Feeling spritely? This shouldn’t help: the original PlayStation console was released 30 years ago today in the United States, on 9th September 1995. It was a machine that would change gaming forever.
We celebrated the 30th anniversary of PS1 last December because that’s when it was first introduced, in Japan, on 3rd December 1994. Sony’s debut console was released in Europe at a similar time to America, on 29th September 1995.
It’s such a momentous milestone we dedicated a week to it, writing a collection of articles about the grey, oversized Discman-style box. The articles ranged from love-letters to WipEout and Tekken, to interviews with former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden, who was there at the time (which is why his photograph is in black and white).
We also asked for your memories of PS1, which you provided in abundance – there were more than 300 comments. And I read them all. And they’re all lovely; funny, heartfelt, poignant. Prepare yourself: it’s an emotional ride.
As the regional reverberations of the PS1 anniversary are felt again, I thought I’d resurface some pieces you’ve maybe not read.