The PlayStation was created following a failed deal with Nintendo to make a CD based add-on for the SNES.
The PS1 was the first successful console to use discs and could even play music CDs which could be seen as the start of game consoles being used as media hubs rather than just games machines. The use of CDs was arguably the console's greatest asset as they were cheaper than cartridges and could store over 14 times as much as the largest Super Nintendo cartridges (only two games used cartridges of this size) and games could be stored on multiple discs due to their read only format which did create the disadvantage of needing memory cards to save your games. When Square (now known as Square Enix) was developing Final Fantasy VII they initially developed it for the Nintendo 64 but released the 12 megabyte cartridges available at the time would not be enough for the game and Square formed a deal with Sony to develop the game for the PlayStation with the final release being on 3 discs and having a file size over 600 times greater than Final Fantasy VI. These greater file sizes were used for music, animations, character models and backgrounds and were the beginning of the modern triple A game. The PS1 allowed games to become more mainstream and was the first console to sell over 100 million units although this was achieved only a year before its discontinuation and the release of the PS3. What allowed this was the use of polygons and voice acting which made games feel more immersive than they did before and there was a wider variety of genres than before such as 3D platformers, survival horror games and stealth games, additionally this would be the first time people in Europe would be able to play JRPGs without importing a console. The PS1 was the most successful console of the 5th generation by a landslide, outselling the Nintendo 64 at a ratio of 3 to 1 due to its CD use and better third-party support. |
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