Gaijinworks
Works published
Table:
Title

Date

Developer

Platform(s)

Region(s)

Miami Law
June 9, 2009
Hudson Soft
Nintendo DS
NA

Blaster Master
December 14, 2009
Sunsoft
Virtual Console
NA, EU

Blaster Master: Overdrive
February 8, 2010
Sunsoft
WiiWare
NA, EU

Arc the Lad
October 12, 2010 [NA]
January 18, 2012 [EU]
SCEI, G-Craft
PlayStation Network
NA, EU

Alundra
October 12, 2010 [NA]
August 15, 2012 [EU]
Matrix Software
PlayStation Network
NA, EU

Arc the Lad II
November 23, 2010 [NA]
March 28, 2012 [EU]
SCEI, Arc Entertainment
PlayStation Network
NA, EU

Arc the Lad III
January 4, 2011 [NA]
June 13, 2012 [EU]
SCEI, Arc Entertainment
PlayStation Network
NA, EU

Vanguard Bandits
November 15, 2011
Human Entertainment
PlayStation Network
NA, EU

Class of Heroes 2
June 4, 2013
Acquire
PlayStation Portable
NA

Class of Heroes 2G
June 2, 2015
Acquire
PlayStation 3
NA

Summon Night 5
December 15, 2015
Felistella
PlayStation Portable
NA

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders
October 31, 2017 [NA]
November 15, 2017 [EU]
Media.Vision
PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
NA, EU

From the provided table and the textual context listed.

Solve the question: When was the company that developed Alundra founded ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

Miami Law , known in Japan and Europe as Miami Crisis ( マイアミクライシス , Maiami Kuraishisu ) , is an adventure video game developed by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo DS handheld system . Though produced by a Japanese company , the title was initially released in North America on June 9 , 2009 and it was released in Europe on September 25 , with the English localization being the first project by Gaijinworks since its establishment in 2006 . Hudson Soft worked closely with Gaijinworks founder and head translator Victor Ireland on the project , who sent a research team to Miami , Florida to aid in development of the title . The game features music by hip hop group Miami Beat Wave , who were licensed by Ireland to give the game 's location an authentic feel . Inspired by prime-time crime drama television series , Miami Law follows the exploits of Miami Police Department Officer Martin Law and FBI agent Sara Starling as they attempt to bring down a domestic terrorist organization . Gameplay for the title varies depending on which character a player chooses , with largely action sequence for Martin and puzzle-based scenarios for Sara .
Hudson Soft Co. , Ltd ( 株式会社ハドソン , Kabushiki gaisha Hadoson ) was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles , home computers and mobile phones , mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s . It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown , Akasaka , Minato , Tokyo , Japan , with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo . Hudson Soft was founded on May 18 , 1973 . Initially , it dealt with personal computer products , but later expanded to the development and publishing of video games , mobile content , video game peripherals and music recording . Primarily a video game publisher , it internally developed many of the video games it released while outsourcing others to external companies . It is known for series such as Bomberman , Adventure Island , Bloody Roar , and Bonk . Hudson also developed video games released by other publishers such as the Mario Party series from Nintendo . Hudson Soft made the TurboGrafx-16 in association with NEC , to compete against Nintendo , Sega , and SNK , while continuing making games on other platforms , as a third-party developer . Hudson Soft ceased to exist as a company on March 1 , 2012 , and merged with Konami Digital Entertainment , which was the surviving entity . Konami owns the assets of Hudson and has since rereleased its video game back catalogue on different occasions .
The Nintendo DS , [ b ] or simply DS , is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and released by Nintendo . The device released globally across 2004 and 2005 . The DS , an acronym for Developers ' System or Dual Screen , introduced distinctive new features to handheld gaming : two LCD screens working in tandem ( the bottom one being a touchscreen ) , a built-in microphone , and support for wireless connectivity . Both screens are encompassed within a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP . The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless network . Alternatively , they could interact online using the now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service . Its main competitor was Sony 's PlayStation Portable during the seventh generation of video game consoles . Prior to its release , the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental , third pillar in Nintendo 's console lineup , meant to complement the Game Boy Advance and GameCube . However , backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles and strong sales ultimately established it as the successor to the Game Boy series . On March 2 , 2006 , Nintendo launched the Nintendo DS Lite , a slimmer and lighter redesign of the original Nintendo DS with brighter screens . On November 1 , 2008 , Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi , another redesign with several hardware improvements and new features , although it lost backwards compatibility for Game Boy Advance titles . All Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units , making it the best selling handheld game console to date , and the second best selling video game console of all time behind Sony 's PlayStation 2 .
North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere . It is also considered by some [ quantify ] to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas . It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean , to the east by the Atlantic Ocean , to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean , and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea . North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers ( 9,540,000 square miles ) , about 16.5% of the earth 's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface . North America is the third largest continent by area , following Asia and Africa , and the fourth by population after Asia , Africa , and Europe . In 2013 , its population was estimated at nearly 579 million people in 23 independent states , or about 7.5% of the world 's population , if nearby islands ( most notably around the Caribbean ) are included . North America was reached by its first human populations during the last glacial period , via crossing the Bering land bridge approximately 40,000 to 17,000 years ago . The so-called Paleo-Indian period is taken to have lasted until about 10,000 years ago ( the beginning of the Archaic or Meso-Indian period ) . The Classic stage spans roughly the 6th to 13th centuries . The Pre-Columbian era ended in 1492 , with the beginning of the transatlantic migrations - the arrival of European settlers during the Age of Discovery and the Early Modern period . Present-day cultural and ethnic patterns reflect interactions between European colonists , indigenous peoples , African slaves and their descendants . Owing to Europe 's colonization of the Americas , most North Americans speak European languages such as English , Spanish or French , and their states ' cultures commonly reflect Western traditions .
Blaster Master is a platform and run and gun video game released by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is a localized version of a Japanese Famicom game titled Chô Wakusei Senki Metafight ( 超惑星戦記メタファイト , lit . Super Planetary War Records : Metafight , also simply called Metafight ) , which was released on Jun 17 , 1988 . The game was released in North America in November 1988 and in Europe on April 25 , 1991 . The game is the first in the Blaster Master series , and it spawned two spin-off games as well as two sequels . The game features a character named Jason who follows his pet frog Fred down a hole in the earth . There he finds a tank and uses it to battle radioactive mutants . The player controls Jason and the tank Sophia the 3rd through eight levels of gameplay to find the whereabouts of Fred and to defeat the mutants and their leader , the Plutonium Boss . The game was praised for its smooth play control and level designs , detailed and clean graphics , and music , and it was criticized for its high difficulty level and lack of passwords or save points . The game was novelized by Peter Lerangis , as part of the Worlds of Power series published by Scholastic Books .
Sunsoft ( サンソフト , Sansofuto ) , stylized as SUNSOFT , is a Japanese video game developer and publisher . Sunsoft in itself is not a company , but instead the brand name of Japanese electronic manufacturer Sun Corporation for its video games operations . Its U.S. subsidiary operated under the name Sun Corporation of America , though , as in Japan , games published there showed a logo that read only Sunsoft .
Virtual Console ( バーチャルコンソール , Bācharu Konsōru ) , also abbreviated as VC , is a line of downloadable video games ( mostly unaltered ) for Nintendo 's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console . The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on past home and handheld consoles . These titles are run in their original forms through software emulation ( excluding GBA titles on 3DS ) , and can be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel or Nintendo eShop for between 500 and 1200 Wii Points ( Wii ) , US $ 2.99 and US $ 6.99 ( 3DS ) and US $ 4.99 and US $ 9.99 ( Wii U ) depending on system , rarity , and/or demand . Virtual Console 's library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the Nintendo Entertainment System , Super NES , Game Boy , Game Boy Color , Nintendo 64 , Game Boy Advance , and Nintendo DS , as well as Sega 's Master System and Genesis/Mega Drive , NEC 's TurboGrafx-16 , and SNK 's Neo Geo AES . The service for the Wii also included games for platforms that were known only in select regions , such as the Commodore 64 ( Europe and North America ) and MSX ( Japan ) , as well as Virtual Console Arcade , which allowed players to download video arcade games . Virtual Console titles have been downloaded over ten million times . The sale of past games through the Virtual Console is one of Nintendo 's reasons for opposing software piracy of old console games .
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere . It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north , the Atlantic Ocean to the west , the Mediterranean Sea to the south , and Asia to the east . The eastern border comprises a long and mixed line of mountain ranges and waterways that would normally define a subcontinent . However , Europe is generally accorded the status of a full continent because of its great physical size and the weight of history and tradition . It is the 6th largest continent in the world . Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains , the Ural River , the Caspian and Black Seas and the waterways of the Turkish Straits . Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres ( 3,930,000 sq mi ) , or 2% of the Earth 's surface ( 6.8% of land area ) . Politically , Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which Russia is the largest and most populous , spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population . Europe had a total population of about 741 million ( about 11% of the world population ) as of 2018 [ update ] . The European climate is largely affected by warm Atlantic currents that temper winters and summers on much of the continent , even at latitudes along which the climate in Asia and North America is severe . Further from the sea , seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast . Europe , in particular ancient Greece and ancient Rome , was the birthplace of Western civilisation .
Blaster Master : Overdrive is a platforming and run and gun video game released by Sunsoft and Gaijinworks as a WiiWare title for the Wii game console . It is an update of the formula and soundtrack of the original Blaster Master game , also produced by Sunsoft , in 1988 .
WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo . These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section . Once the user had downloaded the game or application , it would appear in their Wii Menu or SD Card Menu as a new channel . WiiWare was a companion to the Virtual Console , which specializes in emulated games originally developed for other systems instead of original games . WiiWare was promoted as an avenue for developers with small budgets to release innovative , original , and smaller-scale games without the cost and risk of creating a title to be sold at retail ( akin to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store ) . The development kit cost around US $ 2000 and developers needed to be licensed with and approved by Nintendo . According to Nintendo , the remarkable motion controls will give birth to fresh takes on established genres , as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers ' minds . Nintendo handled all pricing options for the downloadable games . Like Virtual Console games , WiiWare was purchased using Wii Shop Points . However , unlike Virtual Console games , instruction manuals were stored on the Wii Shop Channel itself . Unlike its portable equivalent DSiWare , WiiWare games are currently unavailable natively via the Nintendo eShop . However , WiiWare games were purchasable and fully playable on the Wii U console - the Wii 's successor - via Wii Mode .
Arc the Lad is a tactical role-playing video game developed by G-Craft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation . It was the best-selling Japanese PlayStation game of 1995 with over a million copies sold . The story begins as the young girl Kukuru goes to put out the Flame Cion . At the same time , the hero Arc begins his quest to search for his estranged father , who left him and his mother 10 years ago . The two meet after Kukuru has put out the flame and is attacked by monsters . Despite a heavy push for a North American release from RPG fans , the video game media , and third-party publishers , Arc the Lad was never formally released outside of Japan . However , years later it was included in the North American compilation Arc the Lad Collection .
Sony Interactive Entertainment ( SIE ) is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corporation , managed through Sony 's American hub , Sony Corporation of America . Its main headquarters is Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC ( SIE LLC ) , based in San Mateo , California , United States , while Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. ( SIE Inc. ) is based in Tokyo , Japan . SIE Inc. was founded as Sony Computer Entertainment ( SCE ) in Tokyo in November 1993 to handle Sony 's venture into video game development for the PlayStation systems , while SIE LLC was founded in San Mateo in April 2016 . Since the launch of the original PlayStation console in 1994 , the company has been developing PlayStation home video game consoles , accessories and services lineup . Expanding into North America and Europe , the company quickly became Sony 's main resource for research and development in video games and interactive entertainment . In April 2016 , SCE and Sony Network Entertainment International was restructured and reorganized into Sony Interactive Entertainment , carrying over the operations and primary objectives from both companies . The same year , SIE moved its headquarters from Tokyo to San Mateo , California . Sony Interactive Entertainment handles the research and development , production , and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation video game systems . SIE is also a developer and publisher of video game titles , and operates several subsidiaries in Sony 's largest markets : North America , Europe and Asia . By August 2018 , the company had sold more than 525 million PlayStation consoles worldwide .
PlayStation Network ( PSN ) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment . Launched in November 2006 , PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles , but soon extended to encompass smartphones , tablets , Blu-ray players and high-definition televisions . As of April 2016 , over 110 million users have been documented , with 103 million of them active monthly as of December 2019 . PlayStation Network 's services are dedicated to an online marketplace ( PlayStation Store ) , a premium subscription service for enhanced gaming and social features ( PlayStation Plus ) , movie streaming , rentals and purchases ( PlayStation Video ) , music streaming ( PlayStation Music , powered by Spotify ) and a cloud gaming service ( PlayStation Now ) . The service is available in 73 territories .
Alundra ( アランドラ , Arandora ) , released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra , is an action-adventure video game developed by Matrix Software for the PlayStation , originally released in 1997 . The game 's protagonist is a young man named Alundra , who learns that he has the power to enter people 's dreams . He is shipwrecked on an island , near the village of Inoa , where locals have been suffering from recurring nightmares that sometimes cause death . With his dream walking ability , Alundra proceeds to try to help the locals . The narrative becomes gradually darker and more twisted as the game progresses , dealing with mature themes such as death , clinical depression , fate , religion , and the essence of human existence . The gameplay involves extensive exploration of the island and various dungeons , with an emphasis on challenging puzzle solving , real-time action combat , and platforming , as well as interaction with non-player characters in the village of Inoa . The main gameplay innovation is a dream walking mechanic , where Alundra can enter people 's dreams , with each of the dream levels having its own unique twist based upon the dreamer 's personality and traits . Upon release , Alundra earned critical acclaim as well as some initial commercial success . It was praised for its well-written story and characterization , smooth game mechanics and platforming , challenging gameplay and puzzles , and expansive overworld exploration . A sequel entitled Alundra 2 , which has very little in common with the original Alundra , was released in 1999 .
Matrix Software ( 株式会社マトリックス , Kabushiki-gaisha Matorikkusu ) is a Japanese video game development company located in Tokyo . Founded in July 1994 by former members of Climax Entertainment and Telenet Japan , the company has since created games for a number of systems beginning with their action-adventure game title Alundra in April 1997 . Matrix has teamed with other developers such as Square Enix and Chunsoft to produce games for existing franchises such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest , as well as other anime and manga properties . In addition to game console development , Matrix Software has also made games for various Japanese mobile phone brands since 2001 .
Arc the Lad II is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation . The story continues from the first game , although the focus shifts from Arc to Elc . It expands from the gameplay of the first installment , with a larger world and a more diverse cast . An anime was made based on this game .
Arc the Lad III is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation .
Vanguard Bandits , known in Japan as Epica Stella , [ a ] is a tactical role-playing game ( RPG ) for the PlayStation . The game was developed by Human Entertainment and originally released in Japan on July 30 , 1998 . It was published in North America by Working Designs . Vanguard Bandits is a support-centric strategy RPG featuring tactical combat in a medieval fantasy world in which knights and soldiers pilot mecha . This game takes place on the Continent of Eptina where numerous battles have taken place over territory , goods , and beliefs . In the midst of the conflict archaeologists in the Pharastia Kingdom discovered giant armored mecha that they called ATACs , or All Terrain Armored Combatants , that could be controlled by the thoughts of the pilot seated inside the unit 's head . The Kingdom used the power of these ATACs to assume control of the entire continent , and then decided to use them to keep the peace in their new territories . Pharastia soon began to lose control as Coup d'etats and civil wars erupted which left it in a defeated state , with only their standing army remaining .
Human Corporation ( Japanese : ヒューマン株式会社 , Hepburn : Hyūman Kabushiki Gaisha ) was a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded in 1983 . The company produced games for a number of platforms , including home consoles , portable consoles , and PC . Human declared bankruptcy in 2000 and disbanded . Its former members went on to form new companies including Nude Maker , Sandlot , Spike , and Grasshopper Manufacture . The company is known for originating the popular Fire Pro Wrestling series , as well as other sports games such as Formation Soccer and Final Match Tennis , and racing video games such as Human Grand Prix and Fastest 1 . They are also known for developing the first music rhythm video game , Dance Aerobics ( 1987 ) , the 3D open world game Mizzurna Falls ( 1998 ) , and some early horror games including the Twilight Syndrome and Clock Tower series .
Class of Heroes ( 剣と魔法と学園モノ。 , Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono . Lit : Swords , magic , and school girls . ) is a role-playing video game dungeon crawler for the PlayStation Portable developed by Acquire and published by Atlus in North America . The game was released on June 9 , 2009 by Atlus . In the game , players progress by navigating dungeons as hordes of enemies appear and attack in turn-based combat . Class of Heroes received mixed reviews from critics , with some appreciating the creative take on dungeon-crawling and others disliking the game 's graphics and grind-based leveling system . An enhanced remake called Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Anniversary Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on April 26 , 2018 .
Acquire Corp. ( 株式会社アクワイア , Kabushikigaisha Akuwaia ) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher , mainly known for their Tenchu and Way of the Samurai series .
The PlayStation Portable [ a ] ( PSP ) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on December 12 , 2004 , in North America on March 24 , 2005 , and in PAL regions on September 1 , 2005 , and is the first handheld installment in the PlayStation line of consoles . As a seventh generation console , the PSP primarily competed with the Nintendo DS . Development of the PSP was announced during E3 2003 , and the console was unveiled at a Sony press conference on May 11 , 2004 . The system was the most powerful portable console when it was introduced , and was the first real competitor of Nintendo 's handheld consoles after many challengers , such as SNK 's Neo Geo Pocket and Nokia 's N-Gage , had failed . The PSP 's advanced graphics capabilities made it a popular mobile entertainment device , which could connect to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles , computers running Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh software , other PSP systems , and the Internet . The PSP is the only handheld console to use an optical disc format - Universal Media Disc ( UMD ) - as its primary storage medium . The PSP was received positively by critics , and sold over 80 million units during its ten-year lifetime . Several models of the console were released , before the PSP line was succeeded by the PlayStation Vita , released in Japan in 2011 and worldwide a year later . The Vita has backward compatibility with PSP games that were released on the PlayStation Network through the PlayStation Store , which became the main method of purchasing PSP games after Sony shut down access to the store from the PSP on March 31 , 2016 . Hardware shipments of the PSP ended worldwide in 2014 ; production of UMDs ended when the last Japanese factory producing them closed in late 2016 .
Class of Heroes ( 剣と魔法と学園モノ。 , Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono . Lit : Swords , magic , and school girls . ) is a role-playing video game dungeon crawler for the PlayStation Portable developed by Acquire and published by Atlus in North America . The game was released on June 9 , 2009 by Atlus . In the game , players progress by navigating dungeons as hordes of enemies appear and attack in turn-based combat . Class of Heroes received mixed reviews from critics , with some appreciating the creative take on dungeon-crawling and others disliking the game 's graphics and grind-based leveling system . An enhanced remake called Ken to Mahō to Gakuenmono Anniversary Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on April 26 , 2018 .
The PlayStation 3 ( officially abbreviated as PS3 ) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It is the successor to PlayStation 2 , and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles . It was first released on November 11 , 2006 in Japan , November 17 , 2006 in North America , and March 23 , 2007 in Europe and Australia . The PlayStation 3 competed primarily against Microsoft 's Xbox 360 and Nintendo 's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles . The console was first officially announced at E3 2005 , and was released at the end of 2006 . It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium . The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services , including the PlayStation Network , as well as the first to be controllable from a handheld console , through its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita . In September 2009 , the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released . It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games . It was lighter and thinner than the original version , and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design , as well as a minor start-up change in software . A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012 , further refining and redesigning the console . During its early years , the system was negatively received , due to its high price ( $ 599 for a 60 gigabyte model , $ 499 for a 20 GB model ) , a complex processor architecture , and lack of quality games but was praised for its Blu-ray capabilities and untapped potential .
Summon Night 5 ( サモンナイト5 , Samon Naito Faibu ) is a tactical role-playing game in the long-running Summon Night series of video games . It is the first and only original entry to be developed by Felistella and published by Bandai Namco Games , following original developer , Flight-Plan 's , closure in 2010 , and original publisher Banpresto being acquired by Bandai Namco . The game was released in Japan on May 16 , 2013 for the PlayStation Portable . Almost two years after its initial Japan release , in April 2015 , Gaijinworks announced that they would publish the game in English in North America and Europe sometime in 2015 . It was released digitally in North America on December 15 , 2015 , and received a limited-edition physical release on April 7 , 2016 . The game was considered a success in English regions , with its sales being enough to warrant Gaijinworks to translate its sequel , Summon Night 6 , which was released in 2017 .
Felistella ( FELISTELLA株式会社 , Ferisutera Kabushiki-gaisha ) is a Japanese video game developer based in Gifu . It was founded in July 2010 by former Flight-Plan employees . In April 2015 Felistella and Idea Factory have entered a capital tie-up agreement , in which Idea Factory acquired a portion of Felistella 's stock .
Summon Night 6 : Lost Borders ( Japanese : サモンナイト６ 失われた境界たち , Hepburn : Samon Naito Shikkusu Ushinawareta Kyōkai Tachi ) is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 video game consoles . The game was released in Japan on March 10 , 2016 , and was released in North America on October 31 , 2017 and Europe on November 15 , 2017 by publisher Gaijinworks . While it is the sixth numbered entry in the mainline entries of the Summon Night series , it is only the second one to be translated into English , after 2015 's release of Summon Night 5 , also by Gaijinworks .
Media.Vision ( メディア・ビジョン株式会社 , Media Bijon Kabushiki-Gaisha ) is a Japanese video game developer best known for the Wild Arms and Chaos Rings series of role-playing video games .
The PlayStation 4 ( officially abbreviated as PS4 ) is an eighth-generation home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment . Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013 , it was launched on November 15 in North America , November 29 in Europe , South America and Australia , and on February 22 , 2014 , in Japan . It competes with Microsoft 's Xbox One and Nintendo 's Wii U and Switch . Moving away from the more complex Cell microarchitecture of its predecessor , the console features an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit ( APU ) built upon the x86-64 architecture , which can theoretically peak at 1.84 teraflops ; AMD stated that it was the most powerful APU it had developed to date . The PlayStation 4 places an increased emphasis on social interaction and integration with other devices and services , including the ability to play games off-console on PlayStation Vita and other supported devices ( Remote Play ) , the ability to stream gameplay online or to friends , with them controlling gameplay remotely ( Share Play ) . The console 's controller was also redesigned and improved over the PlayStation 3 , with improved buttons and analog sticks , and an integrated touchpad among other changes . The console also supports HDR10 High-dynamic-range video and playback of 4K resolution multimedia . The PlayStation 4 was released to critical acclaim , with critics praising Sony for acknowledging its consumers ' needs , embracing independent game development , and for not imposing the restrictive digital rights management schemes like those originally announced by Microsoft for the Xbox One . Critics and third-party studios also praised the capabilities of the PlayStation 4 in comparison to its competitors ; developers described the performance difference between the console and Xbox One as significant and obvious . Heightened demand also helped Sony top global console sales . By the end of September 2019 , over 102 million PlayStation 4 consoles had been shipped worldwide , surpassing lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3 . On September 7 , 2016 , Sony unveiled the PlayStation 4 Slim , a smaller version of the console ; and a high-end version called the PlayStation 4 Pro , which features an upgraded GPU and a higher CPU clock rate to support enhanced performance and 4K resolution in supported games .
The PlayStation Vita ( also known as the PS Vita or simply Vita ) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on December 17 , 2011 , and in North America , Europe , and other international territories beginning on February 22 , 2012 . The console is the successor to the PlayStation Portable , and a part of the PlayStation brand of gaming devices ; as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles , it primarily competed with the Nintendo 3DS . The original model of the handheld includes a 5-inch ( 130 mm ) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen , two analog joysticks , and front and shoulder push-button input , and supports Bluetooth , Wi-Fi , and optional 3G . Internally , the Vita features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a quad-core SGX543MP graphics processing unit . The PS Vita 2000 series , a revised version of the system , was released across 2013 and 2014 , sports all of the same features with a slightly smaller size , extended battery life , and an LCD screen replacing the OLED display . Sony also released the PlayStation TV , a short-lived , re-purposed version of the Vita that allowed for the play of PS Vita games on a television screen similar to a home video game console , though the PS TV variant was discontinued by the end of 2015 . The system 's design was created to meld the experience of big budget , dedicated video game platforms with the then up-and-coming trend of mobile gaming through smart phones and tablets . However , in the year after the device 's successful launch , sales of the hardware and its bigger budget games stalled , threatening to end its lifespan . A concentrated effort to attract smaller independent developers in the West , combined with strong support from mid-level Japanese companies , helped keep the platform afloat . While this led to less diversity in its game library , it did garner strong support in JRPGs and visual novels , alongside a wealth of Western-developed indie games , leading it to become a moderate seller in Japan , and build a smaller , yet passionate userbase in the West . While Sony has not released exact sales figures , late-lifespan estimates in sales fall around 15 to 16 million units .