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PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment console · Generation 5

PlayStation

PlayStation, Sony's first console (1994): born after the split with Nintendo, it bet on CDs and 3D, with models such as the PS one and Net Yaroze.

History of the PlayStation

The PlayStation grew out of a failed project with Nintendo: in 1988 the two companies agreed to build a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Nintendo. Sony unveiled it at CES 1991 as the "Play Station", but the next day Nintendo announced it was partnering with Philips instead. Ken Kutaragi persuaded Sony president Norio Ohga to pursue a console of its own, built around CD-ROM and 3D graphics. Sony cut ties with Nintendo on May 4, 1992, and announced its entry into the console market on October 27, 1993.

To win over studios, Sony offered cheap PC-based development kits and secured support from Namco, Konami and hundreds of Japanese teams; it also bought Psygnosis. The console launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, at ¥39,800, a week after the Saturn. At the first E3, in May 1995, Sony announced a $299 price against the Saturn's $399. It reached North America on September 9 and Europe on September 29, 1995, and reviewers praised its 3D power and its controller.

CDs made games cheaper than cartridges, and Square and Enix brought Final Fantasy VII and Dragon Quest VII, first planned for the Nintendo 64, to the PlayStation. The library included Ridge Racer, Wipeout, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Spyro the Dragon and Gran Turismo, its best-selling game. Advertising aimed at teenagers and adults, including a presence in British nightclubs, widened its audience. The DualShock controller, with two analog sticks and vibration, arrived in November 1997.

On July 7, 2000, Sony released the PS one, a smaller model that ended the year as the best-selling console, ahead even of the PS2. The PlayStation made Sony the leading console brand by the late 1990s and, together with the PS2, led Sega to leave the console business in 2001. Sony ended production on March 23, 2006, more than eleven years after launch. In December 2018 the PlayStation Classic followed, a miniature version with 20 built-in games.

Milestones

  1. 1991

    Sony unveils the "Play Station" with Nintendo at CES; the next day Nintendo announces its alliance with Philips.

  2. 1993

    On October 27 Sony announces it is entering the console market with the PlayStation.

  3. 1994

    Launch in Japan on December 3 at ¥39,800.

  4. 1995

    Released in North America on September 9 and Europe on September 29.

  5. 1996

    The Net Yaroze hobbyist development kit launches in Japan (June).

  6. 1997

    The DualShock controller arrives in November.

  7. 2000

    The smaller, redesigned PS one is released on July 7.

  8. 2006

    Production ends on March 23.

  9. 2018

    The PlayStation Classic is released on December 3.

Models and revisions

The hardware variants of the PlayStation and their model numbers.

  • PlayStation SCPH-1000 · 1994

    Japanese launch model and the only one with an S-Video port; prone to FMV skipping, overheating and drive wear.

    Models: SCPH-1000

  • PlayStation SCPH-1001 / SCPH-1002 · 1995

    North American and European launch models without S-Video; units from late 1995 moved to Rev. C hardware with SGRAM.

    Models: SCPH-1001, SCPH-1002

  • PlayStation SCPH-3000 / SCPH-3500

    Japanese revisions without S-Video and with Rev. B hardware, equivalent to the first Western consoles.

    Models: SCPH-3000, SCPH-3500

  • PlayStation SCPH-5000 / SCPH-5003

    Model for Japan and Asia with the SCPH-3000 look, Rev. C hardware, some fixed components and a lower price.

    Models: SCPH-5000, SCPH-5003

  • PlayStation SCPH-5500 · 1997

    April 1997 revision that moves the drive away from the power supply to cut heat, adds a digital servo and drops the RCA jacks.

    Models: SCPH-550x, SCPH-5001, SCPH-5552

  • PlayStation SCPH-5903 (Video CD) · 1997

    White model for Southeast Asia, based on the SCPH-5003 and the only one able to play Video CDs; it added an anti-piracy chip.

    Models: SCPH-5903

  • PlayStation SCPH-7000 · 1998

    April 1998 revision, identical outside to the 5500 series, with the DualShock as standard and the Sound Scope music visualizer.

    Models: SCPH-700x

  • PlayStation SCPH-7500 · 1998

    August 1998 revision with major cost cuts: fewer memory and CD chips, and a longer-lasting drive with a metal sled.

    Models: SCPH-750x

  • PlayStation SCPH-9000 · 1999

    Final revision of the original model (May 1999): drops the parallel port and shrinks the board; the last with a serial port.

    Models: SCPH-900x

  • PS one · 2000

    Smaller, redesigned PlayStation released in July 2000, without serial or parallel ports and with an external power supply.

    Models: SCPH-100, SCPH-101, SCPH-102, SCPH-103

    Model history

  • Net Yaroze · 1996

    Black, region-free PlayStation sold as a hobbyist programming kit from 1996, with tools for writing games in C.

    Models: DTL-H3000, DTL-H3001, DTL-H3002

    Model history

  • PlayStation de depuración (DTL-H)

    Developer consoles in blue (older silicon) or green (Rev. C), with 2 MB of RAM like retail units and able to boot burned CDs.

    Models: DTL-H100x, DTL-H110x, DTL-H120x

  • PlayStation Classic · 2018

    2018 miniature console, 45% smaller than the original, with 20 preinstalled games running through emulation.

    Model history

Special editions

Limited editions, colours and commemorative bundles.

  • 1997

    PlayStation SCPH-7000W «10 million model» (Midnight Blue)

    Japanese-region model in Midnight Blue made to celebrate a sales milestone in late 1997; it plays games from any region and was only available through promotional contests in Japan and the US and Canada.