Editing PlayStation

{{Infobox information appliance
| logo         = [[File:Playstation logo colour.svg|frameless|upright=0.45|75px]]<br />[[File:PlayStation logo wordmark 1994to2009.svg|frameless|135px]]
| image        = <div style="white-space: nowrap; border: #dadada solid 1px;">[[File:PSX-Console-wController.jpg|frameless|250px]]<br>[[File:PSone-Console-Set-NoLCD.jpg|frameless|230px]]</div>
| caption      = '''Top:''' The "coloured" PlayStation logo<br>'''Middle: '''The original model with the [[DualShock| DualShock controller]]<br>'''Bottom: '''The smaller and redesigned [[PlayStation models#PS one|PS one]] unit
| developer    = [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]
| manufacturer = [[Sony]]
| family       = [[PlayStation]]
| type         = [[Home video game console]]
| generation   = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth generation]]
| releasedate  = '''PlayStation'''{{vgrelease|JP|{{start date|df=yes|3 December 1994}}|NA|{{start date|df=yes|9 September 1995}}|EU|{{start date|df=yes|29 September 1995}}|AU|{{start date|df=yes|15 November 1995}}}}'''PS one'''{{vgrelease|JP|{{start date|df=yes|7 July 2000}}|NA|{{start date|df=yes|19 September 2000}}|EU|{{start date|df=yes|29 September 2000}}}}
| lifespan     = 1994–2006
| discontinued = 23 March 2006
| unitssold    = 102.49 million
| media        = [[CD-ROM]]
| cpu          = [[R3000]]
| CPUspeed     = 33.8688&nbsp;MHz
| memory       = 2&nbsp;MB [[RAM]], 1&nbsp;MB [[VRAM]]
| storage      = [[Memory card]]
| sound        = 16-bit, 24 channel [[ADPCM]]
| controllers  = [[PlayStation Controller]], [[Dual Analog Controller]], [[DualShock]]
| connectivity = [[PlayStation Link Cable]]
| topgame      = ''[[Gran Turismo (video game)|Gran Turismo]]'', 10.85 million shipped
| successor    = [[PlayStation 2]]
| title        = PlayStation
}}

The '''PlayStation'''{{refn|group=note|{{nihongo|PlayStation|?????????|Pureisuteshon}}<!-- See [[WP:JFN]] -->}} (officially abbreviated to '''PS''', and commonly known as the '''PS1''' or its codename, '''PSX''') is a [[home video game console]] developed and marketed by [[Sony Computer Entertainment]]. The console was released on 3 December {{vgy|1994}} in [[Japan]], 9 September 1995 in [[North America]], 29 September 1995 in [[Europe]], and 15 November 1995 in [[Australia]]. The console was the first of the [[PlayStation]] lineup of home video game consoles. It primarily competed with the [[Nintendo 64]] and the [[Sega Saturn]] as part of the [[fifth generation of video game consoles]].

The PlayStation is the first "computer entertainment platform" to ship 100 million units, which it had reached 9 years and 6 months after its initial launch. In July 2000, a redesigned, slim version called the '''PS one''' was released, replacing the original grey console and named appropriately to avoid confusion with its successor, the [[PlayStation 2]].

The PlayStation 2, which is [[backward compatibility|backwards compatible]] with the PlayStation's [[DualShock]] controller and games, was announced in 1999 and launched in 2000. The last PS one units were sold in late 2006 to early 2007 shortly after it was officially discontinued, for a total of 102 million units shipped since its launch 11 years earlier. Games for the PlayStation continued to sell until Sony ceased production of both the PlayStation and PlayStation games on 23 March 2006 – over 11 years after it had been released, and less than a year before the debut of the [[PlayStation 3]].

On 19 September 2018, Sony unveiled the [[PlayStation Classic]], to mark the 24th anniversary of the original console. The new console is a miniature recreation of the original PlayStation, preloaded with 20 titles released on the original console, and was released on 3 December 2018, the exact date the console was released in Japan in 1994.

==Functionality==
In addition to playing games, select PlayStation models are equipped to play audio CDs; further, Asian model SCPH-5903 can also play [[Video CD|Video CDs]]. Like most CD players, the PlayStation can play songs in a programmed order, shuffle the playback order of the disc and repeat one song or the entire disc. Later PlayStation models utilise a music visualisation function called SoundScope. This function, as well as a memory card manager, is accessed by starting the console without either inserting a game or closing the CD tray, thereby accessing a GUI for the PlayStation BIOS.

The GUI for the PS one and PlayStation differ depending on the firmware version: the original PlayStation GUI had a dark blue background with rainbow graffiti used as buttons, while the early PAL PlayStation and PS one GUI had a grey blocked background with 2 icons in the middle (these were different on each version). If the CD lid is closed with a game inside at any time while in the menu, the game will start.

==Software library==
{{See also|List of PlayStation games (A–L)|List of PlayStation games (M–Z)}}
As of 30 June 2007, 7,918 [[software]] titles had been released worldwide for the PlayStation (counting games released in multiple regions as separate titles). As of 31 March 2007, the cumulative software shipment was at 962 million units. ''[[FIFA Football 2005]]'' was the last game released for the system in the United States. However, several reprinted and remastered editions were released in later years. On 26 July 2007, Konami released ''Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection'', which contained ''Metal Gear Solid'' in the original PlayStation format. In 2011, Capcom released the ''Resident Evil 15th Anniversary Collection'', and in 2012, Square Enix released the ''Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimate Box'' in Japan containing all of the ''Final Fantasy'' titles, a majority of which were in the original PlayStation format.

Initially, in the United States, PlayStation games were packaged in long cardboard boxes, similar to non-Japanese 3DO and Saturn games. Sony later switched to the [[jewel case]] format typically used for audio CDs and Japanese video games, as this format took up less retailer shelf space (which was at a premium due to the large number of PlayStation games being released), and [[focus testing]] showed that most consumers preferred this format.

===Regional variants===
The ''OK'' and ''Cancel'' buttons in most of the Japanese PlayStation games are reversed in their North American and European releases. In Japan, the [[File:PlayStationCircle.svg|18x15px|Circle]] button (''maru'', right) is used as OK, while the [[File:PlayStationX.svg|18x15px|X]] button (''batsu'', wrong) is used as Cancel. North American and European releases have the [[File:PlayStationX.svg|18x15px|X]] button or the [[File:PlayStationCircle.svg|18x15px|Circle]] buttons as OK, while either the [[File:PlayStationSquare.svg|18x15px|Square]] or the [[File:PlayStationTriangle.svg|18x15px|Triangle]] button are used as Cancel (some titles, like ''[[Xenogears]],'' use the [[File:PlayStationCircle.svg|18x15px|Circle]] button for cancelling actions and selections, along with the PlayStation 2 system browser and the XrossMedia Bar on the PlayStation 3 and the PSP).{{failed verification|date=July 2018}} However, a few games, such as [[Square (company)|Square's]] ''[[Vagrant Story]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' (which uses the [[File:PlayStationX.svg|18x15px|X]] button as cancel) and ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'', Namco's ''[[Ridge Racer Type 4]]'', and [[Konami]]'s ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', use the Japanese button layout worldwide. Other games, like the Japanese version of [[Gran Turismo (video game)|''Gran Turismo'']], use controls that are similar to North American games. These Japanese button layouts also apply to future PlayStation consoles. 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.

==Hardware==
In regard to the PlayStation’s hardware, its designer [[Ken Kutaragi]] stated, "The technology came from an original idea to create a synthesizer for graphics, something that takes a basic graphic and then adds various effects to it quickly and easily."

The PlayStation utilises a proprietary video compression unit called MDEC, which is integrated into the CPU, allowing for the presentation of [[full motion video]] at a higher quality than other consoles of its generation.

===Hardware problems===
With the early PlayStation units, particularly early 1000 models, many gamers experience skipping full-motion video or physical "ticking" noises coming from their units. The problem seemingly comes from poorly placed vents leading to overheating in some environments. This causes the plastic mouldings inside the console to warp slightly and create knock-on effects with the laser assembly. The solution is to sit the console on a surface which dissipates heat efficiently in a well vented area or raise the unit up slightly from its resting surface. Sony representatives also recommended unplugging the PlayStation when it is not in use, as the system draws in a small amount of power (and therefore heat) even when turned off.

[[File:PlayStation Pickup.jpg|thumbnail|Comparison of old and new pick-ups]]
The first batch of PlayStations use a KSM-440AAM [[laser]] unit, whose case and movable parts are all built out of plastic. Over time, the plastic lens sled rail wears out—usually unevenly—due to friction. The placement of the laser unit close to the power supply accelerates wear, due to the additional heat, which makes the plastic more vulnerable to friction. Eventually, one side of the lens sled will become so worn that the laser can tilt, no longer pointing directly at the CD; after this, games will no longer load, due to data read errors. One common fix is turning the PlayStation upside down, which makes the lens sled rest on the unworn top rails. Sony eventually fixed the problem by making the sled out of [[Die casting|die-cast]] metal and placing the laser unit further away from the power supply on later PlayStation models.

The PlayStation does not produce a proper signal on several older models of televisions (due to an engineering oversight) causing the display to flicker or bounce around the screen. Sony decided not to change the console design, since only a small percentage of PlayStation owners used such televisions, and instead gave consumers the option of sending their PlayStation unit to a Sony service centre to have an official [[modchip]] installed, allowing it to play on older televisions.

===Copy protection===
Prior to the PlayStation, reproducing copyrighted material for game consoles was restricted to either enthusiasts with exceptional technical ability, or people who had access to [[CD manufacturing|CD manufacturers]]. However, due to the increased availability of cheap [[CD burner|CD burners]] at this time, Sony modified the shape of the first portion of the data track on PlayStation formatted discs: A normal data track follows a smooth spiral path around a disc, whereas the modified portion follows a wavy spiral path. As a result, any discs that did not contain this modification, such as CD-R copies or standard pirated discs, would not boot on the console. This modified portion of the data path is also used to encode the disc "region"; for example, a disc distributed in the NTSC-U/C region would encode the letters "SCEA"; in Europe, "SCEE"; in Japan, "SCEI". This served as copy protection as well as region-locking.

The installation of an unofficial [[modchip]] allowed the PlayStation to play [[CD-R]] copies of games. It also allowed the console to play games from any region, as the modchip could inject the data for any region into the system. Since there was a multitude of electronic parts on the market, by the end of the system's life cycle, anyone with minimal soldering experience could perform these modifications. This created a wave of games developed without official approval using [[Free software|free]], official tools, such as the [[Net Yaroze]], as well as unofficial tools, and the reproduction of original discs. With the introduction of such devices the console became very attractive to programmers and illegal copiers alike, as well as those who wished to protect the lifespan of their lawful, original discs. In 1996 Sony filed lawsuits against many companies which advertised such modchips and pirated games, under the [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]].

Some companies (notably [[Datel]]) eventually produced discs that booted on unmodified retail units while using special equipment.

===Controller===
{{main|PlayStation Controller}}
Instead of a [[D-pad]], which is used for directional movement in nearly every other console then on the market, the PlayStation controller uses four directional buttons.

===Peripherals===
Peripherals released for the PlayStation include memory cards, the [[PlayStation Mouse]], the [[PlayStation Analog Joystick]], the [[PlayStation Link Cable]], the Multiplayer Adapter (a four-player [[multitap]]), the Memory Drive (a disk drive for [[3.5 inch floppy disk]]s), the [[GunCon]] (a [[light gun]]), and the [[Glasstron]] (a monoscopic [[head-mounted display]]).

===Technical specifications===
{{main|PlayStation technical specifications}}
[[File:CXD8561CQ 02.JPG|thumbnail|The GPU CXD8561CQ (SCPH-9000 version)]]

* '''[[Central processing unit|CPU]]''': [[32-bit]] [[Reduced instruction set computing|RISC]] [[R3000|MIPS R3000A]]-compatible MIPS R3051  ([[Clock rate|33.8688&nbsp;MHz]])
* '''MDEC''' (motion decoder) for FMV playback
* '''[[Random access memory|RAM]]''': 2 [[Mebibyte|MB]] main, 1 MB [[Video memory|video]]
* '''Graphics''': GPU and Geometry Transformation Engine (GTE), with [[2D computer graphics|2D]] rotation, scaling ([[2.5D]]), transparency and fading, and [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[Texture mapping#Affine texture mapping|affine texture mapping]] and [[shading]]
* '''[[List of color palettes|Colors]]''': 16.7 million ([[True Color]])
* '''[[Sprite (computer graphics)|Sprites]]''': 4,000
* '''[[Polygon (computer graphics)|Polygons]]''': 180,000 per second ([[Texture mapping|textured]]), 360,000 per second ([[Flat shading|flat-shaded]])
* '''[[Display resolution|Resolution]]''': 256×224 to 640×480 [[pixel]]s ([[480i]])
* '''Sound''': 16-[[Audio bit depth|bit]], 24 channel [[ADPCM]]

==Models==
{{main|PlayStation models}}
[[File:PlayStation-Model-Backs.jpg|thumb|A comparison of the SCPH-1001 (bottom), SCPH-5001 (middle) and SCPH-9001 (top) models. The SCPH-900x revision saw the removal of the Parallel I/O port while the RCA jacks were removed in the SCPH-500x revision.]]

The PlayStation went through a number of variants during its production run. From an external perspective, the most notable change between variants was the reduction in the number of connectors. The RCA jacks were removed in the first revision, and the Parallel I/O port was removed in the final revision.

Sony marketed a development kit for hobbyists and developers also known as the [[Net Yaroze]], which launched in June 1996 in Japan and in 1997 in other countries. Sold only through an ordering service, the development console came with the necessary documentation and software to program PlayStation games and applications.

===PS one===
{{main|PlayStation models#PS one}}

On 7 July 2000, Sony released the PS one, a smaller, redesigned version of the original PlayStation. It was the highest-selling console through the end of the year, outselling all other consoles - including Sony's own [[PlayStation 2]]. A total of 28.15 million PS one units had been sold by the time it was discontinued in March 2006.
A version of the PS one included a {{Convert|5|in|adj=on}} [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]] screen, referred to as the "Combo pack".

===PlayStation Classic===
{{main|PlayStation Classic}}
On 19 September 2018, Sony announced the PlayStation Classic. It was released on 3 December 2018. It featured 20 pre-installed video games such as [[Tekken 3]], [[Final Fantasy VII]], [[Jumping Flash]], [[Wild Arms]] and [[Ridge Racer Type 4]]. It also features two replicas of the wired PlayStation controllers without [[analog sticks]]. It also features an [[HDMI]] output. The maximum resolution is 720p. It is 45% smaller than the original console.

==Successors==
{{main|PlayStation 2}}
[[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony's]] successor to the PlayStation is the [[PlayStation 2]], which is [[backward compatibility|backwards compatible]] with its predecessor in that it can play almost every original PlayStation game.

The third generation of the PlayStation, the [[PlayStation 3]], was launched on 11 November 2006 in Japan, 17 November 2006 in North America, and 23 March 2007 in Europe. The backward compatibility of the PlayStation 3 differs by model. The newer PlayStation 3 models, like the Slim, are only backwards compatible with original PlayStation games; however, the older 60 GB model (the first PS3 model released) will play PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games through either having the Emotion Engine or Reality Synthesizer and emulating one or the other. While PlayStation 3 games are not region-locked, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games are only playable on PlayStation 3 consoles from the same region.

A third successor, the [[PlayStation 4]], was announced by Sony on 20 February 2013 and was released in the US on 15 November, Europe on 29 November 2013, and Japan and Asia on 22 February 2014. However, it is  backwards compatible with select PS3 Games through a download service dubbed PlayStation Now.

The [[PlayStation Portable]], or PSP, is a [[handheld game console]] first released in late 2004. The PSP is capable of playing PlayStation games downloaded via Sony's online store, and can also play any PlayStation game by using the PlayStation 3's remote play feature while the disc is in the PlayStation 3.

The successor to the PSP, the [[PlayStation Vita]], was introduced as a part of the 8th generation of video game consoles, and is backwards compatible with original PSP as well as original PlayStation games downloaded from the [[PlayStation Store]].

==Legacy==
Sony Computer Entertainment was an upstart in the video game industry in late 1994, as the early 1990s were dominated by Nintendo and Sega. Nintendo had been the clear leader in the video game industry since the introduction of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] in 1985 and the [[Nintendo 64]] was initially expected to maintain this position for Nintendo. The PlayStation's target audience included 15- to 17-year-olds who were not the primary focus of Nintendo, and 18- to 29-year-olds, who represented the first generation to grow up playing video games. By the late 1990s, Sony became a highly regarded console brand due to the PlayStation, with a significant lead over second-place Nintendo, while Sega was relegated to a distant third.

The PlayStation's lead in installed base and developer support paved the way for the success of the next-generation [[PlayStation 2]], which overcame an early launch from the [[Sega Dreamcast]] and then fended off competition from the [[Xbox (console)|Microsoft Xbox]] and [[Nintendo GameCube]].

===CD format===
The success of the PlayStation is widely believed to have influenced the demise of the cartridge-based home console. While not the first system to utilise an optical disc format, it is the first highly successful one, and ended up going head-to-head with the last major home console for over two decades to rely on proprietary cartridges—the [[Nintendo 64]]. Sony Computer Entertainment president Teruhisa Tokunaka remarked in 1996: {{quote|Choosing CD-ROM is one of the most important decisions that we made. As I'm sure you understand, PlayStation could just as easily have worked with masked ROM [cartridges]. The 3D engine and everything - the whole PlayStation format - is independent of the media. But for various reasons (including the economies for the consumer, the ease of the manufacturing, inventory control for the trade, and also the software publishers) we deduced that CD-ROM would be the best media for PlayStation.|sign=|source=}}

Nintendo was very public about its scepticism toward using CD's and DVDs to store games, citing longer load times and durability issues.{{Failed verification|date=December 2017}} It was widely speculated that the company was even more concerned with the proprietary cartridge format's ability to help enforce [[Nintendo 64 Game Pak#Copy protection|copy protection]], given its substantial reliance on [[licensing]] and exclusive titles for its revenue. Piracy was [[#Copy protection|rampant]] on the PlayStation due to the relative ease of the installation of a [[modchip]] allowing the PlayStation to play games region free or recorded on a regular [[CD-R]] making the console very attractive to programmers and illegal copiers.

The increasing complexity of games (in content, graphics, and sound) pushed cartridges to their storage limits and this gradually turned off some third-party developers. Part of the CD format's appeal to publishers was that they could be produced at a significantly lower cost and offered more production flexibility to meet demand. As a result, some third-party developers switched to the PlayStation, such as Squaresoft, whose ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', and Enix (later merged with Squaresoft create [[Square Enix]]), whose ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' titles were initially pre-planned for the N64; while some who remained released fewer games to the Nintendo 64 ([[Konami]], releasing only thirteen N64 games but over fifty on the PlayStation). While new games were coming out rapidly for the PlayStation, new Nintendo 64 game releases were less frequent and that system's biggest successes were developed by either Nintendo itself or by second-parties, such as [[Rare (company)|Rare]]. The lower production costs also allowed publishers an additional source of profit: budget-priced reissues of titles which had already recouped their development costs.