Sony Innovation Timeline

  • Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Corporation 1946

    Company starts up in 1946 and release their first successful product the Type G tape recorder in 1950
  • Name Change To Sony in 1955

    The TR-55 Transistor Radio was the first product released under the Sony brand
  • Launch of Beta Max Video cassette 1975

    Sony pivot from pure sound based products to picture based products
  • Walkman Releases 1979

    innovating from the video cassette Sony introduces the worlds first ever portable music player
  • First CD Player releases 1982

    The first ever CD player was developed and released in conjunction with Philips
  • Business Model Pivot 1983

    Sony pivoted their business model to become the Sony business groups system which incorporated many different groups furthering portfolio diversification
  • Advancing Sound Quality In The Industry 1993

    Sony introduces Sony Dynamic Digital Sound with improved upon the sound quality of its predecessor Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
  • Business Model Refinement and PS1 release in 1994

    Sony reorganises its business model and streamlines it into from 19 separate groups into 8 divisional companies and go onto release the PlayStation 1 which gained 61% of global console sales.
  • PlayStation 2 Releases 2000

    Sony releases the PlayStation 2, the most successful console of all time, selling over 150 million units as of 2011
  • BRAVIA Introduced 2005

    Sony introduces BRAVIA, an in house brand for producing high-definition LCD Televisions, home cinemas and the home theater range
  • PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Network Releases 2006

    Sony releases the PS3, competing with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The PS3 has been sold at a loss since launch due to the high manufacturing costs due to many things including the incorporation of the blue-ray player
  • First OLED TV Releases 2007

    Sony release the first ever OLED TV to the market which at the time, had very mixed reviews despite the cutting edge technology
  • PlayStation Plus 2010

    Sony launched PS Plus, a subscription based service allowing users to access multiple games without full purchase.
  • PlayStation Vita Releases 2011

    Sony tries to innovate in the portable console market with the PlayStation Vita. The Vita used a high performance GPU and housed a 5 inch multi-touch OLED front display and even 3G network capabilities , a first in the industry
  • PlayStation 4 Releases 2013

    Launching with enhanced social capabilities and network services. moreover, it contained better performance, storage and graphical power than any prior console and was hailed the most powerful console on the market.
  • PlayStation VR Releases 2014

    Sony releases PSVR. A virtual reality system which is used for enriching the gameplay experience far further and provides a detailed 3D environment for increased immersion
  • Sony Interactive Entertainment Formed 2016

    A new company that joins the forces of all business units belonging to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Sony Network Entertainment International
  • PlayStation 4 Pro Releases 2016

    Sony demonstrates incremental innovation when they released the PlayStation 4 Pro which had larger storage and faster load times, better graphics and better CPU / GPU.
  • PlayStation 5 Releases 2020

    Carrying an Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive, high fidelity graphics up to 4k, as well as ultra-high speed SSD. Furthermore, the wireless Dual Sense controller added features such as adaptive triggers. The Pulse 3D audio headset for PS5 was released simultaneously which produces incredible surround 3D audio