THE EVOLUTION OF SONY PLAYSTATION CONSOLES

Following the official release of the design of the PlayStation 5, Sony has shown that they are about to transition to a new generation of gaming. For those that are familiar with the popular gaming consoles, here is a transition of the game over the years.

PlayStation 1 (PS1)

The PlayStation (officially abbreviated as PS and commonly known as the PS1 or its codename PSX ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released on 3 December 1994 in Japan, on 9 September 1995 in North America, on 29 September 1995 in Europe, and on 15 November 1995 in Australia, and was the first of the PlayStation lineup of video game consoles. As a fifth generation console, the PlayStation primarily competed with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn .

The PlayStation was the first “computer entertainment platform” to ship over 100 million units, which it had reached nine years after its initial launch. In July 2000, a redesigned, slim version called the PS one was released, replacing the original grey console and named appropriately to avoid confusion with its successor, the PlayStation 2 .

PlayStation 2 (PS2)

The PlayStation 2 (officially branded as PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on March 4, 2000, in North America on October 26, 2000, and in Europe and Australia on November 24, 2000, and is the successor to the original PlayStation , as well as the second installment in the PlayStation console line-up . A sixth-generation console , it competed with Sega ‘s Dreamcast ,
Nintendo’s GameCube , and Microsoft ‘s original Xbox .

Announced in 1999, the PS2 offered backward-compatibility for its predecessor’s DualShock controller, as well as its games. The PS2 is the best-selling video game console of all time , having sold over 155 million units worldwide, as confirmed by Sony. Over 3,800 game titles have been released for the PS2, with over 1.5 billion copies sold. Sony later manufactured several smaller, lighter revisions of the console known as Slimline models in 2004.
Even with the release of its successor, the PlayStation 3 , the PS2 remained popular well into the seventh generation, and continued to be produced until 2013, when Sony finally announced it had been discontinued after over twelve years of production – one of the longest lifespans of a video game console. Despite the announcement, new games for the console continued to be produced until the end of 2013, including Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin for Japan, FIFA 13 for North America, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 for Europe. Repair services for the system in Japan ended on September 7, 2018.

PlayStation 3 (PS3)

The PlayStation 3 (officially abbreviated as PS3 ) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It is the successor to
PlayStation 2 , and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Australia. The PlayStation 3 competed primarily against Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles .

The console was first officially announced at E3 2005, and was released at the end of 2006. It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium. The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services, including the PlayStation Network, as well as the first to be controllable from a handheld console, through its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. In September 2009, the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released. It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games. It was lighter and thinner than the original version, and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design, as well as a minor start-up change in software. A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012, further refining and redesigning the console.

During its early years, the system was negatively received, due to its high price ($599 for a 60 gigabyte model, $499 for a 20 GB model), a complex processor architecture, and lack of quality games but was praised for its Blu-ray capabilities and “untapped potential”. The reception would get more positive over time. The system had a slow start in the market but managed to recover, particularly after the introduction of the Slim model. Its successor, the PlayStation 4 , was released later in November 2013. On September 29, 2015, Sony confirmed that sales of the PlayStation 3 were to be discontinued in New Zealand , but the system remained in production in other markets. Shipments of new units to Europe and Australia ended in March 2016, followed by North America which ended in October 2016. Heading into 2017, Japan was the last territory where new units were still being produced until May 29, 2017, when Sony confirmed the PlayStation 3 was discontinued in Japan .

PlayStation 4 (PS4)

The PlayStation 4 (officially abbreviated as PS4 ) is an eighth-generation home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15 in North America, November 29 in Europe, South America and Australia, and on February 22, 2014 in Japan. It competes with Microsoft ‘s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Wii U and Switch .

Moving away from the more complex Cell microarchitecture of its predecessor, the console features an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) built upon the x86-64 architecture, which can theoretically peak at 1.84 teraflops ; AMD stated that it was the “most powerful” APU it had developed to date. The PlayStation 4 places an increased emphasis on social interaction and integration with other devices and services, including the ability to play games off-console on PlayStation Vita and other supported devices (“Remote Play “), the ability to stream gameplay online or to friends, with them controlling gameplay remotely (“Share Play”). The console’s controller was also redesigned and improved over the PlayStation 3, with improved buttons and analog sticks, and an integrated touchpad among other changes. The console also supports HDR10 High-dynamic-range video and playback of 4K resolution multimedia.
The PlayStation 4 was released to critical acclaim, with critics praising Sony for acknowledging its consumers’ needs, embracing independent game development , and for not imposing the restrictive digital rights management schemes like those originally announced by Microsoft for the Xbox One. Heightened demand also helped Sony top global console sales. By the October 2019, PS4 became the second best-selling home game console of all time, behind PlayStation 2 .
On September 7, 2016, Sony unveiled the PlayStation 4 Slim, a smaller version of the console; and a high-end version called the PlayStation 4 Pro, which features an upgraded GPU and a higher CPU clock rate to support enhanced performance and 4K resolution in supported games.

PlayStation 5 (PS5)

The PlayStation 5 ( PS5 ) is an upcoming home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment . Announced as the successor to the
PlayStation 4 in 2019, its launch is scheduled for late 2020. The system will launch in two varieties, as a base PlayStation 5 system that will include an optical disc reader, as well as a Digital Edition without the drive.

Sony also confirmed that a number of accessories will be available, including wireless charging station for its controllers, a media remote control, and 3D audio headphones.

SOURCE: Wikipedia