It revolutionized the gaming industry and kicked off a legacy that is still going strong, more than 25 years later

As fans eagerly anticipate its latest generation of console, the PlayStation 5

I figured it's time to take a look how the iconic brand came to be

This is the evolution of PlayStation

Originally, Sony intended to team up with the powerhouse and market-leader at the time, Nintendo

Rather than introducing their own console, Sony planned to create a CD-based add-on for the hugely popular SNES

But since Nintendo wanted full licensing rights, Sony backed out

Fun fact, a prototype of the console that was created by the partnership of Nintendo and Sony

Also known as the Nintendo Play Station was sold for $360,000!

Just imagine if Nintendo and Sony still worked together and there would be the Nintendo PlayStation Switch

We could play God of War, Mario and Zelda games all on the same console!

The original PlayStation from 1994, or 'PS One' as it came to be known, was a massive hit

It became the first game console in history to sell more than 100 million units

Its main advantage over the competition was that it used CD for all of its games

as opposed to the heavy use of cartridges at the time

Whereas a cartridge could store maybe 12 to 15 megabytes of data, developers using CD could store up to 650 megabytes

A memory card was required to save your game progress

The console's specifications meant better graphics and an overall improved gameplay experience

And yes… This were actually good graphics at the time

As a result, successful franchises like Final Fantasy actually switched from Nintendo to PlayStation

Classic games like Castlevania

Crash Bandicoot

Metal Gear Solid also attracted a wide audience and showcased the superior performance of the console

The PS1 was pretty impressive as a standalone audio CD player too

It played discs with great clarity and as such it served multiple uses, appealing to families and older generations

This tradition of dual purpose would be seen in later versions of PlayStation

With the PS2 catering to DVDs and the PS3 serving as one of the cheapest Blu-Ray players upon its release

Fun fact, did you know that the PlayStation controller was made much thicker than the flat controllers used by other consoles in order to feel more 3D?

And that the symbols actually have a deeper meaning?

The triangle refers to a viewpoint and the direction a player is headed

The square button indicates a piece of paper which references the game's menu

While the circle and 'X' buttons mean 'Yes and 'No'

Oh and by the way, even though almost everybody calls it the 'X' button, including me, its official name is the 'cross'

Despite the video game industry being practically blown away by the PS1

The PlayStation 2 was arguably the jewel in Sony's crown

Released in the year 2000, it remains the highest selling home video game console ever, with over 155 million units sold!

It seamlessly made the transition from CD to DVD, meaning it could be used to watch movies as well as play games

And allowed for online play with high definition 3D visuals

Meanwhile, the PS2 memory card upped its capacity to 8 megabytes of storage

The controller was also improved with two analogue sticks allowing for greater degrees of movement

Much-loved franchises like Ratchet & Clank

God of War

And Jak & Daxter found their feet with the PS2

While already popular series, such as Grand Theft Auto, saw a huge boost with the console's heightened power

For example, GTA 3 offered gamers a fully immersive, sandbox-style game in three dimensions for the first time

Multiple accessories were released for the PS2, with limited success

They included the Eyetoy camera, Singstar microphones and Buzzers

All of which increased the levels of interaction players experienced, for a short while anyway

With the introduction of the PlayStation 3 in 2006 came Sony's first real signs of trouble

Having made yet another transition

This time from DVD to Blu-Ray

It became difficult for Sony to turn a profit thanks to its use of cutting-edge technology

They were already competing with Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 at this point, but lost out on many initial sales

Mainly due to the PS3 high price point at launch

Which was a whopping $499 for a 20 gigabyte model and $599 for a 60 gigabyte console

Regardless, 87.4 million PS3s were sold and it eventually ended up outselling the Xbox 360

Upgrades over the previous models included:

Wi-Fi connectivity, wireless DualShock 3 controllers and the use of PlayStation Network and an online PlayStation Store

Gamers no longer had to use a memory card either, as game data could be stored on the system's internal hard drive

Motion controls remained popular for a short while

With the PlayStation's Move controller and upgraded Eye camera trying to keep up with Microsoft's Kinect system

Some of the most ground-breaking and hugely technical games on the PS3 include The Last of Us

Skyrim

Uncharted 2

Red Dead Redemption

And Grand Theft Auto 5

Online gaming also became much more popular with games like:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

And Ultimate team in FIFA games

When it came time for the next iteration of game consoles in 2013, Sony had learnt their lesson

And gained high praise and support after announcing that the PlayStation 4 would be $100 cheaper than the new Xbox One

The PS4 sold one million units within its first day, setting the record for the fastest selling console in a 24-hour period

Owners of the PS4 benefitted from stunning graphics

With vibrant visuals and innovative software that allowed for streaming and sharing gameplay instantly on social media

PlayStation also released their on-demand system called 'PlayStation Now' in 2014

Allowing subscribers to access hundreds of mainstream and indie games from the past and present

In addition to epic action adventure games like Bloodborne

The Witcher 3

Red Dead Redemption 2

Uncharted 4

And Horizon Zero Dawn

The rise of PlayStation VR in 2016 allowed gamers to experience some titles in a convincing virtual reality setting

Plus, gamers were also given the option to experience their favorite games in even more detail

With the arrival of the PS4 Pro and its 4K graphics with High Dynamic Range

PlayStation has always released upgraded or slimmer versions of its consoles

in a trend that is often mirrored by its competitors

And finally, scheduled to launch in late 2020 is the PlayStation 5

Designs for the futuristic model have recently been released

But at the time of writing, no price point has yet been confirmed

Buyers can expect at least 825 gigabytes of storage, and will be happy to know that the system is backwards compatible

Meaning they can run their PS4 games on it if they wish

The graphics are also expected to be incredible and there are some very exciting titles coming for the PlayStation 5

Including Horizon Forbidden West

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Assassins Creed Valhalla

And of course Cyberpunk 2077

Unlike failed video game companies of the past, like Atari

It appears as though PlayStation will continue to dominate the scene for a long time to come

And that's fine by me

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