Sony Celebrates 30 Years of PlayStation; Gaming Computers, Rising Costs Put Pressure on Entertainment Icon

By Shunsuke Tanaka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

2:00 JST, December 26, 2024

PlayStation, a brand of home video game consoles by Sony Group, has turned 30, with its first-generation model being released in 1994. Capturing the hearts of gamers with its high-quality graphics, the series has sold more than 500 million units.

However, PlayStation is now facing such challenges as ever-rising prices and competition from the rapidly growing gaming PC market. The group’s strategies for increasing its userbase will be put to the test.

“Even within Sony, no one thought [PlayStation] would be a success,” said Ken Kutaragi, a former executive vice president of Sony Corp. who is known as the father of PlayStation, during a presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2024 in September. As he recalled, even game studios initially showed indifference to the console.

The first-generation PlayStation went on sale on Dec. 3, 1994 in Japan. Kutaragi and others, through the console, worked on transforming gaming devices, which were then regarded as toys for children, into a form entertainment.

Along with Sega Corp.’s Saturn, which was released at about the same time, the PlayStation was valued as “a next-generation console with the processing speed, image quality and sound quality comparable to high-end PCs.” What made the console distinctive was its vivid graphics.

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p>Sony presented an image the device being enjoyable even for adults, which helped to widen its demographic. Sequels to masterpiece game titles, such as “Resident Evil,” still continue to be released. PlayStation ports of games originally designed for other companies’ consoles, such as “Final Fantasy” and “Dragon Quest,” were also made available, ensuring the game console’s popularity remained firm.

Sony has equipped every new console in the PlayStation series with the latest technology in an aim to differentiate it from other gaming devices and be the “high-end game console.” The PlayStation 2, which entered the market in 2000, was equipped with the ability to play DVDs, which had yet to become widely used at that time. The PlayStation 5, the latest model, supports 8K resolution.

As the PlayStation brand grew, Sony Group shifted its focus from household appliances to the entertainment industry, such as through gaming and music. In the business year ending in March 2024, sales in its gaming business accounted for 32% of the group’s overall sales.

However, Sony is also facing some challenges regarding future growth in the PlayStation brand. For its core users, who generally seek high-quality graphics and high processing speeds, gaming PCs have turned out to be the main competitor. There are also concerns that rising prices may cause users to defect. While the first-generation PlayStation was priced about ¥40,000, the PlayStation 5 sells for ¥79,980.

The age demographic of PlayStation users has increased. While Nintendo Co.’s Switch has many users in their late teens, many PS5 users are in their early 40s, which could lead to a declining number of users in the future.

“It’s getting difficult for beginners and children to start with PlayStation,” said Tadashi Miyokawa, editor-in-chief of famitsu.com, a site for gamers. “It may be necessary to expand the breadth of users.”