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The PlayStation 1
In December of 1994, the first-generation PlayStation of 32-bits consoles was first released in Japan by Sony Entertainment and then made its American debut in September of 1995. It sold for $299 and used compact disks (CDs) which helped expedite the video games industry to move away from cartridges. This was the beginning of PlayStation revolutionizing the gaming world because of its powerful hardware supporting its 3D gaming requirements. -
Born Again
In March of 2000, Sony released the PlayStation 2 for $299, while the original PlayStation continued to produce the gaming system, being the first console to sell over 100 million systems. The PS2 had the ability to play over the internet which led to its sales dominance over its rivals, Sega DreamCast, Nintendo and GameCube. -
The Portable PlayStation
Five years after the PlayStation 2 came out, Sony had released the first handheld gaming system, the portable PlayStation (PSP), which allowed gamers to play on the go. It was in competition with the Nintendo DS. However, production was discontinued in 2014 because smartphones were offering greater gaming options with better performance. -
Breaking Records
After the PlayStation 2 was released, it sold 100 million systems faster than any other gaming system. When PlayStation 3 was released in 2006 and 2007, it did not have the same initial success as the PS2 because of the intense competition with Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Because of the PS2's ability to play over the internet, it introduced the most extensive line of games ever to play on the console. -
PlayStation 4
In 2013, Sony released the fourth-generation PlayStation with a built-in Blu-ray/DVD player and media streaming capabilities providing access to hundreds of legacy games. It has sold over 117 million systems worldwide and it has become the best-selling consoles ever made. -
PlayStation and Virtual Reality
In October 2016, Sony released a virtual reality headset that is compatible with the PlayStation 4 and 5. It is a headset with built-in cameras with stereoscopic lenses that are positioned between a built-in LED screen and eyes, making the image look 3-D and real.