Here Are the 7 Most Defining Moments in the History of PlayStation
Looking forward to PlayStation 5 on the horizon, it is easy to find oneself feeling nostalgic about all the great moments which have shaped and defined PlayStation’s history since the very beginning.
It’s hard to pick just 7 moments as the most iconic … but we think these ones qualify!
7. PlayStation is introduced.
Okay, so this one was a given. The day that the original PlayStation was introduced to the market, it changed everything. If you were a kid back then, you probably can’t imagine growing up without it.
What’s funny is that it wasn’t just what worked that we remember fondly—it is also what didn’t. It might have been a hassle at the time, but who doesn’t fondly recollect those tough days when we had to live without memory cards or saves? And when you did have a memory card, it fit a whopping 8 MB. At the time, that was huge.
Then there were all the secrets. You couldn’t just get on YouTube and watch video play-throughs when you were lost. You had to buy or borrow official walk-through guides, or ask your friends if they knew any special cheats or unlocks.
And you know what? Every moment of it was sheer awesomeness.
6. Sony gets in the habits of making totally bizarre ads.
Maybe it was just that a lot of us were in school at the time, but a lot of early PlayStation ads really stick in your head. For example, there was this one …
Or all of these Kevin Butler ads, which are just as funny today as they were then …
5. PlayStation 2 takes gaming to the next level.
We thought the original PlayStation was amazing … and then we had our minds blown by PlayStation 2.
PlayStation 2 didn’t just take PS gaming to new heights—it also overturned the market almost overnight. PS2 set new sales records, leaving competitors like Nintendo far behind.
PS2 brought us amazing new features like online play through a network adaptor, an updated Dualshock, and graphics we could hardly believe. There was also the cool EyeToy camera—and of course a whole new era of games.
4. Sony introduces Blu-Ray technology.
Remember when DVDs were brand new, and we thought they were amazing? And then along comes Sony with Blu-Ray discs in 2003. It is hard to believe it was that long ago now.
Actually, Blu-Ray discs didn’t really take off until a few years later in 2006. Not coincidentally, that was the year that PlayStation 3 was released.
Blu-Ray discs back then could fit as much as 25 GB. At the time, that was a lot. Now of course they can hold a whole lot more—even as much as 120 GB.
These discs changed the way we watch movies and the way we game. Since they could hold a lot more data than DVDs, it meant that big games could fit on single discs.
Obviously that didn’t bode well for Microsoft, which only supported DVDs on the Xbox 360. Nobody likes having to constantly pop discs in and out while playing a game!
3. PS3 supports backwards compatibility (sort of).
Given the fact that the PS4 has no backwards compatibility, it is somewhat astonishing to recall that Sony didn’t always have such a crap policy.
With a PS3, you can play original PlayStation games. With certain models of PS3 (but not all of them), you can also play PS2 games.
That meant that we could play our favorite old games whenever we wanted, like Kingdom Hearts or Metal Gear Solid. A lot of gamers spend as much time with their old games as their new ones.
PS4 is a great console in most respects, but Sony’s backwards decision to ditch backwards compatibility was a huge affront. We spent good money on our old games, and we still love them, and they should be playable forever.
Let’s hope this issue gets remedied in PS5!
2. Sony offers amazing Destiny exclusives.
Okay, so this is a bit biased … but anyone who is a big Destiny fan will agree that one of the best things Sony ever did was set up a deal with Bungie to offer some amazing Destiny exclusives.
Some things were completely exclusively to PlayStation, like the Destiny 1 Alpha. The Destiny 1 Beta was open to everyone, but PlayStation users were allowed in first. That was true for the Destiny 2 Beta as well.
The Destiny exclusives for Sony were so popular that they actually were a motivator to get a lot of gamers to make the switch from other platforms to PlayStation.
1. Sony Hammers on Microsoft at E3 2013
Finally, arguably the most memorable moment in PlayStation history at least over recent years was in 2013 during E3. This was when Microsoft first revealed the Xbox One to the world.
During that announcement Microsoft made a couple of mistakes. First of all, there was the emphasis on making Xbox One into an “entertainment center,” with gaming a much lower priority. Secondly, there were all the restrictions announced on pre-owned games—not cool. Thirdly, they announced that gamers would need to be online.
Sony made the decision to respond. They actually changed their own presentation. When Jack Tretton stood up, he made it very clear that Sony would not impose these kinds of restrictions on PlayStation users. While making the speech, he could hardly stop himself from laughing outright at Microsoft. Needless to say, he got some serious applause.
While that was an awesome moment, we do hope that Sony sees how Microsoft has gotten back on the high ground in recent years where backwards compatibility is concerned. Let’s hope that Sony turns the tables again with the PS5!