PlayStation was the brainchild of Ken Kutaragi, a Sony executive who had just come out of his hardware engineering division at that time and would later be dubbed as “The Father of the PlayStation”.
The console’s origins date back to 1986 where it was originally a joint project between Nintendo and Sony to create a CD-ROM for the Super Famicom/SNES console.
The PlayStation made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in June 1991 when Sony revealed its console, a Super Famicom/SNES with a built-
in CD-ROM drive (that incorporated Green Book technology or CDi). However, a day after the announcement at CES, Nintendo announced that it would
be breaking its partnership with Sony, opting to go with Philips instead but using the same technology.
The deal was broken by Nintendo after they were unable to come to an agreement on how revenue would be split between the two companies.
The breaking of the partnership infuriated Sony President Norio Ohga, who responded by appointing Kutaragi with the responsibility of developing
of the PlayStation project to rival Nintendo.
The original PlayStation released in December 1994 was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices.
It has included successor consoles and upgrades including the Net Yaroze (a special black PlayStation with tools and instructions to program
PlayStation games and applications), “PSone” (a smaller version of the original) and the PocketStation (a handheld which enhances PlayStation
games and also acts as a memory card). It was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the Sega Saturn and the
Nintendo 64. By March 31, 2005, the PlayStation and PSone had shipped a combined total of 102.49 million units,[16] becoming the first video
game console to sell 100 million units.
PlayStation 2
Released in 2000, 15 months after the Dreamcast and a year before its other competitors, the Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube, the PlayStation 2
is part of the sixth generation of video game consoles, and is backwards-compatible with most original PlayStation games.
It has also been released as a media center configuration and also having, like its predecessor, a slimmer redesign.
It is the most successful console in the world,[19] having sold over 140 million units as of July 20, 2008.
On November 29, 2005, the PS2 became the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9
months from its launch.
This achievement occurred faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation, which took “9 years and 6 months since launch” to reach the same figure.
PlayStation 2 Slimline
Released in 2004, four years after the launch of the original PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 2 Slimline was the first major redesign of the
PlayStation 2. Compared to its predecessor, the Slimline was smaller, thinner, quieter and also included a built-in Ethernet port (in some
markets it also has an integrated modem).
In 2007, Sony began shipping a revision of the Slimline which was lighter than the original Slimline together with a lighter AC adapter.
In 2008, Sony released yet another revision of the Slimline which had an overhauled internal design incorporating the power supply into the
console itself like the original PlayStation 2 resulting in a further reduced total weight of the console.
PlayStation 3
Released on November 11, 2006, the PlayStation 3 is the third and current iteration in the series.
It competes with the Xbox 360 and the Wii in the seventh generation of video game consoles.
It is the first console in the series to introduce the use of motion controls in games through the use of the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller along
with other features, such as Blu-ray Disc and Full High-definition resolution graphics capability.
The PlayStation 3 comes in 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB, 120 GB, 250 GB, and 320 GB, with only the 160, and 320 being the current models.
Like its predecessors, a slimmer redesigned model of the console has been released.
As of December 25th 2010, the PlayStation 3 has sold 41.5 million units worldwide according to Sony Computer Entertainment.
PlayStation 3 Slim
Released in 2009, the redesigned model of the PlayStation 3 is the only model in production.
The redesigned model is 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and consumes 34% to 45% less power than previous models.
In addition, it features a redesigned cooling system and a smaller Cell processor which was moved to a 45nm manufacturing process.
It sold in excess of a million units within its first 3 weeks on sale.
The redesign also features support for CEC (more commonly referred to by its manufacturer brandings of BraviaSync, VIERA Link, EasyLink and
others) which allows control of the console over HDMI by using the remote control as the controller.
The PS3 slim also runs quieter and is cooler than previous models due to its 45 nm Cell.
The PS3 Slim no longer has the “main power” switch (similar to PlayStation 2 slim), like the previous PS3 models, which was located at the back
of the console.
It was officially released on September 1, 2009 in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009 in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.