PlayStation is a video game brand produced and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Since launching its inaugural home console in December 1994, the brand has expanded to consist of five home consoles (PlayStation 1-5), two handheld gaming devices (PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita), and a smartphone. The PlayStation brand is one of the most popular and recognizable in the video game industry and mainstream culture, with many of its characters and IP considered household names.

The PlayStation was pioneered by Sony executive, Ken Kutaragi, who is often referred to as “The Father of the PlayStation.” It began as a brand partnership between Sony and Nintendo to release a CD-ROM enabled iteration of Nintendo’s Super Famicon (Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America), but controversy arose as Nintendo broke off the deal in lieu of a partnership with Sony rival, Philips. Reworking the device as its own standalone hardware, Sony released the PlayStation on their own in Japan (December 1994) and into the North American and European markets in September 1995.

The original PlayStation would go on to sell over 100M units worldwide, cementing Sony Interactive Entertainment as a new global video game juggernaut alongside then-rivals Nintendo and Sega. Its impact on home media was also enormous, as its CD-ROM based technology would help standardize disc-based media for home gaming consoles, ushering in a revolution in audio quality for games that allowed for CD-quality sound with unprecedented storage potential.

It was during this time that PlayStation, through its various third-party publishers, would create some of gaming’s most iconic franchises and characters, including Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot, Konami’s Metal Gear Solid and the character Solid Snake, as well as non-character centric games like Gran Turismo. The partnerships publishers made with Sony became synonymous with the brand itself, as with its association with then-Squaresoft (now Square Enix), publishers of the Final Fantasy roleplaying game series whose previous six iterations were famously on Nintendo consoles. By garnering exclusive partnerships with previous Nintendo-friendly brands, Sony Interactive Entertainment was able to quickly gain ground and weaken their rivals’ hold on the gaming industry.

After the success of the PlayStation, SIE was quick to produce a successor, the PlayStation 2 which launched globally throughout 2000. Using more complex technology and continuing the proliferation of disc-based media with the DVD, it became the standard platform for game development during its console generation and would go on to sell over 160M units worldwide. Considered one of the greatest home gaming consoles of all time, the PlayStation 2 was renowned for its massive library of games, including its continued support by Square Enix on multiple Final Fantasy games, as well as Konami’s Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill franchises. It also saw major cross-cultural success with Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series which launched on both PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox platform but did not make the leap to Nintendo’s more kid-friendly GameCube.

Throughout the next generation, Sony would test the waters with both a new console (2006’s PlayStation 3) and its first foray into handheld gaming, the PlayStation Portable. Despite selling over 80M units worldwide, the PlayStation Portable failed to meet the sales of Nintendo’s own handheld line, the Nintendo DS, leaving Sony in a secondary place in the market for the launch of its successor, the PlayStation Vita in 2011, which sold significantly less units than the original device. Sales of the PlayStation 3 also suffered as the device utilized Blu-ray disc technology, a costly investment that brought the price of the console higher than in previous generations.

Following a downturn in sales from the PlayStation 3, SIE pivoted to creating a more cost-effective console with greater accessibility for developers with 2014’s PlayStation 4. Seen by many as a return to the heyday of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 4 was a major success for the brand, selling upwards of 117M units, making it the most sold PlayStation model in history. Even today, four years into the life cycle of the latest console, the PlayStation 5, it’s estimated that roughly half of PlayStation users are still playing on the PlayStation 4.

The PlayStation 5, released globally in November 2020, faced an uphill battle as the global pandemic wreaked havoc on various industries, leading to a chip shortage that limited the production and availability of the console at launch. Many critics have also suggested that, despite PlayStation 5’s advanced hardware featuring UHD Blu-ray discs and 4K resolution visuals, the technology simply hasn’t been as great a leap forward as in previous generations to warrant consumer demand. It currently stands at upward of 56M units sold worldwide.

PlayStation’s legacy has been closely associated with creating more mature, widely popular games and franchises that have major mainstream appeal and recognition. Despite having discontinued many of its older franchises, series like Naughty Dog’s Uncharted and The Last of Us garnered attention for bridging the technological gap between filmmaking and video games, providing experiences that rival Hollywood in their spectacle. Both franchises would go on to inspire adaptations for film and television to great success, creating a cross-platform appeal for gamers and non-gamers alike.

Halfway through its lifespan, PlayStation 5 currently stands as Sony’s flagship video game platform. It’s rumored that a mid-cycle refresh informally known as the PlayStation 5 Pro could be released in late 2024.