PlayStation

Red, blue, green and yellow logo and white text on a black background

The PlayStation series of video game consoles was introduced by Sony on December 3, 1994, in Japan. The original PlayStation was simply called "PlayStation," and the term can refer to that specific console or the brand, which now includes the PlayStation 2 (released in 2000), PlayStation 3 (released in 2006), and PlayStation 4 (released in 2013), along with their handheld Playstation Portable (PSP) consoles.

The inception of the PlayStation began with a joint project between Nintendo and Sony to incorporate CD-ROM technology into Nintendo's gaming consoles, which primarily used cartridges. Nintendo broke the deal after they could not compromise on the specifics of sharing revenue, and Sony tasked executive Ken Kutaragi with developing the PlayStation into a rival for Nintendo. The resulting PlayStation was hugely successful, becoming the first video game console to sell 120 million units. The success has continued for the series ever since, and the PlayStation 2 is the highest-selling home game console to date, having sold over 155 million units.