At one time, the Sony PlayStation 1 game console was a technological breakthrough, a real phenomenon and a miracle of digital technology, and later gained well-deserved popularity among millions of gamers. What is the most memorable about the PS1, what challenges did engineers face, and why did video game developers adore the first Sony PlayStation?
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At a time when the size of a game was measured in kilobytes, and at best in megabytes, switching to CDs was the best solution and literally made the Sony PlayStation 1 as we know it, but let’s start in order.
In the early 1990s, the Japanese company Sony was trying to enter the game console market. It all started with an unsuccessful collaboration with (the most powerful company on the market) Nintendo, but something went wrong at some point.
The two corporations were working on an add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) that would allow the use of compact discs (CDs) for games. The project was called SNES-CD. However, in 1991, Nintendo unexpectedly announced the end of the agreement with Sony and decided to cooperate with Philips.
This move left Sony in a difficult position, but did not stop it. Under the leadership of Ken Kutaragi often referred to as the «father of the PlayStation», Sony decided to develop a new console on its own that could compete in the market and surpass Nintendo’s technology.
Sony’s engineers realized that CD media could offer more features than the cartridges used in consoles of the time. CDs allowed storing larger amounts of data, which opened up new horizons for graphics and sound in games.
For example, a Nintendo 64 cartridge, as you might guess, has only 64 MB of memory, while a CD can hold up to 660 MB. This was a key point that distinguished the future PlayStation from its competitors, and also unleashed the hands of video game developers, allowing them to put in better textures, music files, etc.
In the end, Sony’s efforts were embodied in a groundbreaking project – the first PlayStation, which was released on December 3, 1994 in Japan. It was a console with a tenfold advantage in storage capacity, the top hardware of the time:
The 32-bit processor with an additional coprocessor for graphics allowed drawing three-dimensional objects in real time, shadows, transparency effects with a resolution of up to 640×480 pixels.
But these are all trifles compared to the huge amount of memory on CDs. 660 MB allowed for high-quality textures, sound, and a lot of content. Games began to become long, not playable in one sitting (NES 8-bit). For the first time, high-quality cutscenes appeared, which in the 90s seemed to be the peak of realism, like in a movie.
Personal computers in the 90s were expensive, large, and poorly suited for video games, and the compact Sony PS1 for $299 was a real miracle. For this money, it was impossible to find a cooler gaming device. It was produced until 2006 when the PS3 was released.
The console quickly gained popularity not only in Japan but also in North America and Europe, where it was released in 1995. One of the key reasons for its success was the variety of games of all genres that were created for it. Developers immediately fell in love with the PS1, as did the players themselves.
Those were the old days when innovative graphics and new technologies were perceived positively by the younger generation because now we have the opposite situation — children prefer casual graphics and are not interested in AAA video games.
Sony has been actively engaging third-party developers to create exclusive and innovative games with a big budget. As a result, such games as Final Fantasy VII, Tekken, Resident Evil, and Metal Gear Solid became real hits, strengthening PlayStation’s position in the market.
Nintendo sounded the alarm, but when it was too late to change anything drastically. They would rather not give up cartridges, so they could only watch Sony tear off whole chunks of the market, selling millions of their consoles. The PlayStation 1 had several significant advantages over the Nintendo 64, which contributed to its success:
One of the most significant advantages of the PS1 was the use of CDs, while the N64 continued to use cartridges:
The PlayStation 1 had a much larger selection of games compared to the Nintendo 64, and this was partly due to the easier development process and cheaper media:
Although the N64 had a more powerful graphics processor, the PlayStation 1 had its advantages in terms of graphics:
Not everyone understands the Nintendo 64 controller, and the PlayStation gamepad is more popular with a wider audience:
Sony PlayStation was more aggressive in its marketing campaign:
Without exaggeration, Sony PlayStation has become a platform that has changed the approach to video game development. Games that had previously focused on two-dimensional pixel graphics began to actively use the capabilities of three-dimensional graphics. In addition, the use of CDs allowed developers to create more complex plots with cinematic clips and high-quality sound.
In fact, these are the same story-oriented AAA video games as we have now in 2024, at least in their concept: advanced graphics, a 5-15 hour story, game videos, scripted scenes, and a choice of difficulty.
Final Fantasy VII was one of the first role-playing games (RPGs) to use full-fledged three-dimensional character models. The game also offered a long story and high-quality music. Resident Evil became an equally iconic game that laid the foundation for the entire survival horror genre.
Such games not only brought PlayStation a great commercial success, but also significantly influenced the development of gaming culture in general, built associations with story-based video games among players, and showed developers what ideas can make good money.
The limitations and strict rules of Nintendo did not help to attract developers, while Sony did much better. That’s why the PS1 has released more than 4000 games, and the Nintendo 64 has 10 times less (as well as a 10 times smaller cartridge volume compared to a CD).
There are a lot of cool games for the Sony PS1, but this top ten can be considered the most significant:
This role-playing game has become one of the most famous games on the PlayStation. Final Fantasy VII impressed gamers with its long and epic storyline, cinematic inserts, and well-thought-out battle mechanics. Now it’s a retro classic, but back in 1997, it was a dream come true.
Hideo Kojima’s stealth action game not only brought success to the Metal Gear series, but also set new standards for story-driven games. He is the progenitor of the genre, whose best practices still live on in modern AAA video games.
The original Resident Evil laid the foundation for the «survival horror genre. Despite the slow gameplay and not very convenient controls, the game became famous for its tense atmosphere and the need to count every bullet, as well as all other resources.
Gran Turismo was the first real racing game that was close to a simulator in quality. The developers tried to make the physics as realistic as possible, which seemed phenomenal after the casual Mario Kart games for Nintendo.
The third installment of Tekken is considered one of the best fighting games for the PlayStation. The Mortal Kombat killer turned out to be surprisingly successful: many characters, gorgeous graphics, and fast-paced fights that cemented the series (which is still alive) as one of the leading ones in the genre.
Symphony of the Night is an important milestone for the development of the «metroidvania» genre. The game offers an open world to explore, tons of secrets and RPG elements. 2D conservatives did not receive this game very warmly, although it gained its popularity.
Crash Bandicoot became a kind of replacement for Mario on the PlayStation. The nimble fox made the Naughty Dog studio famous, which later released many more Crash games. The game is characterized by pleasant music, fun gameplay, but high complexity, which caused many gamepads to break.
The first part of Tomb Raider introduced Aunt Larissa, who later became one of the most famous characters in the history of video games. The game offered great three-dimensional puzzles, action, and the famous triangular boobs with few polygons.
Silent Hill was released at the peak of the survival horror genre’s popularity, and differed from Resident Evil in its more psychological atmosphere and unique puzzles. The peculiar atmosphere, good soundtrack, and cool graphics by the standards of those times made the game a cult game.
One of the best sports casuals about a crazy skateboarder. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 has revolutionized the extreme sports game genre, offering cutting-edge graphics, beautiful, albeit unrealistic, trick physics and music.
The Sony PlayStation 1 has definitely changed the gaming industry forever, setting it on the right track. It has become the embodiment of innovation, experimentation, creativity and technological progress.
Sony not only entered a market that initially seemed closed, too difficult for new players, but also managed to set its own rules of the game, putting the monopolist Nintendo in front of a choice without a choice. The transition to optical media was inevitable.
Thanks to the success of the first PlayStation, Sony has become one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies. The console itself has cemented its place in history as one of the largest and most influential gaming systems of all time.
This is the end of the PS1 story, but we are just beginning a series of articles about Japanese consoles. In the following articles, we will review all models, reaching the brand-new PS5 Pro.