You definitely can’t talk about video games without mentioning the series of console that has served Sony so well: the Playstations.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc began researching into gaming platforms long before CD-Rom gaming as an affordable option was viable. They wanted to create a console that would change the industry forever, and it was with that goal in mind that the Playstation gaming console was released in North America in 1995. The release was an enormous success, with over 100,000 consoles sold in the first weekend alone. But Sony kept setting their sites higher, and in November of 2000 they released the Playstation 2. With greater power than the first console, and the ability to play CD’s and DVD’s as well, the Playstation 2 became the entertainment “hub” in millions of households. Even a decade after its first release, the Playstation 2 prevailed as one of the most popular game consoles of all time, and had sold more than 50 million units in North America alone.
Of course that’s not the end of the story. In March 2005 Sony released their first portable gaming console, the PSP, which did not enjoy a rousing success, but showed that Sony was willing to dabble into other gaming options. In November of 2006 they revolutionized gaming again with the Playstation 3, which incorporated state-of-the-art Blu-ray technology and was their first home console to be equipped with a pre-installed hard drive, rendering the “memory cards” of the past a distant memory. In more recent years Sony released their more robust handheld, the Playstation Vita, and most recently their most powerful console yet, the Playstation 4. They’ve also enjoyed great success with the online Playstation Network and Store, as well as their subscription service, Playstation Plus, which offers members special deals and free downloadable games for a yearly fee.
So what is my personal history with the Playstation line? Well, right off the bat, while I don’t have an original Playstation, I do own a Playstation One, which was the smaller, more affordable option that was made available after the initial launch – it’s basically the same machine more cheaply made.
I also avoided the PSP, as it seemed that not many people were terribly impressed with it at the time. I do, however, have the Playstations 2, 3, and 4, as well as Playstation Vita.
The Playstation 2 was a huge source of my and my husband’s entertainment for many years, especially during our college years when we couldn’t afford much. The Playstation 3 continued to carry that torch for several years afterward, and in fact we still have several games for the PS3 that we have yet to play because our Playstation library is so big. These days my husband has been focusing on the PS4 games he got for Christmas, while I’ve mostly been sticking with my PSVita for now. We’re both big fans of the Playstation Plus service, which provides us with enough free games every year to far surpass the cost of the subscription.
What kinds of games do we play on our Playstation consoles? Well, all kinds, but as of the writing of this post my husband is playing ‘Diablo 3’ while I’m into ‘The Wolf Among Us’.
What is your experience with the Playstation line? What is your favorite system? Favorite game? Please share!
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My PS2 has provided me countless hours of entertainment. 65 of which were from FFX alone. Looks like it’s going to make a come back in our house, too. Kids have been begging me to set it up. They like to play Maximo. And really, I can’t blame them.
The PS2 was definitely awesome. We had one hell of a library of games for that one. At some point we’ll probably hook our old one up in missy’s room. I’m sure we have tons of games that she would go absolutely bonkers for. ^_^
I own all Playstations released (1, 2, 3 and 4). Probably my favorite is the PS2, at least I had more fun playing it
That seems to be a common feeling. I definitely recall lots of good times with the PS2 myself. I think it’s probably the system that I played the MOST games on.
My PS2 was like a member of the family. It got me through grad school when I should have been studying. It helped me through the stress of break-ups (maybe it caused them too??). When it finally died, I couldn’t even throw it away. I guess part of me thinks it can still be resurrected somehow.
I definitely think it’s worth keeping. I have a few broken consoles as well, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of them. Even if they never work again, they’re classic, you know? I can always get one of those Retro consoles to play my NES games, but it’s not a REAL NES. Maybe that’s just the hoarder in me coming out. lol
I own(ed) them all, currently 2-4. 2 has all my favorite games on it, while 3 is my current love affair. I haven’t found any on 4 to really captivate me yet. 2’s backwards-compatibility makes it more suitable for me and more versatile – why, oh why did they ever get rid of that feature? Regardless, I’m PlayStation for lifeeee.
That’s one thing about all the newer gen consoles that has always made me twitch. They all read every kind of disc…so why would you not make them backwards compatible? You could make the argument that, well, Sony isn’t going to make the 4 backwards compatible when they’re still selling thousands of the 3. But it would make such an EXCELLENT selling point for the newer consoles! And, although I’m the exact opposite, there are lots of people out there who don’t like having a dozen different consoles cluttering up their house just so they can play their old games as well as the new. [\rant] lol