History of the Sony PlayStation

Nintendo

• Sony first got into video games when it teamed up with Nintendo in 1988 to create the Super Disc, a CD-ROM attachment for the Super Nintendo. The two companies never finished the project, and Nintendo never implemented the CD-ROM.

The PlayStation Unveiled

• In 1991, Sony picked up the project again as part of their new idea for a video game console. They officially announced the PlayStation console at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show that same year.

Short-lived Prototype

• This original PlayStation console could play Super Nintendo games, audio CDs, video CDs and read computer CD-ROMs. Unfortunately, the first PlayStation console never hit the shelves. After producing around only 200 consoles, Sony scrapped the project.

PlayStation X

• Sony redesigned the console in 1994 and renamed it PlayStation X. Sony removed the console's compatibility with Nintendo games and restricted its repertoire to only playing CD-ROM games. It was released on December 3, 1994, in Japan, about a week after the release of the Sega Saturn.

PlayStation Comes to the United States

• Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) revealed PlayStation X to the United States at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 1995. It bested Sega's revelation of their Sega Saturn console and further bolstered Sony in their eventual takeover of the video gaming empire in Japan.

United States Launch

• On September 9, 1995, PlayStation launched in the United States for a retail price of $299, $100 less than the Sega Saturn. Over 100,000 consoles were already pre-ordered prior to launch, and stores sold out within days, along with games, extra controllers and memory cards.