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The Thing That Transformed Gaming Most Was the Original PlayStation, Says Ex-Activision CEO
- Thread starter Lunatic_Gamer
- Start date
- Opinion News Platform
Donald mac Ronald
Member
PS1 was the best console of all time.
Pasta la Vista
Member
Activision predates the NES. They may actually be the oldest American publisher of games that still thrives today.
nowhat
Member
...the fuck are you talking about?
Sony was developing a CD addon for SNES. The sound chip of which (SNES, not the addon - yeah, go look it up), may I add, was developed by Ken Kutaragi. So Kutaragi was in the deal. Then because of license issues (Sony wanted the publishing rights for CD games), Nintendo went with Philips. And that leads up to... well, the CD-i Zelda games. Which are kinda awesome, in their own right.
But PSX was started from scratch. It had nothing to do with SNES, or "the engine". Just Kutaragi insisting that a console be made.
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Gp1
Member
Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
Your mom
kazuyamishima
Member
1st console to sell more than 100m. units
Made videogames mainstream.
Almost sold 1Bn. games
GAF: Playstation didn’t do Shit.
Made videogames mainstream.
Almost sold 1Bn. games
GAF: Playstation didn’t do Shit.
Sgt. Pinback
(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
It will always be the PSX to me, and I fucking loved it.
SweetTooth
Gold Member
He is right, Playstation was so revolutionary nothing before it or after it had the same impact.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
That was originally strong-armed by GameStop when they were the “go-to” place. They threatened both MS and Sony that they would reduce their shelf space and placements if they charged less for digital games.
Look what happened to PC games once steam came out. They gave then a title rack to eventually phasing them out completely over time.
Unfortunately now, they’ve conditioned us to accept those pricing models. Savvy or budgeted people who can control FOMO just wait for sales. Especially for games you’re on the fence over.
phant0m
Member
Walter Matthau
Member
At the time it felt like having an arcade at home and the types of games coming out for it were much broader than what we experienced before.
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Wildebeest
Member
nowhat
Member
By the same logic, Atari Jaguar fucking rocked.
Idleyes
Gold Member
Sony originally wanted to do a addon CD device for SNES. It eventually fell through. This is why we now have PlayStation.
(Although yes, Sony was kinda being a dick as well, it's a long story - but in the end, Nintendo shafted Sony, Ken Kutaragi wouldn't let it go, and now we have a PlayStation. In part, due to Nintendo.)
So in a nutshell Sony was always a hardware boss. Nintendo, being both a hardware and software kingpin but using Sony's hardware for audio at the time, was like, nah, we good bruh. Then Sony, being a real Gangsta, said, ‘Bitch say what? We gone sell both hardware and software. Y’all ain’t ready for the smoke. Thus the PlayStation was born from hurt feelings turned vengeance.
Fun note: Sony currently owns New Jack city.
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cartman414
Member
So in a nutshell Sony was always a hardware boss. Nintendo, being both a hardware and software kingpin but using Sony's hardware for audio at the time, was like, nah, we good bruh. Then Sony, being a real Gangsta, said, ‘Bitch say what? We gone sell both hardware and software. Y’all ain’t ready for the smoke. Thus the PlayStation was born from hurt feelings turned vengeance.
Fun note: Sony currently owns New Jack city.
Sony already tried strongarming Nintendo with that deal. They already had Nintendo by the balls.
This wasn't vengeance, but pure petty domination. (Of course no company was innocent of this. Sony simply drew first blood and ended up winning.)
cartman414
Member
Nostalgia. PS2 was a marked improvement in practically every way. First real 3d gen IMO.
ReBurn
Gold Member
PlayStation brought those things together into something special. I had a cd drive and a 32 bit processor in my PC and it was nowhere near as fun at the time as my PlayStation.
PS1 had PS2 beat in JRPGs. Squaresoft was on fire.
Freelance Yakuza
Member
Sony's experience with the music industry helped a lot. They knew how to foster content working with publishers and studios. Microsoft never understood that.
nowhat
Member
Growing up, I was always the "computer guy" among my siblings (I wonder why). So when it came to picking up our next "home computer" (a PC, basically), I was up for the task. What we ended up getting was a glorious 486/33 - the multimedia variant, of course, with a single-speed CD-ROM drive, because of Ultima Underworld. You younguns don't know what you have nowadays. (and for the record, Underworld still rocks to this date)
...but when us siblings got a PSX for xmas, that blew everything out of the water. Crash 3, but especially Tekken 3. Arguably Tekken has been the same since 3, but that doesn't matter. 3 was fucking awesome.
ReBurn
Gold Member
Long live the turbo button. I was always the computer guy, too. But I was the only one who used it. I bought my first 386 desktop in 89 but I didn't have in internal CD drive until I upgraded to a 486 a few years after. Until I got the 486 I installed all of my games from floppies. PC gaming was a challenging minefield during that time and I think the trauma of the 90's still kind of mars the reputation of PC gaming today.
But yeah, I fired up the PS1 for the first time I was blown away. I bought Tekken 1 and Wipeout and I was in love with gaming all over again. Tekken 3 was my favorite PS1 game. I still have my bleemcast disk to play the game on my Dreamcast. Despite having 32-bit processors and CD's in my life for years leading up to its launch what the PS1 did was way better than what I could do with my PC. PS1 and PS2 are the reasons I still buy consoles despite not really needing to. That feeling when I pick up the controller is thanks to PS1. It's why I will always have a PlayStation for as long as I play games.
Crunchbox
Neo Member
Nah ps1 and then the ps2 doubled down on gaming elevation to hollywood movie, pop star tier S rank. Gaming was e rank and the when sony came in its rank was reevaluated into s rank. Sony was solo leveling. The Micheal jordan of consoles. Nintendo is the old crusty larry bird celtics. Nothing changed the game more like micheal jordan and sony.
Wulfer
Member
I did and I remember it too.
https://screenrant.com/nintendo-sony-playstation-hybrid-prototype-dan-diebold/
Sony was commissioned to design a working CD game that Nintendo could sale and Sony could get royalties on CD music and hardware costs. Nintendo got scared when Sony was about to not only make the unit work but, wanted to make some royalties off the games too. This was a deal breaker for Nintendo. It was then that Nintendo went to Philips and basically told Sony to fuck off. Sony having made a basic barebones console that had a working CD drive just needed to add a different operating system (one not patented by Nintendo specially).
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Ozzy Onya A2Z
Member
Next press release, Bobby now works at Sony............
With 3D graphics and a standard controller that only had a d-pad and no analogue stick...
PS1 was indeed revolutionary because it was the first console with a successful execution of a third-party driven approach.
Before it the leading console manufacturers (Atari, Nintendo, Sega) were companies that built their fortune on videogames hence followed a first-party driven approach for their platforms.
Nintendo still operates this way while all the other pure videogame companies with platform business of the early phases died off after external mega corporations like Sony and Microsoft put their weight behind ventures into the console business.
Of course Kotick's Activision is another beast and began life in the '90s.
PS1 was indeed revolutionary because it was the first console with a successful execution of a third-party driven approach.
Before it the leading console manufacturers (Atari, Nintendo, Sega) were companies that built their fortune on videogames hence followed a first-party driven approach for their platforms.
Nintendo still operates this way while all the other pure videogame companies with platform business of the early phases died off after external mega corporations like Sony and Microsoft put their weight behind ventures into the console business.
Activision was the first third-party publisher for consoles in the World and had many successes on Atari VCS (Pitfall above all).
Of course Kotick's Activision is another beast and began life in the '90s.
Ken Kutaragi admitted in his diary that he was influenced by the Famicom/NES success and by witnessing the develpment of Sony's System G for the conceptualization of what would become the PS1.
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SplunkyMunkey
Member
There was alot of games for the ps1 not just for kids but adults alike
Tekken 1 & 2
Bloody roar
Tenchu
Syphon filter
Metal gear solid
Ridge racer type 4
Gran turismo
Toca racing 1 & 2
Colin mcrae
Final fantasy
Destruction derby 1 & 2
Micro machines
Grandtheft auto 1 & 2 even gta London
R type
Premier manager
And many many more
Tekken 1 & 2
Bloody roar
Tenchu
Syphon filter
Metal gear solid
Ridge racer type 4
Gran turismo
Toca racing 1 & 2
Colin mcrae
Final fantasy
Destruction derby 1 & 2
Micro machines
Grandtheft auto 1 & 2 even gta London
R type
Premier manager
And many many more
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SEGAvangelist
Member
I guess you didn't have one.
baphomet
Member
That's not how it worked. The add-on wouldn't have had the necessary parts to operate alone. The Nintendo PlayStation IS a SNES, including Nintendo's proprietary chips. They wouldn't just be able to make their own OS and use it.
Barakov
Member
A.Romero
Member
Ok?
He was the one pushing for ps to exist and he provided the identity that pretty much created the industry as it is right now.
nowhat
Member
Honestly, everything should have a turbo button. Not that it would necessarily do any difference (even back then it often felt it didn't), but just, any appliance, add a button that says "TURBO". And then you can press it. It would be satisfying.
nowhat
Member
"A different operating system" is underselling it. We're talking about completely different hardware. Yeah, Sony had the whole SNES compatibility thing going, because they were working with Nintendo, but instead they had to come up with not only the operating system, but the actual hardware as well.
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Effigenius
Member
the big one is the retailer cut. When Sony or MS or Nintendo do sells a physical $60 game on Amazon or GameStop or wherever, they get about $35. When they sell a digital $60 game they get $60. They are ripping gamers off in a big way. And gamers happily bend over and assume the position for them.
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The PS2 was them recognizing what they'd done almost unintentionally and really leaning into it. You're right that it tied a bow around it, but the real turning point and shift came before it.
Very rarely does something turn an industry on it's head. Sony and the PS1 increased the overall install base significantly from Sega and Nintendo and remaining poor companies like Atari and 3D0. Between the PS1, Saturn and N64 what roughly 150M consoles sold, not including Gameboy series?
Other than the Wii and it's Blue ocean market, the install base as remained pretty consistent. That's with the removal of dedicated hand helds. Even the 360/P63 gen had a peak of 280M consoles? Current market is stagnant and eating itself and that is without the hand helds.
From the eyes of a 3 party publisher, I can understand his comments. Barbaric practices were tosse aside by Sony, who welcomed 3rd parties. PS1 or Sony's change in how business was done, take your pick. They are both one in the same.
But he isn't wrong really.
Other than the Wii and it's Blue ocean market, the install base as remained pretty consistent. That's with the removal of dedicated hand helds. Even the 360/P63 gen had a peak of 280M consoles? Current market is stagnant and eating itself and that is without the hand helds.
From the eyes of a 3 party publisher, I can understand his comments. Barbaric practices were tosse aside by Sony, who welcomed 3rd parties. PS1 or Sony's change in how business was done, take your pick. They are both one in the same.
But he isn't wrong really.
cartman414
Member
The Weird History Of The Super NES CD-ROM, Nintendo's Most Notorious Vaporware
Nintendo never released a CD-ROM gaming system. But for a while in the early 1990s, it flirted with the idea. That protracted will-they-won’t-they romance produced pages of breathless gossip columns in video game magazines, a mountain of vaporware, some terrible Zelda games, and one priceless...
kotaku.com
Not completely true.
Sony/Kutaragi begged Nintendo to agree to the CD-ROM deal, but they refused, until Sony promised they wouldn't use it to manufacture games.
Nintendo unwittingly signed away ALL software royalties and oversight with that contract, not to mention basically granting Sony permission to manufacture and sell their own hybrid consoles, effectively using and cutting off Nintendo.
Well, Sony didn't exactly remain benevolent to be fair, though they did change things in a more favorable way.
The industry is broader than you think, if you believe its identity was provided only by Kutaragi.
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RetroGamingUK
Member
Not in the UK it didn’t, way more kids had Master Systems.
Gaiff
SBI’s Resident Gaslighter
Considering the Master System had the same business model pioneered by Nintendo, I’d say it did.
A.Romero
Member
Never said only.
However, I do think he is the one that shaped gaming to become what it is.
ikbalCO
Member
This is actually one of the most brilliant ideas ever in a tech space. But sony dont have the balls (and the budget probably)
Hudo
Gold Member
Ngl, I would be interested in seeing him as EA's CEO. He can't possibly be worse than Andrew Wilson.
cireza
Member
Underground scene ? Piracy scene ? You might want to take a look at the computer market in the 80s and 90s then. Like the Amiga scene, for example...
Impotaku
Member
Not a chance, he works at Gringots wizarding bank.
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