49 Fun Facts About PlayStation

Which Sony executive, later dubbed 'The Father of the PlayStation', conceived the console?

He had earlier designed the Super Famicom's sound chip and was moved out of Sony headquarters to keep the project alive.

The PlayStation project grew out of a broken partnership with which company to build a CD-ROM add-on?

A day after Sony showed the 'Play Station' SNES-CD at CES 1991, Nintendo announced it was going with Philips instead.

Which Sega arcade hit convinced Sony to focus the PlayStation on 3D polygons rather than 2D sprites?

SCE's Ryoji Akagawa said that after seeing it in Japanese arcades 'the direction of the PlayStation became instantly clear'.

In which year was the original PlayStation released in Japan?

It launched on December 3, a week after the Sega Saturn, and reached North America and Europe the following September.

Which two consoles were the original PlayStation's main fifth-generation rivals?

The Saturn actually outsold it in Japan in the first weeks thanks to Sega's flagship arcade fighting game.

What two words did Sony's Steve Race say on stage at E3 1995 to reveal the PlayStation's US price?

Sega had just announced the Saturn at $399 with a surprise immediate launch; the audience applauded and Michael Jackson turned up.

The PlayStation went on sale in North America on which date?

It sold more units in two days than the Saturn had in five months, and 17 games were available at launch versus the Saturn's six.

Which Namco arcade game was confirmed as the PlayStation's first game and became a launch title?

Namco, Sega's arcade rival, based its System 11 arcade board on PlayStation hardware and made Tekken to take on Sega's fighter.

The original PlayStation's best-selling game, at 10.85m copies, was which racing sim?

The 1997 game outsold Final Fantasy VII, Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider on the system.

Which 1997 PlayStation RPG is credited with making the genre mass-market outside Japan?

It is regularly named among the most influential games ever made and got a multi-part remake starting in 2020.

Who designed the PlayStation logo, with its optical-illusion 'P' standing over the 'S'?

He chose four bright principal colours and only had to tune the green for harmony; a black-and-white version was reserved for when colour could not be used.

The PlayStation company, SCEI, was formed in 1993 in close partnership with which division of its parent?

Kutaragi's team had been shifted there after most senior Sony executives opposed the project; the music arm knew how to make and market discs.

What was the Net Yaroze?

The name means roughly 'Let's do it together'; hobbyists uploaded their creations to a Sony-run forum.

The PocketStation, a memory card that doubled as a mini handheld, was sold only in which country?

Over 80 games supported it, including Final Fantasy VIII; a US release was planned but scrapped over supply problems.

The smaller redesigned original console, launched concurrently with the PS2, was called what?

It outsold every other console, including its own successor, for the rest of 2000, and got an optional 5-inch LCD screen.

Which of these was the FIRST PlayStation controller to include a pair of thumbsticks?

It arrived in 1997 and was superseded a year later by the DualShock, which added vibration and became the longest-running controller line.

In what year did the DualShock controller debut?

Its analog sticks could also be pressed in to act as the L3 and R3 buttons.

Which of the four PlayStation face-button symbols is pink on the original control pad?

Triangle was green, Circle red and Cross blue.

The PlayStation 2 launched in Japan on March 4 of which year?

It reached North America that October, 15 months after the Dreamcast and a year before the Xbox and GameCube.

The PlayStation 2's custom central processor, co-developed with Toshiba, was called what?

Kutaragi promised games that would convey 'unprecedented emotions'; the chip was made at a joint venture in Nagasaki.

What non-game was the PlayStation 2's best-selling launch-period title in Japan?

The console's built-in DVD drive was cheaper than most standalone players, and many early buyers used it mainly for films.

Roughly how many units has the PlayStation 2, the best-selling console ever, sold?

That is nearly triple the combined sales of the Xbox, GameCube and Dreamcast, its sixth-generation rivals.

The best-selling PlayStation 2 game was which 2004 title?

It sold over 17 million copies on the console.

How long did it take the PS2 to become the fastest console to ship its 100-millionth unit?

The original PlayStation had needed 9 years and 6 months to hit the same mark.

The PlayStation 2 Slimline of 2004 launched in the US at what price?

It was smaller, quieter and added a built-in Ethernet port; production of the PS2 finally ended in January 2013.

The PlayStation 2 was discontinued in January 2013 after almost how many years in production?

That gave it one of the longest lifespans of any console.

The PlayStation 3's Cell processor was co-developed by Sony, Toshiba and which third company?

Kutaragi announced the partnership in March 2001, envisioning 'a supercomputer for the living room'.

The PS3 was the first console to use which disc format as its primary storage medium?

It was also the first with an HDMI port and 1080p output, and it helped Blu-ray beat HD DVD in the format war.

The 60 GB PlayStation 3 launched in the US at what infamous price?

Even at that price Sony lost money on each unit; the GPU alone was estimated to cost $129 and the disc drive $125.

The PS3's first official controller, which had motion sensing but no rumble, was called what?

It also introduced the central 'PlayStation button', replacing the old Analog toggle; the DualShock 3 restored vibration.

Life with PlayStation let PS3 owners donate processing power to whose Folding@home project?

It also showed a 3D globe with live weather and news; the project ended with firmware 4.30 in October 2012.

Which lead system architect designed both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5?

He said PS4 development began as early as 2008 and broke the PS5 news in a Wired interview in April 2019.

The PlayStation 4 introduced which processor architecture to the PlayStation line?

It was released in North America on November 15, 2013, competing with the Xbox One and Wii U.

The DualShock 4 added a front LED strip that could turn red at low health. What is it called?

It was designed so the PlayStation Camera could track the controller's motion.

The PlayStation 4 Pro was originally announced under which codename?

Unveiled in September 2016 with a 4.2-teraflop GPU, it targets 4K gaming but does not play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.

The PlayStation 5 was released worldwide on which date?

It arrived the same month as the Xbox Series X and S, and supply stayed short through a global chip shortage until 2023.

What is the name of the PS5 controller with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback?

Its triggers can change resistance mid-action, such as drawing a bow, and the Share button was renamed Create.

Which game comes preinstalled on every PS5 to show off its controller?

Laptop Mag called it 'deceptively cute'; its hero later got a full game, Astro Bot.

The PS5's hardware-accelerated 3D audio system is known as what?

It supports hundreds of simultaneous sound sources, compared with 50 on the PS4.

Before it was named, the PlayStation Vita was known by which codename?

It launched in Japan in December 2011 with a 5-inch OLED touchscreen and a rear touchpad, and was discontinued in 2019.

The Japan-only PSX of 2003 combined a PlayStation 2 with what?

It was the first Sony product with the XrossMediaBar and the first PlayStation product sold without a controller in the box.

The PlayStation Classic mini console launched on December 3, 2018, with how many preloaded games?

The date was the original console's 24th anniversary; it shipped with two original-style controllers.

The PlayStation Portal was announced as 'Project' plus which single letter?

It was unveiled in August 2023 and released that November for $199.99.

PlayStation Now, Sony's game-streaming service, was built on technology from which company?

It was announced at CES 2014 and folded into PlayStation Plus in 2022.

What was the name of the fictional PlayStation vice president in the 'It Only Does Everything' ads?

The debut spot drew a complaint from the Nigerian government over a 419-scam joke, which Sony re-cut.

In the 1995 US slogan 'eNoS Lives', what did the letters of ENOS stand for?

The red 'E' denoted 'ready', as in the companion slogan 'U R Not e'.

The horizontal-icon XrossMediaBar interface of the PS3 and PSP was originally used on which Sony device?

The Vita instead uses LiveArea, a touch-driven interface with social features.

Which 2009 handheld dropped the UMD drive in favour of 16 GB of internal flash memory?

Its slide-up screen echoed Sony's mylo device, and games had to be bought from the PlayStation Store.

Between 2016 and 2022, PlayStation sponsored which college football postseason game?

The brand also sponsored French clubs AJ Auxerre and Lyon, and several WWE pay-per-views.