After a failed venture with Nintendo to develop a CD-ROM attachment for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s, Sony launched the PlayStation in December 1994. This innovative system took a radical departure from industry leader Nintendo’s cartridge-based approach, and placed emphasis on polygon graphics to attract developers. It was the first console to elicit critical acclaim and impressive sales. It owes its popularity to a wide variety of popular franchises such as Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Ridge Racer and Crash Bandicoot, whose popularity helped propel the console into a dominant position.
The PlayStation was the first highly successful third-generation video game console and established a huge market share lead for Sony, which continues to dominate the console industry. Sony grew its dominance with the introduction of the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2000, and more recently, the PS4 and Series X.
With the launch of PS5, Sony once again showed the world that it knows how to create a console that feels new. The slick and expensive system opens with a welcome orchestral audio and a swirling graphical display that makes it clear from the get-go that this is a different console generation. With an all-new UI, SSD-fueled load times and stunning 4K resolution, the PS5 makes previous generations look conservative.