PlayStation

The PlayStation redefined the console market, opened the media to a whole new user group and pushed the two giants, Sega and Nintendo, away from the spotlight. The platform has sold in excess of the 100 million mark, and is thus the most successful console ever created. The project originally started as a CD-expansion for the Super Nintendo. When Nintendo finally backed out, Sony continued the development and made the PlayStation a stand-alone console. From the very beginning, its main competition would be the Saturn, but Sonys marketing soon crushed the Saturn in the West, while its massive support from the most important Japanese developers gave the consoles its success in the East. The delayed Nintendo 64 never had a chance to do any impact on the Sony sales, and the PlayStation ended up leading the industry right up until the successor launched.

Technically the PlayStation is based around a 33 MHz R3000A RISC-processor, as well as a number of specially designed graphics- and sound chips, made in part by Sony and Namco, who used the system in its arcade games. The power of the system is best compared to the Saturn of the same time, but the PlayStation has several points where it is superior. Primarily it has better 3d capabilities, and more hardware based effects like alpha-blending and MPEG-playback.

Apart from of course Sega and Nintendo, all other important developers helped give the PlayStation one of the largest game libraries of the industry, with a very rich selection of all major genres. Among the high points are games in the series Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Wipeout and Tekken.