential that was ahead of its time.
The road to 4K and VR
Sony learned from the PS3's mistakes by focusing on a user-friendly x86 architecture similar to a PC. The PlayStation 4, introduced in 2013, was Sony's return to market leadership. The AMD Jaguar-based processor and Radeon graphics chip provided enough power to create vivid, large-scale games. Unlike Cell's complex architecture, the new approach allowed developers to easily adapt their projects for the PS4.
A key success factor was the $399 starting price tag, which was $100 lower than that of its main competitor, the Xbox One. This was an important psychological moment for gamers, especially after the expensive launch of the PS3.
In this generation, Sony made PlayStation Plus mandatory for online gaming, but compensated for this by regularly giving away free games and exclusive discounts. At the same time, the expansion of the PlayStation Network made the online service more stable and convenient.
The new DualShock 4 has become one of the symbols of the PS4 generation. For the first time since the release of the PS1, the controller has changed its design and improved ergonomics. A touchpad on the front panel that added new ways to interact. A light bar that worked in conjunction with the PlayStation Camera to track movements, which would later play a role in the introduction of VR. A built-in speaker provided a new gaming experience. The headphone jack facilitated communication in online games, allowing you to simply connect almost any headphones with a microphone. And the included small mono headset made things even easier. Improved triggers and analog sticks that are more convenient and accurate.
One of the main innovations of PS4 was the integration of social features that made it easier to share game moments and interact with other players:
- The "Share" button allowed you to instantly take screenshots, record videos, and even broadcast gameplay via services such as Twitch and YouTube.
- The ability to share games with friends through the Remote Play Together feature, which allows another person to join the game even without purchasing it.
- Easily save game progress and automatically create clips of the best moments of the game.
- Notifications and communities for communication between players, organizing gaming sessions, and sharing content.
These features not only added convenience, but also cemented PS4 as a platform for shared gaming experiences.
The PS4 was the first home console to introduce virtual reality technology on a large scale. PlayStation VR, released in 2016, gave players access to VR games at a relatively affordable price: by 2020, more than 5 million VR headsets had been sold. Games like Beat Saber, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and Resident Evil 7 VR have become landmarks for this format and have brought virtual reality to the masses.
PS4 cemented Sony's leadership in the exclusive segment by creating many cult games. Many new franchises attracted players and reinforced the slogan "For the Players." Among the hits were:
- Bloodborne is a cult action game that has become a landmark for hardcore gaming, and millions of players are still waiting for its remake or remaster
- Horizon Zero Dawn is a new franchise that combines an open world with an interesting unusual lore and a fascinating story
- The Last of Us Part II is thelong-awaited and sensational sequel to the best game of the previous generation
- God of War (2018) is a soft-reboot of the series that has gained great recognition.
- Spider-Man - a hit that cemented Marvel's status in gaming
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the grandest and final adventure of everyone's favorite rogue Nathan Drake
And lots and lots of games whose sequels and remasters will become a symbol of the next generation.
In addition to the usual PS4 Slim, this time the world saw something new and unexpected for the console world - an intermediate generation. It was the PlayStation 4 Pro, which added support for 4K image output, as well as graphics settings, including the much-desired Performance Mode. It also improved the gaming experience with PS VR.
PlayStation 4 has become one of Sony's most successful consoles, with over 117 million units sold. It provided easy access to high-quality games, a powerful set of exclusives, and paved the way for virtual reality. This generation proved that the focus on players and quality content is the most important for the success of a console. This allowed it to be a target platform for years after the release of the next-gen PS5.
Play without restrictions
In the midst of the global pandemic, the PlayStation 5 hit store shelves in November 2020. The new console was immediately in high demand, and the shortage of semiconductors further complicated its availability.
Sony has taken the experience of the PS4 and turned it into an even more powerful and convenient device for gaming. The PS5 is based on AMD's advanced architecture, which includes an 8-core Zen 2 processor and RDNA 2 graphics chip with Ray Tracing technology. This makes it possible to create brighter, more realistic worlds enriched with lighting, reflection, and texture details.
A special place is occupied by the ultra-fast SSD, which provides almost instant game loading, fast switching between different stages of the game, and new approaches to level design that were previously limited by the capabilities of slower drives.
In addition, PlayStation 5 has developed the ideas of graphical modes from PS4 Pro and now almost every new game has support for 60 frames per second. And the new HDMI 2.1 standard allows you to display a picture in 120 Hz, have a variable frame rate on displays with VRR support, and in some games allows you to have 120 FPS.
NextGen has backward compatibility with previous generation games, which was lacking on the PlayStation 4, where it was caused by a large difference in hardware architectures.
The king is dead, long live the king! The new controller takes a special place. This time, Sony has redesigned its gamepad again. Dual Sense replaced the Dual Shock and brought with it a bunch of innovations that greatly expand the gaming experience and improve immersion. The formula remains similar to its predecessor: we also have a touchpad and LED strips, a speaker in the gamepad, and a 3.5 audio jack. But now there is also a microphone. There are also new triggers with a recoil that completely changes the feeling of the games where they are used. And the tactile vibration takes the sensation of the environment to a new level. Every movement of leaves and grass, every drop of rain is now felt on your hands.
In addition, many interesting and useful accessories have already been released for the PlayStation 5, making the game without limits more real than ever. The upgraded Dual Sense Edge controller allows you to customize the player's interaction with the game and adjust the controls to your liking. The Access controller, created in close cooperation with accessibility experts, allows gamers with disabilities to play more comfortably and for longer.
PlayStation Portal is a new device that allows you to play games from your PS5 when you're in a different place from your TV or when it's busy.
The new generation of PlayStation brought with it a new generation of PS VR. The second version of the helmet has become better in many aspects, getting rid of the dependence on the old PlayStation Move controllers, improving the response time and screen quality, simplifying the design and connecting to the console with just one USB Type-C cable. However, so far, the new helmet has not received the same recognition and popularity as the first generation. Sony has recently made an adapter for connecting it to a PC, giving Steam users a wider choice of PCVR headsets.
In 4 years, the console has already released many interesting and successful games. Although the shortage of consoles at the start of the generation led to a delay in the full transition to PS5 and a long release of cross-gen titles, they all looked and played much better on the new console. These games include sequels to Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarök, Elden Ring , and others. However, the console also released some great non-exclusive titles that were designed to unleash the full potential of the new hardware. These are Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal , and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Another important feature of this generation is the large number of different re-releases, remasters, and remakes of classic games. Some of them are received coolly, such as the recent Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, while others have been waiting for years, such as Bloodborne.
In this generation, PlayStation Plus has also evolved. Under the influence of competitors from Microsoft, the service introduced subscription levels, adding an additional library of games available for subscription to the more expensive ones. At the same time, all levels receive the usual games of the month.
With the release of the PlayStation 5, the trend of releasing some exclusive Sony Interactive Entertainment games on PCs has gained momentum, which also corresponds to the slogan and philosophy of Play Has No Limits.
The PlayStation 5 was released in two versions: one with a disk drive and one without, which was designed exclusively for digital game purchases. Last year, the familiar Slim version was introduced, which also had two versions. The digital version could be equipped with an optional disk drive.
And this fall, the PlayStation 5 Pro, which was expected by many and not needed by others, was released, which came only in a digital version and a disk drive for it must be purchased separately.
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the PlayStation, PS5 commemorative consoles, accessories, and bundles are now available. They are made in the colors of the very first PlayStation and will evoke pleasant nostalgia for many.
It's still too early to talk about the results of the PlayStation 5 generation, as it is still in full swing. However, Sony maintains its market leadership with 65.5 million units sold. More consoles sold, new games, and exciting worlds are coming.
PlayStation legacy
PlayStation is not just a console, but a whole universe that unites players around the world. For 30 years, Sony has demonstrated that games can be not only entertainment but also art. And this story is only gaining momentum.
Happy Birthday, PlayStation!