PasTech 🍉 Episode 19: And Sony created… the PlayStation (and it was better before ?)

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A few weeks ago, it was SEGA's Dreamcast that celebrated its 25th anniversary. A 128-bit console that was revolutionary at the time, which had everything going for it, but which paradoxically suffered from the competition of a small 32-bit console launched a few years earlier: the PlayStation. A few days ago, Sony launched the celebrations for its first video game console, and for good reason, the first PlayStation was 30 years ago. And yes, already!

Because we haven't always had a 4K screen in front of our eyes, an OLED HDR smartphone in our hand and wireless controllers on our knees, PasTech offers you a refreshing little trip back in time, to (re)discover some iconic products that have made (or not) the History of tech. So we say 5, 4, 3, 0, and then bam, PasTech!

The PlayStation, the unexpected challenger

It's a fact, our 8/16/32-bit consoles have now become real little time capsules, capable of taking us back more than 30 years in the past, at the whim of a launch boot, a sound, a title screen… And in 1994, on December 3, it was Sony that shook up the world of video games by launching its first PlayStation in Japan. At that time, the console was only a modest challenger, especially against a certain Sega Saturn, launched about ten days earlier.

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You probably know the story: a rapprochement with Nintendo in the early 90s to enter the video game market with the CD ROM, a public humiliation at CES 1991 (Nintendo then preferring Philips to Sony), which led to the development of a 100% Sony console: the PlayStation.

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And if the PlayStation was indeed launched on December 3, 1994 in Japan, in Europe , we had to wait until the end of September 1995 to finally discover this astonishing gray machine (then sold at the price of 2,099 Francs), allowing you to play games in CD format, a first for many players at the time. who were still enjoying their Mega Drive and Super Nintendo cartridges.

No mascot, but revolutionary games

Unlike Nintendo and SEGA, Sony burst onto the video game market without a single mascot. The Japanese giant, however, took care to polish its line-up, giving pride of place to 3D, even though many players were raving about Virtua Fighter 2 on the competition. The first PlayStation was notably accompanied by Ridge Racer, which justified the purchase of the console for many players on its own.

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The PlayStation will quickly see the arrival of many titles that are particularly appealing to the retina, including the first Tekken in 1995, but also Air Combat, Battle Arena Toshinden, Rayman, Wipeout… Sony will also be able to count on select support, including Squaresoft and Enix, which will launch Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, ultra-popular licenses in Japan since the end of the 80s, and which the PlayStation will be responsible for promoting throughout the world.

So, rather than relying on a single mascot, the PlayStation will benefit from many ambassadors, often from third-party developers (Konami, Capcom, Electronic Arts, etc.). This is the case for Rayman, for example, but also for Crash Bandicoot, Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), Spyro, etc. In 2024, the PlayStation still does not have a designated mascot, even though some would like to see the little robot Astro (who could well win the GOTY title at the next Game Awards) become the brand ambassador.

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Over the years, in addition to Typically Japanese RPGs (and again rather new for many players) the PlayStation will also be able to count on numerous car racing games (Gran Turismo, F1 97, Porsche Challenge, Colin McRae Rally, V-Rally, Driver…) , not forgetting platform games (Crash Bandicoot, Spyro…), sports games (the famous ISS era!), but also more “adult” games starting with Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill.

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For teenagers as well as for young adults, in the 90s, the PlayStation was THE console to have to enjoy many video game experiences, most of which were new. Even today, many PlayStation games still enjoy a very special aura, not to mention the highly anticipated remakes (Crash Bandicoot; Final Fantasy VII, Spyro, Star Ocean, Soul Reaver…), when it's not the original games that are breaking records, like Dino Crisis recently launched on the PS Store.

Moreover, if the first PlayStation has in its library masterpieces known to all, we also find titles a little more underestimated, but nevertheless very successful, like Heart of Darkness, Colony Wars, Alundra and many others, of which we offer you a small selection at this address. So many video game experiences that contributed to the success of the PlayStation, which often holds a very special place in the hearts of many players. Of course, we also remember the promotional campaigns led by PlayStation at the time, including very innovative TV spots, sometimes bordering on disturbing.

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Recently, Sony has also updated its recent PS5s, the latter benefiting (temporarily) from the famous boot of the first PlayStation, enough to revive the nostalgic fiber in many players. A few weeks before the launch of the PS2, in September 2000, Sony launched a revisited version of its PlayStation, with the PSOne, which sold nearly 30 million copies. It is estimated that around 105 million PlayStations were sold worldwide.

A madness of every moment with a side “it was better before” ?

Of course, in 1994 (and in 1995 for us), we were still enjoying this delicious frenzy linked to a form of permanent surprise in the face of new consoles and new video games that were arriving in stores, this because of (or rather thanks to) a certain lack of information at the time. Added to this was a prosperous period in terms of creativity, with many new licenses and other very successful titles. In 1997 alone, for example, the PlayStation would welcome Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Time Crisis, Final Fantasy VII, Oddworld, Crash Bandicoot 2, Tomb Raider 2, Moto Racer, V-Rally…

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In the 80s/90s, there was no Internet, no social networks, no influencers… It was a time when we sometimes discovered by surprise that long-awaited new game in the video game section of Continent, or that new SEGA, Sony or Nintendo console at a neighbor's house. Added to this is a family, societal and economic context that today transforms these memories into moments that are as nostalgic as they are unique. It's hard to forget, for example, that PlayStation unpacked at Christmas, with a Crash Bandicoot, a Final Fantasy VII or a Formula One, in front of the whole family, before plugging it all in (temporarily) on the “big TV in the living room“.

For a few years now, it has been difficult (if not impossible) to reconnect with the excitement that once drove us, when we were waiting for the arrival of a new console or a new game. With the Internet, each new feature is deciphered weeks (or even months) before its launch, so it is not uncommon to be “disappointed&#8221 by discovering the announcement of a new game that was highly anticipated, by unpacking your new console after having watched several unboxings beforehand (or several gameplay sequences for a video game), thus eradicating any form of surprise.

The famous “it was better before“, that's also what it is in the end.

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