Video - The Launch of the Sony Playstation (1995)

[CGQuarterly]

Did anyone here get a Playstation at or near launch? If so, what games stand out in your mind from those early days in the system's life?

 

 

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[Tales from the Game Room]

I was [and always will be] a Sega fanatic, but my friend got a PSOne at launch, and the titles that I remember most were DOOM and DECENT! I loved those first person shooters...

[Tales from the Game Room]

U R NOT E

[Torr]

I only know of one kid back in the day the day who had the Playstation around '95. By around '98-'99 they were much more common. Most of my friends were into PC gaming after '95 or so.

I do however remember the commercials. Not sure if it was a lunch title or not but I remember the commercial for Battle Arena Toshinden perked my interest. It looked like Virtua Fighter but "cooler".

Edited April 8, 2015 by Torr

[CGQuarterly]

U R NOT E

 

I hate to admit this, but it took me a while (back in the day, not now) to figure out what that meant.

[CGQuarterly]

I only know of one kid back in the day the day who had the Playstation around '95. By around '98-'99 they were much more common. Most of my friends were into PC gaming after '95 or so.

I do however remember the commercials. Not sure if it was a lunch title or not but I remember the commercial for Battle Arena Toshinden perked my interest. It looked like Virtua Fighter but "cooler".

 

I remember the launch of the system. I was working at a retail job at the time (fresh out of high school) and one of my co-workers and his buddies were all talking about the system, and that they had it pre-ordered. They told me how much it was, and there was no way that I was willing to pay that. The system plus a game, memory card, and sales tax put the price tag well over $400 out-the-door, and this was back when minimum wage was $4.25 per hour. Luckily the battle between the Playstation and the Saturn meant that the price of the system dropped rapidly, and I picked mine up less than two years later for I think $179.

[Hyperboy]

I picked it as a pre-order when I lived in Charlottesville, Va from a Babbage's. I got a second controller, a memory card, Battle Arena Toshinden and Ridge Racer. I had a Sega Saturn at the time and I still have both to this day. I ended up getting most games as they came out in the first couple years. I loved those long boxes and to this day Twisted Metal is one of my favorite games from that era. I wasn't and am not a big nintendo fan so I was loving the new console and technology. I also had subscribed to every game magazine and could not wait to read any new info on the new consoles, It was a great time in gaming history as I was still playing Atari and Colecovision but had this new generation of consoles that were amazing and the internet was in it's infancy but still full of awesome info on gaming!

Thanks for bringing back a good time and great memories.

[Shmup Lover]

Got one about 3 weeks after launch, still have it, still worked when I put it back in the box when I got a launch PS2. Mine came with a demo disc with one playable level of ESPN Exteme games, Battle Arena Toshinden and the like.

 

Although I had a Saturn at launch a few months earlier, the original Playstation was truly next-gen coming off off the 2D era. The initial launch window blew me away: Jumping Flash, Warhawk, Wipeout, Destruction Derby, Ridge Racer, Krazy Ivan, NFL Gameday, NHL Faceoff, Philosoma, Raiden Project.

 

Everything from the lineup of games nailing each genere to the quality and feel of the system and peripherals made you feel that you were a part of something special that was not possible before. When you experienced this magic firsthand you tend to not get as excited during subsequent console generational transitions. The closest one for me was when gaming went into the HD era but it had a much smaller impact. Sadly I didn't get much wow factor when the current systems (PS4, etc) came out and I am still not onboard yet.

[Austin]

Excellent video! I already left a comment on YouTube, but it just occurred I forgot to mention that the Dreamcast had the same effect on me as the PS1 launch for you. It was the first system I was able to purchase with my own money as a working "adult", and the technological leap blew me away at the time. Had I been a few years older when the PS1 launched, it probably would have had the same effect on me.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Damn, hard to believe it is 20 years old already!! I was in the 9th grade when it came out and I was impressed! I bought mine in the Summer of 1997 at Toys R Us. First game I bought with It was Crash Bandicoot. And I was just hooked on It. Still have them 18 years later and run awesome!!