Sony PlayStation

The ***Sony PlayStation*** (later given the nickname *PS1*) was Sony's first video game console and competed against the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn and was created in 1994. It was succeeded by the Sony PlayStation 2 in 2000 and was discontinued in 2006.

## Origins

Nintendo and Sony had a partnership to work on a CD add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but disputes ended the partnership. Nintendo went on to work with Philips on the concept and that produced the Philips CD-i, which became a huge failure.

Sony, on the other hand, kept the technology they had developed and after being turned down by Sega of Japan, they decided to release the add-on as a standalone console, which would become the PlayStation.

## Why It Rocks

1. More than **7,000** titles were released for the system.
2. It can play audio CDs.
3. Helped in the major shift of 2D gaming to 3D gaming, along with the Nintendo 64.
4. While it was not the first game console to use CDs, it was the first to do so successfully and made CD use popular. Discs are now the standard game format for home consoles.
5. While the Nintendo 64 introduced analog sticks, the PlayStation Dualshock controller was the one who set the standard for future consoles' analog stick usage with the use of two separate analog sticks on the controller rather than one.
6. A huge number of role-playing games and platformer titles.
7. It was very easy to develop for, thus gaining a very strong third-party support.
8. A smaller model called the *PSOne* was also released, which is a great option if you don't have much space. It is also much lighter and easier to transport than the first model.
9. Many well known game characters such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon came from this console.
10. A large number of very good games including:
	* *Final Fantasy VII* up to, & *IX*
	* The beginning of various game franchises, namely *Resident Evil* and the following…
	* *The Legend of Dragoon*
	* *Parasite Eve*
	* *Gran Turismo 1* & 2
	* *Metal Gear Solid*
	* three, *Crash Bandicoot* games
	* *Spyro the Dragon*, *Ripto's Rage*, & *Year of the Dragon*
11. Many of its games are also available to download for relatively cheap on PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3 (which is backwards compatible), PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Vita.
12. A DualShock 2 controller can work on this console.
13. Even though it came out in 1994, it is extremely powerful.
14. One version came with a built-in screen, which adds more portability and saves you from having to buy a TV.
15. Unlike other controllers, which had their buttons either numbered or called A,B,X,Y, the PlayStation's Dualshock controller uses a format different than other controllers, Triangle, Square, Circle and X (Cross if you wish), a format that'd be unique and exclusive to the PlayStation consoles.
16. PS1 games used black compact discs, which was a good way to detect if a PS1 disc was real or pirated.

## Bad Qualities

1. Like other consoles in the PlayStation family of consoles, some multi-platform games run worse on PlayStation due to its strange infrastructure. Namely more demanding 2D games, and/or 3D games.
2. The controller's D-Pad is uncomfortable and can cause sore thumbs after using it for a while. This is made worse with games that predate analog control and must be played entirely with the D-Pad and controllers that have no analog sticks in the first place.
3. The lens can get damaged easily over time and it's very difficult to find a replacement nowadays.
4. Ironically, these Memory Cards only hold 15 slots for save files, and some games takes two slots.
5. The PSone model suddenly lacked the reset button.
6. Dust can easily get into the disc tray.
7. There are only two controller ports despite many games supporting four players. You need the MultiTap accessory to be able to plug four controllers in.
8. If you insert a non-PS1 disc, Fearful Harmony or Personified Fear would occur. Which those 2 sounds are creepy.

## Reception

With more than 100 million units sold worldwide, the PlayStation was the most popular and successful console of the fifth generation of gaming. It is also considered the console that made CD based gaming popular which is the norm now, despite not being the first console to use CDs but it was the first to do so successfully.

YouTuber AlphaOmegaSin owns nearly every RPG on the system and claims he became a fan of the genre because of the PlayStation. Caddicarus focuses almost exclusively on this system as it was his first console growing up.