Sony PlayStation officially turns 30 years old

On this day in 1994, Sony launched its PlayStation console to the Japanese market. With Europe and the US getting theirs the following September, the system went on to not only be a worthy contender against the likes of Nintendo and Sega, but practically dominate the gaming sphere. Impressive for a newcomer. Today, we celebrate its 30th anniversary.

The occasion has been marked by the official PlayStation X account with a two-minute video that showcases some of the brand’s most recognizable mascots that have graced our collective screens over the past three decades.

As time went on, Sony manufactured and released newer generations, with a simple-to-understand numbering system (are you taking notes, Xbox?). It’s hard to imagine that we’re five generations into the PlayStation brand, and it all goes back to that cold December day in the mid-1990s when the console wars were still in full swing.

What made the PS1 such a success?

Prior to the original PlayStation, the console market was the arena for two heavyweights: Nintendo and Sega. Both had been contending with each other for years, but when Sony came along, a worthy contender began to flex its muscles.

In fact, the PS1 ended up being such a success that it practically knocked Sega aside, perhaps owed in large part to the release of the latter’s Saturn system, which proved to be rather unsuccessful. Sega’s Dreamcast – launched in 1998 – also failed to make a huge impact against the likes of Nintendo and now Sony. The company eventually left the console manufacturing space for good.

Where the PlayStation succeeded was in its use of CDs, as opposed to cartridges, which were the default game media at the time, such as for the PlayStation’s biggest rival, the Nintendo 64.

In its lifetime, the original PS1 would sell over 102 million units worldwide, which makes it the sixth best-selling console of all time. This puts it ahead of even massive sellers like the Wii, which sold over 101 million units.

Sony would eventually release the PlayStation 2 in 2000, which has gone on to be the biggest-selling video game console in history. Many of us will have nothing but fond memories for the OG gray system though, which gave us such iconic characters and franchises as Lara Croft, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil. Seriously, so many good PS1 games.

The PlayStation’s use of bigger (and more current) storage media, its roster of almost 8,000 titles, and third-party development put it ahead of the curve against the N64’s less impressive 388 releases in its lifetime, not to mention its insistence on in-house or second-party development (though, they did have Rare).

So, here’s to the original PlayStation, which celebrates 30 years today. Long gone but by no means forgotten. Especially by us old farts.