A playstation is a piece of hardware specially designed to play video games. Sony Computer Entertainment first introduced its PlayStation in 1995 and completely dominated its generation of consoles (see PS 1). Since then, they’ve made four more versions of the console with the current PlayStation 5 being the latest model (see PS 5) able to run 4K games with advanced visual technologies such as ray tracing.
The original PlayStation was a CD-ROM based system with a 32-bit MIPS processor and a color LCD screen, capable of showing 256×224 pixels. It was one of the most successful systems ever to enter the market, selling 100 million units by 2005. The system’s success was largely due to the wide array of popular games available for it and its ability to connect to the Internet allowing online multiplayer gameplay.
Later models of the PlayStation 2 introduced a Blu-ray drive for improved game storage, connectivity and visual quality. This enabled high-resolution graphics, and cinematic experiences. The console also benefited from backwards compatibility with many PS1 games.
Lastly, the PlayStation 3 added a built in Blu-ray drive as well as more advanced CPU and GPU architectures which greatly improved game performance and graphical quality. This prompted the development of franchises like Uncharted and God of War which helped bolster sales.
The most recent PlayStation innovations include a sleek design, a more intuitive controller, and a better user experience. Pressing the PlayStation button on the controller now brings up a new control center that displays notifications, downloads in progress and your Friends list — similar to the quick menu functionality of previous consoles. PlayStation Plus subscribers enjoy a curated selection of games right away, while those with Plus Extra or Premium can access an additional Game Catalog and Classics Catalog.