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PlayStation

 
Wikipedia: PlayStation
PlayStation
Playstation logo colour.svg
The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey color.
Original model design and logo of the PS1.
Manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment
Product family PlayStation
Type Video game console
Generation Fifth generation era
Retail availability JP December 3, 1994[1]
NA September 9, 1995[2]
EU September 29, 1995[3]
AUS November 15, 1995[4]
Discontinued March 23, 2006
Units sold 125 million (as of July 20, 2008)[5]
Units shipped 102.49 million, including 28.15 million PS one units (as of March 31 2005)[6]
Media CD-ROM
CPU MIPS R3000A-family R3051
@ 33.8688 MHz
Storage capacity Memory card
Best-selling game Gran Turismo, 10.85 million shipped (as of April 30 2008)[7][8]
Successor PlayStation 2

The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone,[9] PS1, or PSX[11]) is a 32-bit fifth generation video game console released by Sony Computer Entertainment in December 1994.[1]

The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of console and handheld game devices, which was first created and released in Japan. Successor consoles and upgrades include the Net Yaroze, PS one, PSX, PocketStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3. On March 31, 2005, the PlayStation and PS one reached a combined total of 102.49 million units shipped,[6] becoming the first video game console to reach 100 million.[12] As of July 20, 2008, the PlayStation has sold 102 million units.[5] Sony ceased production of the PlayStation on March 23, 2006, over 11 years after it was first produced.[13]

Contents

History

An original PlayStation control pad. This model was later replaced by the Dual Analog, and then the DualShock.

The first conceptions of the PlayStation date back to 1986 in Japan where it was created. Nintendo had been attempting to work with disc technology since the Famicom, but the medium had problems. Its rewritable magnetic nature could be easily erased (thus leading to a lack of durability), and the discs were a copyright infringement danger. Consequently, when details of CDROM/XA (an extension of the CD-ROM format that combines compressed audio, visual and computer data, allowing all to be accessed simultaneously) came out, Nintendo was interested. CD-ROM/XA was being simultaneously developed by Sony and Philips. Nintendo had later declined Phillips. Nintendo approached Sony to develop a CD-ROM add-on, tentatively titled the "SNES-CD". A contract was signed, and work began. Nintendo's choice of Sony was due to a prior dealing: Ken Kutaragi, the person who would later be dubbed "The Father of PlayStation", was the individual who had sold Nintendo on using the Sony SPC-700 processor for use as the eight-channel ADPCM sound synthesis set in the Super Famicom/SNES console through an impressive demonstration of the processor's capabilities.[14]

Sony also planned to develop a Super Famicom-compatible, Sony-branded console, but one which would be more of a home entertainment system playing both Super Nintendo cartridges and a new CD format which Sony would design. This was also to be the format used in SNES-CD discs, giving a large degree of control to Sony despite Nintendo's leading position in the video gaming market.

The DualShock controller.

The SNES-CD was to be announced at the May 1991 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). However, when Hiroshi Yamauchi read the original 1988 contract between Sony and Nintendo, he realized that the earlier agreement essentially handed Sony complete control over any and all titles written on the SNES CD-ROM format. Yamauchi decided that the contract was totally unacceptable and he secretly canceled all plans for the joint Nintendo-Sony SNES CD attachment. Instead of announcing a partnership between Sony and Nintendo, at 9 a.m. the day of the CES, Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln stepped onto the stage and revealed that Nintendo was now allied with Philips, after turning down their idea. Nintendo was planning on abandoning all the previous work Nintendo and Sony had accomplished. Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa had, unbeknownst to Sony, flown to Philips headquarters in Europe and formed an alliance of a decidedly different nature—one that would give Nintendo total control over its licenses on Philips machines.

After the collapse of the joint project, Sony considered halting their research, but ultimately the company decided to use what they had developed so far and make it into a complete, stand alone console. As a result, Nintendo filed a lawsuit claiming breach of contract and attempted, in U.S. federal court, to obtain an injunction against the release of the PlayStation, on the grounds that Nintendo owned the name. The federal judge presiding over the case denied the injunction and, in October 1991, the first incarnation of the new Sony PlayStation was revealed. However, it is theorized that only 200 or so of these machines were ever produced.[citation needed]

PlayStation Memory Card.

By the end of 1992, Sony and Nintendo reached a deal whereby the "Sony Play Station" would still have a port for SNES games, but Nintendo would own the rights and receive the bulk of the profits from the games, and the SNES would continue to use the Sony-designed audio chip. However, Sony decided in early 1993 to begin reworking the "PlayStation" concept to target a new generation of hardware and software. As part of this process the SNES cartridge port was dropped and the space between the names was removed, thereby ending Nintendo's involvement with the project.

Launch

The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, North America on September 9, 1995,[2] Europe on September 29, 1995,[3] and Oceania in November 15, 1995.[4] The launch price in the American market was US$299[2] (a price point later used by its successor, the PlayStation 2),[15] and Sony enjoyed a very successful launch with titles of almost every genre, including Battle Arena Toshinden, Warhawk, Air Combat, and Philosoma, and Ridge Racer. Almost all of Sony's and Namco's launch titles went on to spawn numerous sequels.

Titles

As of September 30, 2007, a total of 7,918 software titles have been released worldwide (counting games released in multiple regions as separate titles).[16] As of March 31, 2007, the cumulative software shipment was at 962 million units.[17] The very last game for the system released in the United States was FIFA Football 2005. However, it can be noted that on 07/26/07 in Japan and 03/18/08 in the US, Metal Gear Solid: The essential Collection was released which contained new printings of the Playstation 1 game Metal Gear Solid. The discs were in the Playstation format and playable on Playstation and PS One's.[18]

The OK and Cancel buttons on most of the Japanese PlayStation games are reversed in their North American and European releases. In Japan, the Circle button (maru, right) is used as the OK button, while the X button (batsu, wrong) is used as Cancel. North American and European releases have the X button or the Circle buttons as the OK button, while either the Square or the Triangle buttons are used as Cancel (some titles like Xenogears used the Circle button for cancelling actions and selections). However, a few games such as Squaresoft's Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy VII (although the X button was used for the OK button), and Final Fantasy Tactics, Namco's Ridge Racer Type 4 and Konami's Metal Gear Solid, have the buttons remain in the same Japanese configurational layout. Some games like Japanese version of Gran Turismo had used different control similar to North American games. These Japanese button layouts still apply to other PlayStation consoles, such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP), PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation 3. This is because in the early years Sony America (SCEA), Sony Europe (SCEE) and Sony Japan (SCEJ) had different development and testing documents (TRCs) for their respective territories.

Variants

Developer's kit PlayStation (PAL)

PS one

The redesigned PlayStation with an LCD Screen and DualShock controller

The PS one (also PSOne), launched in 2000, is Sony's smaller, redesigned version of its PlayStation video game console. The PS one is considerably smaller than the original PlayStation (dimensions being 38 mm × 193 mm × 144 mm versus 45 mm × 260 mm × 185 mm). It was released on July 7, 2000,[19] and went on to outsell all other consoles—including Sony's own brand-new PlayStation 2—throughout the remainder of the year.[20] Sony also released a small LCD screen and an adaptor to power the unit for use in cars. The PS one is fully compatible with all PlayStation software. There were three differences between the "PS One" and the original, the first one being cosmetic change to the console, the second one was the home menu's Graphical User Interface, and the third being added protection against the modchip by changing the internal layout and making previous-generation modchip devices unusable. The PS one also lacks the original PlayStation's parallel and serial ports. The serial port allowed multiple consoles to be connected for multiplayer or for connecting a console to debugging software.

Consumer models

Model: Case: BIOS: Hardware: Region: A/V Direct Out: Parallel Port: Serial Port: Sound Scope:
SCPH-1000 Original (Grey) Unknown (09/22/94) Rev. A NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-1001 Original (Grey) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. B NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-1002 Original (Grey) 2.0 (05/10/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-1002 Original (Grey) 2.1 (07/17/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-1002 Original (Grey) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-3000 Original (Grey) 1.1 (01/22/95) Rev. B NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-3500 Original (Grey) 2.1 (07/17/95) Rev. B NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-5000 Original (Grey) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5001 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5002 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C PAL No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5003 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5500 Original (Grey) 3.0 (09/09/96) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5501 Original (Grey) 3.0 (11/18/96) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5502 Original (Grey) 3.0 (01/06/97) Rev. C PAL No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5503 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5552 Original (Grey) 3.0 (01/06/97) Rev. C PAL No Yes Yes No
SCPH-5903 Original (White) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
SCPH-7000 Original (Grey) 4.0 (08/18/97) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7001 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7002 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C PAL No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7003 Original (Grey) 3.0 (11/18/96) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7500 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7501 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7502 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C PAL No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-7503 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C NTSC-J No Yes Yes Yes
SCPH-9000 Original (Grey) 4.0 (08/18/97) Rev. C NTSC-J No No Yes Yes
SCPH-9001 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No No Yes Yes
SCPH-9002 Original (Grey) 4.1 (12/16/97) Rev. C PAL No No Yes Yes
SCPH-9003 Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J No No Yes Yes
SCPH-100 PS one (White) 4.3 (03/11/00) Rev. C NTSC-J No No No Yes
SCPH-101 PS one (White) 4.5 (05/25/00) Rev. C NTSC-U/C No No No Yes
SCPH-102 PS one (White) 4.4 (03/24/00) Rev. C PAL No No No Yes
SCPH-102 PS one (White) 4.5 (05/25/00) Rev. C PAL No No No Yes
SCPH-103 PS one (White) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. C NTSC-J No No No Yes

Specialty models

Model: Case: BIOS: Hardware: Region: A/V Direct Out: Parallel Port: Serial Port: Sound Scope:
DTL-H1000 Original (Blue) Unknown (09/22/94) Rev. A NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1000H Original (Grey) 1.1 (01/22/95) Rev. B NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1001 Original (Blue) 2.0 (05/07/95) Rev. B NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1001H Original (Grey) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. B NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1002 Original (Blue) 2.0 (05/10/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1100 Original (Blue) 2.2 (03/06/96) Rev. B NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1101 Original (Blue) 2.1 (07/17/95) Rev. B NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1102 Original (Blue) 2.1 (07/17/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1200 Original (Green) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. C NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1201 Original (Green) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. C NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H1202 Original (Green) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. C PAL Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H3000 Original (Black) Unknown (Unknown) Rev. B NTSC-J Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H3001 Original (Black) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. B NTSC-U/C Yes Yes Yes No
DTL-H3002 Original (Black) 2.2 (12/04/95) Rev. B PAL Yes Yes Yes No

Successors

Sony's successor to the PlayStation is the PlayStation 2, which is backward compatible with its predecessor in that it can play almost every PlayStation game. Unlike emulators that run on a PC, the PlayStation 2 actually contains the original PlayStation processor, allowing games to run exactly as they do on the PlayStation. For PlayStation 2 games this processor, called the IOP, is used for input and output (memory cards, DVD drive, network, and hard drive). Like its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 is based on hardware developed by Sony itself.

The third generation of the PlayStation known as the PlayStation 3 (abbreviated PS3), was launched on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe. The PlayStation 3 was initially backward compatible with all games that were originally made for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, but due to the removal of the PlayStation 2 Emotion Engine Chip after the introduction of the 40 GB version, the capability to play PlayStation 2 discs is limited now to software emulation, and the capability to play original PlayStation games is still possible. While PS3 games are not region-locked, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games still only play on a PS3 console from the same territory.

Technical specifications

Central processing unit
An early PlayStation motherboard.

MIPS R3000A-compatible (R3051) 32bit RISC chip running at 33.8688 MHz

The chip is manufactured by LSI Logic Corp. with technology licensed from SGI. The chip also contains the Geometry Transformation Engine and the Data Decompression Engine.

Features:

Geometry transformation engine

This engine is inside the main CPU chip. It gives it additional vector math instructions used for the 3D graphics.

Features:

  • Operating performance of 66 MIPS
  • 360,000 flat-shaded polygons per second
  • 180,000 texture mapped and light-sourced polygons per second

Sony originally gave the polygon count as:

  • 1 million flat-shaded polygons per second;
  • 500,000 texture mapped and light-sourced polygons per second.

These figures were given as a ballpark figure for performance under optimal circumstances, and so are unrealistic under normal usage.

Data decompression engine

This engine is also inside the main CPU. It is responsible for decompressing images and video. Documented device mode is to read three RLE-encoded 16×16 macroblocks, run IDCT and assemble a single 16×16 RGB macroblock. Output data may be transferred directly to GPU via DMA. It is possible to overwrite IDCT matrix and some additional parameters, however MDEC internal instruction set was never documented.

Features:

  • Compatible with MJPEG and H.261 files
  • Operating Performance of 80 MIPS
  • Directly connected to CPU Bus
Graphics processing unit

This chip is separate to the CPU and handles all the 2D graphics processing, which includes the transformed 3D polygons.

Features:

Sound processing unit

Features:

Memory
CD-ROM drive

Features:

  • 2x, with a maximum data throughput of 300 KB/s
  • XA Mode 2 Compliant
  • CD-DA (CD-Digital Audio)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Business Development/Japan". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatajpn_e.html. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  2. ^ a b c "Business Development/North America". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatausa_e.html. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  3. ^ a b "Business Development/Europe". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataeu_e.html. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 
  4. ^ a b "SCEE 1995—Key Facts and Figures". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. http://www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=93&NewsAreaID=22. Retrieved 2006-11-25. 
  5. ^ a b Chris Nuttall (2008-07-20). "Sony sets 150m sales target for PS3". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1c46ad2e-5678-11dd-8686-000077b07658.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
  6. ^ a b "PlayStation Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps_e.html. Retrieved 2007-09-05. 
  7. ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2008-05-09). "Gran Turismo Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide". Press release. http://asia.playstation.com/eng_hk/index.php?q=node/1517. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
  8. ^ ""Gran Turismo" Series Software Title List". Polyphony Digital. April 2008. http://www.polyphony.co.jp/english/list.html. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
  9. ^ See #PS one
  10. ^ "The Making Of: PlayStation". Edge. Future Publishing. 24 April 2009. p. 5. http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/the-making-of-playstation?page=0%2C4. Retrieved 27 September 2009. "SCEA hated the name and wanted to change it to PSX, a contraction of the project’s codename […] the US nevertheless went ahead with early trade promotion, calling it PSX," 
  11. ^ PS-X (PlayStation Experimental) was an internal code name for the PlayStation during development.[10] The popular use of the "PSX" abbreviation outside Sony became a source of confusion when Sony introduced its PSX digital video recorder in 2003.
  12. ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2005-11-30). "PlayStation 2 Breaks Record as the Fastest Computer Entertainment Platform to Reach Cumulative Shipment of 100 Million Units" (PDF). Press release. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/051130e.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-08. 
  13. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2006-03-24). "Sony stops making original PS". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146549.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  14. ^ "Game Over", by David Scheff
  15. ^ "PlayStation 2 Timeline". GameSpy. http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february04/ps2timeline/index3.shtml. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
  16. ^ "Cumulative Software Titles". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatatitle_e.html. Retrieved 2007-12-10. 
  17. ^ "Cumulative Production Shipments of Software Titles". Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.. 2007-03-31. http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatapssoft_e.html. Retrieved 2007-07-10. 
  18. ^ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/data/944753.html Gamefaqs Product page
  19. ^ "SCEE 2000—Key Facts and Figures". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. http://www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=98&NewsAreaID=22. Retrieved 2006-11-25. 
  20. ^ Smith, Tony (2000-12-06). "Sony PS One sales rocket as PS Two famine continues". theregister.co.uk. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/12/06/sony_ps_one_sales_rocket/. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 

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