Sony PlayStationIntroduced
in 1995, the PlayStation was Sony's first entry in the multi-billion
dollar video game industry -- and it was a resounding success. By
1998 the PlayStation had become the best selling product in Sony
Corp.'s 50-year history.
Prior to the PlayStation, Sony had been involved in a development
project with Nintendo to design a CD-ROM add-on for the Super NES.
After the partnership was dissolved, and Nintendo changed to the
Netherlands based Phillips Electronics to pursue further
development, Sony continued evolving the original CD-ROM platform.
To additionally enhance the console, Sony approached custom chip
designer, LSI Logic. Both companies focused on optimizing the
processor's performance.
LSI Logic's CoreWare-based graphics microprocessor powers the
PlayStation. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) contains three
engines that concurrently work together. The system features a
32-bit MIPS-based RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) processor
that operates at 33.8 MHz, a graphics engine capable of rendering
high-resolution animation and an MDEC full-motion video
decompression engine. The PlayStation is capable of playing Full
Motion Video at 30 frames per second. It can simultaneously display
up to 16.8 million colors at once on-screen. Sony united the three
different processors onto a single chip, reducing the size and cost
of the console.
As a CD-based system, the 32-bit PlayStation can create true 3D
environments and provide extended memory with a storage capacity
many times greater than the old masked ROM cartridge format. In
addition, the use of the CD delivery medium provides larger, deeper
and broader gameplay in a real-time, multi-tasking operating system,
and CD-quality sound.
While the PlayStation does not feature on board RAM for saving game
statistics or levels, it does contain 2 ports designed for external
memory cards, which can each hold up to 128 KB of information. The
PlayStation also features a communications port that allows two
consoles to be connected by a Link Cable for head to head action.
When it was released in the US on September 9, 1995, the Sony
PlayStation retailed for $299, one hundred dollars less then had
been expected. To keep prices low, Sony did not include a free
pack-in game or the S-video output found on prior Japanese models.
Included with the original US PlayStation base unit were: one
controller, a stereo AV cable, a power cable, a game sampler CD and
an instruction book. The controller features four directional
buttons on the left side, four similarly composed fire buttons on
the right, and four shoulder buttons mounted on the top end of the
controller for specific moves.
The Dual Shock Analog Controller adds the element of vibration to
gameplay. Game programmers can control the speed and intensity of
rumbling by utilizing a frequency setting. The Dual Shock Analog
Controller features Digital as well as Analog play, and vibrates in
such instances as the revving of a car engine or during an on-screen
explosion. Games designed to utilize the Dual Shock Analog
Controller include: Rally Cross, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid,
Vigilante 8 and Tekken 3.
The Multi Tap Unit is an adapter that allows up to four controllers
to be plugged into one of the front ports on the PlayStation
console, and expands the number of memory card slots to four -- one
for each controller. Games that support the Multi Tap Unit include:
Madden NFL '98, Hot Shots Golf, Rally Cross and NBA Shoot Out.
The PlayStation Mouse is made for specific strategy and adventure
games, and features two buttons and comes with its own pad. Games
that utilize the PlayStation Mouse include: SimCity 2000, Myst, Die
Hard Trilogy, Arcade's Greatest Hits: Atari Coll. 1, Lemmings 3D and
Tempest X
In April 1998, Sony reached total sales of ten million PlayStations
in North America. In June of 1998, Sony reported sales of over 37
million units worldwide, beating the Walkman as Sony's best selling
product.
The PlayStation game console is unmatched when it comes to the sheer
volume of titles available for any of the next-generation videogame
systems. Within the first year of the system's life, there were more
than 250 games available, with titles representing every traditional
genre of videogame, as well as the appearance of entirely new
genres. The PlayStation game console also has the largest number of
third party publishers of any active video game system. Today the
PlayStation library consists of more than 600 titles.
The best games for the PlayStation include: Battle Arena Toshinden,
Die Hard Trilogy, Einhander, Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo, Madden
NFL 98, Tekken 3 and Resident Evil Director's Cut.
— Dave Beuscher
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