The console was released on December 3, 1994 in Japan, in the United States on September 9, 1995, and in Europe on September 29, 1995. The console is the first game system in the PlayStation line. In 2000, an updated version of the console called PSone was released, which differed from the original PlayStation in a much smaller size. The console proved to be very popular, giving Sony a breakthrough in the gaming industry, which until then had been undividedly dominated by Nintendo and Sega.
Sony began developing the PlayStation after an unsuccessful collaboration with Nintendo to create a CD peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s. The console was largely developed by Ken Kutaragi and Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan, with additional development outsourced to the UK. The development of the console focused on three-dimensional polygonal graphics. The process of creating games for the PlayStation was optimized and geared toward a wide audience, which ensured the support of many third-party developers.
The console proved popular due to its extensive game library, popular franchises, low retail price, and aggressive marketing among young people. Among the famous series of games for the PlayStation were Gran Turismo, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, and Final Fantasy, which spawned numerous sequels and helped boost console sales. PlayStation games continued to sell until Sony ceased production of the console and its games on March 23, 2006-more than eleven years after its release and less than a year before the PlayStation 3 debuted. A total of 7,918 games were released for the console, and total game sales totaled 962 million units.
On December 3, 2018, to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the original console's release, a miniature version called PlayStation Classic was released, which includes 20 pre-release games such as Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, Resident Evil.
