For 30 years, the PlayStation has marked the biggest step forward in console gaming

It was almost a collaboration with Nintendo, but Sony turned it into a juggernaut of the industry on its own

The first generation PlayStation was released in Japan in 1994, reaching America and Europe in September 1995. Photo: Alamy

Gaming in 1993 looked a lot different. For the best possible experience, gamers headed down to the arcade with a stack of coins. For home gaming, the best options were the Nintendo Super NES and the Sega Mega Drive, both of which were 16-bit consoles.

It wasn't all bad; most people who had one of these consoles still rank them among the best they've owned. But a revolution in gaming was coming from an unlikely newcomer called Sony.

The Japanese tech company might be synonymous with video games today, but 30 years ago, it was just getting started in the market, mostly trying to find another company to work with on a new console.

Nintendo PlayStation?

In 1988, video game leader Nintendo wanted a CD-Rom add-on for its best-selling console. The company began working with Sony on a console prototype and an appendage that could play CD games.

By the summer of 1991, during a tech event in Chicago, Sony announced it would develop the CD-based add-on for the Super Famicom. The next day, Nintendo announced it was developing the CD add-on with Philips instead, abandoning the project with Sony.

Having done more than enough work on a new console, Sony – led by engineer Ken Kutaragi – decided to go ahead and enter the gaming business on its own. Targeting a December 1994 release, the console was initially branded the PlayStation X, or PSX, before simply being called PlayStation.

The extent of the partnership between Sony and Nintendo was kept under wraps for years until 2007 when a prototype of their combined work was shown to the public after an internet leak.

'Gameplay will never be the same'

After a modest advertisement campaign, the PlayStation was released to the Japanese public on December 3, 1994. The console did not arrive in North America until September 1995, eventually making it to Europe later that month.

When it was only available in the Far East, rumours circulated around the world about its capabilities, building up excitement for a system that was seen sparingly on television and in magazines.

The marketing strategy for sales outside Japan was loftier, with campaigns showcasing the strength of the new 32-bit console as well as poking fun at competitors and their capabilities.

By the end of 1995, PlayStation had 20 per cent of the American video game market, giving it an early lead among consoles of its generation. Gamers couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new system, with sales reaching 2.2 million units in Europe alone by late 1996.

One of the biggest selling points for the PlayStation was the amount of games available. Not being attached to a major game development studio such as Nintendo and Sega gave designers greater freedom to create and innovate.

During its first two years, around 400 games were being developed for the PlayStation, compared to 200 for the Sega Saturn and 60 for the Nintendo 64. The number of titles available ensured numerous options for different genres, attracting players of all ages.

Start at the top, stay at the top

Between 1996 and 2000, the Sony PlayStation was the best-selling console every year. During its lifetime, more than 102 million units of the console were sold worldwide, making it the sixth best-selling of all time.

The calibre of quality games released on the first PlayStation has yet to be matched. While the successful titles spawned many sequels and remasters on newer consoles, the PlayStation’s library remains one of the strongest and most unique among its competitors.

This includes games such as Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Gran Turismo, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Tekken, Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider and many more. Sony would only go up from the PlayStation’s release, following it with the even more successful PlayStation 2, which is still the best-selling console of all time at 159 million units sold since its release in 2000.

A feeling etched in time

How people talk about the PlayStation today is as if they’re describing a dear friend. One they miss despite knowing their company would never be the same. For a certain generation who grew up playing the console, and being given access to magnificent worlds with memorable characters and gripping stories, no gaming experience could or will ever match it.

There’s always a small chance the memories are clouded by nostalgic romance rather than genuine quality, but time and time again, the games from that era prove timeless, even today.

Some internet users have even sought to recapture the feeling PlayStation games impart, whether using filters on TikTok to transform a picture into looking like it’s set in a game or following designers on Instagram who create models reminiscent of the style at the time.

What is clear in today’s world of cutting-edge graphics and haptic feedback controllers is that there’s still a joy to be found in the PlayStation games of yesteryear. Three decades later, the PlayStation is the largest leap in the gaming experience to date, evidenced by how it is still being felt in today's gaming world.