SONY have developed hundreds of products, many innovative and successful, but I am going to focus on Sony Computer Entertainment and the key hardware and software developments within this branch company
Playstation
The playstation was SONY's first games console and this 32-bit CD based system hit Japan in 1994 and then Europe in 1995.
April 1998 saw the launch of the next evolution of the PlayStation controller: the Analog Controller – or DualShock as it's known by most. The twin analogue sticks provided scope for superior control in future titles, while the built–in vibration function meant that you could now effectively feel the effects of the action on–screen. By August it was officially declared as the standard controller for the console.
On 2nd March 1999, SCE announced that the research and development on the "next–generation PlayStation" was completed. It was confirmed that the new console would feature a state–of–the–art 128–bit Central Processing Unit – the "Emotion Engine" – at its core. It seemed that the dawn of a new era in gaming was fast approaching. Sure enough, on September 13th, SCEI confirmed that its new home computer entertainment system PlayStation 2 would be launched in 2000, and would feature DVD playback, full compatibility with PlayStation games and USB ports to cater for all manner of accessories.
The dawn of the new millennium was heralded in major style by SCE, as it released not one, but two new consoles into the market. Of course, everybody knew that PlayStation 2 was well on its way, but before we could enjoy the next step in the evolution of gaming we were given an unexpected treat in the tiny form of PS one.
Launched to coincide with the fifth anniversary of PlayStation in Europe, PS one took advantage of the last half–decade's worth of technological advances by cramming the inner workings of a PlayStation into a console comparable in size to a Discman. The totally portable nature of PS one led to the eventual launch of a detachable LCD screen and Car Adaptor.
As for PlayStation 2, the new wonder machine was making tsunami waves in Japan following its release in March, with sales hitting close to 1 million in just two days. North America followed in October, where 500,000 units were shifted in the first weekend alone and when November rolled around, it was Europe's turn.
As sales of Playstation 2 hardware continued to flourish in 2001, the focus was now on whether it had the software necessary to keep the momentum going. Accomplished titles proved that they had, such as Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto 3 and Burnout, however, SONY were keen to emphasize that Playstation 2 be the home to the greatest titles. So between April and June 2001, SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) entered into three exclusivity deals with Disney Interactive, Square and Sega whereby SCE would publish the trios most hotly anticipated titles including Virtua Fighter 4, Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts.
Aside from a deluge of fantastic sequels, 2002 also stood out as a year for extremely strong original titles. Kingdom Hearts memorably combined Square's RPG knowledge with a host of Disney's finest characters; Sega's Rez was an incredibly distinctive marriage of music and shoot 'em up gameplay; Harmonix' Frequency took rhythm action into strange, new directions; Tecmo's Project Zero took survival horror into the realm of photography; and SCEI's Ico was a beautifully crafted tale of a horned boy trying to lead a fragile, ethereal girl to safety in a peril–filled castle.
With millions of people now happily playing PlayStation 2 game at home, it seemed only sensible to let them all play against each other without the need to stage a large–scale sleepover. The Network Adaptor, released across Europe between June and October, offered a slightly more practical solution, allowing gamers to connect their PS2 to a broadband connection and play a host of compatible titles against players across the rest of the continent.
The year 2004 saw the Playstation go Portable when the PSP (playstation portable) was revealed.
Despite being slightly larger than your average remote control, PSP was revealed to feature a crystal–clear, high–resolution widescreen, a full controller with both digital and analogue controls, wireless connectivity, slots for USB devices and Sony's Memory Stick storage medium, stereo speakers, and processing power comparable to PS2. Best of all, it was announced that it would play games, music and videos, making it a true multimedia–embracing device.
All of the excitement surrounding PSP didn't mean that PlayStation 2 was ignored, though; as well as enjoying possibly its strongest year of game releases so far, the console received a network–ready redesign that somehow reduced the chassis to around 75% of its original size.
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