SONY PlayStation

Enter Sony. Here it is, SONY’s first step into the video game console market. And what an awesome one it was! SEGA & Nintendo had ruled the roost for a decade, and each had talked partnership with SONY at some point, but talks fell through and SONY decided to venture into the new frontier alone – and as they say… the rest is history.  PlayStation would soon climb to the top as the best selling video game console to date. 

I was a SEGA fanboy and had a shiny Sega Saturn at the time, which SEGA rushed out early that year after catching wind of what the SONY PlayStation was about to bring to the table. When the PlayStation was finally released I was slow to jump in. But several of my friends grabbed one at launch. I loved my Saturn, but there were exclusive titles for the PlayStation that I could only watch from afar for so long. Tekken, Ridge Race, and Wipeout eventually lead to Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, and Resident Evil – and the list of quality games goes on and on. PlayStation was the first to target adult gamers who had grown up with video games- their success here laid out proof of concept for the video game market of the future. 

The Front of the PlayStation has 4 Ports – Controller Ports (1 & 2) and Memory Card Ports (1 & 2)

The Memory Card ports were interchangeable – each could be read whether or not you had a 2nd controller inserted. Two slots allowed for an additional memory card and more save games. Out of the box, the system would serve up to two players with Controller Ports 1 & 2 (most packages included only one controller)  To allow more than 2 players on one console, a PlayStation Multi-Tap is needed.

The SCPH-1001 was the first (pictured at the bottom) version and included all the ports listed below.  The SCPH-3001 (middle) saw the removal of the direct A/V Out jacks and the SCPH-9001 (top) removed these in addition to the Parallel I/O port.  

A/C In: The Original PlayStation had an integrated power supply and used a universal two-prong Polarized AC Wall cable which would plug into this port (look closely and don’t force it! these cables only go in one way.)

Serial I/O: Included on all original models, this peripheral port was for the PlayStation Link Cable – It allowed for two consoles to be connected in order to play compatible multiplayer games on separate consoles.

AV Multi Out: Included on all original models, this port was for use with SONY’s AV to RCA cable which was included in box.  This same port and cable would eventually be used for the PlayStation 2.  

A/V Out: Only available on the first version of the first model – SCPH-1001 (US) These ports allowed for direct input with a set of standard RCA cables – later only the AV Multi Out port would be available for use with the SONY’s AV to RCA cable.

Parallel I/O: A Standard Parallel interface allowed for peripherals – No official attachments from SONY (for consumers), but a handful Flash Memory add-on and Action Replay type devices were made to work for PlayStation using this port.  Only available on the SCPH-1001 and SCPH-3001 models in the US.

Model Number Changes

SCPH-1001 – Original model with additional AV output options on the rear. Unit suffered from Full-Motion-Video (FMV) skipping and eventual heat issues.

SCPH-5001 – CD-ROM drive re-located on right side of CD bay. Digital servo for focus/tracking introduced, manual gain/bias calibration removed. Lens carriage reinforced and power simplified, fixing FMV skipping issues. Only revision with vibration damper under the drive. A/V direct out and RFU power connector removed.

SCPH-5501 – Additional internal cost saving modifications to the 5001.

SCPH-7001 – DualShock now standard. Introduction of Sound Scope. Major manufacturing cost reductions took place from this model onwards. The number of memory chips and CD-ROM controllers were reduced, other components were simplified, especially on SCPH-750x.

SCPH-7501 – Additional internal cost saving modifications to the 7001.

SCPH-9001 – Parallel port removed (hidden under case on earlier 9000 units, completely removed on later 9000 models). Motherboard PCB reduced in size.

Variation #2 – This box was used after SONY’s new version of the controller was released and included standard with every PlayStation.  Proud of the vibrating feedback feature, the PlayStation box brandished the name on the console box: DUALSHOCK 

After 5 years of the PlayStation’s release, technology has moved quickly and it was time to consolidate things – The PS one is almost half the size of the original PlayStation model and SONY made a few changes to buttons and ports. 

The Reset button is now Combined with the Power button on the top left.  Instead of a separate button for reset, the power button could be pressed again to restart the unit just like the original.  The disc tray Open button functions the same as the original on the right side of the top of the case.  

On the back of the unit, there are only two ports – One is the new power jack which required an external power supply – 7.5V A/C adapter.  The other port is the common Multi AV port that SONY used on the first model of the PlayStation and eventually the PlayStation 2. 

SONY PlayStation 1 Systems

The Original PlayStation Controller

The SONY PlayStation had the first controllers to drop the alphanumeric trend and go with the now iconic symbols – “x”, square, triangle, circle. Three main versions of the controller were released for use with the PlayStation. All versions featured a four “separate button” direction format vs the common D-Pad button (another design unique to PlayStation) but to anyone who has touched a PlayStation in the modern era, this first version looks totally naked without analog sticks.

A very tough design-  these controllers would typically hold up to a hard “rage toss” across the room and would easily break a TV with the right momentum (ask my little bro about that).  

The Dual Analog and Dual Shock Controller

In 1997, three years after the console was released, SONY replaced the original controller with the Dual Analog version – The first look gamers would get of the dual analog schema that would soon become an industry standard. 

Alongside the new feature came a button to toggle the analog sticks On/Off – early PlayStation games only took advantage of the new directional format vs. additional controls the directional buttons would take advantage of later on.

The Dual Analog version was short lived as the infamous Dual Shock version came out later that same year – It looked almost exactly the same as the Dual Analog but this version added vibrating haptic feedback via a technology that eventually brought on a near decade patent dispute between SONY and Immersion technologies.  

SONY PlayStation 1 Accessories

SONY PlayStation Games

The SONY PlayStation’s custom GPU and sound processor brought an enormous amount of power for developers to take advantage of and new limits to the gaming industry.  The 3D era was now in full effect and many familiar genres in gaming got a fresh new look and feel on the PlayStation.  

The PlayStation used CD-ROM disc format for its games. For a short time, the PlayStation games came in a box similar to the SEGA Saturn’s discs – it was a taller, dark plastic one-piece with a separate insert for the outside label.  Really looked more like what DVD cases came to be a few years later.

Not long after the system release (I don’t think I ever had a game with the original game case at the time) – they started coming in the classic Jewel CD case that we all know and love to hate.  Anyone who never had a problem with these breaking or falling apart is either lying or suffering from memory loss!

In the new clear case, the Game Manuals would act as a cover as well. These were colorful and informative – most had details of controls, game types, and blank pages for your notes! All brandishing the vertical “PlayStation” along the left side.  The titles that made it to “PlayStation Greatest Hits” Status had a green background behind “PlayStation” and a “Greatest Hits” banner.

SONY PlayStation 1 Games