Happy 30th Birthday to PlayStation 1
Image: Push Square

Today is an incredibly important milestone for PlayStation, as it represents the 30th anniversary of the console we love. It doesn’t take a genius to realise Push Square wouldn’t exist if Ken Kutaragi hadn’t convinced Sony president Norio Ohga to take a risk three decades ago.

Originally announced as a CD-based extension for the Super Nintendo, the biggest betrayal in gaming history led to one of the greatest consumer electronics brands of all time. While older executives initially rejected the PlayStation project, Ohga shifted Kutaragi and his team to Sony Music, where he worked on the system in secret.

Sony Music’s influence would play a big part in PlayStation’s early success, as the manufacturer treated the business like a record label, empowering talent and stealing developers away from the incumbent market leader, Nintendo. With its cutting-edge 3D graphics and CD quality sound, the PS1 was a revolution.

But there was more to PlayStation than its great games. It was a movement. Sony embraced counter-culture, becoming the yin to Nintendo’s yang. The PS1 could be spotted in nightclubs, and its marketing was surreal, perhaps best illustrated by the infamous Mental Wealth campaign which ran in the UK.

Its biggest titles also felt more “adult” than anything available on competing consoles, too. WipEout, a futuristic racing game inspired by Mario Kart, had a soundtrack featuring The Chemical Brothers, and its controversial magazine poster showed DJ Sara Cox with a nosebleed.

Through the likes of Tomb Raider, gaming characters like Lara Croft became larger than life, featuring on the covers of 90s lads mags like Loaded.

And the great games just kept coming: Tekken, Ridge Racer, and Metal Gear Solid – many of the greatest games of all time released on Sony’s system.

The true testament of PS1’s impact is that every fan has a unique memory attached to it. Whether it’s running down civilians in GTA, gobbling down Wumpa Fruit in Crash Bandicoot, or setting a fastest lap in Gran Turismo – it was a remarkable console.

And for that reason, to mark the occasion, we’ve brought together our in-house staff and a selection of contributors to share some of our memories of PlayStation. Look forward to those stories going live right throughout the day.

We should also stress that, while our focus will be on the PS1 today, this 30th anniversary is a remarkable moment for all of the consoles in Sony’s catalogue. The brand has grown up alongside us, and it remains as relevant as ever today. While there have been stumbles, it’s truly remarkable for any entertainment product to have longevity quite like this.

The fact that we’re writing this and you’re reading it speaks to the enduring popularity of a platform that means so much to all of us.

Never underestimate the power of PlayStation.

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