There’s just over a month until the launch of the PlayStation 5 in Australia. With excitement building, let’s take a look back at the last 25 years of PlayStation.
Sony PlayStation – 1995
The PlayStation was born after a 1988 deal with Nintendo collapsed. The PlayStation was originally a disc add-on feature for the Super Nintendo (SNES), but Nintendo ditched Sony and locked in a deal with Phillips to produce the Super NES CD-ROM.
It was never released.
Sony took the dud deal and ran, eventually producing their own video game console, Sony PlayStation.
The first PlayStation was revolutionary to video games, to this day it’s still one of the highest-selling consoles ever.
The console was first released in Japan in 1994, hitting the US and world market in 1995.
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The PS1 was launched into the Australian market on November 15, 1995 with an RRP of $699.95. That’s over $1200 in today’s money when adjusted for inflation.
Throughout the life of the console near 8000 games were developed, including smash hits Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy 7 and Tekken.
A slim version of the console, PSONE was released in 2000.
The PlayStation sold over 100 million units and was discontinued in 2006.
How the PlayStation has evolved over the past 25 years
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PlayStation 2 – 2000
The PlayStation 2, or PS2 as it was known, was released in March, 2000 in Japan, hitting Australian shores on November 24, 2000.
It was the first video game console that doubled as a DVD player, this gave Sony a huge leap in the market.
Many video game franchises got their start on the PS2 including God of War, Ratchet & Clank and Devil May Cry, as well as the hugely successful Kingdom Hearts series.
The PS2 went head-to-head with the Xbox, Dreamcast and Nintendo Gamecube, coming out on top. To this day the PS2 is the highest-selling console of all time, with over 155 million units sold. It was discontinued after a record 12 years.
PlayStation 3 – 2006
The PlayStation 3 was officially announced at E3 in 2005 and was expected to be released in Australia on November 17 2006, it was unfortunately delayed due to manufacturing demands, landing in Australia in March 2007.
The highly anticipated PS3 was met with a sour face after Sony revealed the price of the console. It was the most expensive console at the time, mostly due to it’s bluray capability, the 60gb unit set Aussie consumers back $999 (which equates to over $1300 in 2020).
It was redesigned in 2009, with Sony Computer Entertainment releasing a Slim version of the console. The PS3 Slim was 33 per cent smaller than the standard unit.
It was eventually re-branded as the PS3 before an even smaller version of the console, the PS3 Super Slim, was released in 2012.
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The Super Slim was 25 per cent smaller and had a larger HDD than the Slim.
The PS3 was the beginning for the Uncharted series, a title that really highlighted the power of the console. Another hit PS3 exclusive was The Last of Us.
The PlayStation 3 sold about 87 million units and was discontinued in March 2013.
PlayStation 4 – 2013
The PlayStation 4 was the next big step for Sony and a huge leap for video games.
It was announced at Sony’s ‘See The Future’ event in New York in February 2013. The PS4 launched in Australia later that year on November 29.
The PS4 was the first console not to receive an early Japanese release, launching in February 2014 in Japan.
The PlayStation 4’s launch price was a very slight breath of fresh air for consumers after the PS3, Sony settling on a $549 RRP in Australia.
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The PlayStation 4 had a small list of exclusive games at launch including, DriveClub, Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack.
In September 2016, Sony unveiled two new PS4 variants, the PlayStation 4 Slim and a high-end version; PlayStation 4 Pro. The PS4 Pro featured upgraded graphics and 4K support.
The PS4 is the second highest-selling home console of all time, it’s sold over 112 million units and counting.
PlayStation 5 – 2020
The PlayStation 5 is Sony’s next generation console releasing on November 12 this year.
(PlayStation)
It’s currently priced at $749 for the standard edition and $549 for the digital.
The PlayStation 5 is the first of Sony’s home consoles to include an SSD, allowing for ultra fast loading times, as well as ray tracing technology.
The PS5 will come pre-installed with Astro’s Playroom. PlayStation Plus subscribers will also receive the PlayStation Collection on launch, which includes 18 video game titles — many of them Sony PlayStation exclusives.
Pre-orders for the PS5 were snapped up in minutes, with almost four million consoles already sold.
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