The PS1 console: Sony's spearhead in video games

Today, two types of consoles are at war in the video game world: Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox. However, this rivalry is, in fact, only very recent. And for good reason, Sony's entry into the industry was late. It only entered the industry in 1994 with the launch of the PlayStation, affectionately known as the PS1. Since that launch, Sony has sold over 100 million consoles worldwide and released over a billion games! Let's take a look back at the PS1, the first home console produced by the hardware giant Sony.

History of the PS1

The history of the PS1 console dates back to the late 1980s. At the time, Nintendo was working on its future video game console, originally intended to play CDs. For this, Nintendo approached Sony. The latter had to design and develop a CD player for Nintendo's future console.

However, the collaboration was cut short: in 1991, when Sony and Nintendo were to announce their collaboration, Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's CEO, realized that there was a problem with the contract between Nintendo and Sony. This administrative problem stopped the collaboration between the two firms, with Nintendo choosing to ally itself with Phillips.

Sony then decided to reuse the research undertaken with Nintendo in the design of a video game console to produce its own console. Almost three years later, the PS1 console was born. It was released in 1994 in Japan and in 1995 in Europe.

Description of PS1

The PS1 console is a fifth-generation video game console. The console quickly impresses with its simple design - a rectangular box with a simple, sleek gray design. The controller was easy to handle, ergonomic, and with analog stick control input, a new feature at the time.

The machine is also extremely durable: it is particularly resilient and suffers very few breakdowns. It also came with a one-year warranty, which was unheard of by its competitors.

Due to this success, the PlayStation 1 will be re-released in a smaller form named the PSone, which benefited from a larger memory and a sleeker design.

PS1 games

The launch of the PS1 console was accompanied by numerous games that would make the console a success. The most popular titles were Ridge Racer, Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy VII, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Tekken. The console's biggest hit was Gran Turismo, a racing game that sold over 10 million units.

Buy your PS1 from Japan

The PS1 had many limited releases in Japan as part of limited-time promotions. That's why the PS1 is also available in red or black models exclusive to the region of Japan. To hope to get your hands on one of these models, you'll have to import a PS1 from the region.

Neokyo allows you to buy and import Japanese products to other regions. To do this, nothing could be simpler: make a purchase request directly on the site. The team will then send you a quote and, once accepted, will buy and import your product.