TOKYO: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.’s PlayStation home video game console marked the 30th anniversary of its debut on Tuesday, having reshaped the gaming industry once dominated by Nintendo Co. by attracting gamers worldwide with its vivid 3D images and sleek design.
The first-generation PlayStation hit the store shelves in 1994 as a CD-ROM-compatible machine developed by the Sony Group Corp. unit for software of Nintendo’s Super Famicom console.
After the joint development project broke down, Sony decided to make a foray into the home video game market on its own.
Console development leader Ken Kutaragi, known as “the father of the PlayStation,” won over a reluctant Sony management team.
The PS2, released in 2000 to succeed the original PS, allowed users to enjoy movies and other entertainment on DVDs.
Cumulative global shipments of the original machine exceeded 100 million units and those of the PS2 topped 160 million units. In particular, the second-generation model is still considered the best-selling console in history.
The PS2’s overwhelming victory in the survival race for next-generation consoles of that time against the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn of Sega Enterprises Ltd., now Sega Corp., let games replace consumer electronics as Sony’s main business pillar.
Sales of the PS3, launched in 2006, were sluggish as it was highly priced to reflect elevated development costs.
But the next model, PS4, became a big hit with shipments topping 100 million units again thanks mainly to its function allowing users to share gameplay videos online, firmly establishing its position along with the Nintendo Switch console.
In recent years, consoles have seen their popularity fading amid proliferation of games for smartphones and personal computers. Cumulative shipments of the PS5, rolled out in 2020, stood at 65 million-plus units as of the end of September.
Sony is now shifting its focus from console sales to revenue from its subscription service to allow users to download game software online.
According to the Famitsu Game White Paper 2024, published by the Kadokawa Ascii Research Laboratories, the global game content market in 2023 expanded 3.1 pct from the previous year to 29.5 trillion yen, suggesting that the PS subscription service stands a chance.
JIJI Press