The Evolution of the PlayStation
When anyone talks about gaming consoles in general, it is natural for everyone to talk about the Sony PlayStation since it is considered to be among the best gaming consoles of all time. The first PlayStation came out back in the 90s and ever since then, the rest is history. In today’s day and age, you have the liberty of getting a PlayStation online, that being the PlayStation 5.
However, you need to have an internet connection that is fast and reliable enough to make sure that you place your order well in time and can track it too. For that matter, it would only make sense to call Spectrum since it has one of the most reliable internet services in the United States!
However, today we will be talking about the PlayStation in its entirety and how far it has come over time. Keep reading ahead to find out more.
- The PlayStation
The first PlayStation came out in December 1994 and it was the first-ever console that shipped out 100 million units. It was in direct competition with consoles such as the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64. It introduced a dual-speed CD ROM and a one-core CPU that had only 2MB of RAM (which was a lot at the time) and it had 1MB of Video RAM. One of the best things about the console was that it took the world out of 2D games and introduced 3D games. However, in order to save your game data you needed to invest in a memory card that only had 128KB of storage space which was still enough for the time.
The first PlayStation didn’t come with a DualShock controller, it came out later in 1997 and until then the controller didn’t have any analogs on it.
- The PSone
This is the first ever slim version of any PlayStation console since Sony decided that it should create a smaller console as well. This variant of the PlayStation was released in July 2000 and the redesign was loved by people all over the world. This console was very easy to carry, was lighter in weight, and was featured with the DualShock controller with analog sticks and a vibration function. Sony really stepped up its game as it introduced this console since it was considered revolutionary at the time.
- The PlayStation 2/PS2
The real game changer was when the PlayStation 2 or PS2 was released. Even today everyone would agree when we say that the PS2 was Sony’s best creation yet. The PlayStation 2 was released back in 2000 too and it was the best-selling console till now since it sold more than 155 million consoles over a span of 12 years. The PS2 was in direct competition with the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Xbox, and the Nintendo GameCube.
The PS2 had an insane library with over 2,000 games. It was released with the “Emotion Engine” which was a one-core processor clocked at 294.9MHz. It had 32MB worth of RAM and 4GB of Video RAM, which was a leap forward from the PSone. It was also backward compatible, meaning it could play games from the PlayStation 1 as well.
Some of the most iconic games on the PS2 include Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, the God of War series, GTA San Andreas, Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, and a lot more.
- The PS2 Slim
Just like the PSone, Sony also released a slimmer variant of the PlayStation 2 called the PS2 Slim. It was released back in September 2004 and again it was widely accepted and loved by people all over the world. Another brilliant aspect of the slim version was that it had a built-in Ethernet port which made it possible to play games online at a high speed. This again was quite a game changer.
- The PlayStation 3
This was Sony’s most expensive console, priced at $599.99 and it was in competition with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. It was the first ever console to have a Blu-Ray player, this ensured that the games would have the kind of graphics that would make your jaw drop. It also gave you the option to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and gave you a built-in storage of 20GB. It also started off the PlayStation Network or PSN, something that every gamer is aware of. Some of the most popular games on the console include The Last of Us, Uncharted 2 and 3, Red Dead Redemption, and God of War III.
Just like its predecessors, the PS3 was also given a slim version and a superslim version that came out in 2009 and 2012 respectively. The superslim variant made the weird decision of removing the disc tray and redesigning it with a sliding tray that could be accessed from the top.
- The PlayStation 4 and its Variants
2013 marked the release of the PlayStation 4 and it was the fastest selling console in a period of 24 hours right after its release. It had a much stronger CPU than its predecessors and had an AMD GPU. It also introduced the ability to capture and share gameplay clips. You may also access the PlayStation Store through the console to purchase games and themes. It was in direct competition with the Nintendo Wii U and Xbox One.
Some of the most prominent games on the PS4 include Uncharted 4, InFAMOUS Second Son, and Until Dawn. The PS4’s variants include a slim version of the console and a Pro version that was able to run 4K games.
- The PlayStation 5/PS5
The latest in line is the PlayStation 5 which came out in 2020. It featured a disc edition priced at $499.99 and a digital edition priced at $399.99. It made it possible to play games at 4K and also featured an SSD which reduced loading times by a lot. You can also play games at 120fps and another brilliant element of the console was ray-tracing. The PS5 also introduced the DualSense controller which came with innovative features such as adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
Wrapping Up
The PlayStation has most definitely come a long way and it is the kind of console that lives in our hearts. There’s a reason why Sony and gaming fans love the PlayStation series so much, it never lets us down and always outdoes itself!