This Date in Game History: Sony Unleashes the PlayStation

It's hard to believe that Sony's behemoth of a franchise turns 20 years old today, but there it is.

On September 9, 1995, the PlayStation was unleashed on the United States to much fanfare. Since then, the series of machines has dominated the American - and worldwide - video game console market. The machine sold on Day One for $299 but the version first released would be far from the last.
We now refer to the consoles in the original PlayStation series as the "PSOne" despite the fact that that was a specific version of the machine. In fact, from the SCPH-1000 to the SCPH-103, some 27 versions of the console would be manufactured with constant performance revisions being made.

RARE Special Edition MIB PlayStation console.

In addition to those "basic" 28 versions, 14 additional models were produced in a series serial numbered DTL-H1000 through DTL-H3002. Among those models were the DTL-H1101, DTL-H1102 and DTL-H1103 models which came with a portable battery pack. If you come across one of those, my birthday's in December.

But forget about all that and the fact that it essentially ended Sega's console business....and Atari's. The PlayStation ushered in a 20 year run for the gaming industry that has shown very few signs of slowing down since.

When you next decide to fire up your favorite console, think about the influence that the original PlayStation had on your current system, Sony or not. The most obvious will lie in your hands. From the analog controls to the shape of the controller itself, PlayStation not only upped the ante on the power contained in these entertainment machines, they changed the literal feel of gaming as well.

And many of the games featured on that system have reached iconic status today. Tekken 2, Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo....the list goes on and on.

Who knew that twenty years of gaming industry growth would come all wrapped up in a small gray box.