Sony PlayStation one (PS1)

The PlayStation's main microprocessor is a 32-bit LSI R3000 CPU, clocked at 33.86 MHz and capable of 30 MIPS. This CPU relies on the "cop2" 3D and matrix math coprocessor on the same die for the speed necessary to render complex 3D graphics. The separate GPU chip handles drawing 2D polygons and applying shading and textures, which is the rasterization stage of the graphics pipeline. Sony's custom 16-bit sound chip supports ADPCM sources with up to 24 sound channels, a sampling rate up to 44.1 kHz, and MIDI sequencing. The PlayStation includes 2 MB of main RAM and an additional 1 MB of video memory. It supports a maximum color depth of 16.7 million true colors, with 32 levels of transparency and unlimited color look-up tables. The video output ranges from 256×224 to 640×480 pixels, and different games may use different resolutions.

The PlayStation features a proprietary video compression unit, MDEC, integrated into the CPU, allowing for higher quality full-motion video compared to other consoles of its generation. Notably, the PlayStation lacks a dedicated 2D graphics processor; instead, 2D elements are calculated as polygons by the Geometry Transfer Engine (GTE) to be processed and displayed by the GPU. The GPU can generate a total of 4,000 sprites and 180,000 polygons per second, or 360,000 flat-shaded polygons per second.

Since Sony lacked experience in game development, it relied heavily on third-party developers, unlike Sega and Nintendo, which had strong in-house software divisions for their arcade games. Recent consoles like the Atari Jaguar and 3DO struggled due to a lack of developer support, prompting Sony to actively seek endorsements from arcade-savvy developers. In May 1993, a team from Sony visited over a hundred companies in Japan to attract game creators with the PlayStation's technological appeal. They found many developers were dissatisfied with Nintendo's practices, such as favoring its own games over others. Through negotiations, Sony secured support from Namco, Konami, Williams Entertainment, and 250 other development teams in Japan, including influential titles like Ridge Racer and Mortal Kombat 3.

Namco, interested in the PlayStation due to its rivalry with Sega in the arcade market, developed Tekken to compete with Virtua Fighter. Despite securing support from various Japanese studios, Sony still lacked its own developers. This changed in 1993 when Sony acquired Psygnosis, securing its first in-house development team. The acquisition allowed Sony to have more launch games ready for the PlayStation's release in Europe and North America. Psygnosis played a crucial role in creating the PlayStation's development kits, opting for a cheaper and more efficient PC-based development system over Sony's original workstation plans. This decision significantly streamlined game production and attracted more developers.

Sony's strategy was to make game production as streamlined and inclusive as possible. They provided programming libraries and housed technical support teams in London, California, and Tokyo to work closely with third-party developers. Unlike Nintendo, Sony did not prioritize its own games over others, gaining admiration from developers like Peter Molyneux of Bullfrog Productions. The PlayStation's use of the CD-ROM format, which was cheaper and more flexible than Nintendo's cartridges, further attracted developers. The console's architecture and compatibility with PCs were also beneficial, using the C programming language to ensure future compatibility and short debugging times. Despite some developers finding the PlayStation's lack of RAM challenging, Sony balanced high performance, low cost, and ease of programming. The PlayStation's name and design were finalized in 1994, with its technical specifications set in 1993.

Sony released the PlayStation in Japan on December 3, 1994, priced at ¥39,800, just a week after the Sega Saturn's launch. Despite facing early competition from the Saturn, PlayStation sales began with a significant success, selling 100,000 units on the first day and two million within six months. Initially, the Saturn outsold the PlayStation due to the popularity of Virtua Fighter, but by the end of 1994, PlayStation sales reached 300,000 units in Japan.

The console's popularity led to a grey market, with PlayStations imported to North America and Europe, selling for up to £700. In North America, the PlayStation launched on September 9, 1995, priced at $299. It sold more units in two days than the Saturn did in five months, with nearly all 100,000 units sold in advance. Key to its early success was Ridge Racer, which was well-received and considered superior to Sega's Daytona USA.

Before the North American release, both Sega and Sony presented their consoles at the first E3 in Los Angeles on May 11, 1995. Sega announced an immediate release of the Saturn at $399, while Sony's $299 announcement for the PlayStation was met with applause. The PlayStation's launch lineup included 17 games, compared to the Saturn's six.

In Europe, the PlayStation was released on September 29, 1995, and in Australia on November 15, 1995. By November, it had outsold the Saturn three to one in the UK, thanks to a substantial £20 million marketing budget. In its first year, the PlayStation captured over 20% of the American video game market, selling 800,000 units in the U.S. from September to the end of 1995.

By early 1996, the PlayStation had generated $2 billion in hardware and software sales worldwide. Sales in Europe by late 1996 totaled 2.2 million units, with 700,000 in the UK. Around 400 PlayStation games were in development, significantly more than for the Saturn or Nintendo 64.

In India, the PlayStation was test-marketed in 1999-2000, selling 100 units, and officially launched countrywide on January 24, 2002, priced at Rs 7,990 with 26 games available.

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